Navigating the Festive Frenzy: Sustaining Mathematical Momentum in your Classroom

As the winter break beckons, we find ourselves caught in a delightful whirlwind of pre-holiday excitement. Balancing the joyous chaos with meaningful learning experiences can be challenging, but fear not! In this blog post, I explore strategies tailored for educators, ensuring that the festive cheer doesn't dim the mathematical spark in your classroom. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and let's dive into the art of surviving the pre-holiday excitement while keeping the math magic alive!

Surviving the Pre-Holiday Excitement

1. Stick to your math workshop routine!

   Routines are the anchors in the sea of holiday excitement, providing stability and familiarity for learners. Maintain the structure of your math workshop while infusing a festive spirit into mini-lessons or investigations. Consistency and predictability will support your students' mathematical journey during this spirited season.
• Use holiday inspired loose parts for counting collections
• Discuss some winter themed Which One Doesn’t Belong
• Use personally relevant holiday experiences as contexts for your math investigations 

2. Play games!

   Revisit the dynamic workshop model you started the school year with, placing a special emphasis on engaging math games. Use the mini-lesson time to reinforce the expectations of what it means to be a mathematician, turning every game into a valuable learning experience. The joy of learning math can be seamlessly woven into the fabric of play. 

3. Involve the children!

   Harness the enthusiasm of the season by asking your students about the math embedded in their holiday traditions. Transform their stories into captivating investigations. Connect math to their lived experiences, fostering cultural responsiveness and personal relevance in their mathematical explorations.
• Explore the math behind decorating a holiday tree. How many decorations adorn one tree? How do they know? Allow space for the multiple was of thinking about this problem. Extend the inquiry to multiples of trees. If there are ___ decorations on one tree, how many on 2 tree’s? 5 tree’s? 10 tree’s? Conduct surveys to calculate the total number of decorations on trees from the entire class. 
• Do they go tobogganing with their families as a holiday tradition? Turn that into a math quest: If the hill is 500m long, and they sled down it ___ times, how far will they have sled? Extend the inquiry to include how far they will have walked up, versus sled down. What about the variability when they go farther on some runs and a shorter distance on others? 
• Do they enjoy hot chocolate? How many marshmallows go into one cup? How many will they need for everyone in their family? How many for everyone in the class?  

4. Be flexible, firm, and fair.

   Acknowledge the unique dynamics of the season while upholding the mathematical culture you've cultivated in your classroom. Maintain firm expectations for mathematical thinking and rigor, while allowing flexibility in the timing of mini-lessons. Recognize that shorter lessons may be beneficial during this festive period, yet stay resolute in the overall structure. By being flexible, firm, and fair, you can navigate the weeks leading up to the holidays with ease, ensuring your students continue to flourish as mathematicians.

In the midst of the holiday excitement, remember that the joy of learning is an everlasting gift. By infusing mathematical concepts into the festivities, embracing the spirit of play, involving students in meaningful investigations, and balancing flexibility with firmness, you can navigate the pre-holiday excitement with confidence. As you embark on this festive journey, may your classroom continue to sparkle with the magic of mathematics. Wishing you and your students a joyous and mathematically enriching holiday season!