During this time of the year, many people around the world are celebrating different traditions and holidays.
Challenge: Choose 1 of the WebQuests below to learn more about different celebrations around the world. Then, take the online quiz (Quiz Your Noodle) or have fun and create a snowflake or decorate a gingerbread man.
WebQuests
National Geographic Kids: Winter Celebrations
Online Challenge
Quiz Your Noodle-Interactive Quiz on Winter Holidays
Create & Share
Test your general knowledge and do a good deed at the same time. For each correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated to hungry people around the globe through the United Nations World Food Programme.
The opening game is vocabulary, but other categories include math, chemistry, geography, and foreign languages, including French and Spanish.
It’s easy to play: just the click the correct answer from one of four possible choices. If you answer correctly, the next question is a little harder.
Warning: This game may make you smarter.
Here are some fun games that you can play to test your memory, put together puzzles and learn about Europe.
At the National Geographic Kids site, there are some more fun geography games.
Spain: At midnight on New Year’s eve, people eat 12 grapes in the hope to have 12 happy months in the coming year.
Greece: New Year’s day is also the Festival of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek Orthodox Church. One of the foods served is Vassilopitta, or St. Basil’s cake.
A coin is baked inside, and whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be especially lucky during the year.
Denmark: People throw old dishes at the doors of friends’ homes for good luck. Finding a big pile of broken dishes on New Year’s morning means that you have lots of friends!
Switzerland: A drop of cream is dripped onto the floor on New Year’s Day to symbolize richness in the new year.
**BONUS GAME**
New Year’s Online Word Search Find all 10 hidden words before the time is up. Words can run horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and backwards. Scroll down to read the instructions and to find the
button. There are new words each time you play!
