Week 18 – Crossword Puzzle Week 18 Word Search
NATIONAL DAY CALENDAR CLASSROOM – Week 18 – December 9
National Cocoa Day warms the classroom with a mug of chocolate and creativity as we peek through some binoculars for the beginning of Christmas Bird Count Week.
Check out the classroom projects and assignments, crossword puzzles and word finds that help your classrooms #CelebrateEveryDay!
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LESSON 1 – National Cocoa Day (a mug to sip and a mug for art)
SUPPLIES
Pencil
Cocoa Powder
Water
Cups (3-4 per child)
Watercolor paper
Paintbrushes
Mix cocoa in water so that it is different intensities – dark, darker and darkest. Leave one cup of water for rinsing the brush. Students can pair up and share, too.
Using a pencil, have the child sketch the outline of a snowman, bird or snowflake. Keep their design simple if this is their first design. Using the lightest cocoa color, paint a light wash over the entire paper. If the color is too dark, cocoa is very forgiving. Rinse the brush in the clear water. Then using a damp brush with no color go lightly back over the paper picking up some of the colors.
Use the darkest color to outline the picture and the medium and light color to add layers of shading. Before the color dries, use a clean, damp brush to pick up the color to allow more highlights to show. Allowing color to dry between layers allows it darken. Add more cocoa for darker color.
LESSON 2 – Christmas Bird Count Week
Enjoy another cup of hot cocoa with the class, then contact the Audubon Society in your area armed with these supplies. The week-long event is an opportunity for students and their families to head out into nature searching for the beautiful birds native to your area. Whether you live where it snows or stays warm most of the year, the Christmas Bird Count Week is an opportunity as a class or a family to take education outdoors.
1. Binoculars
2. Notebook
3. Pencil
4. Birdbook
