New Year’s Day Bonus Fun

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Sandy

It’s January first, and everyone’s usually pretty laid back, except possibly the young kids who didn’t stay up long past midnight.  If you need some ideas for fun on New Year’s Day, maybe these will help.  January first has other holidays as well as the famous one……

  • The Mummer’s Parade

The real Mummer’s Parade is held in Philadelphia on January first, and it’s quite a production.  People in the parade wear incredibly elaborate costumes, perform stunts and often play music with nontraditional parade instruments, such as banjos and accordions.  It’s an old, old tradition, dating back to the 1600’s in England, but is still alive and well today.  The Philadelphia Mummers Parade is televised on local TV,  and there is a national campaign on to sign petitions to get it carried nationally.  You can read blog posts at Steve Highsmith’s Blog and see some neat pictures at Mummers on National TV.com.

What does all this have to do with you?  Well, if you can’t get to the Mummer’s Parade, you can let the kids entertain themselves by putting one on at home.  Let them see some pictures to get ideas and then turn them loose!

  • Z Day

Z Day is a great day to celebrate!  Poor letter Z (and all the people whose names begin with Z) feel quite put upon to be at the end all the time.  What activities can you try to put Z first at your house today?  Say the alphabet backwards, or better yet, sing it!  Start with the end of the alphabet and think of 26 things to do that begin with each letter.  Make a list of Z words and create a collage or poster.  Watch a movie with a title that has a Z word in it.  Can you think of any more?

  • Get a Life Day

Hmmmm, how to celebrate this one?  Maybe it can be a part of your New Year’s Resolutions?  If you could change one thing about your life right now, what would it be?  How can you act on that?

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Membership has its benefits!

  • Advance info about upcoming holidays
  • More great activity and learning ideas
  • Info about monthly and weekly celebrations
  • More links and resources
  • Alphabetized list of holidays to assist you in planning
  • Unit studies to go with celebrations
  • ….And more!  We’re adding resources every day.

Visit the Membership Page to find out what specials are running right now….Click here for info about the Holiday Learning for Kids Membership site.

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Hooray! It’s….NATIONAL BICARBONATE OF SODA DAY!!

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Sandy

Wow, that’s a mouthful!  But it’s the honest truth.  National Bicarbonate of Soda Day is December 30th.  Now what can we do to celebrate?  Science, that’s what!  Sodium bicarbonate, when combined with vinegar, can cause all kinds of commotion.  Mix the two together and you create lots and lots of bubbles.  You can use the mixture to power small rockets, blow up balloons and much more.

Try this: Mix some baking soda into vinegar and put in a few raisins or bits of spaghetti.  Bubbles will form on the food and eventually it will rise upwards in the vinegar.  As it surfaces, air pressure will pop the bubbles and things will sink again until more bubbles form.  Make the effect truly stunning by adding some food coloring to the vinegar.  Some people have even used these as party centerpieces.  See if your group can figure out how it works, or just enjoy watching the dance.

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You’ve seen the fun we can have each and every day of the year…get your copy of Crazy Holidays Day by Day!  It’s over 100 pages of fun ideas for each and every day through the entire calendar.  You won’t want to miss a minute of 2011 Fun!

Order now!

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Happy Square Dance Day!

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Sandy

Square Dancing is almost a forgotten art in some areas.  Revive this fun, energetic pastime today!  It’s not only entertaining, but it’s also a great way to get and stay fit.  Here are some resources to get you started:

That oughta get your feet a-tappin’ and your hands a-clappin’!  Have fun and Happy Square Dance Day!

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Membership has its benefits!

  • Advance info about upcoming holidays
  • More great activity and learning ideas
  • Info about monthly and weekly celebrations
  • More links and resources
  • Alphabetized list of holidays to assist you in planning
  • Unit studies to go with celebrations
  • ….And more!  We’re adding resources every day.

Visit the Membership Page to find out what specials are running right now….Click here for info about the Holiday Learning for Kids Membership site.

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Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Sandy

November 24 is Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day. Get everyone into the act by planning and hosting a talent show for your family, neighborhood or classroom. Everyone has a talent to share, sometimes it just needs to be discovered. Talents might be well-known, such as singing, playing an instrument or dancing. They might be visual, like creating a painting or a sculpture. Sometimes talents are physical: what can you do that few others can do? I can touch my tongue to my nose! Can you? Help your child discover a unique and special talent in honor of this holiday.

And if you can’t find a talent, you can create one! Many skills can be considered talents once they reach the right level. Consider helping your child learn to tell jokes or do magic tricks. How about learning to knit or to make greeting cards? Whatever you choose to do, be sure to maximize the educational potential by having your child research, read directions and so forth. Reach out to others and build a heart for service by encouraging your talented child to find a way to share the gift with others.

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You’ll want to get in on the action with the Holiday Learning for Kids Members’ Site! There’s a special offer going on now through the end of December 2010 that you won’t want to miss. Check it out at the Membership Page!

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What a Deal!

