This week Mrs. Yollis' class started
a new unit in Language Arts called Celebrating Traditions!
A tradition is something that family, friends,
or another group of people has done for many years and continues to do on a regular basis.
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or another group of people has done for many years and continues to do on a regular basis.
* * * * *
The story for this week is "The Keeping Quilt".
In the first story, "The Keeping Quilt," by Patricia Polacco, the author retells the story of her family's handmade quilt. In the story, a Russian immigrant mother and family arrive in the United States. She plans to make a quilt from a basket of old clothes, telling her daughter, "It will be like having the family in back home Russia dance around us at night." The quilt is passed along from mother to daughter for four generations. It becomes a Sabbath tablecloth and a wedding canopy. It even becomes a blanket for new generations of children. "The Keeping Quilt" is a heart-warming story about one family's tradition.
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In the comment section, please
share a tradition your family celebrates.
It can be an annual party, a holiday, or any traditional event.
Please include details about: special foods, decorations, songs, and/or activities.
Your comment should be 4 to 6 sentences long.
Students: Your comment is due on Friday, October 10th!
Students: Your comment is due on Friday, October 10th!
Posts
Dear class,
ReplyDeleteOne family tradition that I thoroughly enjoyed when I was growing up was our annual trip to Pelican Lake, Minnesota. When school got out in June, my mother would pile my two siblings into our 1968 Chevy Bel-air wagon, and we endured the long 1,800 mile journey from California. At Pelican Lake, we fished for rock bass and walleye with my Uncle Paul. At night, we dined on Grandma Smillie’s delicious cooking. One of my favorite dishes was Hungarian goulash. After dinner, we coated ourselves with mosquito repellent and dashed outside to play Kick-the-can with the neighbor kids. This annual vacation was a tradition I looked forward to, and I cherish those memories today.
From,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Class,
ReplyDeleteOne family tradition that I enjoyed when my daughters, Kari and Sarah, were young was our weekly outings to breakfast and the public library. Every Saturday, we would take turns selecting a place to go out to breakfast. We usually devoured omelets or pancakes with maple syrup!
Then it was on to the library. Kari and Sarah would choose the books they wanted to check out. Then they would take turns finding a book for us to read to them. The following Saturday morning, while we waited for our breakfast to arrive at the table, each of the girls would read one of the books out loud to their dad and me.
It warms my heart to recall this special tradition now that my daughters are all grown up. I am sure that it is one of the reasons they both love to read so much today.
Traditionallyyours,
Mrs. Ranney
@ Mrs. Ranney,
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your family tradition! What a lovely ritual!
I must say, you have some exceptional verbs and details in your comment. Some verbs that caught my eye were selecting, devoured, and recall. We have been talking about using higher-level vocabulary in our writing, so thank you for being such a good role model.
Do you remember any of the books your girls used to choose? Was there a family favorite or two?
Traditionally yours,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@Mrs. Yollis and class,
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed my comment and found some high level verbs!
Kari and Sarah were (and still are) avid readers. When they were very young they loved the George and Martha series and all the Dr. Seuss books.
A particular book by Dr. Seuss that they loved was Wacky Wednesday, which he wrote under the pen name Theo LeSieg. Do you know what is special about that name?
Another book that was a favorite of theirs was Mary Alice, Operator Number 9!
Some books that I remember were favorites in their later childhood were The Indian in the Cupboard and all the books in the Anne of Green Gables series. The Secret Garden was a family favorite that we all read out loud together. Then, when we finished reading the book, we went to see the musical at the Shubert Theater!
I am enjoying reading about all of your special family traditions!
Your tradition-loving blogging buddy,
Mrs. Ranney
Aloha Mrs.Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThis is my family tradition.
My family's tradition is going to Hawaii. We swim there, and sometimes the monk seals come to rest on shore. My family watches the monk seals lay on the sand. My family also goes to a restaurant. It is called Kalaheo Coffee House and they have good pancakes. While we are there, we celebrate my Mom's birthday there. I love Hawaii.
I'd love to see all your family's traditions. Good Luck.
Sincerely,
Aryana
@ Aryana,
DeleteMahalo for sharing your traditional vacation to Hawaii. Do you know what mahalo means?
Many families have annual vacation spots, and Hawaii is a beautiful destination spot!
Do you have a favorite island where you like to stay? Mr. Yollis and I love to stay on Maui. We like it because it has such great snorkeling.
Your Hawaiian-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Aloha Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteMahalo means thank you. Our favorite place is Kauai. It has been in my family since my Mom was my age. Where we snorkel, we see different fish,coral and turtles. Yesterday, my mom saw a five foot long shark. Did you know that there are no snakes on Hawaii? Mahalo for commenting. Aryana. P.S. I posted before 8:00 Hawaiian time. It is three hours earlier here.
Dear Mrs.Yollis and friends,
ReplyDeleteMy family and I celebrateNorooz.
