4Kids.org - Week of December 24, 2006

Week of December 24, 2006

Holiday Travel

Voyage around the world to see how other countries celebrate Christmas at
www.the-north-pole.com
/around. In Denmark, dive into rice pudding where a special good luck charm might end up in your bowl. Hoteiosho carries a pack of presents in Japan and watches little boys and girls through eyes in the back of his head. Kids in India deck mango and banana trees to celebrate the season while Babouschka roams Russia passing out presents to children. This Christian holiday is everywhere, sparkling for all to see.

Nominate a cool Web site at 4Kids.org/nominations

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

In what year was the first Australian Christmas celebrated?

1788
1877
1787

What do the seven candles in the Kinara represent?

Seven virtues of Kwanzaa
Seven days of the week
Seven tribes

What is a sufganiyot?

A cookie
A pancake
A donut

Kool Kwanzaa

Join in a seven-day celebration called Kwanzaa at www.aakulturezone.com
/kidz/abc/kwanzaa.html. Based on ancient African festivals, this holiday was created for African-Americans to remind them of their history. Find out the special meaning behind the black, red and green Kwanzaa colors or read up on the Nguzo Saba. Practice your Swahili language skills as you learn about the Kwanzaa symbols. When you are ready to take a break for some fun, print out pages to color as you honor this holiday.

A Hanukkah Dedication

The Jewish Festival of Lights is only a click away at www.ort.org/ort/hanukkah
/index.html. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Hellenist Syrians. With blessings and the lighting of the Menorah, Jews all over the world celebrate Hanukkah, the Hebrew term for dedication. This holiday provides Jews with a time to focus on their faith and to honor Jewish traditions, including fabulous food. Delicious latkes and sufganiyot help tantalize the taste buds at this holiday dinner table. Games are also an important part of this celebration, so spin the dreidel to test your luck today!

What’s one thing you
will remember most about
this holiday season?

Speak Out Here!

Personalized Holiday

Even when I'm on vacation, the holiday season is the busiest time of the year. My family does a lot of preparation before the celebrations begin. We all work together to make our home look festive, which is part of what makes the holiday season feel special. My job is to decorate the windows with paper snowflakes. They are really fun and easy to make. You can learn how at www.show.me.
uk/site/make/ArtandDesign/ACT135.html.

There are plenty of ways to make your holiday season special. If your family exchanges gifts at the holidays, try making your own presents and cards. You can find great gifts to make at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/activities/crafts. Click on Make Another Gift for more ideas. Then use colorful papers, paints and glitter to make personalized gift tags or greeting cards.

For more fun ideas, visit www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/family_matters
/celeb_thingstomake.shtml. Happy holidays!

(The last site is no longer available.)

—Amy

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