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Sandy

You’ll want to check this out!  From now through December, you can try the Holiday Learning For Kids Member Site absolutely free!  Sign up today to take full advantage of this holiday gift….the December posts begin on November 23rd to give you lots of time to plot and plan your holiday activities.  You’ll find interesting ideas to keep the days alive and memorable, even if you teach in a setting that doesn’t allow mention of the religious holidays.  Channel that holiday energy and keep the kids motivated and excited all month long with your free one month trial membership to Holiday Learning for Kids Members’ Site.  Sign Up Today!

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National Educational Support Professionals Day

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Sandy

Tomorrow (November 17) is National Educational Support Professionals Day.  What can you and your charges do to celebrate?  These folks work tirelessly to make the school experience productive and outstanding for many people.  Be sure to say THANK YOU to paraprofessional aides, mentors, special education teachers and helpers, speech/language teachers, therapists and even the secretaries, administrators, and custodial staff persons.  Schools simply could not function without all of these dedicated people.

Ideas for your celebration:

  • Write thank you notes to the supporting professionals in your school.
  • Research the requirements for these jobs and find out about training, compensation, working conditions and so forth.
  • Make cupcakes and take them around to the support professionals who are working today.
  • Make cards to brighten the day of support professionals.

Wouldn’t it be great to get advance notice about these great holidays and a steady stream of ideas about how to use them to maximize their educational power?  Sign up today for the Holiday Learning List!!  You’ll get regular updates about holiday learning products and offers, as well as some great ideas about using holidays to your advantage as you teach and care for children.

Click >>HERE<< to sign up today!

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I Love to Write Day

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Sandy

Here is a collection of free online story starters for kids that you can use for I Love to Write Day (November 15) or anytime~!

That’ll keep you writing for a while!  And remember, I’ll be giving away free memberships for the month of December very soon over the Holidays List!  You’ll want to sign up to be first in line.  Members will get access to info like this a few days in advance of the holiday so they can incorporate holiday learning into the schedule plus many more resources.  Sign up today!

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America Recycles Day

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Sandy

With everyone being so environmentally conscious, this is a great day to do what we can to encourage recycling.  America Recycles Day is November 15.  Here are a few ideas to use with your children or students:

  • Make a recycling collection container.  Use a tub or recycle a big box.  Decorate it and add a sign.  Put your container where people will be getting rid of possible recyclables.  Make sure you have permission to place your container, and that you have a plan for emptying it and sending the items on to recycling.
  • Write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper that supports recycling and gives information about it.
  • Research and create a presentation about how materials are recycled and how recycled things are made into new products.
  • Research to discover the cost-effectiveness of recycling.  Many people perceive that recycled products are more expensive than their new counterparts.  Why is this, and what is the actual cost of these things?  Is it worth it?

Wouldn’t it be great to get advance notice about these great holidays and a steady stream of ideas about how to use them to maximize their educational power?  Sign up today for the Holiday Learning List!!  You’ll get regular updates about holiday learning products and offers, as well as some great ideas about using holidays to your advantage as you teach and care for children.

Click >>HERE<< to sign up today!

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Geography Awareness Week

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Sandy

According to a 2006 National Geographic poll, nine out of ten young adults couldn’t locate Afghanistan on a map.  Half of the respondents couldn’t locate New York City!!  Many people in our society are appallingly geographically illiterate.  This is a problem because of the global nature of our economy and politics.  Things that happen on the other side of the world impact our daily lives.  We hear about them in the news, and it’s important to be able to think clearly about events and issues in other areas.

Sadly, very few schools teach geography as a separate subject any more.  It’s rolled into social studies classes that cover geography, history, culture and government.  While all of these aspects are vitally important, it seems that geography is getting short-changed.

This week, you can take steps to make geography a larger part of your children’s lives.  Try these activities to build awareness, map reading skills, and more.

  • Save your junk mail!  Have children locate the company in the solicitation and use a push pin on a map to mark its home base.
  • Use a globe and talk about the climate in each region.  Choose a country, speculate about its climate, then use encyclopedia or other reference to read about the people.
  • Find five newspaper articles that deal with other countries. Find those countries on a map.  Choose one article and summarize the events or issues discussed in the article.

Helpful websites for all ages:

Hope you enjoyed this quick romp through Geography-land in honor of Geography Awareness Week (November 14-20).  Want more fun and educational ideas to go with holidays, commemorations and crazy days?  Sign up for the Holiday Mailing List!  You’ll get some great ideas and a special bonus: be the first to get an invitation to the Holiday Learning for Kids members’ site.  I’ll be giving away free memberships for the month of December 2010 and the list members will be the very first to get invitations!  Sign up today!

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Five Reasons to Sign Up for the List

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Sandy

By now, I think you’ve heard that Holiday Learning for Kids has a mailing list.   Here are five great reasons to sign up:

  1. Every email is packed with ideas about how to use crazy holidays to brighten your home or classroom.
  2. The ideas cover a broad range of age groups-from preschoolers through adult learners.
  3. The activities are open-ended.  Many can be used with different holidays and implemented again and again.
  4. You’ll get ideas related to all areas of the curriculum: reading, writing, math, social studies, science, community service, social skills, and more.
  5. Best of all, it’s completely FREE!

So what are you waiting for?  There’s a party about to happen and YOU can be the hero.  Sign up for the Holiday List by clicking >>HERE<<.

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