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Jacob Grimm was one of the Grimm brothers who collected and wrote fairy tales in Germany in the 1800s. These stories include Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Rapunzel and many others. His stories have been translated into 160 languages and can be frightening to very young children - they are not always very happy tales! View some of their stories here.
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 was invented by J.R.R. Tolkien and can be seen here. Children might enjoy making up their own messages using this alphabet.
Split Pea Soup
Ingredients:
Directions:
Rinse the split peas under cold water. Place 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 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. When the soup is done, remove the celery and onion and throw them away.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat in the iron skillet. Remove from heat and sprinkle the brown sugar evenly to cover the butter. Next, arrange pineapple rings around the bottom of the pan, one layer deep. Place a maraschino cherry into the center of each pineapple ring. Prepare the cake mix as directed, substitute some of the pineapple juice for some of the liquid in the directions. Pour the batter over the pineapple layer.Bake as directed by the cake mix directions. Cool for 10 minutes, and then carefully turn out onto a plate. Do not let the cake cool too much or it will be stuck to the pan. Makes 1 10-inch round cake. Serve with sweetened whipped topping.
“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
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 he was an important leader of the civil rights movement here in the United States 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. Click here for more information about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Animals handle cold winter weather in different ways. Some migrate to warmer climates. Some 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.
Naptime game: Play “hibernation” - pretend to be one of the animals you have researched. Curl up and “sleep” and then wake up HUNGRY for snack time!
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
Mix together first 6 ingredients. Then add eggs and milk and mix thoroughly. Batter is 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:
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
Backward Day is a day to do everything backwards. Use your imagination, and Backward Day can be lots of fun. It's especially popular with school aged kids. Try writing backwards or reading backwards. Wear your shirt with the back in the front. Eat your meal, starting with dessert. Now that's what I call fun! Walk backwards, or talk backwards. Play a board game backwards, from the finish line to the start. Are you starting to get the picture!? Read more about Backward Day.
Click on a day to learn more!
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