National Oatmeal Day is today! This breakfast staple is nutritious, fiber-rich, and inexpensive. Children could make oatmeal and then top with fruit or nuts.
Halloween is only two days away! Is there scary music? Is the pumpkin carved? Children might want to read Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Kelly Murphy. They could also visit a super website at: http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/halloween/games.php.
Children could answer this Halloween riddle: What do you call a skeleton who will not work? Check back tomorrow for the answer!
The answer to yesterday’s riddle: What monster flies his kite in a rain storm? Ben Franklinstein
Turkey celebrates Republic Day. Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey became a republic in 1923. Located in both Europe and Asia, Turkey is slightly smaller than the state of Texas. It exports textiles, apparel, and foodstuffs. Almost 81 million people consider themselves Turks, and Ankara is the capital. Children could learn more at: Turkey.
Stock market crashed in 1929. Four days of panic sent stock prices plummeting. Billions of dollars were lost. This crash heralded the beginning of the Great Depression.
Internet (ARPANET) was used for the first time in 1969. Charley Kline of UCLA tried to send information from one computer to another. The system crashed, but the idea was viable.
John Glenn in 1998 traveled on the space shuttle Discovery. At 77 years old, he was the oldest person to travel in space at that time. The shuttle returned to earth on November 7, 1998. He had been one of the original seven astronauts and had orbited the earth in 1962. Children could learn more at: John Glenn.
Daniel Decatur Emmett (born Mount Vernon, Ohio, 1815; died Mount Vernon, Ohio, June 28, 1904) wrote the words and music of Dixie. Idea: Children could play Dixie on tissue paper-covered combs.
Valerie Worth (born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1933; died Clinton, New York, July 31, 1994) wrote poetry and fiction for children. Her books include Fox Hill and Small Poems.
Halloween is tomorrow! Are the pumpkin seeds toasted? Are the costumes ready? Children could read The Night Before Halloween, written by Natasha Wing and illustrated by Cynthia Fisher. They might want to explore: http://www.nick.com/games/halloween-games/.
Children can answer this riddle: What do witches put on their hair? Check back tomorrow for the answer!
The answer to yesterday’s riddle: What do you call a skeleton who will not work? A lazy bones!
National Candy Corn Day is today! George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Company invented the treat in the late 1800’s. Candy corn is made from corn syrup, sugar, confectioner’s wax, and food coloring. About twenty million pounds of candy corn are sold each year. Today the top two manufacturers of candy corn are Brach’s and Jelly Belly.
Ballpoint pen was patented in 1888 by John J. Loud of Weymouth, Massachusetts. He received patent number 392,046. A lawyer, inventor, and tanner, he developed the instrument so that he could write on his leather products. Fountain pens, then the most used type of pen, could not write on leather. Loud’s ballpoint pen, however, was not successful when used on paper. Laszlo Biro created a commercially successful ballpoint pen in 1943. Children can view Loud’s patent at: Ballpoint Pen Patent.