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May 18-Visit Your Relatives Day, International Museums Day
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
May Activiites
Museums are not only educational but visually stimulating and exciting. You can read many books to stir your child's imagination, but visiting a museum and actually seeing some of the wonders contained therein, is a learning experience that cannot be duplicated. If there's a children's museum nearby, you can be assured that all the exhibits will emphasize things kids love, from model airplanes and toys to phosphorescent rocks and dinosaurs. Many children’s museums include interactive exhibits, so watch as your child becomes a part of the exhibit.
Find Children’s Museums in Kids-List. Search Community Resources
Many Children's Museums offer a reciprocity program. Join one, and you can enjoy the benefits of membership at many others. Find the participating museums in your area: Children's Museums
Catch up with loved ones nearby, bringing a gift that your child has made, a dessert the two of you have baked together, or a framed photo of your little one.
If you don’t have relatives living in your area, honor National Older Americans Month by visiting a retirement home. Call and check with the staff first to see when the best time to visit would be. The joy that children and the elderly can bring to each other is truly special!
May 19 - Circus Day, National Boating Safety Day, Dog Bite Prevention
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
May Activities, Boat, Circus, Pet Safety, Pets
Your child can be every performer under the big top on Circus Day! Set aside some time to play “circus,” and let your child play different roles. He or she can be a clown by wearing a silly hat or wig, some make-up, and a funny outfit; a circus animal by jumping through a hula hoop; or an acrobat by jumping and tumbling.
You have the important role of ringmaster, announcing your child’s entrance as he or she plays each part. Encourage him or her to “ham it up”; and don’t forget to give each performance a round of applause.
National Boating Safety Day - Find a park rowboats can be rented. You can each take an oar and try steering the boat together. Most likely, you'll find yourself going round and round in circles. That's all part of the fun. (Make sure you're both wearing life jackets). You can also pretend you're explorers in an unknown wilderness.
If there isn't a park near you, toy boats in a pool, wading pool or the bath-tub can almost be as much fun. Or, try this simple "soap-powered" cardboard boat.
Dog Bite Prevention Week
According the ASPCA., 50% of all children will be bitten by a dog before their 12th birthday. . And most bites come from dogs that a child knows. Most bites can be prevented.
Recite these pledges from the ASPCA with your child.
1. I will not stare into a dog's eyes.
2. I will not tease dogs behind fences.
3. I will not go near dogs chained up in yards.
4. I will not touch a dog I see loose (off-leash) outside.
5. If I see a loose dog, I will tell an adult immediately.
6. I will not run and scream if a loose dog comes near me.
7. I will stand very still (like a tree), and will be very quiet if a dog comes near me.
8. I will not touch or play with a dog while he or she is eating.
9. I will not touch a dog when he or she is sleeping.
10. I will only pet a dog if I have received permission from the dog's owner.
11. Then I will ask permission of the dog by letting him sniff my closed hand.
Download their free activities sheets to reinforce these lessons.
ASPCA Activity Sheets
May 20 - Pick Strawberries Day, Weights and Measures Day
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
Pick Your Own Farms, Recipes, May Activities
Strawberry picking day is definitely one of the most delicious days of the year.
Native Americans called strawberries "heart-seed berries" and made a bread with strawberries mixed into the corn meal. This bread was so delicious that the colonists decided to create their own version, which became an American favorite, Strawberry Shortcake .
There is nothing sweeter than a berry fresh off the vine. Visit a local Strawberry Festival or local farm and pick your own
- Always call the farm before you go. During strawberry season, large crowds may show up
- Ask if you need your own containers – they should be less than 5” deep so the berries don’t get bruised.
- Leave for the farm early in the morning. On weekends, all the strawberries may be gone by noon.
- Don’t forget hats and sunscreen – and snacks.
If there are any berries that you haven’t eaten before you get home, try making my mom's best and easiest strawberry pie. It only takes about 10 - 15 minutes.
Cooking is the ideal time for kids to learn about weights and measures. While you’re cooking, let them do the measuring. Talk about the measurements – how much is a pint? How many 1/3 cups make a whole cup? Etc. You’ll be surprised at how quickly they’ll absorb the information when it’s leading to delicious strawberry pie.
Ingredients
- 1 graham cracker crust
- 2 pints strawberries
- 1/4 Lemon
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 envelopes (or tbs) unflavored gelatin
- Whipped cream
Preparation
- Wash and drain berries
- Slice 1 pint of the berries
- In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sliced berries and sugar. Sprinkle the gelatin over the mixture.
- Stir until mixture comes to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the 2nd pint of whole berries and a small squeeze of lemon.
- Pour the berry mixture into the piecrust.
- Refrigerate until the gelatin firms up.
- Serve with the whipped cream. –mmm
May 21 - American Red Cross Day, National Waiters/Waitress Day
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
May Activities, Red Cross
Set your kitchen table and then seat your child as the guest. Present him or her with a menu the two of you have made together, with some familiar choices (peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chicken fingers, etc.) represented by illustrations. You play waiter or waitress, taking the order, bringing the (pretend or real) food, bringing the bill, and collecting the toy money.
Now switch places so your child can see you model proper guest behavior while he or she gets the chance to be a server. Don’t forget to leave a generous tip!
Clara Barton, known for taking care of the sick and wounded during the Civil War was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield.” In addition to being the mother of modern nursing, she organized the first American branch of the International Red Cross and then headed the organization until she was in her 80’s. Read a biography of Clara Barton: Spirit of the American Red Cross (Ready-to-Read. Level 3) with your children. Then give them bandages,tongue depressors and cotton balls etc, so they can practice caring for their sick and wounded stuffed animals and dolls.