Norooz is a tradition that has been celebrated for thousand of years by Iranian people with different religions.We celebrate Norooz on the first day of spring.
Norooz is a compound word meaning New Day. We eat white fish and rice with herbs the night before the new year.
On the night of the last Tuesday of the year which is called "Charshambeh Soori" we jump over the fire to get ride of bad luck.
We make a table called "Sofreh Haft Sin"which has 7 things on it that start with the letter S in Farsi.
On Norooz we visit our family and friends and we get new money called "Eidi".
My favorite part of Norroz is spending time with my family and friends.
@ Kiano,
DeleteThe holiday called Norooz has many traditions! I remember learning about it when one of my former students, Leila, wrote about it on her blog. Here is a link to her Norooz post.
What is the significance of the letter S in Farsi? See if you can find out!
Your teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Hi Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteI have your answer, Haft means "Seven"and Sin is the letter in Farsi alphabet that sounds like "S"there are 3 letters in Farsi that sound like S.
Dear class,
ReplyDeleteI celebrate a holiday called Diwali. It is celebrated in October or November depending on the year. Diwali is also known as the festival of lights. We put candles outside. We also have parties and do lots of dancing. I like to do garba, which is a type of dance. We also do puja, it is when we pray.
Your blogging friend,
Asha
@ Asha,
DeleteI have heard of Diwali. Aashi talked about it when she was in my class last year.
You mentioned that it takes place in October or November. Is it based on the lunar, or moon, calendar? See if you can find out. There is a BrainPop video about it if you want to watch that.
What is garba? Is it a fast or slow type of dance? Are there any special foods you eat for Diwali?
Your teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Mrs.Yollis,
DeleteDiwali is based on the cycle of the moon.
Garba is a fast dance. Garba is when we clap near our left leg, then near our waist and finally, near our head. We walk in a circle doing the same thing over and over.
We eat Indian food. My favorite types of Indian food are samosas, bean sak (which is cooked beans), sev, and rice.
Do you like to eat Indian food?
Sincerely,
Asha
@ Asha,
DeleteI thought Diwali was based on the lunar cycle?
The garba dance sounds like a fun one. Could you show us how to do it?
Yes, I enjoy eating Indian food. I don't have it often, but when I do, I really enjoy it.
Do you ever cook any traditional dishes? What spices are used?
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteThe family tradition that I remember since I was a little kid is our family trips to Israel every summer. Every year when school is over and its summertime my parents take my siblings and I to Israel to visit our family. The flight to Israel is about 15 hours and it feels even longer.
We got to see our cousins,uncles,and grandparents and we spend time at the amazing Israel beach and ate Israel traditional food,Falafel and Humus.
I already miss Israel and looking forward for next summer!
From,
Liron
@ Liron,
DeleteWhat a wonderful tradition to travel to Israel every year! I bet your cousins, uncles, and grandparents enjoy spending time with your family.
How many miles away is Israel from Los Angeles? For those who don't know, what is falafel? What is humus?
I loved your closing sentence: I already miss Israel and looking forward for next summer! What a great way to wrap up your paragraph!m We'll be sure to mention that conclusion when we read your paragraph.
Your teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteThe flight from Los Angeles to Israel is 7,605 miles away.If you take a direct flight it will be about 15 hours flight. Falafal is a dish of mashed chickpeas with spices formed into balls and deep fried. You eat the Falafel with pita bread. Humus is made of mashed chickpeas and you spread it on the pita bread.
You should try it! It is delicious!
@ Liron,
DeleteHow did you find out how far the flight was to Israel? Can you show us? Here is a math question for you. How many miles did you fly in all?
I have tried humus, and I think it is delicious! With all this talk about falafals and pita bread and humus, I am getting hungry!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteI checked on google how many miles is from here to Israel. It is 15,210 miles from here to Israel and back.
I love math problems! I always enjoy solving them!
Your blogging friend,
Liron
Dear class,
ReplyDeleteOne of my family traditions is going to New York for Christmas.
When I am there, I go to Gingerbread University. At the University, Royce and I make gingerbread houses. We made them with lots of candy and icing.
On Christmas Eve, our cousins come over to our grandparents' house and we eat Christmas dinner (Chinese Food). Then we open our presents. We get many wonderful toys.
I only have to wait two and a half more months.
Sincerely,
T☆bitha
@ T☆bitha,
DeleteI see you have learned how to make the ☆ in HTML! Good for you!
I have never heard of Gingerbread University. Is it a special store where you decorate gingerbread houses? What are some special details or decorations that you traditionally add to your houses. Do you and Royce have similar design styles?
Do you ever sing any Christmas songs or decorate your grandparents' house?
