2010
Just look at all the things going on this month! This is sure to inspire lots of ideas!
Flower: Calendula (English Marigold)
Birthstone: Opal-Tourmaline
Make this a month of Kindness and Service! The month of October hosts Bullying Prevention Week; Kids Care Week; Diversity Awareness Month; Lights on AfterSchool; World Smile Day; World Food Day; National Make a Difference Day; Peace, Friendship and Goodwill Week; and National UNICEF!
THIS IS ALSO:
• Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
• National Apple Month (See Apple Activities and Cooking & Snacking with Apples
• National Pajama Month (See page bottom)
• National Roller Skating Month
• National Stamp Collecting Month
• National Pizza Month
• National Chili Month
• Computer Learning Month
• Do-It Yourself Month
• Polish American Awareness Month
• National Dental Hygiene Month
• National Pasta Month (See Pasta Theme)
• World Chocolate Awareness Month
• Vegetarian Awareness Month
• National Seafood Month
• National Clock Month
• Family History Month
• National Popcorn Month (Check out Popcorn Theme)
• National Dessert Month
• American Pharmacist Month
• Awareness Month
• Cookie Month (See No-Bake Cookie Recipes)
• Eat Country Ham Month
• International Drum Month
• Sarcastic Month
• Seafood Month
• National Vegetarian Month
•Be sure to mark your calendars for Lights On Afterschool on October 21, 2010
• Head Start Awareness Month
• Month of the Young Adolescent-Learn of Shadow Day
• Diversity Awareness Month
DOING THE WEEKS!
WEEK ONE:
National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
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Teen Read Week
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Get Organized Week
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National Fire Prevention Week
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National Human Services awareness Week
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National Newspaper Week
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National Pickled Pepper Week
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Universal Children's Week
The Fifth Annual NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION AWARENESS WEEK is October 14 - 20th in 2010. Work together to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children!
WEEK TWO:
WEEK THREE
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Kids Care Week, celebrated the third week of October, recognizes the power of kids to help others in their community and the world. During the week, young people focus their compassion on a specific social issue through a service project. Kids Care Week culminates on Make a Difference Day (23rd), a national day of doing good sponsored by USA Weekend and held in partnership with HandsOn Network.
WEEK FOUR:
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DOING THE DAYS
1. Homemade Cookie Day (No Bake Cookies Here)
World Vegetarian Day and Julie Andrew's (Mary Poppins) Birthday
2. National Diversity Day and Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi born 1869
Charlie Brown's Birthday: Peanuts debut 1950
Name your Car Day and World Smile Day (See below)
3. Emily Post Birth Date -1873
Captain Kangaroo Day
SOS established as international stress code
4. National Golf Day and Sputnik launched
5. World Teachers Day
6. Thomas Edison shows first motion picture
Mad Hatter Day
7. American Bandstand premiered-Daylight Saving Time ends in United States
8.
9. Moldy Cheese Day
Count from Sesame Street Birthday
10. National Cake Decorating Day and 'Bonza Bottler' Day!
International Top Spinning Day
National Bring your Teddy Bear to School or Work Day
11. Eleanor Roosevelt Birthday & Thanksgiving in Canada. Columbus Day celebrated
12. Farmer's Day (Farm/Harvest Theme)
World Egg Day (See below)
First Aerial photo taken in 1860
13. International Newspaper Carriers Day
Iron Man Competition
International Skeptics Day
Navy birthday
14. Bullying Prevention Week Starts! Grover of Sesame Street's Birthday
Be Bald and Be Free Day
15. National Grouch Day
National Poetry Day
16. Bosses Day
Dictionary Day
World Food Day (See below)
17. Black Poetry Day
Kid's Care Week starts!
18. Alaska Day--1867
Little Orphan Annie's Birthday-1922
Puerto Rico became American colony
19. Star Spangled Banner first sung
20. Guggenheim museum opens in N.Y.-1959
Mickey Mantel's birthday
Monster Mash (song) Day- 1962
World Toy Cameral Day
21. Mother-in-law Day
22. National Nut Day
23. National Make a Difference Day, National Mole Day and
T.V. Talk Show Host Day
24. National Bologna Day
United Nations Day
25. National Denim Day
Pablo Picasso Birthday-1881
26. Hilary Rodham Clinton-s Birthday
International Red Cross organized-1863
27. Theodore Roosevelt's Birthday-1858
28. Plush Animal Lovers Day
Statue of Liberty's Birthday
National Chocolate Day (See below)
29. Internet Day
30. National Candy Corn Day (See below)
Haunted Refrigerator Night
31. Halloween (Visit the hundreds of ideas)
Books for Treats Night and National Knock-Knock Jokes Day
National Magic Day
National UNICEF Day Click here for website
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SOME IDEAS FOR 'DOING THE DAYS' OF OCTOBER
OCTOBER 2 is WORLD SMILE DAY!
