Thursday: The Science of Art and Art of Science

12/13/2012

We made gorgeous Borax crystal snowflakes today, and learned about the awesome science behind the crystallization process. Students enjoyed learning about why boiling water is used to dissolve the Borax, and how the cooling water leads to the formation of Borax crystals.

Also, we made beautiful 3D string ornaments. It was a day full of art- and science!

1.) ART: Please remember to bring your coat hanger, ornaments, and decorations for the wreath for tomorrow.

2.) MATH 6: On paper, do estimates and calculations for each of companies you selected. You must use today's closing price for each stock and the number of shares you purchased of each company. SHOW ALL YOUR WORK IN A CLEAR AND ORGANIZED MANNER.
MATH 7: Any assigned work.

3.) FOOD BANK DONATIONS: Please remember to bring non-perishable items for the food bank by tomorrow.

4.) WRITE A RESPONSE: Write a paragraph about one holiday that your family celebrates.

a.) What is the significance or meaning behind the holiday? (Why do you celebrate it?)
b.) What kind of family traditions do you have surrounding the holiday?
c.) What is one favourite memory you have about the holiday?

VIDEO LINK:
Magic School Bus Episode 40- "Molly Cule". The clip we watched today about crystallization was from 14:50.

Sandy

12/13/2012 08:47:39 am

First! :)

ATV BOY

12/13/2012 08:54:53 am

SECOND :)

Cole link

12/13/2012 09:00:58 am

One holiday my family celebrates is Christmas which is coming up soon I think we celebrate Christmas because it is a lot of fun you get a lot of stuff and its just to take a day off of your job and have some fun with your family. We have one tradition is that my dad hides the stockings so it takes a while to find them and my mom and dad can get more sleep. When I was little instead of going to sleep I stayed up and played with stuff on my bed room and in the morning I remember trying to find my stocking and then I asked my dad and he told me a story and this story was about how one day his dad my grandpa hid his stocking so hard that it took him 2 days to find it. That is my best memory so far on Christmas.

Cole link

12/13/2012 09:01:52 am

FIRST TO DO THE RESPONSE! :)

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:29:14 am

@Cole

Your dad must have to think harder every year for new hiding places! :)

Cole link

12/13/2012 11:11:35 am

Yes he has to look very hard because me and my sister are very good at finding stuff.

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 02:46:16 pm

@ Cole - What a great idea! I'm going to hide all the stockings at my house this holiday season! ;)

Spongebob Squarepants

12/15/2012 03:29:08 am

@ Cole, that is a cool tradition. What is the longest time it took you to find your stocking? Good job

Cole link

12/16/2012 08:23:11 am

I would say the longest it took me to find my stocking was about 50 minutes to an hour.

Slender Man link

12/13/2012 09:05:19 am

Christmas is a holiday I celebrate. On Christmas, I go to parties on the weeks before Christmas and go to one big party on Christmas eve. I don't have family traditions but I always go to the same house the night before Christmas. One favourite memory of Christmas I had was when I was opening a new present which was when I was 7 or 8, the gift inside was a RC Car which was really the only gift I got at the time because when you get older just in the teen age of 9 to 19, you don't get as much gifts as you used to.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:33:36 am

@Slender Man

Do you think teens are harder to buy gifts for? Or why do you think you got more gifts when you were young compared to now?

Please answer part A =)

Slender Man link

12/17/2012 02:32:01 pm

The significance to me about this holiday is really in my religion because I'm christian and in this holiday, christians celebrate the birth of our savior's birthday. People think of other things like Santa but who ever came up with that only meant to cheer kids up, holidays are based on many things, for example, the Easter bunny came from a small boy who was looking for eggs in a party for kids when he saw a bunny leave when he found an egg. I think teens have a harder time getting gifts because teens are more based on social things like the internet or T.V. shows. Adults tend to think of us a kids sometimes and when they don't know what to give, they either forget about it or they just give something like a toy or mainly just cloths or candy.

ATV BOY link

12/13/2012 09:06:43 am

1) Me and my family celebrate Christmas ( who does not celebrate Christmas.? ) We celebrate it 2 time's because my mom's side every year they go to Hong Kong to see family, and then my dad's side we have it on the 24th because we are European.

2) Our family traditions are, for Christmas is we have turkey and we open present's.

3) One of my favorite memory's is when I got my scooter 1 loved it.!

