May is Asian American/Pacific Islander(AAPI) Heritage Month

 

       May is Asian American and Pacific Islander(AAPI) Heritage Month!

There is a Black History Month, Native Americans Heritage Month, a Hispanic American Month and a Woman’s History Month. Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month is a time to highlight the contributions of these groups of people to the culture of the United States. It is celebrated in the month of May but could be used throughout a school year whenever you are wishing to highlight contributions of famous people to our world.

Did YOU Know? 

1. Could the people of Polynesia have sailed across the Pacific to Hawaii? In 1973, a group of people tried to prove this was possible. 

Using just traditional sailing and navigational methods, the Hokule’a sailed, in 1975, from Hawaii to Tahiti and returned back to Hawaii. Eventually, the Hokule’a did a 3 year voyage covering 47,000 nautical miles around the world.(completed in 2017) 

2. Surfing became very popular thanks to Hawaiian native, Duke Kahanmoku. He was called the “father of surfing”. He was also known as the “Big Kahuna”. 

3. Many words in the English language originated with Asia/ Pacific Islanders. For example, the word, “tattoo” comes from the Tahiti language. The word, "ketchup" comes from a Malay word(koetsiap) meaning seafood sauce. The word, " ukelele comes from the people of Polynesia .

Thought Questions:

1. Do you think we should establish specific times to highlight the contributions of different cultures to our American culture? Why or why not?

Extension Activities:

Ask the students if they can identify Asia and Pacific Island nations. Use a world map to locate the countries. 

Scroll down to Map of Asia Pacific region: http://worldmapwithcountries.net/2018/07/26/asia-pacific/

1. Try Japanese Origami: https://www.origamiway.com/very-simple-origami-for-kids.shtml 

2. Make a Chinese paper Lantern: https://chalkacademy.com/easy-chinese-paper-lanterns-template/ 

3. Try Rangoli, an Indian art: https://www.kidsartncraft.com/rangoli-designs-kids/ 

4. Try learning a Filipino dance called tinkling. https://kidskonnect.com/social-studies/tinikling/ 

5. Lunar New Year: https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/chinese-new-year.html 

6. Learn about the Hula, Traditional Hawaiian dance: https://textproject.org/wp-content/uploads/fyi4k/FYI-for-Kids-5-11-Hula.pdf

7. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2021/05/19/aapi-heritage-month-recommendations-teen-ambassadors 

Book recommendations
8. https://www.education.com/worksheets/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month/ Coloring sheets

9. Learn about the Cherry Blossom Festival: https://www.tripsavvy.com/japan-cherry-blossom-festivals-1550069 

10. Dragon Boat Festivals: https://raisingworldchildren.com/2018/10/31/dragon-boat-festival-kids/

11. Animals native to Asia: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-animals-live-in-asia.htmlhttps://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-animals-live-in-asia.html

12. Animals native to Pacific Islands: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/regions/pacific-islands

13. Languages from Pacific Islands: https://www.allaroundthisworld.com/learn/oceania-and-the-pacific-%20islands/polynesia/polynesia-language/#.YR2MJi1h3Fwhttps://www.allaroundthisworld.com/learn/oceania-and-the-pacific-%20islands/polynesia/polynesia-language/#.YR2MJi1h3Fw

14. Languages from Asia: https://www.allaroundthisworld.com/learn/oceania-and-the-pacific-islands/polynesia/polynesia-language/#.YR2MJi1h3Fw

15. There are many people to highlight in a resource on Asia/Pacific Islanders including Here are additional names you may wish to share with your students: 

Michelle Kwan: Figure skater, Olympic medalist(Hong Kong ancestry). 

Kristi Yamaguchi: Olympic Gold Medalist, figure skating(Japanese ancestry). 

Apolo Ohno: Japanese American speed skater/ 8 time medalist at Olympics. 

