What can you and your child learn about in the last seven days of February? What activities can you and your child engage in? What holidays can you celebrate? Here are some fun ones!
February 22
- Washington's Birthday
Few people don't know who George Washington is. He was the first president of the United States after the adoption of the US Constitution. (The first leader was John Hanson under the Articles of Confederation, but he was leader of Congress as there was no executive branch under the Articles.) Washington is my favorite president. He could easily have embraced the power others were willing to bestow on him.
Washington could fairly easily have run indefinitely for the office of president since there was no limit at that time. But he didn't. He purposely chose to step down willingly after two terms. It's unusual for leaders to willingly give up power and it was unheard of in the 18th century. By stepping down volutarily, Washington set a precedent for presidents to seek only two terms, a precedent that was followed for nearly 150 years, until Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose to run for a third term and won. After his fourth term, congress amended the Constition to allow for just two terms.
- 10 George Washington Biographies for Kids
- Profile of George Washington (video and transcript)
- George Washington Fast Facts
- Mount Vernon Photos
- Celebrating George Washington (includes lesson plans for grades 7-12)
- Lesson Ideas for study of George Washington
- Be Humble Day
This is a day that many of us can take advantage of, but it's definitely a day for those gifted kids who may let their abilities go to their heads. While it's true that sometimes their sense of superiority results from excessive praise from others, that's not always the reason behind it. It can also come from being in classes where they are rarely if ever challenged, where they are left to sit and wait for the other kids to catch up. That is frustrating for them and can lead to a feeling of disdain for the other kids. Whatever the reason, today is a good day to talk about humility and help your gifted child understand that while it's acceptable to be proud of our accomplishments, it the effort that we should be proud of.
- World Thinking Day
World Thinking Day is probably not what most people think it is. If you were a girl scout or have a daughter who is a girl scout, you might know what it is. It started out as a day for girl scouts around the world to think about one another, but grew to an important day for fundraising. According to the World Thinking Day Web site, money raised goes to a fund that is used to "help girls to learn new skills, to speak out and take action on issues that matter to them, and to develop themselves as global citizens." Even if you don't have a daughter in the scouts, you can still spend the day thinking about ways to help girls develop their skills and abilities.
February 26
Tell a Fairy Tale Day
No one seems to know how this holiday got started, but Papa J Funk came up with an interesting tale of his own how it started. Regardless of how it started, it is a great holiday! Encourage your child today to read up on fairy tales and then write one of his or her own.
February 27
No Brainer Day
Today is a day to relax. A day to avoid stress. A day to do things that don't require much thought. Of course, for our gifted kids, "no brainer" may not mean what it means for other kids. Still, with the pressure put on so many kids to perform and excel, today is a good day to do what's fun. That fun could be working math problems - as long as they're "no brainers." Or it could be a day to read a good book - even if it's a science book. Or write a story - as long as it doesn't have to be perfect! It's hard to keep a gifted child from using his brain, but he doesn't have to get stressed today! It's not a day for all those second guesses and overanalyzing.
- About No Brainer Day
- Do what you like! Relax!