ATV BOY

12/13/2012 09:07:32 am

THIRD TO DO THE RESPONSE!

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:36:25 am

@ATV Boy

Do you go to Hong Kong every year as well?

Not everyone around the world celebrates Christmas- why do you think people choose to celebrate or not to celebrate it?

ATV BOY

12/13/2012 11:57:30 am

No :( I don't get to go just my mom's sister.

Well... I think that they celebrate it because they want gift's I don't really know, but they don't celebrate it because maybe they don't have the money to or the time.

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 02:48:51 pm

@ ATV BOY - There are many people who do not celebrate Christmas. Can you think of any reasons why some people celebrate the holidays and some do not? Hmmmmmm.....I'm curious and would love to hear your thoughts.

theoverseeker link

12/13/2012 09:08:40 am

In my family we celebrate the day before christmas with a humungus feast at my grandmas' We have turkey stuffing and a whole bunch of other stuff like that. It's also pretty delish! the reason why we do this is because then it makes the 24'th of December a little more spectacular, and it shows our cristmas spirit. Other thanthis we don't have any more events sourrounding the spisific holoday. One memory that I have about theholodaay is when my little brother put a whoopee coussion and a ballon on my chair and I sat on both and the conclusion was pretty loud and embaresing.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:40:00 am

@ theoverseeker

Grandma's food is the best kind =)

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 02:50:42 pm

@ The Overseeker - Why do you think a whoopee cushion makes the sound it makes? What is the onomatopoeia related to the whoopee cushion?

Spongebob Squarepants link

12/13/2012 09:22:57 am

A) In my family like most of the rest of you we celebrate christmas. I have two christmas's, one with my mom's side and one with my dad's side. With my mom we go to my aunties for presents there in the morning and later we go to my grandmas for presents there and lunch and sometimes dinner. On my dad's side we stay at our house and the family comes over. B) A tradition we have on my mom's side is that we open one gift on christmas eve and the rest on chrstmas morning. On my dad's side we actually don't have a tradition at all. C) A christmas memory I have is when I got my Ipod touch a few years ago.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:44:28 am

@Spongebob Squarepants

Nicely structured response =) Do you ever have trouble deciding which gift to open first?

For part A, you described "how" you celebrate Christmas. Can you describe "why" as well?

Spongebob Squarepants

12/13/2012 11:45:19 am

The reason we celebrate Christmas is so the family can be together for a day. Cause every day I am out hanging with my friends so on Christmas it is a good time for the family to hang out and celebrate a fun holiday

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 02:52:20 pm

@ Why do you think your 'IPOD TOUCH' stands out the most out of all the gifts you ever received?

Sponge bob Squarepants

12/16/2012 11:23:41 pm

I think it is the biggest because it is the gift I used the most and it is something to do when I am bored

Sandy link

12/13/2012 09:27:18 am

A holiday my family celebrates is Eid. Muslims around the world celebrate this holiday after a month of fasting, also known as Ramadan. We celebrate Ramadan so we can feel how those unfortunate/poor families feel. We also celebrate this because god says that our body is a working machine and when we are fasting, we get rid of toxins in our body. Each night you break fast with your family and say quick prayers. Before Ramadan is over, you have to pay 1% or more of your money to the poor. This is a happy month. Once the entire month of fasting is over, we get to celebrate a 3 day holiday, known as Eid-Al-Fitr. Eid is celebrated to kind of congratulate yourselves for finishing Ramadan. You get gifts of all sorts from your family and relatives, sometimes even friends! Every single Muslim is usually happy this day because there are sweets like Kahak il Eid. We also get a second Eid around October. Called Eid-Al- Adha. This is a 4 day celebration, and it is very fun! It’s basically a festival for sacrifice. This is a very long thing to explain all about our religion so I cannot really say it all, but you could always research it if you are interested to learn more about it.

Heres a quick fact! - If you are not Muslim, and you celebrate Ramadan correctly, you get could get many good sides!

