International Mud Day 2013!

Yes that is correct, International Mud Day is Saturday, June 29th!  Let's play in the mud! 

I know just what Moms around the world don't want to hear --- everyone should be joining in to squishing, sliding, rolling, splashing, sliding, making mud pies and more on Saturday!  This is International!

The World Forum Foundation's Nature Action Collaborative for Children offers a number of resources for planning on your play for Mud Day!  Lots of good stuff on their website, check it out. 

In addition, check out Jan White's colorful resource, Making a Mud Kitchen!

Happy Mud Day!

SUMMER!!!!

Yes, it SUMMER, and for some - early due to --- well here is the explanation taken from The Old Farmer's Almanac:

In 2013, the solstice falls on Friday, June 21 at 5:04 Universal time, which is 1:04 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time and 12:04 A.M. Central Daylight Time. 

But this year, the solstice happens on Thursday, June 20 for places in North America west of the Central Time Zone, occurring at 11:04 P.M Mountain Daylight Time and 10:04 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time.

The timing of the solstice depends on when the Sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator.

RIGHT, now on to other stuff - oh you know, summer activities, summer facts, those things ---  check out the sites below for some SUMMER fun ---- and ---- try not to think about the fact that from the beginning of SUMMER, we start to loosing some of the hard won SUNSHINE!!!!!!

Apple for the Teacher site: 
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/summer/about.html


Old Farmer's Almanac site:  http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-summer-summer-solstice







Activity Village:  http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/summer_activities.htm

Flag Day - June 14, 2013

Just a few facts:

On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14th.

On June 14, 1977, at a meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia John Adams spoke about the flag, "Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field representing a new constellation."

There have been 27 official versions of the flag so far; stars have been added to the flag as states have entered the Union. 

The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960 when Hawaii be came the 50th state.

6 American flags were planted on the moon by crews from Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

$301.5 million is the annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation's manufactures.

95% of U.S. flags are manufactured in the United States.

For more information and for activities about Flag Day, visit these sites:

Flag Day Activities for Kids
Flag Day Lesson Plans and Activities
The National Flag Day Foundation
The American Flag and its Protocol
America's Story from America's Library
Flag Day (United States) - Wikipedia

Webinar on Infant Hearing Loss

Family Centered Practice: What have virtual home visits taught us about coaching and family centered early intervention? June 5, 2013 12 noon EST

 

Don't miss this free webinar on infant hearing loss hosted by Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech and CREC-Soundbridge. Join us for an enriching seminar presented by early intervention experts Jan Gatty, Ed.D (Clarke Northampton), Barbara Hecht, Ph.D. (Clarke Boston), Elizabeth Cole, Ed.D (CREC-Soundbridge), and special guest Tracy Osbahr, MA, CCC-SLP (Office of Specialty Services, MA Department of Public Health). The talk will cover issues related to virtual intervention (tele-intervention) and family coaching. Certificates of participation will be available for those who attend the live event and remote captioning services will be available free of charge. Don't miss this great seminar - register now! More information is available at: http://clarkeschools.org/webinars