February Holidays: Books, Blogs, Links

Punxsy Phil, the weather-savvy woodchuck.

For such a short month, February is living large this year. It kicked off with today’s observation of Freedom Day, which commemorates President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery. A wreath was laid on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to acknowledge this historical American watermark.

A troupe of top-hatted men will congregate tomorrow, Feb. 2nd, in Punxsytawney, Pa., to get the weather prediction from Punxsy Phil, the famous weather-savvy Groundhog Day woodchuck. The burg of Punxsytawney was not far from where I grew up, so my family always paid close attention to whether this chubby little rodent saw his shadow or not.

Then there’s Valentine’s Day on the 14th, Presidents’ Day on the 20th, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras on Feb. 21st, and John Gandolfi’s Leap Day birthday on the 29th. It’s unlikely that most of you know Mr. Gandolfi . He was the ultra-gregarious kid who sat four seats in front of me in homeroom from seventh grade through twelfth. “…Gandolfi, Gaston, Glasser, Golinsky, Granata….” He was a Leap Year baby, so I think he celebrates his 13th birthday this year.

I see these holidays as gateway ops – perfect avenues to promote literacy and chase away the winter doldrums. I suppose it depends on whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist and whether you’re “a natural” when it comes to integrating seasonal activities into the classroom. Whether you use a Valentine’s Day word search sheet or read a biography about a U.S. president on BigUniverse.com, you will be adding “snap, crackle and pop” to your classroom and advance the cause of literacy.

Here’s a starter list to get you in the spirit.

Freedom Day

• Priscilla and the Hollyhocks (Charlesbridge book)
• Harriet Tubman (Teacher Created Materials book)
• Slavery in America (Rourke book)
• Abraham Lincoln (Bellwether book)
• Slavery in America (Teacher Created Materials book)

 Groundhog Day

• Fun Facts About Groundhogs website
• Groundhog coloring page
• Groundhog Day and alphabetical order sheet
• Groundhog Day mask craft
• Groundhog’s Day Contraction Worksheet

 Valentine’s Day

• “Kid Friendly Poems for Valentine’s Day”
• “Valentine’s Day Printables for the Classroom”

President’s Day

• Presidents’ Day Teacher Resources link
• George Washington: A Life of Self-discipline (Bellwether book)
• Abraham Lincoln (Bellwether book)
• George Washington coloring page
• George Washington Graphic Biography (Saddleback book)
• Abe Lincoln Coloring Page

 Mardi Gras

• Online Jester Mask Coloring Page
• “Cajun Alphabet” (Pelican Publishing book)
• Template for a Mardi Gras Mask (Use cardstock. Attach stick.)
• Mardi Gras Vocabulary Printable
• “Mimi’s First Mardi Gras” (Pelican Publishing book)

Leap Day

• Leap Year Coloring Page (PDF)

NOTE: For more general reading, click on “Holidays” – a Teacher Created Materials book at Big Universe Learning. Or, read “An Ode to History and Phillis Wheatley” or “Books Introduce Black History Month Heroes,” blogs that showcase kid-friendly biographies about remarkable Americans.