A family tradition we do in the month of Ramadan, is we me and my mom set up the table, I make the soup, and we both make the sweets for the upcoming Eid. We also sit in at our dining room table together and we kind of get closer as a family. My dad usually makes jokes (Hes actually really funny) that break the ice while everyone is eating. :p

A favourite memory I have about Ramadan is when we all sat together as a family for once. Really, my brothers are older now so they never come out of their rooms, so it’s nice to wait for that one time of year where we are all together, and happy that we completed a day of fast. A good memory I have of Eid, is when we and my mom this year made the Kahak il Eid together this year! It’s really fun to make and it involves A LOT of smashing on the counter. :p So basically we have these real wood things that have a carved shape in them and when we put the dough with the variety of mince nuts in it. After, we put some flour and press the circle ball (Dough with minced nuts in the middle) and we quickly, yet carefully *SMASH* the wood on the countertop. It’s a long process to make, so I won’t explain it right now, but you could always research on how to make them! They are really yummy! :)

Hope you liked learning a little about these happy holidays!
:D

Sandy link

12/13/2012 09:28:18 am

Sixth to do the response. :)

Sandy link

12/13/2012 09:32:33 am

Oh! I'm not supposed to celebrate Christmas, so that's why I didn't write about it. :p

Sandy

12/13/2012 11:09:37 am

Thanks! And Eid-Al-Fitr was right after Ramadan (August) so it started in September! :)

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:49:49 am

@Sandy

Thanks for sharing your family holiday and traditions with us =)

When was Eid-Al-Fitr this year?

SpongeBob

12/17/2012 12:35:16 pm

Why are you not allowed to celebrate Christmas.

Lio link

12/13/2012 11:28:23 am

@ Sandy
I really liked hearing about your traditions. But I have a really difficult question for you, do you want to try and celebrate Christmas?

Sandy link

12/13/2012 01:20:38 pm

I'm actually not supposed to, but I have one time. Although, I am not allowed to do it again for religion reasons.

Lio link

12/14/2012 10:29:37 am

So does that mean that you celebrated it on accident?
😮

Sandy link

12/16/2012 02:23:53 am

No, I didn't. But when I was younger and we came to Canada, my mom didn't want to make me feel so left out so when I was about 2-5 I would always tell my mom the one thing I wanted for Christmas. And, to this day I remember each year I would ask her for this toy fishing set that had a magnet on the plastic hook, and magnets on all of the fish! It was my absolute favourite toy when I was little!

Lio link

12/17/2012 01:16:40 pm

@ Sandy
You probably wanted the toy fishing set very bad. Do you still want it?

Percy

12/13/2012 01:34:41 pm

How many other holidays can you think of that we do not celebrate? I ask this because I do not know any of the Muslim holidays other than um o.o well I know one

Sandy link

12/16/2012 02:30:37 am

At this moment, no. But to add on to Eid-Al-Adha, people go to the Hajj, like my grandma. So they can pray, and thank god for things, and more.
I have a question for you. What other Muslim holiday are you talking about..? Is it 9/11? We don't celebrate that. Although, many people after 9/11 thought all Muslims were terrorists..

Percy

12/16/2012 11:45:36 am

oh my gosh I just realized it is not Muslim but it is Jewish wow this is embarrassing i was thinking of Hanukkah so now I really don't know much but I did google some and on Wikipedia there was three and I didn't even find Eid-Al-Fitr but there was other, so now I know not to trust Wikipedia. :)

Sandy link

12/17/2012 09:35:36 am

Haha, that's okay. Plus, Wikipedia isn't always reliable but most of the time it is! It's always good to use other resources! :p

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 02:59:22 pm

@ Sandy - Thank you so much for teaching us about Eid and Ramadan! I learned a lot from your response. I have read some things about many different religions and I find the Muslim faith fascinating! :) Do you think there are any similarities between the Muslim faith and other religions?

Sandy link

12/16/2012 02:20:39 am

I guess there are a few, like we love Jesus as well, but we don't believe that he is god's son.
And, thank you! I'm glad you learned a few things about Muslim holidays!
:)

Sandy

12/13/2012 10:05:24 am

@Mr.Hong,
Do we need to finish our pop art today, and hand it in tomorrow?

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:57:22 am

@ Sandy

I don't think you have to hand it in tomorrow. But you will probably be practicing for the play and won't get much class time to work on it... so you might have to finish it at home anyway =)

Sandy

12/13/2012 11:10:17 am

Okay, thanks for replying! :)

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 02:54:31 pm

@ Sandy - Nope. You can finish it in class tomorrow. :)

Gamer

12/13/2012 10:07:38 am

Yes eye think so

Hello Kitty

12/13/2012 10:20:21 am

I celebrate Christmas because- I do not know why we celebrate Christmas the same reason as everyone else I guess. The family traditions My family does is we usually go to a lot of different parties and go to friends houses a lot over Christmas. Also every Christmas we eat Turkey on the 25 though so on Christmas day we eat turkey every year. My favourite memory's from the Christmas holidays is- this might sound selfish but my favourite memory is getting really cool presents but also I like how a lot of people are in the Christmas spirit.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 11:03:58 am

@ Hello Kitty

Thank you for your honesty- I'm sure many of us enjoy gifts as well =)

Do you enjoy giving gifts as well?