Iwao Takamoto: Japanese American animator and creator of Scooby Doo. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: WWE World Heavyweight Champion and actor, Samoan and African American descent. Jordan Ta’amu NFL quarterback, Samoan descent. 

16. https://www.allaroundthisworld.com/listen/pacific-islands-songs-for-kids/kafa/#.YPGepS1h2FU listen to music from Pacific countries(see instruments). Sing songs such as a Lullaby from Tonga, Tahiti, etc. Click on Oceania and the Pacific Islands. 

17. For teachers: https://worldwidevoyage.hokulea.com/?_gl=1*fcl3st*_ga*MTI0MjkzNzA3My4xNzE0MzA4Nzcw*_ga_2EG3TS0QXX*MTcxNDMwODc3MC4xLjEuMTcxNDMwOTAxMy4wLjAuMA..

Additional Links for Teachers: 

https://asianpacificheritage.gov 

https://www.teachervision.com/holidays/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month

Check out my webquest: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Asian-American-and-Pacific-IslanderAAPI-Heritage-Month-A-Webquest-7160633?st=2b36c5629de6ed9a0fa1ad3d3d7cb07b

Free illustrations from Pixab

Arbor Day 2025

                                                           

TREES!  

Interactive Notebook Activity

 by

Gail Skroback Hennessey

Arbor Day, 2025

It’s a time to celebrate trees!

Can you think of THREE ways in which TREES are important to us?

Click here for a free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Arbor-DayLets-Learn-about-TREESFreebie-3101335

Did You Know?

1. The Botanical Gardens Conservation International  announced that there are 60,065 different species of trees in the world.(2017)

2. The most endangered tree species according to the Botanical Gardens Conservation International is the karma gigs. Found in the country of Tanzania, there are only six trees left. Where in the world is Tanzania?

3. The tallest tree in the world is the Hyperion. The tree is 379.4 ft.(115.6m) tall and is located in California’s Redwood National and State Parks. The tree is taller than the Statue of Liberty (305.6ft or 93.1m) and the famous Big Ben(316 ft or 96 m) found in London, England.

4. The largest tree in the world is the General Sherman. The giant sequoia stands 275 ft.(or 83.8 m). Twenty people holding hands would be needed to circle the base of this tree!

5. For many years, the oldest individual tree in the world has been a bristlecone pine named Methuselah.It’s location is a secret but it is located in the White Mountains of California. It is estimated to be about 4,,848 years  old. In 2013, another bristlecone was found to be about 5,066 years old. This tree may now be the world’s oldest tree.The unnamed tree is located in the same forest. What would YOU name the tree? http://www.livescience.com/29152-oldest-tree-in-world.html

6. There is a clonal tree in the country of Norway which has a root system estimated to be about 9552 years old! It is called Old Tjikko. A clonal tree grows when their branches touch the ground and start new roots.

7. The beautiful cherry trees, found in  Washington, D.C., were a gift from the people of Japan. Back in 1912, 3000 trees were gifted by the mayor  of Japan. Interestingly, in 1981, the United States gifted cuttings of some of the cherry trees back to the people of Japan, after many of their trees were destroyed in a flood.

8. Did you know that Guinness World Records says the manchineel tree is the “most dangerous tree” in the world? Just getting the sap of the tree on your skin can cause blisters. Getting the sap in your eye could actually cause blindness! This tree is found in tropical regions of North and South America.  Can you name 2 countries found on North America? Can you name 2 countries found on South America

9. There is a tree called the Great Banyan Tree, found in the country of India that is called the “widest tree in the world”. If you look at the “tree” it looks like a forest as the “tree” covers 3.5 sq. acres of land in the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden. Its branches reach the ground and sprout new growth. Is the Banyan tree a “clonal tree”?

10. Did you know that one tree can inhale about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year?

11. Some people like to grow trees in a small dish. Called bonsai, the word means “tree in tray”. Growing living trees in this way is an art form from Japan. China also developed a similar type of art, too. Name ONE Fact about the country of Japan.  Name ONE fact about the country of China.

