May 23rd - World Turtle Day

“World Turtle Day calls attention to these remarkable animals and the urgent need to protect them in their natural habitats,” says Beth Preiss, director of the exotic pets campaign for The HSUS.

Why did the turtle cross the road?
To get to the Shell station!

If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is it naked or homeless?

What did the turtle wear to keep warm?

A turtle neck.

Many Turtles have recently emerged from winter hibernation and are beginning their search for mates and nesting areas. Funny, just yesterday I was outside watering my flowers when I saw a baby turtle slowly moving through the bushes. I love seeing little turtles, it remind me of my baby sister because she always had a pet turtle growing up. Now that the turtles are emerging, I can’t think of a better time of the year to celebrate them. If you are going out to the lake this weekend, keep your eyes open for these adorable little creatures, but just remember for their safety and yours, look but don’t touch.

Celebrate this day by learning a few facts about turtles:

Turtles are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Turtles have been on earth for more than two-hundred million years.

The box turtle among other species can live for one hundred years or more.

The turtle's shell contains nerve endings so the turtle can feel it when you touch its shell.

A turtle's shell is made up of sixty bones connected together.

Loggerhead turtles can weigh two-hundred to four-hundred pounds and grow to more than three feet.

Ancient turtles were very similar to modern day turtles except they had teeth and could not retract their heads as modern day turtles can do.

Although we tend to clump them all together there are differences between a turtle and tortoise. A turtle spends most of its time in water. Turtles have webbed feet for swimming. A tortoise is a land dweller. Its feet are not webbed. Turtles have flatter backs than tortoises.

Please keep this in mind, when you are thinking about getting a turtle for a pet!

Baby turtles can be natural sources of Salmonella, a group of bacteria that can cause severe illness and death. Salmonella can be found on the outer skin and shell surfaces of the turtles. In addition to the Salmonella risk, getting turtles as pets poses risks to the welfare of the animals and harmful the environment. Countless turtles in the pet trade die from poor shipping methods and inadequate care. If they survive, they can live for decades. People may release them outdoors where they can harm native species.

All seriousness aside, lets have fun and celebrate turtles

Turtle Hopscotch

What you need:
Sidewalk Chalk

What you do:
Draw a Turtle on the cement making the turtle body about 36" wide. Then draw the Head and a tail to extend out 4 feet. Feet and tail are safe areas.

Draw a circle in the middle, which will be referred to as HOME. Now, make 10 spaces in the outside shell, with #1 starting next to the head.

To Start, the first player stands on the Turtle Head. The player must hop, on one foot, landing in each space (from 1 to 10) and then can land on Home space with two feet. The player now hops back from 10 to 1 and onto the Turtle head to exit the game.

If the player hops all the way without stepping on a line, then that player get to claim a space and write their name in that space. No other player can land on that space for the rest of the game.

Successive players can also use the Turtle legs and tail as safe spaces and stepping on those lines does not count.

Players continue taking turns, skipping over the claimed spaces. Play continues until no one is able to reach Home.
Whoever earns the most spaces is the Winner.


A Couple Cute Turtle Songs (with actions)

I got a little turtle, his name is Tiny Tim,
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim (make a swimming noise and movement)
He drank up all the water (move your hands towards your mouth and make a "gulp" sound)
He ate up all the soap (make a munching noise with the eating of the soap)
Then my little turtle got a bubble in his throat (tap under your chin gently when you say that line)


1 little 2 little 3 little turtles
4 little 5 little 6 little turtles
7 little 8 little 9 little turtles (show the fingers as you go along)
10 little turtles in the pond (then clap 3 times)


There was a little turtle (make a small circle with your hands)
He lived in a box, (make a box with both hands)
He swam in a puddle, (wiggle hands)
He climbed on the rocks. (climb fingers of one hand up over the other)
He snapped at a mosquito, (clap hands)
He snapped at a flea, (clap hands)
He snapped at a minnow, (clap hands)
He snapped at me. (point to yourself)
He caught the mosquito, (mimic catching a bug)
He caught the flea (same action)
He caught the minnow, (same action)
But he didn't catch me! (point to yourself)


Sweet and Simple Turtle Craft

What you need:
Small White Paper Bowls
Cereal Box Cardboard
Glue
Scissors
Markers or Paint (preferably green and black)

What to do:
Use scissors to cut the turtle's legs, head and tail from a cereal box!). Turn the bowl upside down and glue them to the underside of the rim. Use the markers or paints to decorate the turtle

My Apologies! May 20th-22nd

I would like to apologize to my regulars for not posting the last couple of days. My Internet has not been working and therefore I was unable to post. I am back now and look forward to keeping you updated everyday. In the future I hope to post a list of daily celebrations so you can have time to plan ahead, if you see a celebration or activity you like. Remember just because things are celebrated on certain days, doesn't mean you can't celebrate them at another times. Kinda like celebrating Christmas in July.