Your teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
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DeleteDear Mrs Y♥llis,
You got it- it's a special bakery! Since we go in December, Royce and I decorate gingerbread houses. There are a few other things you can do, but Royce and I always pick gingerbread houses. On the roof I always make a chimney out of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and all the candy and the icing I can fit. But my favorite part, of course, is eating it. Royce and I pick the same house but our design is totally different. He uses gummy worms for the door and tons of candy around the house. Mine is more simple.
Sincerely,
Tabitha
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Dear Tabitha,
DeleteHaving Chinese food reminded me of that scene in "The Christmas Story" when the dog ate the turkey and they had to go out for Christmas dinner and they went to a Chinese place and got duck.
Your friend,
Nicholas
Dear Mrs.Yollis,
ReplyDeleteMy family tradition is how we celebrate Chinese New Year. My grandma gives my brother and I a red envelope. The red envelope is awesome because there is money inside. Only the kids get it! My grandma cooks rice, noodles, chicken, and a whole fish with its head and tail attached. My mom told me when she was my age, she and her two sisters would fight over the fish eyeballs.
Sincerely,
Ruby
@ Ruby,
DeleteI love Chinese New Year! I have heard about the little red envelopes, and I have even received one from a friend. Your grandma sounds like a lovely person.
You mentioned that the fish gets cooked with the head still on. I have seen that before. When I go fishing in Mammoth, we catch trout and we sometimes fry them with the heads still on. Some people don't like to see the head.
I am surprised that your mom and her sister fought over the eyes!
I remember that each year has an animal associated with it. What year is 2014? What animal are you? I am an ox. What do the Chinese say about people born in the year of the ox?
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
Delete2014 is year of the horse. I am a dog, my dad is a horse, my mom is a pig, and my brother is a monkey. The Chinese say the ox people are hard working but can be quite stubborn. Does that sound like you?
Sincerely,
Ruby
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteIts such a joy reading all your comments and learning about your traditions.
One of the traditions that I have come up with and I look forward to it every year is called Abgoosht Party.
Abgoosht is a Persian soup literally translated as "water meat". It is also called Dizi, that refers to traditional stone crocks which, it is served in.
Abgoosht is usually made with lamb, tomatoes,potatoes,onions,chickpeas,white beans,turmeric and black lime. The ingredients are combined until they are cooked for several hours, then it's strained and the solids are mashed together called Gooshtkoobide, "mashed meat" then the broth and Gooshtkoobideh are served with flat bread.
I came up with this tradition because I love cooking and I also love having people over since I was a kid! Every year we invite our family and friends to this party from near and far. This is a great way of getting everyone together,because Abgoosht is a very delicious food to eat, but time consuming to make, I cook and we all enjoy eating it together.
I also make traditional Persian deserts that day which I loved growing up.
We have our party every year the Sunday before Columbus Day.
This year we are having close to 70 people and its our 4th annual party.My family and I are very excited to see each and every one of our guests,specially the ones that we haven't seen in a long time.
I will post some pictures on 365 blog for you guys to see and tell me what you think about our Abgoosht Pary.
Your blogging friend,
@ Sara,
DeleteI am also really enjoying reading about everyone's traditions. I am always fascinated to learn about other families and their cultures and customs.
I wanted to say thank you for sharing information about Abgoosht with us and to wish you a very fun celebration this year. It sounds like a delicious dish. I have never had anything like that, but I also love to have family and friends over and share food that I have made with love!
I had never heard of black lime before so I decided to look it up online. I learned that it is also called dried lime. Thank you for teaching me more than one new thing today! Do you ever cook other dishes with black lime or just the Abgoosht?
I imagine that you feel happy that this year there is no school on Columbus Day so your family can rest after your busy weekend. I look forward to seeing a picture from your party on the 365 blog.
Enjoy!
Lisa (Troy's mom)
@Lisa,
DeleteThere are many Persian foods made with black or dried lime.
You could use either ground or whole black lime. I personally like to use the whole ones, it gives a unique savory flavor to your dish.I would be more than happy to give you some recipes if you like Persian foods.
It also would be great if you give me some of your recipes that you make with love!
Happy cooking,
Sara
@Sara,
DeleteI did not know that so many Persian foods are made with black lime. Would you believe that I have never really tasted Persian food?
Some of my favorite foods to serve to friends and family are Mexican dishes. My grandparents on my dad's side were born in Mexico. I love to make and eat tacos, but funny enough I did not learn how to make them from my dad, I learned how to make them from my mom! She was born in London but she learned how to make tacos because she loves my dad so much and he loves tacos! I think it is very nice to learn to cook new foods for other people. It can be a way of showing them that you are interested in them and their traditions.
Lisa
@ Sara,
DeleteWow! You are quite a hostess! We were all surprised to learn you would be having nearly 70 people this time.
As Lisa said, I bet you're happy that Monday is a school holiday. You'll be able to rest up!
Thanks for joining in our blogging community!
Warmly,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@Sara,
DeleteHow did your celebration go? I hope you had a great time.
