About Curriculum

    Peter and Polly Series by Rose Lucia Peter and Polly by Rose Lucia    

Lesson 19: Jack Frost's Celebration

lesson image


How the wind blows tonight!" said father after supper. "It whistles around the corners. It nearly whistled off my hat, when I came home."

"I should think that you would wear a cap," said mother.

"Fur caps will be needed soon," father said. "The cold weather is here to stay. No more warm weather until next spring. Let's celebrate, this evening."

"I know what celebrate means," said Polly. "It's what we do on the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving and Christmas."

"Birthdays, too," said Peter. "I had a birthday party."

"That is so," Polly said. "But what shall we celebrate tonight?"

"Let us celebrate winter," father said. "Let us give Jack Frost a party. Come now and begin.

"First we will light the fire in the fireplace. Light your end, Polly. Light your end, Peter. We will see which end burns brighter.

"Mother will fix the chairs while I am down in the cellar. You two look out for sparks. That kindling wood is snapping."

In a few minutes, father was back. Can you guess what he brought?

A pan full of apples. They came from a barrel in the cellar. They had grown out in the orchard.

Besides, he had a bag with ears of corn in it. And he had another pan, and a corn popper.

"Oh, oh, oh!" cried Peter and Polly. "How could you carry so many things?"

Father put down the pan of apples. "We will each roast one," he said. "Pick yours out, children. Now we will put our apples on the bricks near the fire.

"Peter, you may watch them. After a while, you must turn them around. Do you know why?"

"What shall I do, father?" asked Polly.

"You may shell some corn into the popper. We cannot pop it jet. We must wait for the flames to die down a little."

"Next week is Thanksgiving," said mother. "Won't it be fun to go down to grandmother's for dinner? I wish that we might have a snowstorm before then."

"I am thankful right now," said Polly. "I am thankful for you and father and Peter and grandmother and this fire. I shall be thankful for popped corn, when I get some."

"We will try it now," said father. And he began to shake the popper over the coals.

Pop, pop, pop, pop went the corn. The white kernels hopped up and down. They seemed to be trying to get out.

"It is nearly done," said Polly. "See! The popper is full."

Just at that minute the corn caught fire.

"Oh, oh!" cried Polly. "It will all burn up! It will all burn up!"

It did not. Father quickly blew out the flames. Some of the kernels were black. He poured the others into the warm pan. Mother put in salt and melted butter.

Polly shelled more corn, and father popped it. Soon the pan was full. Did anything ever taste so good as that hot, buttered popped corn?

At last father said, "This celebration is almost over. I believe that it is long after bedtime."

Polly said, "I am sure, now, that I am glad winter has come. I was not sure before. I have had a good time at our winter party."

"So have I," said Peter. "I am going to kiss everybody goodnight. I have had such a good time that I have lots of kisses in my face."

"Pass them around then, my son," said father. "Then run upstairs to bed. Jack Frost's party is finished."

story image

    Peter and Polly Series by Rose Lucia Peter and Polly by Rose Lucia    

Lesson 19: Jack Frost's Celebration

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Peter and Polly and their family celebrate the coming of winter. They throw Jack Frost a party. They roast apples and make popcorn in their fireplace. They eat the popcorn with salt and melted butter. Peter and Polly kiss their parents goodnight and go up to bed.

Vocabulary

Whistle: A clear, high-pitched sound.
Celebrate: Recognize a special or happy day or event with a party or fun activity.
Cellar: A room below the ground under a house, often used for storage.
Kindling: Small twigs or sticks used to start a fire.
Barrel: A cylindrical container bulging out in the middle, made of long wooden planks with metal hoops around them.

Concepts

Frost consists of small white ice crystals that forms on the ground, on windows, on tree branches, or on other items when the temperature falls below freezing.

  1. Frost forms pretty patterns of ice crystals.
  2. Frost develops fractal patterns.
  3. If frost comes too early or too late in the season, it can damage plants and reduce the number of crops that are grown.

Jack Frost is a character who spreads cold and frost wherever he goes. Sometimes he makes mischief. Other times he does heroic things.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Poem 'Little Jack Frost. A Rhyme for Flossie' by Charles Sangster

Objective:

Read the poem, then draw a picture of Little Jack Frost spreading frost.

Materials:

Pencil, notebook.

Procedure:

***

Little Jack Frost went up the hill.

Watching the stars so cold and chill,

Watching the stars and the moon so bright.

And laughing aloud like a crazy wight.

***

Little Jack Frost ran down the hill,

Late in the night, when the winds were still,

Late in the fall, when the leaves fell down,

Red, and yellow, and faded brown.

***

Little Jack Frost walked through the trees,

'Ah,' sighed the flowers, 'we freeze, we freeze!'

'Ah,' sighed the grasses, 'we die, we die!'

Said little Jack Frost, 'Good-bye, good-bye!'

***

Little Jack Frost tripped round and round.

Spreading white snow on the frozen ground;

Nipping the breezes, icing the streams,

And chilling the warmth of the sun's bright beams.

***

Nobody saw him, still he was there.

Nose-biting, prank-playing, everywhere;

All through the houses, out in the street,

Capering wildly through storm and sleet.

***

But when Dame Nature brought back the spring,

Brought back the birds to chirp and sing.

Melted the snow and warmed the sky.

Little Jack Frost went pouting by.

***

The flowers opened their eyes of blue.

Green buds peeped out and grasses grew.

And it got so warm and scorched him so.

Little Jack Frost was glad to go.

Review

Question 1

What does Peter and Polly's family celebrate?
1 / 3

Answer 1

The family celebrates the coming of winter.
1 / 3

Question 2

What are two special foods the family makes and eats for the celebration?
2 / 3

Answer 2

The family eats roasted apples and popcorn.
2 / 3

Question 3

What does Peter do before he goes upstairs for bed?
3 / 3

Answer 3

Peter kisses everyone goodnight.
3 / 3

  1. What does Peter and Polly's family celebrate? The family celebrates the coming of winter.
  2. What are two special foods the family makes and eats for the celebration? The family eats roasted apples and popcorn.
  3. What does Peter do before he goes upstairs for bed? Peter kisses everyone goodnight.

References

  1. 'Frost.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

Contact  Privacy Policy  Terms of Use © 2023 Under The Home Online Homeschool Curriculum
Contact      Privacy      Terms
youtube icon twitter icon pinterest icon facebook icon
© 2023 Under The Home