Spread Cheer in Your Classroom This Month With Statistics in Schools Resources
It’s the season to spread happiness and cheer! Share our Statistics in Schools (SIS) resources with your students and introduce them to real-world data surrounding this magical season—from places with festive-sounding names to how many toy makers are in your state. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate this month!
Winter Holiday Season Fun Facts
Did you know that China led the way with about 88 percent of U.S. imports of Christmas decorations? Learn interesting facts like this and more with our Winter Holiday Season Fun Facts.
NEW! The “All Aboard the Polar Express” section showcases data on people who worked in the U.S. railway industry in 2023 such as railroad conductors and yardmasters, locomotive engineers and operators, and more.
The accompanying teaching guide offers a variety of grade appropriate ways to expand the conversation. Challenge students to take the learning further and participate in a creative writing exercise on holiday traditions or imagine opening a toy store and creating an advertising campaign.
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National Candy Cane Day is December 26
This sweet occasion is the perfect opportunity to explore our State Facts for Students tool. Did you know that California had the most candy and nut stores in the U.S. in 2022 with 575? Students can learn about how many stores are in their state and where the perfect place to pick up some delicious candy canes is. You could even ask which flavor is their favorite—classic mint or something more unique!
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Census Bureau Winter Wonderland Kahoot!
Do you know which state had the most skiing establishments nationwide in 2022? Quiz students on a variety of U.S. Census Bureau data related to the winter season, including imports of holiday decorations, and population estimates for places like Santa Claus, Indiana and Rudolph, Wisconsin, and more.
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Learn About U.S. Holidays With Census Bureau Data!
Do you think your students would be surprised to learn that there are four places in the U.S. that are named after Thanksgiving’s traditional main course—turkey? Continue with the competitive spirit with more Kahoot! fun and test students on their knowledge on additional holiday related statistics including the number of hobby, toy, and game stores in the U.S. and more.
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5-Minute Challenge: Festive-Sounding Places
This quick and easy activity has students examine a fun infographic which showcases population totals for festive-sounding places in the U.S. such as North Pole, Alaska and Rudolph, Wisconsin. Students will have the chance to organize the places by the geographic region they are in and answer a few questions about what they’ve learned.
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NEW! Create with Data
 Make data come to life by exploring creative ways to introduce kid-friendly statistics to students by having them display Census Bureau facts about upcoming observances in a colorful chart, design a brochure filled with kid-friendly stats or construct a data wheel about their state.
Use the resources on our new Create with Data page to inspire students to use their imaginations and find innovative ways to showcase their new knowledge while enhancing their civic and statistical literacy skills!
Celebrate children’s creativity and join kids, teachers, and schools around the world for Crayola Creativity Week, a free celebration from January 27-February 2, 2025. By using new SIS materials during this free and fun event, you can help students develop their artistic and data literacy skills by displaying statistics in creative ways.
Activity of the Month
SIS has a variety of standards-based activities for all grade levels. In this section of our newsletter, an SIS staff member has handpicked one of their favorites for you to explore.
The History of the Telephone
This elementary school history activity allows students to learn about Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone, understanding its impact on the U.S. population and the ways that phones have changed over time. They will also review several photos of phones dating back to the 1890s to visually make comparisons and observe how much phones have evolved over the years.
Fun Fact: Did you know that during the 1900 Census, the Census Bureau hired Alexander Graham Bell as a special agent to write a report on the deaf and blind?
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Why is this activity a staff favorite?
This activity gives young students a great opportunity to learn how telephones have impacted society over the years. For example, they can learn how phones went from being attached to walls, to becoming cordless, to completely mobile and usable anywhere. It is possible that some students may not have ever seen some of the phones showcased in the activity, so it’s an effective method of demonstrating the connection between a series of historical events. The activity was recently refreshed to include a bar chart with updated data on the percentage of U.S. households with smartphones, which has steadily increased over the years. This is a great activity to teach students about Alexander Graham Bell and his accomplishments.
Plan ahead. Check out our resources for the Winter Holiday Season, Wreaths Across America Day (December 14), National Hobby Month (January), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 20), and National Spouses Day (January 26). Use our Monthly Highlights page to plan your month.
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