Sincerely,
Lisa
♥♥♥♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Y♥llis and class,
One of my traditions is going to Australia every other year for Christmas. My favorite part of the trip is going to the beach. It's summer there when it's winter here, so they have their Christmas in the summer. My grandparents' house is extremely close to the beach. It is so close that we walk there! When I'm at the beach, I like to boogie board. On the way back from the beach we sometimes stop for ice cream.
Did you know that when I leave Australia to come back to California, I arrive in California before the time I left Australia to come to California? So that means I sort of go back in time!
The flight is 13 hours long. Has anyone ever been on a flight longer than 13 hours? I would love to hear about your trips to different countries.
I will post pictures on the 365 blog when I go there this Christmas.
I really want to go back to Australia sooner than this Christmas!
Sincerely,
Sam
♥♥♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Delete@ Sam,
I am envious that you get to travel to Australia every other year. Because I have so many blogging buddies in Australia, I would love to go there some day.
Do you ever snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef? Did you see the Sydney Opera House?
Your Australian-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
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♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
DeleteDear Mrs. Yollis,
I love visiting Australia.
I do snorkel at the beach.
I went and saw a show at the Sydney Opera House. I have never snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef. Do you celebrate Christmas? When I snorkel I see fish and coral. My favorite part of Christmas is celebrating with my family.
What is your favorite holiday?
Sincerely,
Sam
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
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DeleteDear Mrs. Yollis,
I love visiting Australia.
I do snorkel at the beach.
I went and saw a show at the Sydney Opera House. I have never snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef. When I snorkel I see fish and coral. As you may remember, I go to Australia for Christmas. Do you celebrate Christmas? My favorite part of Christmas is celebrating with my family.
What is your favorite holiday?
Sincerely,
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteOne of my most cherished family traditions is 4th of July. Every year at 4th of July we go to Canyon Lake with my mom's friend, who we call Auntie Maria, and her children named Riley and Alexandra. We go to Aunt Linda and Uncle Tom's house. We stay for one or two days. At the very end of the trip, we watch an amazing fireworks show, which has the best finale I have ever seen!
Sincerely,
Ty
@ Ty,
DeleteIndependence Day is a favorite national holiday of mine, too! I love to watch the fireworks and sometimes we retire old flags.
Here is a hyperlink to a video where my family retired three old American flags.
Do you ever swim in Canyon Lake? How is the fishing?
Your patriotic teacher,
Mrs. Y&heart;llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite traditions is Fourth of July. My family and friends come over to my house and we play in my pool. One time I played Wipeout and my cousin won. We play lots of games in the pool. Another game that we played was whoever had the bigger splash won, and I beat my friend. After we get out of the pool, we go in my room with my cousins and friends and we play board games. One of my favorite board games is Battleship, another game I like to play is chess. We eat a huge meal, usually tamales and have a taco bar. After that, we watch the fireworks.We can see them from our backyard. My dogs bark insanely, the fireworks are so loud my ears are popping. After the fireworks are over my family and friends have my mom's spectacular flag cake, there are strawberries for the lines there are blueberries for the stars and everybody loves the cake. I love it the most, it is my favorite cake. After everyone leaves I have a good night's sleep. The next day I clean my house, I love cleaning my house. Fourth of July at my house is one of my favorite traditions!
Sincerely,
Nicholas
@ Nicholas,
DeleteI am a big fan of Independence Day traditions, too. In fact, I just left a comment for Ty who wrote about his Fourth of July party. I left him a hyperlink to a Fourth of July blog post I published a few years ago. Go up to that comment and click on the hyperlink. My family retired some old American flags a few years ago. You might enjoy seeing that video.
Your mom's cake sound delicious and beautiful! Do you have any pictures you can share with us?
Your patriotic teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteToday my mom and I found a picture of the strawberry and blueberry flag cake when we were looking through pictures. Our friend took one picture my mom found on Instagram, and the other picture was a flag cake she made with raspberries. My brother and I don't like raspberries, so now she makes it with strawberries. We will post a picture to the 365 Project.
I saw the hyperlink when you were singing the song and when you were tossing the three flags.It looked cool and I hope to do that one day.
Your student,
Nicholas
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of traditions that we celebrate in my family. One of the traditions that we celebrate is Christmas. Every Christmas eve, we bake and decorate delicious cookies that we leave out for Santa. Then we have a yummy cheese lasagna for dinner. After dinner, we go to church for Christmas Mass. I have to be good in church, but it is really hard for me to do that. When we come home, my brother and I get to open one present and then we get ready for bed so that Santa Claus can come. In the morning, I drag my parents out of bed because I can't wait to open my presents! Next we have the best pancakes for breakfast. Later in the day, my other family members come over for Christmas dinner, and they bring me more gifts. Christmas is one of my favorite family traditions.
