Will you be doing any St. Patrick’s Day activities with your children?

I have to admit I had not thought much about St. Patrick’s day.  Now that it is two days away, I thought I should start to come up with a few activities and/or snacks.

Luckily this month’s issue of the Family Fun magazine had a number of really good ideas.  I really like the rainbow fruit platter.  Fun yet healthy!

Idea of the Day:

Make a rainbow fruit platter.

What you will need:

- strawberries

- oranges

- pineapples

- green grapes

- blueberries

- purple grapes or purple skinned pears

- marshmallows

- bananas

What to do:

1.  Assemble the fruit in the shape of a rainbow.

2.  Use the marshmallows for the clouds.

3.  Cut up the bananas for the pot of gold.

You could also use yellow M&Ms or Skittles for the pot of gold.

This idea is Marci Hardy’s of Washington and is found in the March 2010 issue of Family Fun.

Did you know that today is National Pancake Day?

Yes, Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 is National Pancake Day!

What does this mean?  This means that if you go to IHOP today, you can receive one free short stack (three) of their famous buttermilk pancakes.  In return they ask that you make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network.

For more information on free pancakes, check out their website: IHOP

Tip of the Day:

Go enjoy pancakes at IHOP or make your own at home.

Has your son/daughter been in school for 100 days yet?

My son came home from school on Friday and shouted, “On Monday, it will be my 100th day of school!”

He seemed very excited for this special occasion.  When I asked him if there were going to be fun activities planned for the day he replied, “No.”

The fact that he knew it was going to be the 100th day of school has led me to believe that his teacher probably has some fun activities planned.  Why discuss it in class if you are not going to incorporate it into a lesson?  We’ll see what he says when he comes home today.

I decided that I would have a back up plan just in case there are no 100th day activities done at school.

(more…)

Do you reuse greeting cards at  your house?

I have to admit that reusing greeting cards is not something I have done in the past.  Usually after birthdays or holidays I will save a few of the cards for the scrapbook or memory box and the rest get tossed out.

I realize I need to change this habit and start reusing cards.  There are so many different things that you can do with cards.  From arts and crafts to puzzles, greeting cards are a great resource for teachers and parents.

(more…)

Do you call today Washington’s Birthday or Presidents’ Day?

The holiday observed on the 3rd Monday in February is officially called Washington’s birthday (Washington was born on February 22nd in case you wanted to know the exact date).  However many Americans believe that the 3rd Monday in February is called Presidents’ Day.  They feel that this day is meant to celebrate both George Washington as well as Abraham Lincoln.

So whether you call it Washington’s birthday or Presidents’ day, I am assuming you will take the time to teach your children some presidential facts today.

At our house, Presidents’ has an extra special significance.  Last year on this day my son had the once in a lifetime opportunity to appear on the Rachael Ray show.  He had taken an interest in learning about the presidents and decided to memorize all 44 presidents in order.  His talent was featured on her show for Presidents’ Day.

If you would like to see the video, here is the link: Rachael Ray Presidents’ Day Show 2009

(more…)