1. Gifts ‘Overwhelm’ Newtown Children

People have been showering gifts on children in Newtown, Connecticut, after the tragedy that took the lives of 20 students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. So many items – teddy bears, board games, dolls and balls — have been sent that Newtown has asked for an end to such donations. Mountains of items remain stacked up in a warehouse, even though Newtown’s children were invited to the town hall to choose from the stuffed animals, dolls, games and other gifts. Before being sorted and put on card tables for the children to make their choices, the toys were inspected by bomb-sniffing dogs — a sad note, but understandable, considering what inspired the gifts. Donations are still welcome, but no longer toys. Donation funds have been established to pay for assistance and memorials. As a class, discuss ways that you or your class could help Newtown students recover from the tragedy. Then use the newspaper to brainstorm a way to remember the victims by doing something that would help children in your community.

Common Core/National Standard: Engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

2. Flying Circles

There are many shapes in the world — squares, circles, triangles and more. Pick a shape you like. Then hunt through today's newspaper and cut out objects, pictures or images in that shape. Paste your cutouts onto stiff paper and then create an art mobile. Label each piece with a word that you think of when you see the shape.

Common Core/National Standards: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points; classifying common objects and substances according to observable attributes: color, size, shape, smell, hardness, texture, flexibility, length, weight, buoyancy, states of matter or magnetic properties.

3. Danger in the Toy Chest

Are Buckyballs in your toy chest? If so, beware! Buckyballs may be dangerous. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that some children have been severely injured after swallowing toys like Buckyballs that are made from rare-earth magnets. The Commission filed a complaint against the Maxfield & Oberton company that makes Buckyballs, demanding that it stop producing the product. After 11 other manufacturers of similar products halted production, Maxfield & Oberton stopped selling them because the legal dispute with the consumer agency was proving expensive. As a class, talk about toys that could be unsafe for small children. Then find toy ads in the newspaper. Pick out three toys and write out a safety tip or concern for each toy.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience; engaging effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

4. One Thing or an Udder

Milk is good for you, of course, but too much milk isn’t. Cow’s milk is the primary source of Vitamin D for children, but dairy products can interfere with how the body absorbs the health mineral iron, so pediatricians have been seeking the right balance. Researchers have concluded that for most children, two cups of milk a day is enough to maintain sufficient Vitamin D without affecting iron levels. However, they warn this varies from child to child, depending on the season of the year, body mass and even skin color. Find a food in the newspaper that is healthy for children to eat. Use what you find to design a poster showing the benefits of this food.

Common Core/National Standard: Using drawings or visual displays when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or points.

5. Abby Came Home

An Alaskan family with three children was upset when their 8-year-old dog Abby went missing during a snowstorm. They had raised their pet from a puppy after getting her from an animal shelter and were particularly worried because Abby is blind. As days passed, and temperatures dropped to 40 below zero, the family never expected to see Abby again. But 10 days later, she showed up in a yard 10 miles away. She was returned to her owners — apparently none the worse for her adventure, not even frostbitten! It was, said one of the owners, “the most amazing Christmas gift we could ever ask for.” With a partner, scan the newspaper to find a photo or mention of an animal that interests you. Brainstorm an adventure this animal could have and write the first two paragraphs of a story about this adventure.

Common Core/National Standards: Producing clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.