TeachersFirst's Kwanzaa Resources

Happy 3 Holidays Grade 2 to 4 - HarperCollins- 7847

A nice general site that discusses the seven days of Kwanzaa and what they mean, the origins of Kwanzaa, and how Kwanzaa is celebrated. Excerpted from a children’s book on Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington, the site also has an easy-to-follow recipe for "benne cakes," or sesame cookies. Sesame seeds are eaten for good luck.

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Kwanzaa Activities Grade K to 5 - DLTK- 7967

This interdisciplinary website provides online games, reference information, recipes, crafts and more - all about Kwanzaa.

In the Classroom: Get an interactive whiteboard and treat your students to the reference information about Kwanzaa and then play some of the interactive games!

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The Kwanzaa Web Site Grade K to 12 - - 7846

Developed with the cooperation of the man who began it all, this site offers lots and lots of detail on every facet of the Kwanzaa observance and celebration. This makes it a great resource whether you're planning your own celebration or developing a lesson about the holiday. For students with Kwanzaa questions, this would be a great resource.

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Kwanzaa Information Center Grade K to 12 - Melanet- 7845

A great resource for anything you ever wanted to know about Kwanzaa. Delves into Kwanzaa history in detail and describes the meaning of its symbols, and explains the significance and origins of the green, red and black flag. There are video and sound clips, a list of books for kids and other resources, and even a link to the Swahili dictionary. If you know nothing about this holiday, here’s the place to start!

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Kwanzaa - Kids Domain Grade K to 5 - Kaboose- 7966

This site is all about Kwanzaa! There is information, games, reproducible coloring pages, e-cards, crafts and more. This site provides numerous activities (almost all links are active).

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Kwanzaa Resources Grade 3 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 152

A collection of resources to help children from all backgrounds understand the Kwanzaa celebration.

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Kwanzaa for Kids Grade K to 5 - The Kidz Page- 7969

This website features free interactive games and printable pages. Most of the activities are either coloring pages or interactive puzzles. Flash is required for the interactive activities.

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Kwanzaa Fun from Billy Bear for Kids, Parents and Teachers Grade K to 5 - Billybear4kids- 7968

This site is very informative and appropriate for elementary students. There are numerous reproducible crafts, pages, writing and reading activities. There are also interactive Java games (coloring, tic-tac-toe and more). This site has 20+ ideas and activities that could easily be incorporated into an elementary classroom.

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Holiday Traditions Grade 4 to 6 - Museum of Science and Technology- 5526

This guide to Christmas celebrations around the world focuses mainly on the greetings, decorations, and traditions that are part of this religious holiday. But the site also includes descriptions of other cultural celebrations, including Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa. This is an excellent resource for a seasonal multicultural unit. Younger children may need a bit of help with the text, so consider developing a simple Web hunt to focus their exploration.

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Nigeria Grade 1 to 1 - - 1663

Teach your young students from this collection of 24 lessons about Nigeria and African culture. The culminating Big Book is sure to be a hit. Also included are lessons on Kwanzaa, Yoruban numbers words, and multiple craft activities. Pick and choose or do them all!

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Word Search Puzzles Grade 1 to 5 - Primarygames.com- 8699

This site offers user-friendly, interactive word search puzzles for vocabulary and reading enhancement. Some of the topics include the Olympics, Earth Day, butterflies, and various holidays. These are computer-based word searches, not printables. There is a link to a companion site with printables. NOTE: when you choose a topic, you first see an advertisement. You can bypass the ad by clicking "skip this ad" in the top right corner. Teach your students to look for "skip" buttons on ads! The site requires Java. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom: Share a search on your interactive whiteboard (use student FINGERS to circle the words!). Of make it a center as one of several options for spelling and vocabulary. Your students may ask you to include the link on your teacher web page so they can try some from home, as well.

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