My Friend’s Garden
First Day of Spring occurs today! It marks the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The length of the day equals the length of the night. In the Southern Hemisphere, today marks the first day of fall. Children could read The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth, by Ellen Jackson.
Image of Lunar Eclipse
Ptolemy in AD 72 made the first recorded reference to a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth passes between the sun and the moon. At that time the earth’s shadow falls on the moon, causing the eclipse. Lunar eclipses occur between four and seven times a year. Children can learn more about lunar eclipses at: Lunar Eclipse.
American Cliff Swallow
Swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, California. The American cliff swallows arrive after wintering in Argentina. They stay until October 23 when they fly 6,000 miles back to Goya, Argentina. Children could visit a website at: Swallows. They could also read Leo Politi’s classic, Song of the Swallows.
William Bradford (born Yorkshire, England, 1589; died Plymouth, Massachusetts, May 9, 1657) was the second governor of Plymouth Colony, serving from 1621 to 1657. He organized the first Thanksgiving. Much of what we know of Pilgrim life comes from his book Of Plimmoth Plantation. Young adults can read the book at: Project Gutenberg.
William Jennings Bryan (born Salem, Illinois, 1860; died Dayton, Tennessee, July 26, 1925) was known as the “Silver-Tongued Orator.” He championed causes such as the women’s right to vote and the plight of farmers. Children could learn more at: William Jennings Bryan.
Wyatt Earp (born Monmouth, Illinois, 1848; died Los Angeles, California, January 13, 1929) was a frontiersman and a deputy sheriff. At one time he was a buffalo hunter. He and his two brothers were responsible for the fight at the O. K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1881.
David Livingstone (born Blantyre, Scotland, 1813; died Africa, May 1, 1873) was a physician, missionary, and the famous missing adventurer. He had been missing for six years. A search party, headed by Henry Stanley, found him near Lake Tanganyika, Africa, on November 10, 1871. Staley tried to convince him to return to Scotland, but Livingstone wanted to continue looking for the source of the Nile River.
Thomas McKean (born New London, Pennsylvania, 1734; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1817) signed the Declaration of Independence. A lawyer, McKean attended the Continental Congress. However, he immediately joined the army and battled the British before he returned around 1777 to sign the Declaration of Independence. After the war, he was chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Governor of Delaware, President of the Constitutional Convention, and Governor of Pennsylvania. Children could learn more at: Thomas McKean.
A Bad Hoss
by Charles M. Russell
Charles M. Russell (born St. Louis, Missouri, 1864; died Great Falls, Montana, October 26, 1926) was an artist. He was a shepherd and cowboy before he began to paint. His art reflects his interest in the West. Children can learn more at: Charles M. Russell.