It’s Thursday, December 21, 2017, and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
(www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas)
Age Range: All (All grades; children with parental supervision)
Explore the history of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and more with these websites.
History.com offers several videos you can watch on the history of Christmas from the religious story to the traditional icons in popular culture. Discover the origins of Santa Claus, explore Christmas celebrations around the world, and learn about ancient rituals and Winter Solstice celebrations too.
Get a terrific overview of the history of the Jewish Festival of Lights called Hanukkah. Watch a 4-minute video, explore traditions like lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and discover why potato pancakes (latkes) are a popular food at Hanukkah celebrations.
At this site you can watch a video that provides a good explanation and overview of Kwanzaa, a non-religious African American holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture for 7 days from December 26 – January 1.
The History of the Christmas Tree
This site provides a lesson plan on the history of the Christmas tree. Use the discussion questions to stimulate conversation or prompt a writing exercise.
The History of Christmas Carols
This website provides information on the history of Christmas carols! When you get to the site you’ll see a brief introduction and a menu of songs. Click on any one and a new page opens that explains the origin of the song, along with the lyrics. (If you want to hear the music to these songs, try this website.
The dreidel is a traditional Hanukkah toy. At this website you can get an overview of its history and its various meanings in theology, psychology, philosophy, numerology and more!
This website offers the history of gingerbread from the Middle Ages to modern times – with a nod to the Brothers Grimm and “Hansel & Gretel.” It also explains the history of ginger root, the herb used to make ginger for use in gingerbread. The text at this site provides basic historical information and contains links for further study. Unfortunately, the links did not work when we visited, but the text provides plenty of information without it. You will also find some recipes using ginger at this site.
