Celebrate February
Here are a few quick-and-easy activities to help you and your children celebrate special days throughout the month of February.
February 8-14 is Random Acts of Kindness Week
• With your child, create a list of simple favors and nice things you can do for friends and for other family members. Surprise a different person every day by doing something thoughtful for them, such as leaving small treats and notes or finishing household chores.
On February 18, 1830 the planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh
• Venture outside and take a good look at the nighttime sky with your child. Play a game of trying to distinguish planets from stars. Explain to your child that stars appear to twinkle, while planets do not.
February is National Wild Birds Feed Month
• Make homemade bird feeders using vegetable shortening, oatmeal and birdseed. Cut slices of day old bread into various shapes using cookie cutters. Use a drinking straw to make a hole in the top of each slice. Mix oatmeal with shortening and spread on each shape and sprinkle with bird seed. Thread string through holes and hang the bird feeders from the tree branches.
February is National Cherry Month
Enjoy a tasty cherry pie!
2 8” or 9” pie crusts
6 cups of washed, stemmed, and pitted Bing Cherries
1 ¼ cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons instant tapioca
Bake one pie crust according to the package directions. Place prepared cherries in a large bowl and let sit for approximately 15 minutes. Drain excess juice from the bowl. Stir sugar, flour, and tapioca into the cherries. Pour the mixture into the baked pie crust. Cut lattice strips from the second pie crust and place on top of the filling. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or until the crust is brown.
February is National Library Lovers' Month
• Take your child to the library and help him or her obtain a library card. Then, help your child choose books to check out and read. Talk to library employees to find out what other special services and programs the library offers to the public. Many are free!
February is American Heart Month
• Exercise by taking a brisk walk with your child, and then share a heart healthy snack such as carrot sticks, or apple slices. Talk about the importance of a healthy heart.
Read in February
Here are some books to share with your child to enhance the enjoyment of reading in February.
Abraham Lincoln by Ingri D'Aulaire
• Vivid illustrations tell the story of Abraham Lincoln's life, from his boyhood in the wilderness to his career as President of the United States .
Help your child start a penny collection. Find the oldest penny and the newest penny in your collection. Add a wheat penny to the collection and compare it to a modern coin.
George Washington: A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin
• This biography offers highlights of the first president's home and family life as well as his leadership and service.
Write a letter to the president with your child. Mail the letter to: The President c/o the Office of the Presidential Student Correspondence, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue , Washington , D.C. 20500
One Zillion Valentines by Frank Modell
• Marvin and Melvin make special valentines to send in hopes of getting some in return.
Provide white, pink and red construction paper, scissors, and markers for your child to use to make valentines. Mail or deliver the valentines to family members and special friends.
Bee My Valentine by Miriam Cohen
• A first grade class exchanges valentines with funny results.
After reading the story, think of funny valentine puns like those in the story. Cut out heart shapes from paper and have your child write valentine puns on the hearts.
The Coming of Night by James Riordan
• This folktale from West Africa explains how nighttime animals and sounds came into being.
Read this story with your child at bedtime. Listen for nighttime sounds and talk about what animals are active at night.
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema
• A herdsman on the African plain waits patiently for a much-needed rainstorm. Eventually he finds a clever way to pierce a rain cloud and bring relief to the thirsty animals.
Have your child look for and name the different African animals in the story. Have him or her draw a picture of a favorite animal from the story.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold
• Cassie and her brother fly into the sky and board a train filled with people escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman guides the children's journey.
Let your child use paint and fabric scraps to create a picture that tells a story. Encourage your child to explain the completed story to you.
Black History Month
Celebrate the power of positive role models, awesome athletes, dynamic leaders, and inspirational authors. Spotlight African-American heroes to teach cultural awareness through music, literature, science and map skills.
The ABC's of Black History
Researching a role model
Begin your study with a look at some famous Back Americans. Familiarize your club members with important figures in history with AFRO-BETS, BOOK OF BLACK HEROS From A to Z by Wade Hudson and Valerie Wilson Wesley. This collection of past and contemporary heroes gives a picture and brief history of important leaders and their contributions.
Sports-Page Heroes
Expository Writing
Club members may be familiar with famous sports figures, such as basketball players Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Charles Barkley, but may not know some African- American athletes whose achievements stand out in history. Introduce some athletic heroes and their accomplishments. Continue this by having children write sports articles about those famous athletes.
