Winter Break is just around the corner so I’ve created a Winter Family Fun Challenge to encourage reading and math activities during the time off from school.  If you and your family choose to take the challenge I encourage you to mark off each snowflake and bring the list to me when school resumes. I’d love to hear about what your family did.

Author At NCSA:  Aline Green, the parent of 2 children who attend NCSA in kindergarten and 6th grade, moved to Nevada County 20 years ago from Rio de Janeiro and has recently published a book about a maple seed, The Seed: Beauty in the Life Cycle of a Maple Tree. Aline felt inspired to write this story one stormy night while putting her daughter Bella to bed. Bella asked for a story, and Aline told her this tale of a helicopter seed.  Curious young minds will be entertained by the colors, seasons, and life cycle of the seed, all beautifully illustrated in this book. A love for nature will be found within its pages.  You can view the book through the link above or at Make Local Habit on Main Street in Grass Valley.  It has been published in both Spanish and English.

May your winter holidays be filled with warmth, love, joy, and learning fun.

Peace,

Angie DeFeyter

Winter Reading and Math Challenge: Fun with Your Family

18 Things to do Over the 18 Days of Winter Break

    Make a cozy winter reading nook to read in

    Go the Nevada County Library for a stack of books

    Get your child their own library card

    Pick a multicultural book about a winter holiday that is different from what your family celebrates

    Read a book about a winter sport

    Play Word Games: Apples to Apples, Scrabble, Speedeebee!, Quiddler, Spot It (for young children), Rory’s Story Cubes,     Bananagrams, Apples to Apples Dice, etc.

    Play Math Games:  Crazy 8’s, Uno, Yahtzee, Pigs, Farkle, Sorry, Connect Four, SET, Left Center Right

    Read a book with a recipe and make it!

    Read a book from your childhood to your child

    If you travel play the ‘Alphabet’ game as you drive along

    Read a book that became a movie

    Play Monopoly and allow your child to be the banker

    Start a family book club at dinner and share what you’ve read that day

    Read Pigs Will Be Pigs: Fun with Math and Money by Amy Axelrod and count change

    Try to use Overdrive or Libby for digital book borrowing

    Write Thank You Notes for winter gifts

    Read a book to a long distance relative over FaceTime

    Keep a journal of daily activities over winter break