Your turn:

1. What do you think these quotes mean? Illustrate on of the quotes.

A. “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn”.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

B.“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. ” 

Franklin D. Roosevelt

2. List 7 products we get from trees.

3. Write a diary entry about a day you took a walk into the woods. What did you see? Hear? Smell? Feel?

4. Draw a picture of a tree. Write three ways in which trees are important.

Teacher Page:
1. Have students learn about bonsai trees with this reading passage. Write 4 facts learned: http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/bonsai/bonsai01.html

2. Show students the Great Banyan Tree: http://unbelievablefactsblog.com/post/75501683200/the-great-banyan-treeb  Write a poem about the tree.

3. Have students illustrate one of the Did You Know? facts.

Links for additional information teachers:

http://facts.net/tree/

http://www.kidzone.ws/plants/trees.htm

http://iliketowastemytime.com/2012/10/01/oldest-tallest-and-biggest-trees-in-world

Resources of Interest on this Topic:

1. Learn about the history of Arbor Day and all about trees with this web quest. There are 11 web questions, a Did You Know? section, comprehension questions and a teacher section with keys, additional links and lots(11 extension activities).This could also be something to use with EARTH DAY, when you are studying TREES and, of, course, for ARBOR DAY!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Arbor-Day-A-Webquest-3082791

2. A Biologist and marine zoologist, Rachel Carson’s books shared her love of nature, especially the ocean and its inhabitants. Her book, Silent Spring, sparked concern in how chemical pesticides were harming our environment. Carson helped to start the environmental movement in our country, which led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This Reader's Theater Script on Rachel Carson could be used as a STEM biography any time of year or especially during the time of Earth Day.https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rachel-Carson-A-Readers-Theater-Script-3071478

Illustration from wpclipart.com

Are you ready for EARTH DAY?

 

Click here for free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EARTH-DAY-FREEBIE-Possible-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-2466543

PLANET EARTH:

FUN FACTS

by

Gail Skroback Hennessey

Did You Know?

1. Scientists say that it takes about 500 years for plastic to decompose.

2. The Ring of Fire located in the Pacific Ocean is the largest zone of active volcanoes. 75% of the world’s volcanoes are here!

3. There is enough salt in the oceans that if you could collect all of it and spread it, it would cover all the continents in 5 ft. (1.5m) of salt.

4. Scientists say the earth travels at 66,700 mph through space or 18.5 miles per second!

5. The name "Earth" is the only planet named for an Angle Saxon word("erda") and not from Greek or Roman mythology.

6. In 1961, the first man in space, Russian Yuri Gagarin, was the first to call Earth, “the Blue Planet”.

7. Scientists say that the average person makes about four pounds(1.8kg) of garbage every day!

8. Did you know you are heavier in certain places on Earth? There is less gravity near the coast of India and more gravity in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.

9. The earth isn’t round. It is an oblate spheroid, or “pear shaped”.

10. It is estimated that the earth weighs about 6, 588,000,000,000 million tons.

11. 25,000,000 plastic bottles are thrown away every hour in the United States. You read correctly!

12. Don’t throw away the tinfoil of a Hershey’s Kiss. About 133 sq. miles of tinfoil are used to wrap 20,000,000 of the sweet treats every day!

13. Yellowstone National Park, was the world’s first national park. It was established in 1872.

14. The Peace Bell, rung at the United Nations every Earth Day, was made from coins collected by kids in Japan to promote peace on Earth.

15. Scientists say that the jellyfish is older than the dinosaur and dates back at least 650 million years.

16. One recycled aluminum can saves enough energy for a television to run for three hours.

17. Scientists say there are more living organisms in just ONE tablespoon of soil than all the people living on the earth(and that’s over 7.4 billion people)

18. One inch of topsoil, the very most fertile layer of soil, takes over 500 years to create.

19. Seen from outer space, the Great Barrier Reef(off the coast of Queensland, Australia), is called the “single largest animal being of the world”.

