Hello October!

Without a doubt October is my favorite month of the year! I have been a Halloween fanatic for years, but it's not just because of Halloween. October brings with it a true feeling of Autumn (which is hard to find in our Oklahoma heat). October also brings with it a plethora of programming possibilities. We have events in each and every category for this month, and there's a Holiday Hoopla on nearly every day of the month. 

Movement-centric Events
October 24 - Lights on Afterschool

Club-centric Events
October 15 - Thirteen Days of Halloween Kick Off
October  16-18 - Fall BreakOctober 25 - Birthday Bash

Monthly Celebrations
National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

Weekly Celebrations
Week 1: Space Week
Week 2: Fire Prevention Week
Week 3: National Chemistry Week
Week 4: International Magic Week

Holiday Hoopla - Daily Events
October 01 - World Vegetarian Day
October 02 - Balloons Around the World Day
October 03 - Techie Day
October 03 - Look at the Leaves Day
October 04 - National Diversity Day
October 05 - World Teachers' Day
October 06 - Mad Hatter Day
October 07 - World Habitat Day
October 07 - Blue Shirt Day
October 08 - Yom Kippur
October 08 - American Tag Day
October 09 - Leif Erikson Day
October 09 - World Post Day
October 09 - Fire Prevention Day
October 10 - World Mental Health Day
October 10 - National Cake Decorating Day
October 11 - International Day of the Girl
October 11 - National Coming Out Day
October 12 - World Sight Day
October 13 - Astronomy Day
October 13 - Sukkot
October 14 - Universal Music Day
October 14 - Canadian Thanksgiving
October 14 - Grover's Birthday
October 15 - Oscar the Grouch Day
October 15 - Global Handwashing Day
October 15 - White Cane Safety Day
October 16 - National Boss's Day
October 16 - Dictionary Day
October 16 - World Food Day
October 17 - Black Poetry Day
October 18 - National Chocolate Cupcake Day
October 19 -Sweetest Day
October 20 - Information Overload Day
October 21 - Reptile Awareness Day
October 22 - National Nut Day
October 24 - United Nations Day
October 25 - Pablo Picasso Day
October 25 - Frankenstein Friday
October 26 - National Pumpkin Day
October 27 - Diwali
October 28 - Make a Difference Day
October 28 - The Statue of Liberty's Birthday
October 28 - International Animation Day
October 29 - Visit a Cemetery Day
October 29 - National Cat Day
October 30 - Candy Corn Day
October 31 - Halloween
October 31 - Girl Scout Founders Day
October 31 - National Caramel Apple Day

How many special events do you celebrate in October? Are you creating any fun themed events within your group? Let me know!

Book Nook Buddies Week 1 - Pirate Parrot Book Marks

I've wanted to start a book club with the kiddos for quite a while, but we've had a hard time finding just the right staff to run it. Finally, I decided if I was the one who wanted to do it, I should actually do it - and the Book Nook Buddies came to be.

Our first book is Pirates Past Noon (in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day) and the kids (and I!) are loving it. We read a few chapters each day and do a project to go along with what we've read.

Our first day we read chapters 1-3 and made Polly Parrot book marks. The inspiration for these came from a project I did during a VBS I ran back in 1998 (isn't it funny how the file storage in our brains works?!?) but unfortunately I couldn't find the pattern anywhere (which I suppose makes sense because in 1998 we hadn't really moved into the computer age yet) so I improvised and created my own. If I remember correctly, we added a wiggly eye to the original bookmarks, but that seemed like it would make the bookmarks too thick so I opted to use card stock and ribbon but forgo the wiggle eyes.

If you want to make these bookmarks with your group, you can either print the patterns on colorful card stock (which is what I opted for) or you can simply print the first page of the patterns onto plain card stock (I wouldn't really recommend paper because the I think it needs the extra weight of the card) and have your kiddos color them.

First, we printed the patterns and gathered our supplies. For this project I used

• pirate parrot bookmark patterns (FREE from Teachers Pay Teachers)
• color card stock
• tacky glue
• glue stick
• 3/8 inch ribbon in a variety of colors and textures
• ruler
• scissors
• tape
• Sharpie

I copied the bookmark patterns onto color card stock. Since we have a smaller group participating, I bought a package that had lots of different colors so we'll be able to get multiple uses out of the package. I cut out the pieces and cut the ribbon into 5 inch lengths.

I played with lots of ways to keep the ribbons in place inside the bookmark layers, and the best process I found was to use regular tape and tape the ribbons down and then attach the chest piece with tacky glue to make it extra strong.

After you've got your tail feathers (the ribbons) in place, you can create the wing by layering the wing pieces together with the glue stick. I used tacky glue to attach the wings to the body since they were heavier and I wanted the bookmark to hold up through several little hands. The beak is attached with glue stick and seems to be holding up just fine.

The last step is to add the eye detail and the line of the beak (if you want) with sharpie. If you prefer, you can add these details before copying onto the card stock.

I hope you enjoy making your own parrot book marks with your kiddos. Next week we will be continuing Pirates Past Noon and we will make our own pirate maps!

