I'm sure you have noticed that winter is here -- and it is cold out there!! With the cold, winter also brings fun activities. We can play in the snow, build a snowman, snow fort, and make snow angles. We can go sledding, skiing, snowboarding and ice skating. There are many winter holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice and New Year's Day. Celebrations take place all around the world. What winter holidays do you celebrate and how do you celebrate them? Do some research on the internet and find out how other people around the world celebrate holidays.

The Computer Lab's bulletin board has some "wintery" computer activity ideas. Stop by and check out all of the different activities you can do either in the computer lab, or on your computer at home when it's too cold to play outside.

Enjoy your holiday celebrations this winter ... and stay warm!

New Links on Blog

Check out some of the new links on the blog. Under Excellent Educational Links, try Puzzle Maker. Mrs. Smith has her students using it to create their own crossword puzzles.

There is also a new category of links, called Brain Benders, inspired by Miss Damjanovich. Our brains are made up of BILLIONS of brain cells, called neurons. When we learn something, the neurons connect to each other. This connection is called a synapse. As your brain develops it forms trillions of synapses that create a "map." The more you try new things or learn, the more synapses form. You want to try to find new ways to stimulate your brain so that you can form more and more synapses. These games are really fun to play but at the same time, they stimulate your brain. When you get good at one of them, try a different one. This keeps your mind sharp.

A single synapse (left) and neuron "map" or network (right)

30-minute Computer Lab Activities

There are some great 15-30 minute computer activites on-line. Check out http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/clf/. Look above the spinning wheel, on the right hand side, you can select Grades K-2 or Grades 3-5.