Happy Thanksgiving! and a fb fan freebie: "Any Language" Charades Game

In our family, growing up, the Thanksgiving turkey, however delicious, was always overshadowed by two things. One: the annual drive through horrendous weather up into central Minnesota, and Two: games!

Yes, a big part of every Thanksgiving weekend was dedicated to family game time, with the game du jour (or game d'année, as it were) often being the latest in family gaming... before "gaming" was ever a word, and of course before screens had any part of things. One year, it was Boggle, another Uno. In later years, maybe Scrabble, then Trivial Pursuit, and my favorite, Pictionary!

This year, Mag is suuuuuper into charades. (Fellow language lovers are probably getting excited at all the linguistic implications of this hobby, right?!) We have found that at Mag's age, charades with pictures work well... but have run out of picture cards, right before our big weekend of family game time. Ack!

And thus was born my latest facebook fan freebie, called "'any langauge' charades."

Would you like to play with your family this weekend? Or with your language class next week? To access, simply head to my facebook page - be sure to "like" and "follow" it! - and look for the "free downloads" button in the left sidebar. Then download, print, and play.

Perfect for family game time, and ideal for promoting use of your family's second (or third!) language. Also fun for foreign language classes, to keep students engaged in these final weeks of the semester.

I hope you enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Celebrate Christmas Around the World! with Multicultural Kid Blogs

I've not made a secret of how much I love globes and maps, and all things "world," I know. But have I ever mentioned my other love (well, besides clip art, food, and travel!)? CHRISTMAS!

Yes, I am one of those adults who just never outgrew the magic of the Christmas season. (I know, we really annoy the bah-humbuggers out there, don't we?!) And so, it has been my utmost pleasure to spend these past few weeks working with two fabulous fellow bloggy-packet creators from Multicultural Kid Blogs (Judith of Little Bilingues and Monica of Mommy Maestra), creating a "Celebrate Christmas Around the World" packet!

Just released today, "Celebrate Christmas Around the World" introduces the Christmas traditions and celebrations of six countries:

Brazil, France, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Sweden

For each country, you will find:

♦ a cover page
The cover page features the country's flag and a Christmas greeting in the language of the country.

♦ a page of country facts
This page includes the country's official name and common name, its location circled on a world map, capital city, location, population, official language(s), and an interesting fact.

♦ 2 pages on Christmas celebrations
These two pages share the important and traditional celebrations of the country, and include cute graphics for students to color.

♦ a Christmas activity
The activities range from a word search to a DIY board game!

♦ a special holiday recipe
Make and taste a traditional holiday recipe from each country.

After completing the packet, students will have the opportunity to show what they have learned by answering 12 comprehension questions, 2 for each country.

We truly hope you and your students enjoy this peek into Christmas celebrations around the world! On behalf of all of us at Multicultural Kid Blogs, we wish you a wonderful and multicultural Christmas season!