Au Pair in America

New Year’s Day

The first day of the New Year is a federal holiday. In some communities there are New Year celebrations. In some communities families visit each other for New Year’s Day brunch.

Jacob Grimm's Birthday

Jacob Grimm was one of the Grimm brothers who collected and wrote fairy tales in Germany in the 1800s. These stories include “Sleeping Beauty,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Snow White,” “Rapunzel,” and many other stories that have been translated into 160 languages. Today would be a great day to read one of these stories. School age children might want to act out the story themselves or do a simple puppet show of the story. You can also view some of their stories at www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/. Grimm's stories can be frightening to very young children – they are not happy tales!

JRR Tolkien's Birthday

JRR Tolkien, the author of Lord of the Rings, was born on this day in 1892. In honor of his birthday, older school age children may enjoy reading (or being read) The Hobbit, or perhaps they could watch one of the Lord of the Rings movies. The Cirth alphabet used in the book appears at www.omniglot.com/writing/cirth.htm. Children might enjoy making up their own messages using this alphabet.

Roller Skating

On this day in 1863, the first 4-wheel roller skates were patented. Now roller blades have replaced roller skates almost everywhere. Is there an indoor roller rink nearby? Skating would be a great way to exercise on a cold or rainy day.

 

X-ray

In 1896 Wilhelm Roentgen of Austria discovered the type of radiation that became known as X-rays. For more about the history of X-rays and for pictures of X-rays of animals, plants, and interesting objects, visit www.uhrad.com/kids.htm. Older school age children can do an art activity based on Australian aboriginal art that has an X-ray appearance to it. Visit this site for more information: www.enchantedlearning.com/artists/xraystyle/.

National Soup Month

January is National Soup Month. Read Stone Soup by Marcia Brown and George and Martha by James Marshall and try cooking your own!

Split Pea Soup

• 2 cups green split peas
• 7 cups water
• 3 cups beef broth (canned or add bouillon cubes to water)
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 medium onion

Rinse the split peas under cold water. Combine the drained peas, water, and broth in a saucepan. Break the celery into 3 or 4 large pieces and add to the pot. Peel and trim the onion and then place the whole onion into the pot. Heat the soup to a boil on medium heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. When the soup is done, remove the celery and onion and throw them away.

United Nations

The UN officially opened in 1951. It is made up of 191 countries from around the world. It was created after the Second World War as a way of bringing people together and to avoid war. The United Nations logo shows the world held in the "olive branches of peace." The United Nations had a special meeting of children from many countries. Visit the website at www.un.org.

Pineapples

Native to South America, the first pineapples were planted in Hawaii on this day in 1813. Now 10% of the world’s pineapples are grown in Hawaii, where it first became a commercial crop. It is also widely grown in Central America and Asia. Kids will love this delicious recipe from www.allrecipes.com.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and baking soda. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, vanilla and crushed pineapple, with liquid from can. Mix well to blend. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. To make the frosting: in a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until creamy. Spread on warm cake.

Listen to Music and Dance Day

Don't let the rain or snow stop you from being active. Put on a lively tape and dance around the house.

Albert Schweitzer

Born in 1875 in Germany, Schweitzer studied music, science and religion. He won the Nobel Peace Prize and is probably best remembered for bringing modern health care to Africa in the early 1900s. Here are two quotes from Schweitzer to think about and discuss with the children. How can these quotes inspire you to act?

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

"Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate."

– Albert Schweitzer

Tea Party

Mix up some warm cocoa and invite the dolls or stuffed animals for a tea party.

Ben Franklin’s Birthday

Born in 1706, Ben Franklin was an inventor, a statesman, a musician and a scientist who lived much of his life in Philadelphia. Visit www.fi.edu/franklin/ to learn more about him and his activities. There are science experiments for school age (10 years or older) to try. Younger children might enjoy the book Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin as told by his Good Mouse Amos – look for it in the library!

Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, but he is honored on the third Monday of the month with a federal holiday. Martin Luther King Jr. was an important leader of the Civil Rights Movement here in America during the 1950s and 60s. The holiday was created as a day to remember his fight for the freedom, equality, and dignity of all races and peoples, and as a time to remember the message of change through nonviolence. For more information about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., visit www.holidays.net/mlk.

Art Day

Make today an art day - try drawing, painting, gluing or clay.

Fun with Hibernation!

Animals handle cold winter weather in different ways. Some, such as birds, butterflies, and whales, migrate to warmer climates. Some animals, like deer, fox, and moose, grow thicker fur coats so they can stay warm during the winter. However many animals hibernate during the coldest weather – they spend the warmer months of the year eating and storing as much body fat as they can and then live off this extra weight as they sleep in the winter. Bats, some mice, frogs and many squirrels sleep all winter. Others, including chipmunks and raccoons, wake up once in a while to eat and then they go back to sleep. Have fun learning about the art of hibernation with your children during this cold time of the year.

At the library!

Look for books about animals in winter.

• The Story of Jumping Mouse: A Native American Legend by John Steptoe
• Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming
• When Will It Be Spring? By Catherine Walters
• The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting
• Bearymore by Don Freeman
• Bernard Bear’s Amazing Adventure by Hans de Beer
• Wake Me in Spring by James Preller
• Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky
• Chipmunk Song by Joanne Ryder

Watch for animals in your neighborhood. Are there more or less than in the warmer weather?

Play “hibernation” – pretend to be one of the animals you have researched. Curl up and “sleep” and then wake up HUNGRY for snack time!

National Pie Day

Pies are popular on holidays or any day and are easy to make if you buy a prepared crust in the freezer or dairy section of the grocery store. Try these favorite recipes with the children:

Pumpkin Pie

• 1 can pumpkin (or 2 cups mashed cooked fresh pumpkin)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk

Mix together the first 6 ingredients. Then add eggs and milk and mix thoroughly (the batter will be very thin). Pour into pie shell. Bake 450 degrees for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Peel, core and slice 6 apples into thin pieces. Toss sliced apples gently with:

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Pile apples into pie shell. Blend 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup flour with 1/3-cup butter until crumbly. Spread over apples. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Gold Rush!

On this day in 1848, a nugget of gold was found at Sutter's Mill in California. News spread over the next few months, and 100,000 people went to California to make their fortune. This "rush" was very important to the growth of California. Visit www.museumca.org/goldrush/ to learn more about this part of American history.

Australia Day

People across New South Wales join together in celebration of what it means to be Australian. Australia is unique because it is an island country that is also a continent. You can learn more about Australia by visiting www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/301/27/.

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Mozart's Birthday

Children don’t often have the chance to listen to classical music. You can download Mozart from the web at www.classicalarchives.com/mozart.html. This music may be calming and delightful at nap time, mealtime, or to inspire drawing on paper with crayons or markers.

National Puzzle Day

Do a puzzle or make one of your own. Find a fun picture in a magazine and glue it to lightweight cardboard. Cut into shapes. If your children are small, make it just a few easy shapes. To make your own word or math puzzles with the children, visit http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/.

Tu B’Shvat

This Jewish holiday is known as the “New Year of Trees.” You can celebrate by eating dried fruits and nuts, especially figs, dates, raisins, and almonds.

Scotch Tape

On this day in 1928, Scotch tape was sold for the first time. You can use double-sided tape to make an easy and attractive vase or pencil holder. Here’s how:

You need a small container (a clean, smooth-sided glass jar or bottle, or a small can for younger children), double-sided tape, a ball of heavy string, yarn, or cord, and glue.

• First, wrap the container in double-sided tape to cover the whole outside. It may be easiest to do this with short strips of tape that touch or overlap slightly.
• Then, secure the end of the cord where it will be covered and wind it around and around in tight rows to completely cover the container. Secure the very end of the cord with a few drops of glue.

A wide mouth container is a good holder for pens and pencils. A smaller opening is good for flowers.