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:03:44 pm

@ Hello Kitty - Although Christmas is known as a religious holiday, in my opinion, I believe many people celebrate it more because of the tradition rather than the religious meaning behind it.

Princesa link

12/13/2012 10:27:18 am

1) Me and my family celebrate Christmas it is a family holiday favourite. We love it because our family come most of my grandparents and relatives come over and we open presents together it is so nice and fun.

2) Our traditions are that we decorate the tree together and decorate the house together.

3) My most favourite memory is when I got my first bible that was last year it was my favourite because I will have it all my life.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 11:47:51 am

@Princesa

Thanks for sharing- was the Bible from your family? =)

princesa link

12/14/2012 10:43:21 am

It was from my oma my great grandma the bible but my parents gave me a cover but that I had to what for my oma to get here ti open it it was so fun.

Ms. Fei link

12/14/2012 04:42:13 pm

@ Princesa

Is Christmas a faith-based celebration for your family? If so, does that affect how you celebrate it?

Princesa

12/15/2012 10:37:27 am

Yes a lot ny grandma has a family hoot every year and we sing and have a reading from the bible. We are crishden and so we do that sort of stuff.

Noonoo

12/13/2012 10:36:03 am

@ Mr. Hong, do we have to write about Christmas?

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 10:37:34 am

@Noonoo

Nope, it can be any holiday that your family celebrates =)

noonoo

12/13/2012 11:48:40 am

@ Ms. Fei - Thx:)

Gamer

12/16/2012 07:45:15 am

What traditions do you have for holiday celebrations Ms Fei?

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:07:10 pm

@ NooNoo - I would rather everybody wrote about a holiday of their choice. I would love to hear about the unique traditions you all have (not just about Christmas). ;)

Lio link

12/13/2012 10:58:31 am

My family celebrates every holiday. One I enjoy is Christmas, but a lot of people posted about it so I'm going to do New Years. New Years is a lot of fun. We use the gifts we received on Christmas and we stay up until midnight. My sister falls asleep before then. Then at midnight we fall asleep and sleep for a long time. Next day, we use our gifts again.
Sometimes we have people over to share the "fun". My favourite memory? I can barely remember what I did because I was so tired, just like in a dream.

Lio link

12/13/2012 11:31:00 am

We celebrate New Year's because, well it's a new year! We have no special tradition behind it, we celebrate it like everyone else.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 12:14:07 pm

@ Lio

When I was younger, I wanted to stay up but never could for new years eve- I know how your sister feels =)

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:08:16 pm

@ Lio - Do you have any special traditions that you do with your family on January 1st of every year?

Lio link

12/13/2012 11:51:46 pm

@ Mr. Hong, nope we have no extra tradition we just stay up and sleep.

G Heffley link

12/13/2012 11:23:29 am

A) Out of all the holidays my family celebrates Christmas is my favorite. I like Christmas because it is a time when my whle family comes together and we celebrate the holidays. I also like Christmas morning because it is exciting to go downstairs and see all of the presents under the tree. Then we get to open them and see what is inside.
B) One of the traditions my brother and I have is, every december my grandma give's us a new ornament for the tree. Each year we get something different. For example this year we got an ornament that loos like a pair of converse.
C) My greatest memory of the Christmas season is one year my dad made an ice rink in my backyard. All of my friends came over everyday to go skating. Every morning I would get up and go skating in my backyard ( except for christmas morning.I waited until after I opened the presents and had breakfast.) And those are the reasons I love Christmas!

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:40:49 pm

@ G Heffley

What are some ornaments your grandma has given you and your brother in the past?

Do you know why she chose a pair of converse this year?

G Heffley link

12/16/2012 04:33:12 am

I do not know why I got a pair of converse this year, but in previous years ive gotten a skier and a guitar and a plane with santa in it that they got when we were in alaska.