Sincerely,
Derrick
@ Derrick,
DeleteWe used to make Christmas cookies when I was growing up. My Grandma Smillie had a delicious Spritz recipe ,and my family would make this recipe annually. The Spritz cookies are also called butter cookies. My mom used to make the cookies into little wreaths. Then we would add a little holly and berries on the top of each wreath cookie. We colored the batter for the holly and berries using green and red food coloring.
Do you have any special decorations you put up on or in your house?
Your holiday-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs.Yollis,
DeleteYes, we do a lot of decorations in and outside of our house. My favorite thing to decorate is the Christmas tree. I love putting the ornaments on the tree, especially the football ornaments. We also have a collection of nutcrackers that we display going up our stairs. My favorite nutcracker is the one that looks like an army soldier.
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteOne of my traditions is on Thanksgiving. My family and I always go to my grandma's house in Malibu. The whole family including aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, parents, and grandparents come too. Some of the foods we eat are turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, bread rolls, and all kinds of vegetables. My favorites are turkey and the bread rolls. My grandma always invites all the people who have no other family to join at Thanksgiving.
Another tradition is Christmas. When we are all sitting down at the dinner table, we sometimes sing some Christmas carols. Some foods we have and love are pork, struffoli, homemade cookies, chicken, and Lemon Meringue Pie. Strufoli is an Italian pastry that my mom usually makes. After dinner we open our presents. My sister Grace and I usually get the most presents out of all the family members because we are the youngest.
Your former student's sister,
Allie
@ Allie, (from Mrs. Wilson's class)
DeleteThanks so much for leaving us a quality comment! You are always welcome to join in our blogging fun! You are an excellent writer!
What a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition you have. I love how your grandmother invites others who don't have a place to go over the holiday. That is such a kind and thoughtful way to be.
My favorite foods at Thanksgiving are the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the gravy, and the stuffing. I like to mix them all together! Lots of people like the tradition of having pumpkin pie for dessert. I am usually too full for dessert. What about you?
You mentioned singing Christmas carols. I love to do that too! One of my favorite carols is Let It Snow! What is your favorite carol?
Thanks again for a great comment!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
P.S. Say hi to Grace for me! :-)
Dear Mrs.Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite traditions is going to Bass Lake. We have gone every summer since I was a baby. In Bass Lake we go to the lake, have campfires and go on my uncle's boat. My aunt makes the best food in Bass lake.There is a theme every night. My cousins come and we always do arts and crafts. My favorite part is horse back riding.
Your friend,
Leah :]
@ Leah,
DeleteI love lake life!
You mentioned that you have a theme night every night. What do you mean by that? Is there a food theme?
Would love to hear more about that.
Your lake-loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteA tradition in our family is Thanksgiving.
We go to our relatives home and eat great food. We give thanks for all the wonderful people in our life.
My favorite food at Thanksgiving is pie.
Sincerely,
Ethan
@ Ethan,
DeleteYour Thanksgiving sound like a very tradition event.
Lots of people like to have pie on Thanksgiving, especially pumpkin pie. I am usually too full to have any pie. I'm not a big pumpkin pie fan. Hot pecan pie is a favorite of mine. What is your favorite type of pie?
Your turkey and stuffing loving teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite family tradition from when I was young (and until 7 years ago) was having a traditional Danish Christmas Eve dinner at my parent's house. My mom was from Denmark and every Christmas Eve made a delectable Danish dinner. She made roasted duck, caramelized potatoes, red cabbage, and poached apples with red currant jelly. Dessert was what everyone looked forward to, rice pudding. The rice pudding was made with whipped cream, and I remember licking the beaters after she made the whipped cream, so delicious! My mom put slivered almonds into the rice pudding and in addition, one whole almond. The whole almond was coveted, because whoever got the whole almond was said to have good luck for the coming year. My mom, Grethe, also made a marzipan log for the winner. I can remember my brothers eating bowl after bowl of rice pudding to get the marzipan my mom had made. After dinner, we opened our presents.
My mom, or MorMor as my kids called her, passed away 7 years ago. We still keep up our Danish Christmas Eve tradition. My brothers and I all contribute to cooking the Danish Christmas Eve dinner, but now we eat at my oldest brother's house. The food never tastes as delicious as mom's food, but now we have started a tradition for our kids. All of my mom's grandkids experience part of their Danish heritage every Christmas Eve.
Sincerely,
Bettina
(Nicholas' mom)
@ Bettina, (Nicholas' mom)
DeleteWhat a lovely tradition! Thanks so much for sharing your family tradition with us!
Your mom sounds like she was an incredible cook. I love her idea of hiding one whole almond in the rice pudding. Everyone must have been looking for that nut, so they would enjoy a year of good fortune!
I think it is wonderful that you and your siblings are continuing the Danish holiday traditions. It is so important that those traditions are passed along to each generation.
You mentioned that your mom was Danish. Was she born there?
