Celebrating National Hot Chocolate Day!

Hello friends! It's Anna again from Hanging with Mrs. Hulsey! During the winter months I like to reward my students for good behavior and/or homework returned by giving them hot chocolate! This works especially well in the winter when something like an extra recess is out of the question.

I recently discovered that January 31st is actually National Hot Chocolate Day! I thought it would be fun to have a day built around hot chocolate. So here are some fun ideas I hope you can use in your classroom too!

Give students a close read about the history of hot chocolate (or let them research it on their own). I learned a lot of cool facts while writing this article (For example, I wasn't aware of the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate!) You can find this close read and its questions here in my TPT store!
For writing, have students sequence the steps in making hot chocolate. Afterwards, have them write down some amazing adjectives for the drink (or anything extra they add to it!) You can find so many variations of this activity on Teachers Pay Teachers. Here is my version:
My version includes 2 mugs that say #tasty and #delicious. I thought it would be fun to print them on cute scrapbook paper (or have the kids decorate the mugs themselves).
We have been working hard with division and multiplication in math-- and I thought marshmallows make the perfect hands-on tool to practice making arrays or equal groups. But you could also use marshmallows in measuring objects, graphing, and building 3D shapes.
For science I thought it would be fun to do an experiment involving marshmallows and 3 different temperatures of water. But, you could also do marshmallows and 3 different liquids (like vinegar, water, and soda) and see which type makes the marshmallows dissolve the quickest. Here are my 3 cups of different temps (cold, warm, and boiling):
If you enjoy art projects-- I added in a "designer mug" challenge. Students can design and decorate their mugs-- then you can have students vote on various awards (like most colorful or most creative). I also included little award certificates-- but I thought it would be fun to give out a prize like a real mug, hot chocolate mix, etc.
I also found these fun recipes online:


You can check out my mini unit here in my TPT store-- be sure to download the preview for a freebie! Hope this gave your some great ideas to incorporate on January 31st!

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