Just in case you have not read the book or seen the movie I will give you a brief summary of the Polar Express. A young boy sits awake on Christmas Eve listening for the bells of Santa's sleigh. Instead of the bells he hears a train pull up in front of his house. He quickly boards the train, heading for the North Pole. Once the train arrives at the North Pole, Santa picks him to receive the first gift of Christmas. The boy knows that he can choose anything he wants but he asks for a bell off of his sleigh. Santa graciously gives the boy a bell and the boy puts the bell in his pocket. Once the boy is back on the train he realizes the bell and fell out through a hole in his pocket. Needless to say the boy is pretty bummed about his luck.
The next morning he is opening gifts with this family when his sister finds one last box under the tree. The boy opens the box and finds the bell and a note from Santa. He rings the bell and it makes the most beautiful sound he and his sister have ever heard. His parents on the other hand could hear nothing. The last line of the book is the best, "Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe." I know I am silly but it give me chills every time I read it, maybe because I still truly believe!
So last year my school had Polar Express Day. We wore pajamas to school, read the book, did all sorts of activities and ended the day by watching the movie. The kids had a great time and I wanted to share with you a few of the things that we did that would work for you at home or in your classroom.
In First Grade they are learning to memorize double facts so we made Hot Chocolate Doubles. All you need is the following worksheet, miniature marshmallows and glue!
It is also fun to make hot chocolate. At school I used a crock-pot to heat the water (not too hot though) and let the kids add the mix to their own cup. After we made and drank our hot chocolate we wrote "How to Make Hot Chocolate."
Here is a good tip for making plain hot chocolate mixes even yummier. I do this when I am making hot chocolate at home: use milk instead of water and add a teaspoon of sugar and a little bit of vanilla extract while the milk is heating. Just those small additions make the hot chocolate so much better.
Okay- last Polar Express idea for the day. I cannot take credit for this one, I owe credit to one of my teacher friends. I bought each of my students a small silver bell and the weekend before Polar Express day I wrapped them in tissue paper, put them in a big box and stuck them in the freezer so they got nice and cold. The day of I added a note from Santa Claus, addressed the box and recruited someone from the office to "deliver" the package to our classroom. When the box was opened to reveal cold bells straight from the North Pole my class was beyond excited. They held onto those bells so tight and yelled out "Thank you Santa!" It was even better when watching the movie they all started ringing their bells and saying, "I Believe!"
What fun Polar Express traditions do you have? How do you help others to "believe?"
Happy Reading!
Laura
No comments:
Post a Comment