Warmly,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
DeleteYes, my mom was born in Denmark. My dad was on sabbatical travelling in Europe and he met her in Denmark. They wrote letters back and forth and he finally convinced her to get married and move to California. They had a wedding in Denmark for her family, and a wedding in Los Angeles for my dad's family. All of my relatives from my mom's side are still in Denmark.
Hiding the whole almond was not her idea, it is a common tradition in Denmark when you prepare Ris a' l'amande or Rice Pudding for Christmas Eve. (You have to remember to boil the almond to get the skin off in order to make it harder to detect in the pudding.)
Sincerely,
Bettina
Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is Friday evening Shabbat dinner. I look forward to it each week. Usually, both grandparents are included, and my great Aunt. On days when my Uncle is not working, he comes as well. It is always at my house. We say a blessing over the challah (bread) and the wine, and then we eat. We also talk about our day and laugh. My favorite part is after we bless the challah, we taste it. It is so nice to have everybody together. It makes me feel special. I can't wait for Fridays!
Sincerely,
Noa
@ Noa,
DeleteYour traditional Shabbat dinner sounds wonderful. You are very fortunate that your grandparents and great aunt are able to be with you each week. Relatives are important people in our lives.
Does someone make the challah or do you purchase it?
Warmly,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is my birthday. A birthday is when we celebrate the day we are born and also when you get a year older. My birthday is my favorite day of the year because I get to design my cake, get presents, and lots of love. On my birthday, I like to have a birthday party and celebrate with my friends. We order my favorite food- Pizza.
This is my favorite tradition every May and I can't wait until I turn 13 and have the most special birthday party of all- my Bat Mitzvah!
Your blogging friend,
Kayla :]
Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
ReplyDeleteWe have many traditions in our family and most if not all are centered around lots of food and family love. My most cherished of all holidays is Rosh Hashana which is the Jewish New Year. I love to gather our families together (both from my side and my husband's) and celebrate the new year. First we start off by blessing some special foods as a token of prosperity & giving thanks. There must be about 8-10 items we sample and bless prior to having our big dinner. Some of these items are "apples & honey, string beans, beets, beef/cow tongue, boiled zucchini, just to name a few. Then comes the main course which hopefully you've managed to keep some room for.
This evening is very special as often times we have family or friends, near and far come over to celebrate with us. This is one tradition I love passing on to my 3 daughters.
Best,
Caroline
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs.Yollis and class,
My family tradition is doing a Halloween party before we go trick-or-treating. We have friends over and have their parents dress up in special ways. For example, this year the parents are going to dress up like super heroes. We have been doing this for about three years. Can't wait to here about your tradition! Good luck!
Your student,
Ella
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteOne of my family's traditions is flying to Wisconsin every summer for as long as we can stay. This year we were there for five weeks. When we are in Wisconsin we stay at my grandma's house.
We have three favorite activities in Wisconsin. One of our favorite places is a train restaurant. It is an amazing place because it has a huge play area in the back with pedal cars that up to four people can ride. When you order your food inside, each spot at the big bar has a stop name. When they call the name of your stop, the food comes along the bar to you on a miniature train! The second activity we love is earning our Wisconsin Explorer badges. My brother and sister complete stuff in a packet we're given from the State Parks Department. lt teaches you things like animal tracks, signs of animals, and having fun in nature. The third activity is having breakfast at an orchard and farm. There are goats, an emu, sometimes a cat, chickens, and sometimes a peacock. My favorite thing to eat there is pancakes.
As you can see, Wisconsin is an excellent place.
Did you know the state of Wisconsin is shaped like a mitten? The thumb of the mitten is a peninsula called the Door County Peninsula.
From,
Tr☆y
★ ★ ★
Dear Tr☆y,
DeleteI go to Wisconsin every year, too! When we were in Wisconsin, we rented a cabin on a lake and it was superb!
I have three things I like to do when I am in Wisconsin. The first thing I always ask my parents is "can we get cheese curds?". If you don't know, cheese curds are the most delicious appetizer in the world. They dip cubed cheese into batter and then it is deep fried. Take my advice, do whatever it takes to get cheese curds. My second favorite thing to do, if optional, is to play in the snow. Now, I know that sounds childish, but trust me, sometimes it can get addicting pummeling your little brother with snowballs :). My third favorite thing is to see my family. It is very fun to see relatives when you have not seen them in a while.
If you fly into Minnesota, got to the Mall of America:)
Sincerely,
A mystery blogger
@Mystery Blogger,
DeleteI think I know who you are. I think you are a person named Peter. I know that because you sometimes wear a Green Bay Packers jersey and you were in Mrs. Yollis' class last year.
Don't you think that Wisconsin is very fun? My mom wants us to rent a house or cabin on a small lake next year. We usually stay at my grandma's house which is right by Lake Michigan, but this year it was very cold there even in summer!
The words in italics are nouns. We were supposed to leave a comment for anyone with 8 or more nouns. If you are Peter, please comment back!