This year, on October 2, 2010 we celebrate the 12th World Smile Day ®. As ever the theme for the day is "Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile." As always, the image that leads the way on this day is the smiley face.
Get involved on this special day by organizing events and activities at your school, business or organization. Recognize members of your community for their acts of good will and kindness. Spread the word. If each of us becomes a World Smile Day® Ambassador and help just one person smile that day - the world will be a better place. Harvey Ball (the artist who created the 'SMILEY FACE' believed that each of us, as individuals, can make a difference in this world. World Smile Day® is the day when all our individual acts can make the world a better place. See Kindness Category
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THE BIGGEST SMILE
This is not a game, but a great group activity to see who can give the biggest smile!. (Prizes or not--your choice) One at a time measure people's smiles with a ruler (or measuring tape). This is fun. You can also measure the zany faces!
You can take photos as you do this as people are smiling BIG!
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PLAY THROWING THE SMILE! (Circle Game)
In this game, players are forbidden to smile, but --giggling and laughing will abound anyway.
1. Players sit in a circle, making sure they can see everyone else. One player who is "It" starts the game by smiling widely, while all the other players are somber. "It" then uses their hand to wipe the smile off their face and throw it to another player--- who has to catch the smile with their hand -- and then put it on.
2. The new "It" can wipe off the smile to throw to someone else--(though he/she will probably choose to make funny smile faces at everyone for a minute or two before relinquishing the happy role.) Meanwhile, all other players must sit stone-faced. One smirk and they're out.
TIP:
The youngest players are the least successful at winning this game (they simply can't stop themselves from laughing), but they also tend to enjoy it the most.) Cassie/Mi. Adapted from: familyfun.go.com
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OCTOBER 10...Don't forget BONZA BOTTLER DAY! This month is a big one! 10/10! It's 'Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day'...
It's a day just to have a reason to celebrate. So celebrate!!!
This happens each month when the day and date are the same number!
Example: January 1, February 2, March 3, April 4, May 5, etc. Bonza Bottler Day is a favorite with many school classrooms and programs because it provides a break in routine for the students and teachers. It has been celebrated since August 8 (8-8) 1985!
When the number of the year also coincides with the number of the day and month (October 10, 2010, there is reason to have a bigger celebration (more food, more friends and more decorations). This is called a 'Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day'. As the official website states, "Bodacious means extraordinary, impressively great in size, or enormous" Consider making this a monthly event the kids can look forward to!
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OCTOBER 11TH IS EGG DAY-HAVE SOME EGGCEPTIONAL FUN!
EGG GAMES...They're not only for Easter!
THE EGG-A-THON
This can be played as a race or relay…
Use a tablespoon and a hard-boiled egg or plastic Easter egg and plastic spoon.
Children try to walk fast holding the egg in the spoon to the finish line.
It can also be done as a relay and have one child in the middle of the race line waiting.
The children transfer the egg to their relay partner's spoon and go!
EGG TOSS
You’ll need one, hard-boiled egg for each pair of children.
Have the children stand across from a partner. They should stand one foot apart.
When the leader says, “Go” the children should toss the eggs to their partners.
With hard-boiled eggs, everyone can play the whole game because the eggs won’t crack.
With each toss, the children should back up one step. Play until the eggs are destroyed and before the kids get bored.
FOLLOW THE LEADER…
Give each child a tablespoon and a hard-boiled egg.
The children form a line and one is the leader.
Each one holds the spoon with the egg in its bowl at arm's length and hops on one foot, following wherever the leader leads them.
To drop the egg or rest on both feet prevents one from continuing in the game. They stay out until the next round.
TIP: Also check out the Easter Egg Category. You'll find directions for making the perfect hard boiled egg; how to make egg-shell chalk; egg-shell mosaics and some egg recipes!
FOR A FUN 'EGG DAY' SNACK...MAKE RAW EGG ON TOAST! (Using a Peach Half)
Ingredients for one serving...
1 slice poundcake
1/2 peach
Whipped Cream type topping
Directions:
Put slice of pound cake on plate.