20. Mt. Trashmore, in Virginia Beach,VA, is a hill 60 ft(18 m high) 800 ft, long( 240m) made from trash.(That’s why it’s called Mt. Trashmore!)

TEACHER PAGE:

Extension Activities:

1. Illustrate one of the Did You Know? facts.

2. Have kids select a photograph of the earth from space and write a paragraph as to what they see. 

http://www.wired.com/2014/12/nasa-best-earth-from-space-2014/#slide-6

3. Discuss Haiku(3 line poem with 5-7-5 syllable pattern). Write a Haiku about Earth day or something about the earth(trees, ocean, river, trash, etc.)

Links for teachers: 

http://www.fun-interesting-facts.com/interesting_facts_about_earth.html 

http://www.softschools.com/facts/holidays/earth_day_facts/156/

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ very cool! See the world population continue to grow every second!

Check out these resources:

1. NOT JUST FOR EARTH DAY.Learn about the history of Earth Day and, our planet, EARTH, with this informative web quest. There are 15 web questions as well as comprehension questions and a Did You Know? fun fact section. The teacher page includes extension activities, the key, and additional links. Great for a Friday activity! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-DayWebquest-on-the-Blue-Planet-1790891

2. Learn about Mt. Everest, Nepal and the Yeti with this fun web quest! Activities,interesting facts and comprehension review,too.Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mt-Everest-Trekking-up-Mt-Everest-WebquestExtension-Activities-649400

3. Learn lots of fun facts with this Exploring the Ocean Blue: A Web quest.There are 9 informative web questions. Fun Facts, comprehension questions,extension activities,links.Use as part of a unit on oceans,a Friday activity for a Friday or before a vacation.Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Oceans-Exploring-the-Ocean-Blue-A-WebquestExtension-Activities-705943

4. Studying the ocean? Looking for a resource for Earth Day or World Ocean Day? Introduce your students to Jacques Cousteau with this informative Reader's Theater Script. Oceanographer, photographer, scientist, inventor, writer and filmmaker, Cousteau spent his life studying the oceans and the marine life that lived in the oceans. Part of Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series(extensions/comprehension questions, Did You Know?, key) 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Jacques-Cousteau-A-Readers-Theater-Script-2458467

5. Antarctica! Geographical web quest which introduces kids to the continent of Antarctica. There are 10 web quests(with lots of information in the questions), 14 Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions(including several "thought question"), a teacher page with a number of extension activities, additional links and key. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Antarctica-A-Webquest-2389374

6. Geographical web quest which introduces kids to the region of the Earth known as the Arctic. There are 14 web quests(with lots of information in the questions), Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions(including several "thought question"), a teacher page with a number of extension activities, additional links and key. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Arctic-Learn-about-the-ArcticWebquest-Distance-Learning-2889672

7. Learn about Rachel Carson with this Reader's Theater Script: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rachel-Carson-A-Readers-Theater-Script-3071478?st=09d45b1cfc736fdc8714f0a5b8573474

TULIP Time is Coming! Share with Kids that Everything has a history, including Tulips!

 

Click here for a user friendly download of this resource: 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TULIPS-A-Sign-of-SpringFREEBIE-4458064

With spring, comes the sprouting of tulips.  Personally, I love purple tulips. Although I try year after year to grow them in my gardens, the chipmunks seem to find them and haul the bulbs away! 

Tulips have a very interesting history. Sharing information about the history of the tulip is a great way to show kids that EVERYTHING has a history.

In 1634, tulips caused people to go a bit crazy, in the country of Netherlands. The bulb, looking like a onion was as prized as diamonds. It got so nobody was planting the pretty posies, they were just buying and selling the bulbs. People used tulips to purchased homes, food, clothing and even horses. Government officials kept a record of tulip purchases. Tulipmania is what this time was called. One tulip could be worth over $35,000!(Yes, you read that correctly)

Fun Facts about Tulips:

1. To have a tulip in your home was a way to impress others!

2. Interestingly, the tulips with the most value, really were infected with a virus and were feathered and not solid colored tulips.