Troy
Dear Mrs.Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteEvery year, my family and I go to church at 10:00 in the morning to go hunting for Easter eggs. All of the eggs are different colors and they have tiny toys or candy. Last year, it was very hot so all of the candy chocolate melted. A lot of kids didn't have candy because most of the very colorful eggs had chocolate inside of them. All of the girls were wearing bright dresses with pink, purple and green flowers. I was flabbergasted that the boys were wearing suits in the extremely hot weather and didn't argue with their parents about it. After the egg hunt, all of the kids took a picture with the Easter bunny [ man in a bunny suit ]. Later on, everyone headed to the eating area. It was amazing! There was every breakfast you can imagine! There were eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes and so much more. After everyone ate, the kids went to sunday school and the parents went to church group. While the parents were listening to the sunday school volunteers say what they do with the kids in class, the kids practice their songs so they can sing together in church. After the singing and dancing, everyone says "goodbye" and "peace" to each other and heads home.
your lucky student,
Kate
@ Troy,
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that you enjoy the tradition of visiting Wisconsin. I love having you and your family stay with me each year. We never seem to run out of things to do, do we?
One of my favorite traditions is baking Christmas cookies. My Mom, my sister, and I get together and bake usually for about two full days.
We make spritz cookies just like Mrs. Yollis described in her post, pecan fingers, cherry nut cups, and two kinds of cut-out cookies.
One cut-out cookie recipe came from my Grandma and we still use it today. That is another fun tradition - passing recipes down from generation to generation. It's a wonderful way to celebrate and remember the contributions of our ancestors.
I always mail a sampling of my fresh baked Christmas cookies to you. Do you have any idea how many miles those cookies travel to get from Wisconsin to California? Do you have a favorite type of Christmas cookie? Your Dad's favorite kind is cherry nut cups.
Your blogging Grandma,
Barb (Troy's Grandma from Wisconsin)
@Barb,
DeleteWhen I read Mrs. Yollis' reply to Derrick about spritz cookies, I immediately thought of the spritz cookies that you make! One of my favorite days of the year is when the box of Christmas cookies arrives to our house from your house in Wisconsin.
I always feel excited thinking that the holiday season is in full swing. And I also feel content thinking about how much fun you and your sister (Troy's great-aunt) and mom (Troy's great-grandma) must have had making the cookies.
I am grateful that I get to be a part of your family's tradition and that the cookies are now part of my holiday memories, too.
Troy's class has been learning about estimating. How many cookies do you estimate that you make, if you round to the nearest hundred?
Your daughter-in-law,
Lisa
@Lisa,
DeleteThank you for sharing your warm thoughts about our Christmas cookie tradition. I love sharing our cookies with you.
Last year we made five different kinds of cookies. Altogether there were approximately 700 cookies. When I added up all of the cookies and rounded to the nearest hundred, even I was surprised at the total!
The cookies are divided up between my Mom, my sister, your family, and me. We give them as gifts to the rest of our family and friends and take them to Christmas parties to share with others, too.
We're in the planning stages for our next cookie baking adventure!
Your mother-in-law,
Barb
Dear Mrs. Y♥llis and Class,
ReplyDeleteHere is my tradition that I celebrate each year. Usually in late January or early February, we go to our friends house to watch the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional football in the United States. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15, 1967, following the 1966 regular season. The most recent game, Super Bowl XLVIII, was played on February 2, 2014, following the 2013 season. Our friend's last name is Cooperman so they call their party the "Cooper Bowl". One year they gave us cups that said "Cooper Bowl XLV". That is the Roman numeral number for 45.
My favorite part of the party besides watching the football game is playing tether ball in their backyard,eating chips and betting in the annual football pool. Some of the questions we have to guess on are what the final score of the game will be, what color Gatorade will they poor on the winning coach and how many first downs will each team have. One year, I won the pool and earned $50.00.
Which teams do you think will make it to next year's Super Bowl? Have you ever watched the Super Bowl game before? Do you know what number Super Bowl it will be in 2015?
Sincerely,
Sean
Dear Mrs.Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteOne of my family's traditions is going to Florida over Christmas vacations to visit my grandparents. I get to celebrate my birthday on December 30th every year with my sister Jordyn and have a huge party with all my East coast relatives! Traditions are always a great way to keep connected with my family and friends, that is why I enjoyed reading the Keeping Quilt so very much in class this past week!
Sincerely,
Sydney
Dear Mrs.Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is Christmas day! In the morning, my brothers and I wait behind a ribbon in the morning until my parents wake up. When they wake up, we smash through the ribbon and run to the Advent calendar to put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then we get to open presents! We open presents one at a time, from the youngest to the oldest, to see what everyone got. When all the presents are opened, we pour out our stockings! There usually is candy and small toys in them. After that, we have a big breakfast, with pancakes, bacon and eggs. Then we build and play with our toys all day! My favorite is Legos! We also Skype with our relatives in Colorado and Chicago. Later in the afternoon we have a special dinner. We have to wear nice clothes. I don't really like to wear nice clothes. After dinner we have dessert and coffee. I get to have a little coffee with milk and sugar. At night I am always sad that the day is over. I always wish it was the morning and we could do it all over again! That is my favorite tradition.