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:10:41 pm

@ G Heffley - Does your family have any unique traditions or customs that none of your friends celebrate?

G Heffley link

12/16/2012 04:35:30 am

My faily doesn't really celebrate any unique holidays. Just the ones like christmas and easter.

Judy Moody link

12/13/2012 11:34:42 am

A special holiday that our family celebrates, is Christmas. We get to give and receive presents/gifts from our family. Since my dad has lots of family members my sister and I get many gifts. I really like spending time with all my family members since we don't get to see them very often because they live in Vancouver. I remember this from a couple years ago; I was at my grandma and grandpas house in Vancouver and there were about 100 presents under the tree and I took a picture of it! I also remember when Me and my cousins were wearing these Santa hats with white braids at the ends of them, and we were taking pictures.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:43:22 pm

@ Judy Moody

How big is your extended family in Vancouver?

Judy Moody link

12/17/2012 01:07:03 pm

my dad has 5 brothers/ sisters all together. they each buy me adn my sister a couple gifts so it is tons of fun! we also eat CAKE!!!:D

Judy Moody link

12/13/2012 11:36:35 am

@Everyone...... THIS IS IMPORTANT, EVERY BODY WHERE A CHRISTMAS HAT TOMMOROW BECAUSE ITS CHRISTMAS HAT DAY AND WE WANA BEAT MRS.VAN'S CLASS!!! :D

Lio link

12/13/2012 11:40:12 am

YEAH! WE HAVE TO BEAT THEM!

noonoo

12/13/2012 11:49:54 am

YOO HOOOO!! I HAVE THREE SANTA HATS!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lio link

12/13/2012 11:55:08 am

I'm wearing reindeer ears and a Santa hat.

ATV BOY

12/13/2012 12:01:19 pm

IT IS NOT JUST THERE CLASS DOING IT ALL OF THE GRADE 6-7 CLASSES ARE BUT WE WILL BEAT THEM :)

Judy Moody link

12/13/2012 11:58:15 am

Im wearing this elf Santa hat type of thing. It has bells on it :D

noonoo

12/13/2012 12:12:00 pm

@ Judy Moody - Cool!!! I think someone in the play has that hat, right? Do you have the same hat as her?? :D

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:17:41 pm

@ Everyone - Yes! Let's all bring our hats! :)

Tarantula

12/13/2012 11:55:17 am

St.patricks day. We celebrate it by wearing green. Sometimes we have a big dinner.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:44:55 pm

@Tarantula

Unique choice of holiday =) Can you provide more details for why you celebrate it and what a favorite memory is from St. Patrick's day?

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:19:17 pm

@ Tarantula - What else do you do other than wear green? I think most people wear green on this holiday. Do you have any special food on Saint Patrick's Day? Can you give us more details about this unique tradition your family has? :)

Greg Heffley link

12/16/2012 05:06:51 am

Why do you wear green? Also, why do you sometimes have a big dinner? Explain.

Tarantula

12/17/2012 12:00:54 pm

Sorry I got tolled that my family does not do that I just thought we did.
:(

noonoo

12/13/2012 12:08:02 pm

My family celebrates christmas but for some reason I want to write about thanksgiving.

My family celebrates Thanksgiving every year. Sometimes relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) come for thanksgiving and sometimes we just have our own little thanksgiving. Either way, we always make the same big dinner: Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, breaded tofu (breaded chicken but with tofu in place of the chicken) and peas ‘n corn. A tradition that we do every thanksgiving is where we get everyone to cut out leaves from coloured paper. Then we colour them and write what we’re thankful for on them. Finally we hang them from our chandelier with string. But sometimes we forget about them and leave them up too long. This year we STILL have our leaves up on the chandelier. In fact, I’ve forgot about them until this second. Maybe I’ll go take them down now.

~ NooNoo

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:46:15 pm

@ Noonoo

Remaining thankful is so important - thanks for sharing your family tradition =)

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:21:20 pm

@ NooNoo - I think that is an amazing tradition to have! So amazing that I think I might start the same tradition with my family! Thank you for the wonderful idea! What did you write on your leaf this year?

