Dec. 26, 2007: Holiday Ornaments

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in the Rocky Mountain News. This issue of The Mini Page is available through the eEdition Archive to registered eEdition subscribers. Click here to learn about subscribing to the eEdition at no cost to you (for Colorado teachers).

Activities:

1. Pretend that you work for an ornament company. Design a new ornament that reflects your family or your community. Draw your ornament on a piece of paper. Write a sentence about your ornament.

2. What series of ornaments would you like to see: Sports? Food? People? Cut out newspaper pictures of items that fit your series and would make good ornaments. Paste your pictures on a piece of paper. Put the name of your series at the top of the page.

3. People often have favorite ornaments, such as characters from a TV show or movie, special cars, or ornaments that reflect their hobbies. Interview at least five different family members or friends. Ask them to name their favorite ornament and tell you why. What answers surprised you? What is your favorite ornament?

4. Making glass ornaments at home in the 1800s required great skill and care. What do you think the families did to make sure no one was hurt in each step of the process: (a) blowing and forming the glass, (b) putting silver coating inside the ornament, and (c) breaking the stems and putting on the hanger?

5. Ornament makers often make ornaments that commemorate important events. Select a news story from your newspaper about an event that you think should be remembered. Sketch a design for the ornament. Then write a paragraph explaining why that event deserves its own ornament.

This week's standards:

• Students understand that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures. (Art)
• Students understand science and technology. (Science: Science and Technology)
  
  

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)