Greetings Fantastic First Graders! My name is Maggie and today we are going to learn about the seasons changing and a few of the major holidays that families may celebrate as the seasons change!

Fall comes after summer and before winter. We start our new school years in the fall every year! In the fall we usually wear a light jacket over a shirt, with longer pants. Fall is when all the leaves change colors and start to fall. Some fun things to do in the fall are apple picking, visiting a cider mill, and carving pumpkins! 

Fall begins on September 22 and ends on December 21. There are many holidays that happen during the fall. A few of those holidays include Labor Day, Indigenous People's Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

Labor Day is to honor and recognize the American Labor Movement achievements in the United States. Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September. 

Indigenous People's Day celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October

Halloween is on October 31st every year. Typically children will dress up in costumes and go trick or treating in the evening. 

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia. Lots of families celebrate with large meals and family gatherings.

During the winter we celebrate lots of exciting holidays! A few of the holidays you may celebrate in the winter are Hanukkah Christmas, New Years, and Chinese New Year. 

The winter starts on December 21. 2021 and ends on March 20, 2022. In the winter the weather get very chilly outside and we have to start wearing our hats, gloves, and jackets to keep us warm! During the winter we can build snow forts, have snowball fights, go sledding, or skiing!

 Chanukah is a Jewish Festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem. Chanukah is celebrated for eight nights because the oil from the candle lasted for eight days when it only had enough to burn for one night. To celebrate they make many foods in oil. They exchange gifts and play with dreidels.  

Christmas is celebrated on December 25. We have Christmas Day off of school every year. Families celebrate differently, but many decorate a Christmas tree and place gifts under it. 

New Years is celebrated on January 1st. Many countries celebrate New Years on this date. The Gregorian calendar is the most commonly used system which is why so many countries celebrate on January 1st.

Chinese New Year is based on the Lunar schedule. Chinese New Year is celebrated on February 1st. This is also known as the celebration of the new moon.

Spring time is when the snow starts to  melt, and the flowers start to bloom. During the spring we gets lots of rain to help the flowers bloom. The weather starts to get warmer and we can play outside more.

Spring is from March 20th, 2022 to June 21st, 2022. Just a few holidays that we may celebrate during the spring include Ramadan, Easter, and  Juneteenth.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This is the most important holiday celebrated for the Islamic culture because represents the holy book being revealed. The celebration includes buying new clothes, fasting, sharing gifts, and family gatherings. 

Easter is on April 17th, 2022. A few fun Easter activities are decorating Easter eggs, egg hunts, and family gatherings.