Founding Father
Locating places on a map
Incorporate a geography lesson with this look at the man who founded Chicago, Illinois. Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable was a fur trader who established a successful business in Peoria, Illinois. Du Sable made many trips to Canada to get furs for this business and always passed by a place known as Eschifagov. In 1774 he decided to build a cabin and move his family there. Soon other pioneers decide to settle near his post. As more homes and stores were built, the settlement grew into the city now called Chicago. Find a copy of a map of the United States. Label the state of Illinois and locate Chicago, and note that it was founded by Du Sable. Continue to use the map during your study of African-Americans.
Peanut Power
Investigating and recording
Although his accomplishments are many, George Washington Carver is best remembered for his work with the peanut. After presenting background information on this famous scientist, lead your club members in a discovery activity that focuses on the peanut. Carver was born a slave around 1864 and orphaned shortly after his birth. He was raised by his owners, who taught him to read and write, and he was able to attend a school for black children. Although he showed promise as a painter, Carver had a keen interest in plants and decided his agricultural interests instead. He promoted ideas on soil conservation and crop rotation. His research on peanuts received national attention in 1921. Carver made more than 300 products from peanuts, including a mild substitute, face powder, printer's ink, and soap. Give each child a chance to investigate the peanut, see what other discoveries they can find out. After children complete their work, give them peanuts to munch for a tasty finale.
Noteworthy Success
Introducing a music genre
When it comes to musical contributions, Louis Armstrong is high on the list of famous African-Americans. He is recognized as one of the most influential performers in the history of jazz. He is known for his distinctive, gravelly voice as well as his brilliance as a trumpeter. Set the stage for the jazz era by reading Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora. The story tells of Ben, who is so intrigued by the sounds coming from the Zig Zag Jazz Club that he plays an imaginary trumpet everywhere he goes. Then treat the children to some of Louis Armstrong's recordings, such as the jazz arrangement “Potato Head Blues” or his later recordings of “Hello Dolly!” and “What a Wonderful Life”. Ask children to share their opinions about his music.
Heart Smart
Hearts are not just for Valentine's Day! February is Healthy Heart Month, a good time to teach children about this hard working organ, and to help them learn the importance of taking care of their hearts.
Did You Know?
• In your lifetime, your heart beats over 3 billion times.
• It takes less than a minute for a drop of blood to travel through your body and back to your heart again.
• Because your heart is so important, your body has a built-in structure to protect it…your rib cage!
A “Heart”y Muscle
• Have children flex their muscle to learn how hard their hearts work for them. Explain that the heart is about the size of a fist and is mostly made of muscle cells that constantly contract and relax to pump blood through the body. The heart beats continuously, 75-85 times a minute, every minute of a person's life.
• Give children an idea of how much work this is by squeezing a tennis ball. Let each child try squeezing and releasing a tennis ball continuously for one minute. Challenge them to squeeze 75 times in one minute and observe how tired their hand, finger, and arm muscles become. How do our hearts manage all this work? Explain that the heart is made of strong, resilient, cardiac muscle that can work at a constant pace without getting tired.
Racing Heartbeats
• Let children try to work as fast as their hearts. Divide the group into 3-4 participant groups. Provide each group with two large plastic dish pans, a 1 cup and a ¼ cup measuring cup, a bucket of water, and a stopwatch. Let children measure 10 cups of water (representing the amount of blood the heart pumps in 30 seconds) into one dish pan. Use the ¼ cup (representing the amount of blood the heart pumps in one beat) to transfer the water to the empty dish pan. Time each group to see how much water it can “pump” in 30 seconds without spilling.
Exercise your Heart
• Pulses will quicken as children learn about the benefits of exercise. Explain that a pulse is felt as an artery expands and contracts when the heart squeezes blood into it. Have each child locate his pulse by placing the index and middle fingers of one hand on the other wrist at the base of the thumb, feeling for vibrations. Let them count their pulse at rest for 30 seconds and record it on a Pulse Rate Log. Let children complete some exercises such as jumping jacks, sit ups, and push ups, recording their pulses for 30 seconds after each exercise. Explain that during exercise, the heart muscle works faster to supply more oxygenated blood to muscles. Exercise not only makes body muscles stronger, but strengthens the heart. As a follow-up have children brainstorm ways they can get more exercise.
Don't Chew the Fat!