3. It is believed the tulip came from Asia and the area of Turkey,1000AD. Its name, is thought to come from the word dulban or tuliban(meaning turban), because the flower looks like an upside down turban. In Turkey, tulips were very much prized and in fact, for a time, it was forbidden to buy or sell the bulbs outside of the capital city. Such crimes could mean exile!

4. The tulip capital of the United States is Holland, Michigan.

5. During World War 2, people ate tulips and made tulip bread. Neither were very tasty but when you are hungry, taste isn't that important.

Your Turn:

1. Do you know which two flowers are more popular than the tulip?If, not, take a guess!________________ and ______________

2. What is your favorite flower?  Why do you favor this flower over other flowers?

3. What do you know about the country of Turkey? Write ONE fact:__________________

4. What do you know about the country of Netherlands? Write ONE fact:________________

5. Write a haiku about tulips. A haiku has 3 lines and each line has the following syllable pattern. 5-7-5. Not sure how many syllables are in a word? Place your hand under your chin. Count how many times your chin drops as you say the world. For example: ELEPHANT. It has 3 syllables. Don't worry about sentence form, think descriptive words. The Haiku comes from the people of Japan. Write TWO facts you know about the country of Japan. 

Extension Activities:

1. Read a fairytale about tulips:https://ririro.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Fairy-Tulips_compressed.pdf Have students write a summary of the story. Have students write their own story about a tulip.

2. http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/plants/tulips.html More Tulip facts. Illustrate one of the facts about tulips.

3. Short video on the history of Tulips: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&p=fairytale+about+tulips#id=2&vid=f5f10c13674b8fb72347051acc26faa0&action=click

Sharing information about the history of the tulip is a great way to show kids that EVERYTHING has a history. The resource includes a reading passage, Did You Know? fun facts, comprehension questions, Map-skill activity, Teacher page with extension activities and key. Click here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-A-Reading-Passage-History-of-TULIPS-2426247. $3.85

April Fool's Day is Coming!

 

April Fools' Day is Coming!

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY! 

April Fools’ Day is coming. I remember when I was young eager to tell my father that his shoes were untied so he’d look down and I could say,”April Fools' Day”.

I remember kids calling the local zoo and asking for Mr. Peacock(or other resident of the zoo). Whispering to someone that they had a rip in their pants was also a popular thing to say to someone. Gluing a coin to the floor and seeing someone bend down to pick it up was another prank done on April Fools' Day.

 April Fools’ Day is an opportunity to show kids that history is all around us, even holidays such as April Fools’ Day have a history! April Fools' Day is a great opportunity to discuss and identify FAKE NEWS.  It is also a great opportunity to discuss bullying and the difference of doing silly pranks as opposed to mean-spirited or hurtful ones. It’s a day I encouraged students to do an act of kindness for someone else.

READ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF APRIL FOOLS’ DAY

 All Fools’ Day as April 1st was once called, is a custom that came to the American colonies from the French and British. Although the actually start of April Fools’ Day is not certain, many say the day of doing pranks dates back to the 16th century France. At this time, the new year was celebrated on April 1st and not January 1st. When a new calendar, called the Gregorian Calendar, was introduced, the new year fell on January 1st. Without television, radio, internet, etc., and with many people not being able to read, some people didn’t get the news of the new day for ringing in the new year for a couple of years! Other people just refused to change their celebration day for the new year. These people became the joke of others for whom tricks were played. Things done included sending these people on foolish errands, or to try and tell them things which weren’t true. 

