Celebrate September Holidays!

Labor Day

September 1st

Use Tools Today and Celebrate

Celebrate Labor Day by working together. Spend time with your child or children, using tools to build or repair something. Make a boat, a birdhouse or a wooden cutting board. Sew something simple. Fix a bicycle. Prepare dinner together and use kitchen tools and gadgets. While you're working, share information about the work you do, your favorite things about your work and how it makes you feel.

Patriot Day

September 11

To honor those who gave their lives on 9/11, do something to benefit someone else. Visit a local fire station and bring a "Thank You" card to those who work there. Make dinner for someone who would appreciate it. Send a letter to a relative, complete with drawings by children in the family and be sure to tell them what you like best about them. Stop by the house of a neighbor with a bouquet of fresh flowers from your yard--or a florist or grocery store floral department--just to brighten their day.

This book is dedicated to those affected by the events of 9/11. It has American Songs, Prayers, Speeches and Sentiments, and includes American comfort food recipes

Spirit of America

International Literacy Day

September 6th

Read a book about another country or culture.

One of the magic things about reading is that books can take you anywhere and help you to learn about places you might never get to visit or experience in any other way. Celebrate International Literacy Day by choosing a book from the shelf, from a library, a bookstore or even an on-line e-book; and reading about a country or culture other than your own. For children, choose books with pictures or illustrations. Each family member can read about a different place and you can have a discussion about what you read at dinner. (Yes, even if dinner is fast food, you can still talk and listen.) Talk about the most interesting things that you each discovered. Find a place where you can taste a type of food that is popular in the country that each family member learned about in the book that they read. Decide if it is something that you would like to eat again.

Read a book Day

September 6th

Use Sound Effects and Read Aloud

Make reading fun! Read stories aloud to one another. Start a family tradition of reading classic books to one another. When our youngest son was 4, we read the entire Hobbit out loud. He's almost 19 and still recalls it vividly and read the trilogy, Lord of the Rings, on his own over the years. We've had many discussions about the stories.

When you read stories, one of the ways to make them interesting is to add your own sound effects where they are appropriate. Some classic short stories like Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow tales or Rudyard Kipling's gems like Elephant's Child lend themselves to wonderful sound effects and special voices. Let the kids make vocal sound effects. Use empty plastic containers or a soft mallet on a wooden board to make the sound of horse's hooves. Experiment to get the sound of wind whistling through the trees or the thundering noise of bowling for Rip Van Winkle. Let a child read the voice for the bi-colored python rock snake. (It's also a great way to learn some "big words".) Best of all is the time spent together making special memories that let your children know they are special to you.

Celebrate Grandparents Day by making a family tree. If you are lucky enough to have grandparents who are still alive and living nearby, use a tape recorder or video recorder to interview them about family, their childhood, their favorite things and places.

Learn more about Grandma and Grandpa with one of the I Want YOU to Know ME..Love, Grandma  Books. Also available as Love, Grandpa or Love Grandma and Grandpa. These books are educational for children of all ages, allowing them to see how they are part of something larger than themselves. It is a way for grandparents to leave a legacy. Click on the photo below for more information.

I Want YOU to Know ME...Love Grandma & Grandpa

Or order a copy of My Grandmother's Journal by clicking on the photo below and have grandma fill in the blanks. It will be a treasure for the whole family.

My Grandmother's Journal

Gifts for Grandma and Grandpa

GRANDPA'S

TOY REPAIR KIT

Find a container like a small tool box, craft supply box or even a cardboard school supply box. Label it: Grandpa's Toy Repair Kit and fill it with a handy selection of small tools and repair items. Include a hammer, blade and Phillips screwdrivers, a craft knife, magnifying glass and some pliers. Add a small package of miscellaneous screws, nails, tacks and connectors. A good tube of glue or epoxy will come in handy and be sure to give grandpa a selection of different batteries to fix all those electronic toys. The grandpa in our family is frequently relied upon to fix broken toys and a handy kit like this can be used to fix other things as well. Just having these simple items all together in one place makes it a nice gift for a special grandpa.

GRANDMA'S

GOODIE BAG

When our youngest son was born, there was such a space between children, that one set of grandparents was completely "out" of kid-safe things. So we put together a duffle bag filled with plastic drinking cups, plates and spoons; age appropriate toys and books, and other necessary items. Over the years, the bag held everything from diapers, bibs, building blocks and a variety of snacks. It made it easy on grandma who didn't have to worry about giving our little one a glass container or a china plate and our son was happy and comfortable having toys, books and things that he loved available at grandma's house too. Give a grandma in your family a bag of goodies for her grandchildren too.

GIFTS IDEAS THAT KIDS CAN MAKE FOR GRANDPARENTS

Gifts for Grandparents

Books for Grandparents

Make a Hat Day

September 15th

Just do something silly! Make a hat from a paper bag, a rolled-paper cone, scrap pieces of fabric or a paper plate. Make a balloon hat. Be creative. Add ribbons, construction paper, lace, flowers, buttons or bows. Color it. Paint it. Attach things with glue. Wear it. Have a living room or backyard parade with everyone wearing a silly hat. Take pictures to capture the laughter. Have a contest and vote on the funniest headpiece. Select a prize that will make the winner chuckle as much as wearing the hat does. Have fun together. Yes, adults can do this too.

September 17

and Yom Kippur

September 26

If these holidays are part of your family tradition, celebrate them together. If they are not, perhaps learning a little about them will give you an understanding and appreciation of a culture different than your own. To celebrate Rosh Hashanah make a centerpiece that can double as a snack platter. Core an apple and insert a white Shabbat candle in the center of the apple. Place it in the middle of a plate or platter. Fill the plate with slices of apples and sit it in the middle of the table with some greenery underneath. Have some honey available for dipping the apple slices.

Mexican Independence Day

September 15

Ring Your Bell and Cry for Freedom

Learn a little history about Mexico and celebrate this day with a Mexican dinner. (No time to cook? Choose something simple like a Quesadilla--cheese crisp--or get Mexican take-out or "fast food". ) Look on the Internet for information about the holiday. Find out about Miguel Hidalgo. Ring your own bell and give your own cry for freedom. Listen to Mariachi music, try finding some on a local radio station or borrow CD's from your library. Decorate the table with bright colored  flowers.

For More Ideas to Celebrate Mexican culture, CLICK HERE,

CRAFTS

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FALL HOLIDAY DIRECTORY

CHILDREN'S DIRECTORY

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GARDEN

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Put the FUN in Parenting!