Tarantula

12/15/2012 07:31:29 am

That is an interesting way of celebrating and the leaves that's cool. Why exactly do you do that?

ghost link

12/13/2012 12:30:18 pm

My family celebrates Christmas every year. we celebrate Christmas because it is a wonderful/joy full time of the year and it's a great way to get the family together. My family doesn't really have a tradition come to think about it, but we always decorate the tree together and have a Christmas party, with our whole family there. One of my favourite memories was when when we did secret Santa with the family and, me and my brother were like on a scavenger hunt to try to find the person who gave us the stuff. Another favourite memory I had was when me, my mom, dad, and my brother, all went out at night to see the Christmas lights and we all had fun laughing, and throwing snowballs now and then.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:47:53 pm

@ Ghost

I enjoy the wonderful displays of lights as well- does your family put up a lot of Christmas lights?

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:23:16 pm

@ Ghost - I wonder where, when, and who started the tradition of putting up Christmas lights on houses?

Gaia link

12/13/2012 12:41:51 pm

The meaning of Christmas to me is the family get to gethers and the "jolly"nes to the holiday and the decorating and the baking. A tradition of ours is on Christmas Eve we (my little sister and me) get pj's and for Christmas dinner we are with are nanny my favorite memory for Christmas is when we where at my auntie and uncles we baked and got into a "flour" fight and I (on perpus) put a icing arrow on my fore head.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:49:33 pm

@ Gaia

Do you have a favorite for baking? =)

Gary link

12/16/2012 09:29:24 am

Gaia why do you like baking?

Gaia

12/16/2012 12:26:04 pm

@gary
The reason I like baking is because I like how to see how it turns out and I like the process and if you want more explanashion for why I like baking I can't give you one because those are the only valid explainshons

bobby orr

12/13/2012 01:13:19 pm

A holliday that my family always celebraites is "CHRISTMAS" we love christmas. There is a diffrent mood in the air in December to be honest I don"t know why but there is for some reason's. We don't really have any truditons that I know or remember. One of my best holliday memories is when my whole family went to Las Vegas during christmas it was so fun we did some crazy stuff in Vegas that I should maybe not talk about. I have another memorie about a holliday its when my whole family went to my granma's house for easter so we went to find eggs that wasn't that fun so me and my brother started throwing hard eggs at eachother that was so nasty and so fun. At the same time.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:55:08 pm

@ Bobby Orr

I see that you have 2 topics for your paragraph! Try to stick to one idea per paragraph- though thanks for sharing your Easter memory =)

SpongeBob

12/17/2012 12:41:51 pm

Maybe you could find something more creative to talk about because Christmas has been used by almost everyone.

Sandy link

12/13/2012 01:23:19 pm

I loved everyones comments, but I have a question. Do any of you celebrate a different holiday (Other than Christmas)?

Percy

12/13/2012 01:32:37 pm

I think most of us celebrate quite a lot of holidays including Easter, St.Patricks day, and I am not good at remembering this type of things so i can't think of any others (I do have a good memory though :D)

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:55:49 pm

@ Sandy

When I lived in China, Chinese New Year was huge for us =)

Lio link

12/14/2012 10:23:00 am

When we celebrate New Years, we do it in Chinese New Year form.

Ms. Fei link

12/14/2012 04:13:26 pm

@Lio

I know that many other cultures celebrate the lunar new year as well~ Does your family have specific traditions around lunar new year?

Lio link

12/17/2012 09:24:34 am

I don't really know what Lunar Year is...

Ms. Fei link

12/17/2012 12:06:34 pm

@Lio

The lunar calendar is a different system of keeping track of time, based on the phases of the moon (1 rotation of moon around the earth = 1 month). The calendar we "normally" use is a solar calendar, based on the sun (1 rotation around the sun = 1 year).

So the lunar new year is "new years" based on the lunar calendar... this year the lunar new year is Feb. 10, 2013 (whereas the solar new year is Jan. 1, 2013).

So when my family celebrates Chinese new year, it will be on Feb. 10, 2013. Does your family celebrate Korean new year? Will you celebrate it on Jan. 1 or Feb. 10?

Feel free to google for more information about the lunar new year, or ask your parents about it. Let me know what you find out =)

Lio link

12/17/2012 01:14:51 pm

@Ms. Fei
I asked my parents they celebrate on Feburary 10th. Just like you.