The idea of April Fools’ Day soon spread to other countries. In England, pranks are only done in the morning and it’s considered bad luck to attempt an April Fools’ trick on someone after noon time. And, if you are the victim of someone’s joke, you are called a noodle! In India, in addition to pranks, people put colors on each other to celebrate the start of spring. If you go to the country of Portugal, watch for flying flour, which is what people like to throw on April Fools’ Day! In France, people call each other Poisson d’Avril which means April Fish instead of April Fools! Why a fish? That’s because a young fish is thought to be easily caught, not knowing better. A common activity on this day in France is to put a paper fish on someone’s back.

Some famous April Fools’ Day Pranks:

1. A famous April Fools’ Day activity occurred in 1998 when Burger King said they had a new “left-handed Whopper” which had the ketchup, pickles and other condiments on the left side of the bun to help left handed eaters. Many came in to order “left” Whoppers on that day!

2. In 1957, a news show aired a video on a spaghetti harvest in the country of Switzerland. People were pulling strands of spaghetti dangling down from trees. People actually called the news show asking how they could purchase a spaghetti tree!

3. In 1996 the Taco Bell Company said they had bought the famous Liberty Bell and were renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell! Many people called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia, PA, saying they were angry about the sale of the Liberty Bell to a food restaurant!

I have an April Fools' Day resource. In addition to the reading passage on the history of the holiday, there are 15 famous April Fools’ Day pranks. There is also an activity with 8 “What do You Think?(Prank or True). For example: Scientists are working on Smell-O-Vision, televisions that can produce thousands of smells so, for example, if you are watching a cooking show, you may be able to smell the onions!(answer: Once done as a hoax back in 1965, some scientists are currently experimenting with this idea…so true)

There are also 8 comprehension questions and 7 extended activities. Click here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/April-Fools-Day-ReadingFun-Facts-and-Activities-632947

PS: I have seen April Fool's Day and April Fools' Day. Reference books say that April Fools' Day is more correct.

Use this time to start a discussion on FAKE NEWS: This resource works well with my April Fool's Day Resource: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FAKE-NEWS-Developing-Digital-Critical-Literacy-with-Kids-INA-3074653

More April Fools' Pranks to Share:

Click here for FREE download: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/APRIL-FOOLS-FREEBIEReally-2474186

1. The oldest recorded April Fools’ Day prank may date back to 1698!  People in London, England, were told that lions would be washed in the moat(ditch) around the Tower of London.  Several people went to see the washing of the lion. Arriving at the Tower of London, there were no lions to be seen in the moat getting lathered up with soap. The date of the event: April 1st!

2. Thomas Edison was featured in an April Fools’ Day prank dating back to 1878. The New York Graphic Newspaper announced on its front page that the famed inventor had developed a machine that could take soil and change it into cereal and vegetables. It could also turn water into wine and produce biscuits. No one would ever need to go hungry again. Newspapers around the country announced the invention giving Edison much praise. The invention would change the world! The date of the article said it all…April 1st.

3. People lined the banks of the Arkansas River. in 1906, after the Wichita Daily Eagle’s front page told of a massive wave(11 ft. high) carrying millions of frogs would get to the city of Wichita at exactly 10AM. Said to be 11 miles in length, people waited for hours for the amazing occurrence only to realize that it was an April Fools’ Day prank.

4. In 1974, people living in Sitka, Alaska, were frightened when billows of black smoke rose from Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano.  Could the volcano be erupting?Turns out that someone had brought old tires into the crater and set them on fire as an April Fools’ Day prank.

5. In 2013, people were amazed to hear that Virgin was introducing a glass-bottom airplane!  Imagine, sitting in an airplane and SEEING the clouds beneath your feet. Many people were very excited about this new airplane and took to social media to spread the word. It was an April Fools’ Day prank.

YOUR TURN:

1. Illustrate one of the famous pranks.
2. Write a fake news story
3. Think of an act of kindness you can do.

4. Write 2 facts about the countries of France, England, India and Portugal

Illustrations from: wpclipart.com