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"I normally tend to stay away from "stuff" lists when it comes to talking about makerspaces.  I believe that the stuff that goes into a makerspace should be based around the needs of the students and the school, not on a checklist of items to get.  But this list is different.  The holiday season is upon us, and what better gift to give to a young (or not so young) maker than something that encourages creativity? (Well, books, but don't worry, I've got those too). Here's some of my favorite picks for maker themed gifts for the holidays or any day."

"Here are thirty free writing ideas that connect to the holidays or to winter. I want to mention ahead of time that teachers need to be careful with the Establishment Clause. Some of these mention specific holidays and I think it's critical that teachers respect the diversity of beliefs found among students. They are meant to be ideas and not prompts; meaning they are optional visual writing ideas that kids can choose if they want to use them. "

Monthly Holiday lists include popular holidays for each month plus other lists associated with each month. http://bit.ly/b56bh9

"December can be a chaotic time at schools. Between students traveling, all the days off and half days, and kids simply not being able to focus with Christmas around the corner, it's tempting to stick in a movie and call it a day. But there are many non-crafty, non-holiday classroom activities to keep your students engaged and learning (even around holiday breaks)."

"Tis the season to be jolly, especially with the newest interactive and multimedia apps available to celebrate. Children, adolescents, and teens can create very meaningful gifts for friends and family members or get into the holiday spirit by using the suggested apps below. The apps are very easy to use, often free, and have various multimedia options. These apps integrate images, audio, text, video and extras."

For those in Australia the end of the teaching year has arrived or is just around the corner. With holidays approaching now might be the perfect time to find a good book to read and reset your thinking ahead of the start of a new year. Here are my favourite reads from this year. 

"Research and analysis blog ZMags recently commissioned a research project involving tablet owners from Equation Research. According to their findings, 87 percent of tablet owners are doing their holiday shopping from their devices and they enjoy it."

From the site: "I am hoping to connect our school with some other schools in a project where early elementary students share about their family and/or cultural traditions during the December holidays. This project is designed so that it does not require a lot of classroom time to complete and does not involve very complicated technology skills. It also will introduce teachers to Smilebox - which is a neat free tool for sharing images on the web and easily allows students and parents to leave comments."

With the Christmas Holiday's finally here this is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some of that reading which has been delayed while more pressing matters are dealt with. Here are the top items on my holiday reading list. With a project underway that explores a conceptual based approach to teaching mathematics there is a bias in that direction. 

With summer in the southern hemisphere, long days combined with school holidays for school teachers create the perfect opportunity to relax with a good book. Here are five great reads that might spark some curiosity and keep the brain working over the break.

"December is one of the most exhausting months of the year for teachers. The days are shorter. The weather grows colder and (at least here in Oregon) wetter. Students are anxious - whether it's a buzzing excitement for vacation or a sense of dread that some kids feel in homes that are unsafe during the holidays. And teachers are tired. They're tired of redirecting behaviors and tired of the mid-year pressure of the test and simply tired of the sheer energy it takes to be a teacher. It's no wonder that so many teachers begin playing holiday movies around this time of year. They want to create a sense of fun and escape and enjoyment, and a motion picture promises exactly that. Maybe that's okay. Maybe that's a part of creating a culture of joy. But for me, movies always fell flat. For my first few years, I showed a movie the day before the winter break. However, within minutes, kids were disengaged. They were passive. It wasn't special. My students could go home and watch a movie whenever they felt like it. It had me wondering . . . was there something that they could do in my class that they couldn't do anywhere else? Was this actually the chance to do something epic and make something memorable?"

"The Most Wanted 2010 Holiday Gadgets: Consumer Electronics Association Study "

"There are plenty of new Christmas songs each year, but it's not that easy to make a Christmas song that becomes a classic holiday tune. You know, one that you can repeat each year that still feels relevant. Straight No Chaser may have just made the first Christmas song fit for this new Internet 2.0 generation. Together with Kristen Bell, they sing Text Me Merry Christmas, a catchy tune about spreading holiday cheer via text. "

Love to shop online? Then you must be very excited about the approaching holiday season as it will provide a chance to purchase gifts for family and friends. But, don't be careless while shopping online as this is also a season of online crime and cybercriminals. This tutorial will help you to shop safely.

"Let's just put it out there. December is exhausting for teachers. The days are shorter. The weather grows colder and (at least here in Oregon) wetter. Students are anxious - whether it's a buzzing excitement for vacation or a sense of dread that some kids feel in homes that are unsafe during the holidays. And teachers are tired. They're tired of redirecting behaviors and tired of the mid-year pressure of the test and simply tired of the sheer energy it takes to be a teacher. It's no wonder that so many teachers begin playing holiday movies around this time of year. They want to create a sense of fun and escape and enjoyment, and a motion picture promises exactly that. Maybe that's okay. Maybe that's a part of creating a culture of joy. So, please don't read this post as a slam on teachers showing movies before the break. If this is a part of a positive classroom culture, keep doing it. This isn't meant to be a guilt trip or a rant or a "you're doing this wrong" post. This is meant to be a yes/and post offering other options."

"Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday that celebrates the African community, family and values. Read on to learn more about this special holiday."