Calendar of the Season
May Day
May Day is a spring festival celebrating the renewal of nature. May Day was especially popular in England during medieval times. The most popular activity was dancing around the Maypole. In some countries May Day features military parades; it is internationally thought of as a working-class holiday.
To watch the renewal of nature at home, have your child put three toothpicks in an onion and suspend the onion over a small glass of water so that only the bottom of the onion is in the water. Remind the child to check it every day so that it has enough water. Put the glass in a sunny window. Soon the onion will send up leaves.
National Good Car Care Month
Take this opportunity to clean out the inside of the car. If it's a nice day, the school-age children might enjoy helping to wash the outside! Or get a large cardboard box and make a pretend car for younger children to play in. Cut out doors and windows and put chairs inside. Think of all the places you can travel to in your imagination. Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham is a favorite book for preschoolers about a car ride.
Teacher’s Day
Today is a day to honor teachers – if your child is in school, he or she might want to make a card for the teacher. Children ages 3-5 love playing school. Let the child be the teacher and read you a story or give you homework. You might want to invite some dolls or stuffed animals into the classroom as well.
Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla (Batalla de Puebla) in which Mexican troops defeated Napoleon’s French forces. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico. Look for the book Cinco de Mayo by Janet Riehecky or visit www.elbalero.gob.mx/index_kids.html for information and activities from Mexico.
International Red Cross Day
The Red Cross offers a wide range of health and disaster relief services all over the world. School-age children can learn more about their work at www.redcross.org/services/youth/kids/. Au Pairs can register for CPR and first aid classes by calling their counselor. Today is a good day to check your first aid supplies in the house.
Mother's Day
Many countries celebrate a special day for mothers. In the U.S, it started as a day of peace; now it is more a day to celebrate and pamper Mom. Help the children make cards or gifts or plan a special meal or other surprise for Mom. Read picture books to young children about mothers such as Are You My Mother by PD Eastman, Little Bear (an I Can Read Book) by Else Holmelund Minarik, or Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer. You’ll find many other choices in your local library. For ideas of activities and surprises, visit www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/mom/.
Nelson Mandela Inaugurated
On this date in 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected State President of South Africa. He later won the Nobel Peace Prize. For a coloring page of Mandela, go to www.crayola.com/activitybook/print.cfm?id=695 and login to access the page (it is a free registration process).
Children’s Book Week (May 11-17)
This is a good day to read to the children. Click on this website for more literacy ideas to make reading even more fun! www.cbcbooks.org/cbw/index.html
House of Cards
Is there a deck of cards around the house that is missing a card or two? Here’s a perfect use for the cards you have. Use scissors to make a 1-inch cut in the middle of all four edges of each card. Join the cards together by interlocking the slits to build towers, tunnels, and bridges. How high can you build?
Lewis and Clark Expedition Started
In 1804 Lewis and Clark started on an expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. They traveled eight thousand miles by foot, boat, wagon, and horse, discovering parts of the western United States previously unknown to anyone but the Native Americans. School-age children will enjoy learning more about their adventures at www.lewis-clark.org/. Pretend you are going on your own grand discovery trip without the help of modern maps and communication. Think with the children about all the important things to pack. Go on a short discovery trip in the neighborhood and look for things you may have never noticed before.
National Chocolate Chip Day
Try this delicious recipe. Be sure to let the children pour and stir ingredients, but don’t let them near the hot oven!
Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional - ask about allergies)
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (optional). Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
National Salad Month
Children may enjoy making and eating this colorful salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 banana
- 1 apple
- 1 peeled orange or tangerine
- berries, grapes, or melon (optional
- 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cut up one banana, one apple, and a peeled orange or tangerine. You can also add (or substitute) berries, grapes, or melon. Mix 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and pour it over the fruit.
International Museum Day
Visit a local museum or a museum for children. Even a quick visit to the local historical society gives an opportunity to see some objects of interest and learn more about where you are living. When visiting a museum, talk to the children about the exhibits and help them discover interesting facts. Many museums have special guides for children - check at the information desk. You can also create your own adventure in any museum - in an art museum, you might hunt for pictures with animals in them, or a favorite color.
Shavuot
Shavuot is a Jewish festival celebrating the Ten Commandments. Learn more at www.bus.ualberta.ca/yreshef/pesach/ shavucustoms.html.
Circus Day
This is the anniversary of the first Ringling Brothers Circus performance in 1884, now known in the U.S. as “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The circus performance ring was first used in 1770 in London. Visit the Ringling Brothers website at www.ringling.com/activity/education/ for circus- and animal-related online activities, activities to do at home, and coloring pages to print. Use washable face paint to make yourselves look like clowns. There are many children’s books with a circus theme, including If I Ran the Circus by Dr. Seuss and Clifford at the Circus by Norman Bridwell.
Pickle Week
Try this recipe with the children.
Easy Refrigerator Pickles
- 7 cups sliced cucumbers
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup sliced sweet onions
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 bell pepper, finely sliced
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 tsp celery seed
Combine cucumbers, onion, and bell pepper in a large bowl. Add the sugar,
vinegar, salt, and celery seed. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 24
hours before serving. For a different taste, add garlic, dill, oregano, or hot
pepper sauce.
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
May is set aside to honor the achievements of Asian/Pacific Americans and to recognize their contributions to the United States. Learn about Asians, Asian food, and Asian communities in the U.S. by exploring www.infoplease.com/spot/asianhistory1.html.
Flowers
The saying goes that April showers bring May flowers. Start your own flowers indoors. Marigolds and Morning Glories grow quickly from seed and can be planted outdoors in the garden after they are a few inches tall. Use a flower pot or even an old yogurt container. Follow the directions on the seed packet, and don’t forget to water the pot! Read the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk to find out what happened when Jack planted his seeds.
Paper Cuts
This is an activity for school-age children who are good with scissors. This art activity is based on the traditional Polish Wycinanka Ludowa, a folk craft used to decorate Polish homes. To make a simple paper cut you need thin colored paper such as origami paper, pencil, scissors, tissue paper or a second colored paper, and glue or rubber cement.
- Fold one piece of paper in half. The fold will form the center of the design, so you will be drawing only half the picture.
- Draw your design using the fold as the center. Keep the design simple. Try a tree, a face, or a snowflake.
- Carefully cut out the design with scissors.
- Open the paper and press the design flat
- Cover the back of the design with glue or rubber cement
- Place the design on the center of your other piece of paper. If you use tissue paper for the second piece, light will come through and you can hang it in the window for decoration.
Directions are from the Chippewa Valley Museum (www.cvmuseum.com), where you can find a pattern for a sample design to make a Polish Paper Cut.
First Daily Newspaper
The first daily newspaper in the U.S. was printed in 1783. Although there are daily newspapers in every town, we often rely more on radio, television and the Internet for news. Check for links to newspapers from your country by visiting http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/index.asp. Introduce your children ages 5 and up to news on the Internet by visiting a site designed just for children: www.timeforkids.com/TFK/.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day started in 1868 after the Civil War ended. Dead soldiers from both the north and the south were honored as a way to try to heal the nation. Now all past soldiers are honored. It is also a day that is considered to be the start of the summer season. Many people celebrate with a cook-out or even a trip to the beach. Many towns have a Memorial Day parade – this would be fun to watch, or even to march in.
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