• Make a model of a clogged artery to help children see why they should say no to that cheeseburger! Explain that some fat is necessary for a healthy diet. However, when a person eats lots of high fat, high cholesterol foods, waxy deposits build up in the arteries. These deposits slow down blood and make the heart work harder to pump flood through the body. This wears out the heart and increases the risk of heart disease. Blood vessels may become completely blocked stopping blood flow and causing a heart attack. Divide children into small groups. Have each place a funnel in a large plastic cup and record how long it take to pour 1 cup of water through the funnel. Next, use a craft stick to clog the tip of the funnel with vegetable shortening. Poke a small hole in the shortening with a toothpick, so the funnel represents a partially clogged artery. Pour water into the funnel again. Record the time it takes to fill the cup. Ask children to compare the times, and think about how their results show the harmful effects of fatty, high cholesterol foods.
Feed Your Heart
• Have a heart-to-heart with children about eating healthy foods. After learning what foods are bad for their hearts, challenge children to find foods that are good for their hearts. Let children look through magazines and grocery flyers and cut out pictures of heart-healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat proteins (chicken, fish, beans), low-fat dairy products, etc. Have each child draw and cut out a large heart shape from pink or red paper. Next, glue the pictures on the heart, covering it completely.
Presidents' Day
Hail to the Chiefs
The third Monday in February is Presidents' Day, honoring the office of the president of the United States , as well as the birthdays of two important presidents, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln.
Did You Know?
• President Richard Nixon combined Washington's and Lincoln's birthday celebrations and created one holiday, Presidents' Day, to honor all U.S. Presidents.
• Anyone who is a natural-born citizen of the U.S. , has lived in the U.S. 14 years or longer, and is over the age of 35 can run for president.
• Every President since Washington has sworn the same oath: I do solemnly swear to affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Literature Selections
• Ghosts of the White House by Cheryl Harness
Follows a girl on a school field trip tour of the White House as she's pulled by George Washington into a painting to learn more about the House and its past inhabitants.
• President Citizen by Toni Goffe
Describes the principles of democracy, citizenship and the office of the president.
• The Story of the White House by Kate Waters
Photos and simple text take readers on a fact filled tour of the White House.
Hang Your Hats
Teach your club members about the President's duties by examining the many hats he wears.
• Military Hat – Commander in Chief
• Three-Cornered Hat – Chief Executive
• Election Hat – Leader of the Party
• Top Hat - Chief of State
• Uncle Sam Hat - Leader of the Nation
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
What do these words mean? They mean “Happy New Year” in Chinese! The Chinese New Year spans several days. It marks a new beginning, as well as a new planting season, for China. People prepare for and celebrate this holiday in many ways. Introduce your club members to some of the Chinese customs that mark the coming of the New Year.
With the new moon of Chinese New Year, everyone turns a year older, no matter on what month or day they were actually born. Celebrate with cupcakes and a round of “Happy Birthday”. Lead a discussion eliciting children's feelings about this concept. Is it one they like? Why or why not?
Familiarize your members with other Chinese customs. Share Gung Hay Fat Choy by June Behrens. Have children compare our New Year's Eve customs to the ones used to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Scrolling in the New Year!
• To welcome the New Year, the Chinese hang banners expressing good luck, best wishes, or thoughts of happiness. Messages are written in couplets on red scrolls that are decorated with flecks of gold. Create scrolls with your members using 9” X 12” red construction paper. Have children brainstorm rhymes for key words, such as spring, year, red, money, day, etc. Encourage them to write a two to eight line message in couplet form. Have each child copy his message onto a sheet of construction paper, printing each line with a pencil and then going over it with a fine line black marker. For a finishing touch, add gold glitter or flecks of gold foil to create a trim around the scroll.
If Money Grew on Trees!
• We know money doesn't grow on trees, but during Chinese New Year, you might think it does. Money trees are believed to bring material prosperity. The Chinese create their money trees from large bushy branches of either cypress or pine. The branches are adorned with garland made of seeds and nuts. The money tree is placed in a vase and decorated with flowers and, of course, money.
New Year Pudding Cake
• Give your children a little taste of China. During the annual celebration, it is customary to have some variation of Kao, or pudding cake. The simple recipe below is most popular in southern China and is often given as a gift. Your members can measure, pour, and mix, mix, mix their way to this tasty treat.
Ting-Sheng-Ka
9 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
3 cups flour
Beat eggs and sugar until smooth. Add flour to mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, mixing after each addition. Pour mixture into a greased 9 inch pan.