Gaia

12/17/2012 12:07:31 pm

I do here are some examples: Easter,Canada day and saint Patrick's day

Gaia

12/17/2012 12:09:54 pm

That's for (@) sandy

Pooh Bear

12/13/2012 01:25:52 pm

I am Buddhist, and my parents are from Sri Lanka. There is a new year for Sinhalese people including myself, and it's not on January first. It's celebrated around the 13th, or 14th of April. This date is chosen from astrology, but I don't know all the facts. Now because I am Buddhist we celebrate the full moon day of May. We believe that the full moon day of May is the day Buddha was born in India. Now I still do celebrate Christmas but I am not Christian. I think that around this time it's a great time to get with your family and have some quality time. It's also a great time of year for giving. I still think that you should always give, but around Christmas time is where there are a lot of charities. In addition to this, I absolutely love going Christmas shopping every year. Just knowing that when you give the present to that person they ill gleam with a wide smile, just buying at the store makes me happy. Every year our family always has the fir place on, and drinks hot cocoa while watching Christmas movies. We do put up decorations in our house, but even when we are all putting up the decorations together we put Christmas songs and have lots of fun. I also think that it's okay to be festive around this time of year. One of my favourite memories I have is when my family and I made a gingerbread house together and added some gingerbread men. It was our first time doing it as a family, and although it wasn't anything really fancy the fact that my family and I could have fun and laugh together was enough for me. Christmas time is a wonderful time of year and it is definitely one of my favourite holidays, and if you do not celebrate Christmas I want to wish you, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!!!

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 01:59:09 pm

@ Pooh Bear

Thanks for sharing about your family background and celebrations =)

I have some great gingerbread-house-building memories as well!

Percy

12/13/2012 01:25:57 pm

Christmas to my family is not all about the gifts it is mainly about seeing our cousins and having fun that day. Most of the time I wake up early because I am weird like that and I go to bed late and wake up early soo yeah... A tradition I always do it just try to stay up late because when I wake up early then I have to wait for my parents and brothers to wake up (around like 1:00 sadly) so I try to go to sleep late so I will wake up later around 12:00 .. My favorite thing I remember about Christmas is either watching all those Christmas movies or every year seeing my cousins face light up with joy when he sees our present we get for him.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 02:01:31 pm

@ Percy

How many cousins do you have and how old are they? Are they from out of town?

Percy

12/14/2012 12:09:59 am

I have around 20-25 not sure exact but most of them all are near Vancouver so my family and I go out there and we all meet for a dinner. So its pretty fun! They all are aged from 6-15 only counting the ones I go to Vancouver with.

Gaia

12/17/2012 12:11:51 pm

@percy

Why do you like to see your cousins face light up?

Gamer

12/13/2012 01:37:09 pm

One of our favorite holidays is Christmas.

We celebrate as a family; having our cousins and grandparents over for dinner and opening gifts.

Last year we got a puppy for a gift. It was one gift for everyone.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 02:02:30 pm

@ Gamer

Puppy!!! What a great gift for the family =)

G Heffley link

12/16/2012 04:44:48 am

Why do you like christmas? Do you have any traditions?

Gamer

12/16/2012 07:43:40 am

We open our gifts on the evening of the 24th.

My Mom makes a lot of food and invites the extended family for dinner on the 24th; and lunch on the 25th.

Pooh Bear

12/16/2012 11:43:03 am

Is there anything that your family does that maybe not many other people do?

Spongebob Squarepants

12/16/2012 11:27:44 pm

@Gamer, does your family have any reasons to celebrate Christmas? And do you have any specific dinner or lunch you have every year? Just ask yourself these questions, but good job

Gamer

12/17/2012 10:06:33 am

@Spongebob - the food is different each year; my Grandma likes making the same traditional dessert; but it is not the only dessert we have - my Mom tries new recipes she gets in magazines.

SpongeBob

12/17/2012 01:15:25 pm

Maybe add more detail like a tradition and a favorite memory.

Krozar

12/13/2012 01:43:14 pm

My family celebrates Christmas just like any body else does. Each year my family will go to my uncle shons house to make ginger bread house to bring home. And for dinner on that day we always eat pizza.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 02:04:54 pm

@ Krozar

Do you have a specific favorite memory from one year?

SpongeBob

12/13/2012 03:09:29 pm

Maybe you can explain more like your best memory and why you really like Christmas.

Mr. Hong link

12/13/2012 03:30:34 pm

@ Spongebob - Good idea!

Gaia

12/16/2012 12:16:11 pm

What is you favoritetist memory for this holiday?

