Birthdays

 Birthdays
Jan 272025
 

Lewis Carroll (born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in Cheshire, England, 1832; died Guidlford, Surrey, England, January 14, 1898) was a writer and a mathematician. He is best known for his works, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Idea: Have a Mad Hatter’s tea party. Children could read his works at: Project Gutenberg. Children could learn more at: Lewis Carroll.

Julius Lester (born Saint Louis, Missouri, 1939; died Palmer, Massachusetts, January 18, 2018) was a professor and author. He wrote at least 40 books for both children and adults. His book To Be a Slave received a 1969 Newbery Honor Award. He received the 2006 Coretta Scott King Award for Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue. I really like his book John Henry. Jerry Pinkney, the book’s illustrator, received a 1962 Caldecott Award for his work.

The Pushcart War

Jean Merrill (born Rochester, New York, 1923; died Randolph, Vermont, August 2, 2012) wrote at least nine books for children. Her two most famous books are The Pushcart War, published in 1964, and Toothpaste Millionaire, published in 1972.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (born Salzburg, Austria, 1756; died Vienna, Austria, December 5, 1791) was a composer and a musician. He was playing before audiences by age three. He created his first composition at age five. He composed over 600 pieces of music. Two of his most famous works are Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. Idea: Play some of his works. Children enjoy The Magic Flute.

Louis Brandeis Became the First Jew to be Appointed to the Supreme Court in 1916

 Events
Jan 282025
 

Louis Brandeis

Louis Brandeis became the first Jew to be appointed to the Supreme Court in 1916. An Associate Justice, he served from 1916 to 1939. Before he became a Supreme Court Justice, he often took law cases for causes that were important to him. Many times he took no pay for these cases. He was called the “People’s Lawyer.” Children can learn more at: Louis Brandeis.

Challenger Space Shuttle Disintegrated in 1986

 Events
Jan 282025
 
Christa_McAuliffe

Christa McAuliffe

Challenger Space Shuttle disintegrated in 1986. Just 73 seconds into its flight, the spacecraft broke into pieces over the Atlantic Ocean. The accident temporarily stopped the American space program, and it revamped space travel safety requirements. Killed were Christa McAuliffe (the first teacher in space), Francis Scobee, Gregory Jarvis, Ronald McNair, Michael Smith, Judith Resnick, and Ellison Onizuka. Children could learn more about the astronauts at: http://history.nasa.gov/Biographies/challenger.html . They could also read The Challenger Disaster by Tim McNeese.

Birthdays

 Birthdays
Jan 282025
 

Jackson Pollock (born Cody, Wyoming, 1912; died in an auto accident, East Hampton, New York, August 11, 1956) was an abstract expressionist painter. He developed a style where he dribbled paint and enamels over canvas to create delicate, lacy designs. While he was alive, he was famous but not wealthy. Only after he died did the price of his works soar. Children could view a gallery of his works at: Jackson Pollock. Then they could go to an amazing site and make their own art Jackson Pollock style: http://www.jacksonpollock.org/.

Arthur Rubenstein (born Artur Rubenstein in Lodz, Poland, 1887; died Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 1982) was a concert pianist. He performed for the first time as a teenager in 1901. When World War II became imminent, he moved to the United States. He enjoyed touring and performing for radio, television, and movies.

Henry Morton Stanley (born Denbighshire, Wales, 1841; died London, England, May 10, 1904) was an explorer. He organized an  expedition to find the missing missionary, David Livingstone. Stanley found Livingstone on November 10, 1871, and asked the famous question, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

Vera B. Williams (born Hollywood, California, 1927; died Narrowsburg, New York, October 16, 2015) was a children’s author and illustrator. She received a 1983 Caldecott Honor Award for A Chair for my Mother. Next, her book Music, Music for Everyone earned a 1985 Jane Addams Children’s Book Honor Award. She wrote More, More, More, Cried the Baby, a 1991 Caldecott Honor Book. Lucky Song won the 1998 Charlotte Zolotow Award. Her book Amber was Brave, Essie was Smart received the 2002 Jane Addams Children’s Book Honor Award.

Lunar New Year Starts Today and Lasts for 15 Days

 Events
Jan 292025
 

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year starts today and lasts for 15 days. The year 2025 is the year of the wood snake. Customs vary from region to region. However, most Chinese thoroughly clean their homes to welcome in the gods. Family meals are essential, and fireworks are common. The color red is lucky, and children are often given red packets of money. Children could read Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith’s Celebrating Chinese New Year. Lawrence Migdale provided the amazing photographs for the book.

National Puzzle Day

 Events
Jan 292025
 

Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces

National Puzzle Day is today! This day celebrates all kinds of puzzles: jigsaw, crossword, mechanical, sudoku, word search, maze, logic, hidden object, and more. Children could enjoy their favorite types of puzzles. Idea: Could children incorporate two or more puzzles into one activity? For example, they could print a photo, cut it into jigsaw pieces, and then incorporate some of the photo elements into a word search.

Happy Birthday, Kansas!

 Events
Jan 292025
 

Kansas State Flag

Kansas became the thirty-fourth state of the United States in 1861. Kansas is known chiefly for its agricultural products, including wheat and cattle. The state capital is Topeka. Kansas ranks fifteenth in area and 34th in population. The geographic center of the United States is located near Lebanon, Kansas. The state animal is the buffalo. Children could visit Kansas. Idea: The sunflower is the state’s official wild flower. Children could toast and eat sunflower seeds.

Amendment Eighteen to the Constitution Was Adopted in 1919

 Events
Jan 292025
 

Amendment Eighteen to the Constitution was adopted in 1919. It brought on Prohibition. Experts feel that alcohol-related deaths declined during Prohibition. However, the black market and organized crime became more powerful. Amendment Twenty-One repealed this amendment on December 5, 1933. Amendment Eighteen is our only amendment to be repealed.

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