One of the ideas I had for teaching about the New Year was explaining what a year is in terms of the earth rotation.  Print the second page for each child and attach the sun circle on top of the earth circle with a brad so students can manipulate the earth moving around the sun.

Other activities I have planned include:

Journaling after discussing New Year’s resolutions

Sequencing the month cards from our calendar

Crafting party hats and paper plate noisemakers

Exploring the earth’s rotation around the sun with a child being the “earth” walking around another child being the “sun”

Making confetti, doing a mock New Year’s count down, and picking up the confetti by wrapping a piece of masking tape sticky side out around our hands.

Here are a few links to games, songs, activities and videos about this concept:

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/nasa/3570-earth-has-a-perfect-orbit-video.htm

http://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2011/01/montessori-insights-and-reflections-of_24.html

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/earthsunmoon.html

http://www.ehow.com/info_7874145_classroom-earth-rotation-activities.html

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0019-the-revolution-of-the-earth.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2lP146KA5A