From, Joshua
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
ReplyDeleteDear class,
My favorite tradition is Hanukkah. My whole family gets together including my Grandma and Grandpa. My favorite night is the first night. First we play with our dreidels and eat latkes. Then I get to light the candles and say the prayers with my family. After that we eat dinner and open presents. We spend the rest of the night together playing with our presents. Personally, that's my favorite part.
Did you know that Hanukkah means dedication?
Your pal,
N♦c
♦♦♦♦♦♦
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Yollis and class,
What a treat it has been to read about everyone's family traditions! What strikes me is that what seems to make each tradition important is the time we get to spend with our family and the ones we love.
My favorite family tradition growing up was the summers we would spend at a beach house. Each summer my family and another family would head to the beach. We would rent a house right on the sand. When we looked out the back window all we could see was sand, sky and an endless ocean.
The family we went with had kids the same ages as my brother and me which made things even more fun! Our days were spent playing on the beach, riding the waves on our boogie boards or relaxing with a book in the sun (with lots of sunscreen of course!). At night we would hunt the beach for firewood and big stones and make our own fire pit in which we would roast hot dogs, marshmallows and s'mores. Then we made up plays and funny skits and would perform them for our parents. Sometimes we would take night time walks under the moonlight. We were allowed to stay up as late as we wanted which was a special treat. Each day and night was a new adventure.
However, the best part was that I was surrounded by family and friends and together we could simply enjoy our beautiful surroundings, the peaceful sunset and each other. Life seemed to slow down and I could enjoy myself moment to moment without worrying about the past or being concerned about the future.
What is so exciting to me is that this is a tradition I can carry on and share with my own family. Last summer I did just that and our family went to a beach house along with all our East Coast cousins. It was even better than I remembered! I hope to keep this up so that it becomes a tradition that Nic and his sister can enjoy and then share with their families.
I wonder how many of you are enjoying family traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation?
Thanks to everyone for sharing!
Best,
Melissa (Nic’s mom)
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Dear Melissa, (my mom)
DeleteI remember going to the beach house, and it was fun.
One of my favorite parts was eating s'mores and trying to build something to protect a sand castle.
Do you remember eating s'mores?
Your son,
Nic
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteMy family tradition is to go to the restaurant King’s every Saturday. That’s when my mom goes to work, so she never comes. My favorite food at King’s is the spicy barbecued shrimp. After, we usually go down to a tiny park they have, to see the fishes.
Sincerely, Winston
Dear class,
ReplyDeletemy favorite family tradition is Christmas. First people come to my Grandma's house, like my Aunt and Uncle. Then we eat dinner. Next we open presents that our relatives gave us. After that we go to sleep. Finally we wake up and open our presents that Santa gave us.
Nic's friend,
Gr♦ff♦n
Dear Mrs Yollis,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite family tradition is New Years day. On New Years Day my family and I go to my grandma's house. There, we see our aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then we all eat a delicious dinner with many special dishes that Grandma makes. I also receive a lot of presents from my aunts, uncles,and cousins. The best part is getting to stay up really late. I can go to bed at midnight.
What do you do on New Year's?
From,
♥Hannah♥
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteOne of my other favorite family tradition is going on vacation every year during summer. This summer I went to Rome and Israel. It took us 12 hours to get to Rome. We did a lot of amazing things. It rained every day we were in Rome. One night When it was time to go to bed we were sleeping and suddenly we hear this strange noise. My sister wakes me up and says there is lightning and thunder outside. I freak out and quickly jump out of bed and run to the window and see a yellow light streaking the sky. It was lightening and the rain was falling hard from the sky. The next day we packed up our suitcases and went to the airport then it took us 3 hours to get to Israel. in Israel. we went to Jerusalem and many other places like the Dead Sea there is so much salt that the salt makes you float you can't drown. After our trip we went home and rested.
From,
♥Hannah♥
Dear Mrs Yollis,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite family tradition is Chanukah. On this holiday, we light the menorah every night for 8 days. We also have a big dinner with our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I also get many presents. For dinner we eat special food such as potato pancakes called latkes. After dinner, I like to play tag with my cousins. It is nice to get together with my family.
From,
♥Michael♥
Dear Mrs. Yollis' class,
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite family traditions when I was growing up was visiting my grandparents in Florida in the summer. Sometimes we flew on an airplane and sometimes we drove. It was a 24 hour drive. Can you believe it? My grandparents lived near Disney World and several other theme parks. We would spend one day at a park and the next day we would visit with my family. We always had a wonderful visit.
Sincerely,
Tara