Place peach half on top-- round side up.
Add whip cream around peach and serve.
It looks like a raw egg on toast!
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Each Year OCTOBER 16 is WORLD FOOD DAY! Talk with the children in your program about world hunger and consider hosting a food drive for a food bank in your community. To find a food bank near you, click here ...
Establish a length of time for the food drive and have youth in your program/school make posters to hang around program site/school to promote the food drive. Ask parents to get involved by helping transport the food from your site to the food bank. World Food Day is intended to increase awareness of world hunger and take steps to combat it. However, this can be done any time of the year!
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TWENTY GRAINS OF RICE-World Food Hunger Program...
Using the internet children can donate 20 grains of rice to the WORLD FOOD HUNGER PROGRAM! If your program has access to a computer and the Internet, introduce children to the idea. Click here This Web site offers an English multiple-choice vocabulary test. For each word defined correctly, 20 grains of rice are donated through the United Nations World Food Program to help end hunger. To date--over 66 Billion grains have been donated!!!!
If your children enjoy this type of community service, get more ideas from "The Kid's Guide to Service Projects," which features more than 500 ideas for community service activities for young people. You can order the book at schoolagenotes.com KidActivities also has a great Community Service Category!!!
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NATIONAL CANDY CORN DAY-OCTOBER 30TH
1. PLAY BINGO using candy corn as markers.
2. PLAY CANDY CORN RELAY GAME
Designate a starting line and a finish line.
- Put out a bowl full of candy corn for each player at the starting line and an empty bowl at the finish line.
- The players must use a large spoon to scoop candy corn out of the full bowl and then carry it to the empty bowl and fill it.
- They cannot spill any candy corn or use their hands!
- If any candy corn falls off the spoon, they must immediately pick it up and bring it back to the back to the starting line bowl and start over with that scoopful.
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NATIONAL POPCORN MONTH! SEE THE POPCORN THEME! As this is both 'National Popcorn Month' and 'Halloween'--make this cute popcorn ghost. You cover two themes in one!
POPCORN GHOSTS
Material: cardboard ghost shapes, popped popcorn, glue with small container from which to dip popcorn, hole punch, string or thread, black construction paper eyes and mouth shapes
1. Cut shapes of ghosts from cardboard. Cereal box cardboard works well.
2. Make a hole at the top of the ghost. Put string or yarn in the hole for hanging.
3. have kids dip each piece of popped corn in glue and stick onto one of the ghost-shape sides. Completely cover the cardboard.
4. When the glue is dry, cover the other side of the cardboard.
5. Cut eye and mouth shapes from the black paper and glue on ghost.
Either hang the ghosts from the ceiling or bring in a small branch from outside. Pot the branch and make a Halloween tree. These would make great ornaments the tree!
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NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY is October 28-- This is also WORLD CHOCOLATE MONTH AND PAJAMA MONTH--Plan one event to celebrate both!
Have some fun with Hot Chocolate and also play CHOCOLATE FACE! Place a piece of chocolate candy in your mouth and see how long it takes to melt! No sucking and chewing it! The one to keep the chocolate in their mouth the longest is the winner. A nice way to celebrate Chocolate Day!
Help kids plan a comfy COCOA PARTY! You could add a movie (an old favorite or something just released.) Make popcorn (It's popcorn month!) or have cookies (It's cookie month!) and set up a hot chocolate bar where everyone can add marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles, and whipped cream to cups of cocoa.
Extension Idea: Add a PAJAMA PARTY! (It's Pajama Month!) Have kids wear PJ's and lounge on pillows and blankets as they watch a movie. (Don't forget favorite stuffed animals! The 28th is Plush Animal Lover's Day!)
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October 31 is not only HALLOWEEN- but also National Knock-Knock Jokes Day Click and have some fun with Knock-Knock Jokes--Kids of all ages love them!
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WHAT IS HALLOWEEN?
Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31st, by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets or money.
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1st, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints.
The origin of Halloween dates back 2000 years ago to the Celtic celebration of the dead. A Celtic festival was held on November 1st, the first day of the celtic New Year, honoring the Samhain, the Lord of the Dead.
Celtic ritual believed that the souls of the dead returned on the evening before November 1st. The celebration included burning sacrifices and costumes.
Irish, Scots and other immigrants brought older versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th century and by the late 20th century, many other Western countries have embraced Halloween as a part of American pop culture.
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