May 19th - National Devil's Food Cake Day

Today is National Devil’s Food Cake Day. It is hard not to feel guilty about eating something sinfully bad with the devil’s name in it, but when it comes to chocolate all sane judgment should be disregarded. It’s just cake and a small piece won’t hurt. Go ahead enjoy one piece and as long as you do not devour the entire cake (if this happens, remember no judgment, its chocolate, no need to feel guilty about you’re your lack of control over chocolate. It has powers no one can explain) your pants will still fit tomorrow.

Oh how I wish the name of this cake originated from a classic fable of a cake that turned people devilish or maybe even a cake the devil made to hook millions of people on chocolate. Stories aside, the name of this sinfully wonderful cake comes from the reddish tint left by the natural cocoa color. In recent times the Devil's food cake has lost its reddish tint and is known for its rich chocolate color. The change of the color occurred when people started using Dutch-processed cocoa instead of natural cocoa. The Dutch-processed cocoa improves the chocolate taste and changes the color to a deeper dark almost black color.


A couple interesting tidbits about Devil’s Food Cake

Devil's food cake was introduced in the United States in 1902. It quickly became the favorite dessert of the early 1900s.

In the 1940s, a rumor was spread that a customer asked for a copy of the recipe and was given a bill in the amount of $100. According to the rumor, the angry customer, apparently with revenge in mind, then began circulating the recipe along with her story.

In the 1970s, the cakes’ popularity faded when red dye was linked to cancer.


In honor of this day make a devil’s food cake with your family. While you are eating it, make up your own story about how the name for this cake originated. You can write down the imaginative tales your children come up. Take pictures of them making the cake and then take pictures of them with big chocolate smiles, eating the cake. Put it all together in a scrap book with pictures and include your favorite Devil’s food cake recipe.


Just for fun you could make devil horns or halos for your children to wear while making the cake.

Horns & Halos

What you need:
Thin black plastic headbands
Red and silver pipe cleaners
Red construction paper
Glue gun

What to do:
To make the horns, cut out 2 triangles from red construction paper. Form two triangles out of the pipe cleaners and attach the paper to the back of the triangle shaped pipe cleaner. Then attach the triangles to the headband with a hot glue gun.

To make the halo, use two pipe cleaners to form a hoop. Adjust the size accordingly. To make the halo stand off the headband, cut a pipe cleaner in half and attach one end to the hoop and the other end to the headband.


Devil’s Food Cake recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
6 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 tsp of instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans.

In a small pan melt the butter or margarine with the unsweetened chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cream together the sugar and the eggs until light in color. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and temper mixture by beating well Add 1 cup boiled water (still warm) and blend well. Mixture will be very liquid.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture to the chocolate mixture and blend well.

Mix together the vinegar and the milk and stir into the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

May 18th - Rooster Day

Today is Rooster Day. This funny looking bird deserves a day of celebration for his many years of daybreak alarm. Serving as a trusty alarm clock for farmers, the rooster is a polygamous, male chicken. His main duty is to guard the nests of eggs. He guards the general area where his hens are nesting, and will attack other roosters who enter his territory. During the daytime, he often sits on a high perch, usually 4–5 feet off the ground, to serve as a lookout for his flock. He will sound a call if predators are nearby. A rooster might crow at any time of day, if he looks into the sun - even sometimes on a bright moonlit night.


Do you ever wonder why so many people decorate their kitchens with roosters? I have often been puzzled by the rooster attraction, but come to find out this tradition started because the rooster is said to be a symbol of luck, health, and prosperity. Some believe the rooster will magically turn a bad cook good. So for all you bad cooks out there, today is the day to buy yourself a ugly little rooster to bring you luck in the kitchen.