Place the pan in a large skillet filled with 1 ½ inches of water. Cover the skillet and bring the water to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the cake is set in the middle.
Remove, chill, and serve!
Books for Further Study
• Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year by Kate Waters and Madeline Slovenz-Low
A small boy describes his first experience as a lion dancer in the Chinese New Year's Day Parade. Colorful photographs depict the hard work and the excitement of the preparations for the holiday.
• The Children of China by Reijo Harkonen
The photographs in this book provide background on the children of China in their daily lives.
• The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy
Seven brothers from China have extraordinary strengths that they use to save each other from misfortune.
• Yeh Shen: A Cinderella Story from China retold by Louie Al-ling
This Chinese version of Cinderella has a prince, a slipper, and unusual type of fairy godmother.
• Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story From China translated by Ed Young
Three clever children outsmart a wolf who has supper on his mind.
Hello, Mr. Groundhog
Welcome Mr. Groundhog to your club on February 2 with games, puppets, and songs. Groundhog Day is also a perfect day to discuss weather superstitions, modern weather forecasting, and animals in hibernation
Uncovering the Groundhog Legend
On February 2nd people watch to see if this furry forecaster will pop out of his cozy underground den. Superstition has it that there will be six more weeks of winter if the groundhog is frightened by his shadow and scurries back inside. If he does not see his shadow, the prediction is for an early spring.
The belief that an animal can forecast the weather originated long ago in Germany. Farmers watched to see whether or not the native badger would see his shadow. The farmers hoped that February 2 nd would be cloudy with no shadows. This implied spring weather was on the way, so they could plant their fields. However, if it was sunny, the badger's shadow meant six more weeks of winter and a late start in the fields. When German settlers came to the United States, they brought this unique weather forecasting tradition with them. Because no badgers could be found in the area, they transferred the tradition to the local groundhog, or woodchuck.
Share this information with your club members. Ask them, “Can a groundhog really forecast the weather? Is he always right?” Invite a local meteorologist or television weatherperson to speak to your club about how weather forecasts are really made. If possible, take your club members to a local nature center or zoo to observe a real groundhog or woodchuck.
Pop-Up Groundhog Puppets
Invite Gregory Groundhog to pop into your club meeting to encourage creative puppetry. Provide each member with a copy of the puppet (found below), instructions and the necessary craft supplies. When members have completed their puppets, hand each of them a brown paper lunch bag. Demonstrate how to cut out an oval hole in the bottom of the bag. Have each member cut a hole, insert his stick puppet, and make sure that it easily passes through the hole.
When the puppets are assembled, invite members to sing this song while they manipulate their puppets.
Mr. Groundhog
(sung to the tune of “Clementine”)
Mr. Groundhog
Mr. Groundhog
Mr. Groundhog, did you see?
Was your shadow there to scare you?
Tell us now! Oh won't you please?
Saw his shadow,
Saw his shadow,
Saw his shadow, went back home.
Went back home into his burrow,
Six more weeks of winter cold.
Saw no shadow,
Saw no shadow,
Saw no shadow, what's that mean?
Spring is just around the corner.
We can look for sprouts of green!
Help! I've Been Stepped On!
What a better time than during the week of Groundhog Day to take your members outside and teach them how to play Shadow Tag! On a sunny day, take members outside and explain how the sun's rays create long and short shadows, depending on how high the sun is in the sky. Then select a member to be it. When “IT” steps on the shadow of another member, that member becomes the new “IT”. Encourage members to find ways to change the size of their shadows to avoid becoming “IT”.
Shadow Pie
Conclude your club celebration of Groundhog Day with a tasty treat! Prepare one box of instant chocolate pudding. Spread the pudding on an 8” pie crust. Make a groundhog stencil by using the puppet pattern. Place the stencil on top of the pudding. Crush vanilla cookies and sprinkle around the edges of the stencil. Remove the stencil to reveal the groundhog's shadow! Serve the pie to your members and read one of the books below.
Literature Selections
Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day! By Abby Levine
Gretchen is left with the burden of predicting the weather because her Great-Uncle Gus is too old to look for his shadow.
It's Groundhog Day! By Steven Kroll
Roland Raccoon is determined to stop Godfrey Groundhog from looking for his shadow.
Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather by Bruce Koscielniak
Geoffrey Groundhog becomes a celebrity after accurately predicting the weather, but can he handle it?