Greg Heffley link

12/13/2012 01:48:18 pm

A.) My favourite holiday in my opinion, is Christmas! The reason is because I get to see family. All the cousins from my mom side ( from here and California ) comes to my house the whole winter break. It's just awesome having family around. I think that Christmas makes families closer.

B.) We have PLENTY of traditions. Firstly, we ALWAYS, I really do mean always. We make a fort out of blankets, pillows, chairs, and plenty more! That covers our whole living room. ( even covers the T.V. ) . This is a tradition we do for every break in the school year when my cousins come. Second of all, we go tubing! We go tubing on Cypress mountain and it's really fun! Especially when you go with a group. Thirdly, we make a snowman! ( if there even is snow ) After the snowman we drink hot chocolate in front of the T.V. . Lastly, on the 24th of December, we have a gingerbread house competition. It gets pretty intense. There are 2 teams of cousins trying to make the best gingerbread house possible. Building it, decorating it, and especially eating it!

C.) My favourite memory of the holiday. I can't choose, there is so many. As I have told you all the traditions that I do with my cousins, I think those are my favourite holiday memory.

Ms. Fei link

12/13/2012 02:06:28 pm

@ Greg Heffley

Where do your cousins come from?

SpongeBob link

12/13/2012 02:21:38 pm

Why is almost everyone talking about Christmas.

Greg Heffley link

12/16/2012 05:09:26 am

My cousins come from Surrey and California. But only 2 are from California so it's super exciting when they come here. In addition, there are 8 cousins on my moms side. My sister is the oldest, she is 19.

Minnie mouse

12/13/2012 02:22:03 pm

My favorite holiday is Christmas because you get to spend time with your family and give each other presents. My family celebrates Christmas it's the most wonderful time of the year!. I get to see all of my family like cousins and my grandparents it's such a joyfull time of year for my family!

What we usually do every Christmas is we all get are blankets and pillows and watch some Christmas movies like the polar express ( which is my favorite movie) when the movie starts we make hot chocolate and out lots of marshmallows in it!. While we're watching the movie if it snows we all run to get are boots on and scarfs cluves and slip on are snow pants! after we do that we all have a huge snow fight! It's usually boys against girls! The next day we take out are boogie boards and go to this hill near my house and jump on are boogie boards then slide down the hill it's so fun. We have the best times . We even go tubbing but I can't remember what the mountain was called . On December 24th I help my mom make cookies for santa! when were done making the cookies we all go to bed right away and wake up the next morning to see presents under the Christmas tree! :D

My favorite memory of the holidays is gettin to see my family and having such a wonderful time with them!

Lio link

12/14/2012 10:24:17 am

I see that you celebrate it like everyone else!

Mr. Hong link

12/17/2012 10:55:40 am

@ Minnie Mouse - Do you do anything unique with your family at Christmas time? For example, do you all go to the track and have a 100 metre race? ;)

SpongeBob

12/13/2012 03:07:34 pm

My favorite holiday is thanksgiving because during this day we all take time to think back of all the good things that have happened in our lives and also to spend time with family and friends.

During thanksgiving we would all spend the whole day in the kitchen cooking and giving stories with family and we would invite friends and relatives for a thanksgiving dinner. We would eat, laugh, and enjoy the moment while it last.

My best memory of thanksgiving was this year when we cooked and sat around the dinner table with friends and relatives. It was so nice.

Lio link

12/14/2012 10:24:51 am

Did you have a turkey?

Gamer

12/17/2012 10:01:17 am

One of the other family traditions we have is heading out to the local ski hills over the winter break for some snow boarding.

It is an activity that the whole family participate in.

The air smells very fresh and clean when you are on the hills; and on clear days you can see the city from some of the ski-lifts.

Noonoo

12/17/2012 10:44:08 am

Um what kind of questions should we ask??

Mr. Hong link

12/17/2012 10:52:43 am

@ Noonoo - One that inspires deep thinking. :) Here is a question for you. Do you know of any other cultures that have traditions similar to that of the ones many of us celebrate (IE Christmas). Do some research and see what you can find. Teach your fellow classmates about what you find! :)

Cole link

12/17/2012 11:36:44 am

Here is a question What does Christmas mean to you and why?

Percy

12/17/2012 01:36:01 pm

i think a question is do you know how Christmas was made (like when it started) so if you know please post (I know)

Comments are closed.

Thursday: The Science of Art and Art of Science

About Us

Archives

Categories

Mr. Hong's Web 2.0 Tools