People born in 1921,1933,1945,1957,1969,1981,1993 & 2005 are born in the year of the Rooster

The sign of the Rooster indicates a person who is hard-working and definite about their decisions. Roosters are not afraid to speak their minds and can therefore sometimes come across as boastful. They make good restaurant owners and world travelers.


Special Mention: If you live in Oklahoma I highly recommend going all out for Rooster day and take a trip to Broken Arrow for the Rooster Day's festival. 76 years of celebration has made this festival one of the best in the area. Unfortunately the festival has passed. It was held on May 10 -13, but be sure to check out Broken Arrow next year for the action packed Rooster Day’s weekend.

For a little rooster fun with the kids, try out this paper craft.


Make a rooster out of construction paper

What you need:
construction paper
scissors
white glue
pipe cleaners
bead eyes (optional)
feathers (optional)
embroidery thread

What to do:
Cut out two equal sized circles in one colour of construction paper and two larger equal sized circles in another colour. Using other colours of construction paper, cut out the beak, tail feathers, wings, comb and wattle.

Start with the head: this will be made using the smaller circles. Carefully cut a line to the centre of each circle. (solid line in the image) Make two little cones by gluing the small area from the cut side to the dotted line on each circle.

Put a thin line of glue on the concave edge of the cone. Place the beak, comb and wattle on the appropriate parts of the circle. Attach the other side of the head. Glue eyes to the outside.

Next, the body: carefully cut a line to the centre of each of the large circles. (solid line in the image) Make two little cones by gluing the small area from the cut side to the dotted line on each circle.

Put a thin line of glue on the concave edge of the cone. Place the head, tail feathers, a piece of looped embroidery thread and feet onto the appropriate parts of the circle. Attach the other side of the body. Glue the wings to each side.

Leave to dry for 24 hours before hanging.



For true roster celebration try this fun game for adults and children alike.


Rooster Fight Game

Put two people in a large circle. Have each person hop on one leg, holding their other foot by the ankle up at their rear. To win, the player must force his opponent to lose balance and let go of his ankle, fall down, or step out of the circle. The only contact allowed is bumping shoulders. No grabbing is allowed.

May 17th - Pack Rat Day

When you think of a pack rat the first thing that comes to mind is a person who never lets go of anything, but did you know a pack rat is the name for a little rodent. The Pack Rat is a little smaller than the average rat and has a long, sometimes bushy tail. Pack rats are known for their characteristic searching of materials to bring back to their nests creating an ever expanding collection of materials known as a "midden" for its messiness.

There are certainly two ways you can celebrate this day. You can be proud to be a pack rat and pack away even more things that you can’t live without or you can use this day to change your pack rat ways. You can clear out all those little or large areas you’ve turned into a "midden." As so many of us, I too hold on to things for many reasons. When I clean out an area I get everything organized, but only discard a small number of items. If I don’t get rid of the items immediately, I will go back through and take things out; just knowing it was a mistake to toss it. If you are anything like me, you can rest assured knowing there is help for us.

Here is a few helpful tips to rid your life of all those “middens.”

Determine what clutter is. As a rule, if you don't use it or enjoy it, then it's nothing more than clutter. If you don't know what it is, it's clutter. Toss it or give it to someone who will use it and appreciate it.

Use your children as inspiration to de-clutter. Think about the added time and stress your clutter has caused you. Don’t let your children pick up on your pack rat ways. Instead show them how to de-clutter and give away items they no longer have use for.

Make de-cluttering fun and rewarding for your family. Create three piles or set out three boxes. One box for things to toss, one box for things to give away, and one box of items to sell (make a rule these items must be sold within a week or the items will be given away.) Turn on some tunes and encourage your family to toss, toss, toss. The 1st person to de-clutter their designated area gets a reward or prize.

Set aside a box for things you feel you may use someday. After three months discard or give away anything that remains in the box. Careful pack rats, don’t put anything new into your box until the three months is up because you will fall into the “I know I should probably get rid of this, but it has only been in the box for one month,” trap.

Take a photo of the meaningful possessions you don't want to forget, but don't have the space for. This can be very helpful for children because you can encourage them to give their unused items to other children that may not have anything, yet keep the memory, rather than allowing the memory to take up space. Praise your children for their efforts and let them know how proud you are of them. Place photos of the items in a scrapbook and share it with them (long after the mournful period is over.)

Have a Happy (packing or cleaning) Pack Rat day!