Holiday and festival celebrations are a unique form of cultural expression. Physical activities associated with cultural traditions offer the perfect opportunity for physical educators to integrate interdisciplinary teaching in their programs. This article focuses on the application of a multicultural perspective by introducing 12 station tasks…

Noting basic misconceptions clouding the dialogue about the role holidays play in an antibias curriculum for young children, this guide for early childhood practitioners invites them to rethink their approach to holidays and provides the tools for addressing the holiday question in new, creative, and effective ways. The three sections of the guide…

Presents CyberHunt 3, an interactive, multicultural activity for the holiday season. Students visit a variety of web sites for facts and activities related to Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. A CyberHunt reproducible has students write their answers to nine questions based on information they find at the different web sites. (SM)

Presents four elementary school crafts that celebrate the cultural heritage of people worldwide. Crafts are a universal means of cultural expression that provide opportunities to explore multicultural understanding. The article describes how to make Russian dolls, Hmong story cloths, Guatemalan hand puppets, and Haitian steel drum cutouts. (SM)

Asserts that holidays offer excellent opportunities to teach about cultural diversity and enrich the social studies curriculum. Provides five activities for teaching about holidays in elementary schools. Includes three charts keyed to the activities. (CFR)

This paper describes Caribbean street festivals as celebrations that reflect the historic, climate, and movement patterns of the region. Celebrations such as Carnival, Hosay, and Jonkonnu are discussed, and it is proposed that study of these and other festivals can be linked to the five thematic generalizations often utilized by geographers. These…

Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural holiday, can be a valuable resource for teachers to help students develop as partners in a democratic society. The origins and practices of the celebration are explored, and several resources are described to help teachers and librarians develop programs to observe Kwanzaa and its seven principles. (SLD)

Asserts that celebration of holidays, long a significant aspect of elementary social studies, has been abandoned by many schools because of controversy. Argues that holidays serve important societal functions and are part of the public culture. Provides criteria for establishing school policies about holidays and their celebration. (CFR)

Maintains that all cultures celebrate holidays, but, in U.S. elementary schools, holidays generally are given superficial treatment. Suggests using holidays from other nations to begin studying the geography, history, and culture of those countries. Provides descriptions of seven teaching ideas based on this approach. (CFR)

Asserts that studying regional holidays provides an opportunity to teach about the multicultural nature of the United States. Describes the background and history of the Mardi Gras holiday in New Orleans (Louisiana). Provides individual and group activities for teaching about Mardi Gras and includes suggested resources. (CFR)

Maintains that social studies teachers have used the traditions associated with civic and religious holidays to teach about historical events and culture. Asserts that holidays are becoming more culturally diverse. Presents a bibliographic essay including recommended children's literature on both religious and secular holidays. (CFR)

These conference proceedings provide summaries of 84 presentations on various aspects of the High/Scope active learning approach for high-risk students, as well as related topics. Topics addressed include active learning, music education, language role, portfolio assessment, teacher training, special needs students, High/Scope in Portugal,…