Hey, Hey - It's Constitution Day!

Constitution Day is the holiday that celebrates the ratification of the United States Constitution. It's a relatively new holiday added into our regular line up (actually, this is the first year I've done activities with it here at our Club) and I'm hoping the kids are enjoying some of our activities.

In the library we watched an episode of Liberty's Kids that gives the kids a bit of a background in the history of the forming of the constitution.

Another good video I found to give the kids some background information is From Homeschool Pop and it covers a bit of the more modern aspects of the Constitution.

And of course, one of my favorite shorts about the Constitution comes from School House Rock

In the Tech Lab our older kids went to the Brain Pop Website and the kids had some options of things they could do. First, there is a super short video clip (less than 5 minutes) that gives them some information on the Constitution. Then, there are games that they can play to test their knowledge.

For the K-3 group, we use Brain Pop Jr and they learned a bit about the branches of government. There isn't Constitution specific programming for the younger group, but this gives them a similar topic and a foundation for when they are older and can learn more about the Constitution.

I'm looking for other ideas to expand for next year, but I think this gives us a good start in introducing the kids to a bit of government.

Celebrating Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Each Autumn people in China celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival that celebrates the full moon. I've loved this festival since I learned about it, it's got all kinds of good things - special foods, a cool legend, lovely crafts, and best of all - the moon.

To introduce this holiday to our kids here at the Club, we start out with learning about the legend of The Lady in the Moon. Here's a simplified version that I found on Kid World Citizen

A long time ago in China there were ten suns in the sky.  Because of this it was very hot!  The blazing suns dried up the rivers and there was a serious drought.  People were running out of water to drink and the crops in the rice fields were withering.  A famous archer, Hòu yì, was summoned to shoot down 9 of the suns in the sky.  He did it successfully and was rewarded a “pill of the immortality.” Hòu yì went home and gave the precious pill to his wife, Cháng’é, for safekeeping.  A visitor of the archer’s, however, heard about this pill and wanted to steal it from his wife.  As the visitor was about to steal the pill from her Cháng é swallowed it.  After she took the pill Cháng é felt lighter and lighter.  Then she started to float.  She flew all the way to the moon.  When Cháng é got to the moon she coughed up the pill and the pill became a rabbit.  The rabbit was the only companion Cháng é- the Moon Fairy- had on the moon and is named the “Jade Rabbit.”

After we read the story, we use coloring pages from Coloring Book, but it seems that website isn't available any longer. So, I did a bit of research and found the coloring pages listed for free on Teachers Pay Teachers.

For those kids who enjoy the little crafty things we do (and also because I enjoy them too!) I found a project printable from Lucky Bamboo Crafts to make your own Jade Rabbit Lantern.

Of course, no holiday celebration is complete without some yummy tidbits to munch on, and while I've never actually tried Moon Cakes, they are the traditional food for this holiday. I found a recipe for them if you're a brave soul and want to make your own, or you can order them from Amazon (keeping in mind that they are a bit pricey to order enough for your Club). Or, if you're like us and have limited time and budget - try making moon cookies. We're making simple sugar cookies and stamping them with interesting designs and viola - moon cookies. We're also sampling authentic Japanese gyoza because I never turn down an opportunity to have my husband's gyoza.

Are you celebrating Mid Autumn Festival in your Club? What special projects are your kids doing?

Hello September

September is the start of the most wonderful time of year, at least for me. Autumn is my favorite season; I relish the cooler weather, cozy sweaters, comfort food, and most of all the fall decor. My love of Autumn spread throughout our Club as well. Art projects begin to take on the shape of scarecrows and apples, science involves the changing colors of the leaves, and snack starts to get a little cuter. I'm always looking for fun ways to add culture and exploration to our days and Autumn is jam-packed with multicultural festivals and events.

Monthly Celebrations
Fall Hat Month
Hispanic Heritage Month
Library Card Sign-Up Month
Women of Achievement Month

Weekly Celebrations
2nd Week - National Arts in Education Week
3rd Week - Constitution Week

Daily Events
01 - Emma M. Nutt Day
02 - Labor Day
04 - National Wildlife Day
06 - Read a Book Day
07 - Grandma Moses' Birthday
08 - Grandparents' Day
08 - International Literacy Day
08 - Trail of Tears Commemoration Day
12 - National Video Games Day
13 - Roald Dahl's Birthday
13 - Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
15 - Fall Astronomy Day
16 - Mayflower Day
17 - Constitution Day (begins Constitution Week)
19 - International Talk Like a Pirate Day
21 - International Day of Peace
21 - Oktoberfest Begins
21 - Autumn Equinox
21 - Mabon
22 - Elephant Appreciation Day
22 - First Post Office in the United States Opens 1789
25 - First Newspaper in the United States Published 1690
26 - Johnny Appleseed Day
27 - Ancestor Appreciation Day
27 - Native American Day
29 - National Public Lands Day
29 - Rosh Hashanah begins
30 - World Rivers Day