May 22- Wig Out, Aruthur Conan Doyle's Birthday, Buy an Instrument Day
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
May Activites, Music, Sherlock Holmes
Wig out! There is nothing funnier than seeing yourself in someone else’s hair. With your child, try on wigs, take pictures and have a good laugh. Many Children’s Museums (search Community Resources in Kids-List) have dress up trunks filled with wigs. And, if you don’t have access to real wigs, try on these Virtual Wigs
Teacher supply stores or shopping outlets are a great source for child-sized instruments. Triangles, drums, horns, maracas, rhythm sticks, and tambourines are all wonderful choices for little ones. Kids will love playing their instruments solo or accompanying their favorite CD. Instill a love of music now, and watch it grow in your child through the years.
Kids often wonder how parents know what they’ve been up to. Instead of telling the kids about the all-seeing eyes in the back of your head, use Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday as an opportunity to teach them about deductive reasoning and clues. Show them the clues left behind – empty candy wrappers, the lid off the candy jar etc. Happy birthday Sherlock!
May 23 - Turtle Day, Lucky Penny Day, Taffy Day, Margaret Wise Brown Birthday
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
May Activiites
Turtle Day
American Tortoise Rescue has chosen this date to make the world aware of turtles, tortoises, and their habitats. The turtle is the only reptile that has a shell; used for protection and as a home. These creatures carry their homes around with them. There are about 250 species of turtles and tortoises on earth.
For a turtle craft activity:
- Cut out the shape of a turtle’s body from green construction paper.
- Now have your child paint the outside of a section of an empty egg carton green.
- Glue the “shell” onto the turtle, and add eyes and a nose with marker.
- For an environment for your paper critter, use a rectangle of brown cardboard.
- Glue on a construction paper pond, clumps of grass (grass standing upright), and few rocks.
- Have your child move the turtle slowly around its new home.
Salt Water Taffy Day
Delicious Salt Water Taffy is not actually made with salt water. It got its name when a candy shop was flooded wiht salty Atlantic Ocean water after a storm. When a little girl came to buy some taffy, the owner said he only had "salt water" taffy. And the name stuck.
Lucky Penny Day
See a penny pick it up
All day long you'll have good luck
Pass it on to a friend
Then your luck will never end
Margaret Wise Brown's Birthday
Margaret Wise Brown is the author of some of the most beloved children's books ever. Cuddle up in a chair and share these stories with somebody you love. Goodnight Moon , The Runaway Bunny and my very favorite, Big Red Barn
May 24 - Jazz Day, Morse Code and Pickles
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
recipes, May Activiites
International Pickle Week
No matter if you like them sweet or sour, celebrate the pickle! Eat them alongside hamburgers or hotdogs, or add relish (which is basically chopped up pickles, after all) to egg or tuna salad.
And you don’t need to fuss with brine and sterilized jars to make pickles at home. Here’s a recipe for refrigerator pickles that will have you enjoying their crunchy goodness within twenty-four hours.
Give your child a taste of the cucumbers before and after pickling, and ask him or her to describe the difference in tastes.
- Peel 3 pickling cucumbers.
- Slice them thinly, and place in a bowl.
- Add 1 thinly sliced sweet onion.
- In another bowl, mix together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup of cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of celery seed.
- Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and onions. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 24 hours before eating.
International Jazz Day
Jazz, a truly American form of music, is at the roots of all contemporary music. Check out this intro to Jazz for kids. Jazz for Kids
Morse Code Day
.... .- .--. .--. -.-- / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / -.. .- -.--
Morse code is an alphabetic code of long and short sounds, originally transmitted by telegraph. Each letter in the alphabet has a corresponding sound or series of sounds unique to it. The long sounds are referred to as dashes, while the short sounds are dots. Varying lengths of silence denote spaces between letters or words. Messages were sent by tapping the key in a rhythm of coded letters.
Check out the Morse Code Alphabet
May 25th - Tap Dance Day
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
Dance, May Activities
National Tap Dance Day is celebrated on the birthday of legendary tap pioneer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Here he dances with Shirley Temple in "The Little Colonel"
Tapping dancing is fun. Try this beginning lesson and soon you and your kids will be tapping dance up and down the aisles of the market, all over the house, and anywhere there is a hard floor!
May 26 Sally Ride Day, Sheila Greenwald Birthday
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
In 1983, Dr Sally Ride of Encino, California became the first woman in space on the space shuttle challenger. She has now dedicated herself to encouraging and inspiring girls in science through her many programs at Sally Ride Science including science festivals, the GRAIL moon cam, science camps and publications. To learn more, visit sallyridescience.com
Happy birthday to Sheila Greenwals, author of the "Rosy Cole" Book series. These books are great for 2nd to 5th graders and filled with warm-hearted fun. Add them to your summer reading list: Sheila Greenwald Books
May 27 - Cellophane Tape Day, Sunscreen Day
Sunday, April 28, 2013 by Shelley Miles
May Activities, Sunscreen
Today commemorates the invention of cellophane tape in 1930.
I wonder how people wrapped gifts before its invention? When you are in a pinch,and need to keep a little one occupied for a few minutes, try giving them a piece of cellophane tape of about 4" long, attached to itself to form a loop with the sticky side out. The sticky texture will fascinate them.
It's sunny and beautiful outside. Make sure you protect your children with sunscreen. This video from HowDini shares tips on protecting childrens' skin.Putting on sunscreen doesn't need to be a battle. Try applying the sunscreen while telling a story (painting a picture, making an animal or clown face etc.) and be sure to rub in the sunscreen until it's full absorbed. Don't forget to reapply often.
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