This book was written to help explain to preschoolers and primary school students why and how different holidays are celebrated. As a nursery school teacher, I found that three- and four-year-olds were very aware of the decorations, commercials, and special foods associated with the holidays, but they did not know the reason for the holiday. The children had many questions about what they observed. I couldn't find information written on their level to answer their questions, so I wrote my own stories. This book contains the stories I wrote. I hope this book will help parents and teachers who find themselves in the same situation as I was in, with explanations for their children.

Celebrate with Cards! contains over 50 funky and creative ideas for designing and making a range of greeting cards, gift tags, and place cards. Whether you want to announce a new home with a pop-up design, set off a special gift with a beaded and wired motif, or style a wedding table with themed place cards, you'll find oodles of inspiration here. -Discover how to make truly unique cards with gorgeous papers, vintage material, felt, beads, and buttons-Most projects can be completed in an afternoon-Techniques include making simple pop-ups, wire work, quilling, decoupage, and more-Tips and hints show you how to combine techniques and materials to make clever alternatives-There's no need for expensive or hard-to-find material

Filled with forty-six festive menus that are perfect for a variety of holidays or special occasions, a new cookbook by the author of The Silver Palate Cookbook includes 350 delicious, foolproof recipes that include such dishes as Maple Ginger Turkey with Cornbread Chorizo Stuffing, Orange Sorbet, and and many more. Simultaneous.

If you feel overburdened by the demands of this hectic season, stop vying for the best parking spot at the mall! Celebrate Christmas with your heart. Simplify and Celebrate is for all those people who know they want to simplify their Christmas celebration, but don't know where to begin. Simple ideas for creating meaningful family traditions with your kids, Advent rituals, prayers and reflections, and ideas for gift-giving that reflect your values and don't cost the earth. This year, plan and celebrate a Christmas that's full of the joy and peace of the season.

Traditional and contemporary vegan recipes for holiday celebrations year-round Food and holidays go hand in hand, but for many vegans, cooking traditional celebration menus can be stressful. Now, from the author of Urban Vegan, comes this gathering of flavorful, animal-free celebratory recipes, both traditional and contemporary, using seasonal ingredients. This book covers the spectrum of holidays from across the globe—public, religious, and even quirky, lesser-known holidays. Celebrate Vegan also includes recipes for important milestones such as birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, as well as menus for everyday celebrations like “Girls’ Night In,” “Snow Day,” “Tailgate Party,” and “Slumber Party.” Celebrate Vegan uses mainly pantry staples, although a few recipes call for more exotic ingredients. Seasoned chefs and cooking novices alike will find the chatty recipes easy to follow. Most recipes are simple, while more elaborate holiday treats invite readers to explore new techniques. Sidebars bring to light unfamiliar holidays, as well as interesting facts and cooking tips.

"For each holiday you will find: a little book ; cross-curricular activities ; historical facts ; holiday journals."--Cover

This practical day-by-day calendar is a goldmine for planning exciting activities and classroom units based on national and international holidays, multicultural and historic events, famous firsts, inventions, birthdays of important individuals (including authors), and more. The entries are annotated and include contact information and Web site addresses to facilitate further research and learning. In addition, three suggested learning activities are provided for each day of the year. Designed for any year, this one-stop resource can be used over and over again as a ready-reference, daily activity guide, rainy-day resource, or idea generator for bulletin boards. Teachers, librarians, and parents can use the calendar entries and activity suggestions as a springboard to spark interest in a particular topic or event, enhance learning and awareness, or introduce students to a new unit of study. Invaluable to school and public libraries!

How did Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday become a national holiday? Why do we exchange presents on Christmas and Chanukah? What do bunnies have to do with Easter? How did Earth Day become a global holiday? These questions and more are answered in this fascinating exploration into the history and meaning of holidays and rituals. Edited by Amitai Etzioni, one of the most influential social and political thinkers of our time, this collection provides a compelling overview of the impact that holidays and rituals have on our family and communal life. From community solidarity to ethnic relations to religious traditions, We Are What We Celebrate argues that holidays such as Halloween, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, and Valentine's Day play an important role in reinforcing, and sometimes redefining, our values as a society. The collection brings together classic and original essays that, for the first time, offer a comprehensive overview and analysis of the important role such celebrations play in maintaining a moral order as well as in cementing family bonds, building community relations and creating national identity. The essays cover such topics as the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday; the importance of holidays for children; the mainstreaming of Kwanzaa; and the controversy over Columbus Day celebrations. Compelling and often surprising, this look at holidays and rituals brings new meaning to not just the ways we celebrate but to what those celebrations tell us about ourselves and our communities. Contributors: Theodore Caplow, Gary Cross, Matthew Dennis, Amitai Etzioni, John R. Gillis, Ellen M. Litwicki, Diana Muir, Francesca Polletta, Elizabeth H. Pleck, David E. Proctor, Mary F. Whiteside, and Anna Day Wilde.

The accent is on fun in these friendly guides to language and culture in the U.S. Learn tons of new vocabulary. Improve your communication and pronunciation skills. Listen to short dialogues and read about interesting aspects of American culture. Learn wacky idioms, usage, and yes, some slang. Get great tips about social customs and everyday situations. Fun-filled quizzes and audio dialogues make it easy to practice, practice, practice until you're perfect!