Tag archives for Holidays
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This Sunday, May 12, is a day for families in the U.S. and many other countries to celebrate their moms! President Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday in May to be set aside as a Mother’s Day holiday in 1914, and we have been celebrating every year since then.
Do you do anything special for your mom on Mother’s Day?
Get crafty gift ideas for your mom on National Geographic Kids.
Zoe Willcutts, age 10, is a National Geographic Kids reporter and covered the events at this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll. Here is her report.
National Geographic Kids reporter Zoe Willcutts interviewing Kid President Robbie Novak. Photograph by National Geographic Staff
I went to the White House Easter Egg Roll as a kid reporter to take photos and a poll. I asked 53 people the same question: if they were president, what color would they dye the White House for Easter? I got a full rainbow of choices. Race car driver Danica Patrick said teal. Chef Spike Mendelsohn chose lime green. Al Roker, from the Today show, said he would choose lavender. Teen singer Coco Jones agreed and picked lavender too. Singer Austin Mahone said he would go with red because it was his favorite color. The band members of The Wanted were all over the map–Max chose black, Tom chose pink, and Siva said, “definitely light blue.” And best of all was the Kid President’s answer: Red, white and blue!
I also got to ask a few people what they thought ordinary kids could do to make a difference in the world. Today host Al Roker said kids can help their parents. Danica Patrick, the NASCAR driver, encouraged kids to give compliments, because “it feels great to give them and to get them.” And the Kid President Robbie Novak said “I’ve got this covered; I’m all about how we can make a difference! Don’t throw trash on the ground.”
Overall, it was a great day and I really enjoyed meeting people and seeing everyone outside being healthy and active on the White House lawn.
Al Roker and National Geographic Kids reporter Zoe Willcutts. Photograph by National Geographic Staff
Singer Austin Mahone. Photograph by Zoe Willcutts
The Wanted band members. Photograph by Zoe Willcutts
This teal egg, featuring Bo’s paw print, is only included in a 2013 5-pack Collector’s Egg Set of souvenir White House eggs. Photograph by Zoe Willcutts
Today is Holi, the Hindu ”Festival of Colors.” To celebrate the arrival of spring, people light bonfires and throw colorful powder and water at each other. During the festival, it’s not uncommon to see people with all kinds of colors covering their face, hair, and clothing! Most people who observe Holi live in India and Nepal, but Hindus all over the world join in the celebration.
See pictures of people celebrating Holi on National Geographic’s My Shot.
Is Spring on the Way? Ask a Groundhog!
Saturday, February 2, is Groundhog Day! According to legend, if a groundhog sees his shadow, we can expect six more weeks of wintery weather. If there’s no shadow, spring is on the way! The most famous groundhog is Pennsylvania’s Punxatawney Phil. There are other weather-predicting groundhogs too, such as Raleigh, North Carolina’s Sir Walter Wally (pictured above) and Washington, D.C.’s “National Groundhog” Potomac Phil.
What is your prediction? Will we have six more weeks of winter?
Learn more about Punxatawney Phil on National Geographic News.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Skipping Christmas
AUTHOR: John Grisham
If you had the chance to skip Christmas, would you? Sure, it would mean not having to go to your siblings’ boring Christmas pageant, not getting sick on candy canes and fruit cake, and not having to pretend you’re thankful for the wacky presents your relatives send you, but wouldn’t you miss the Christmas tree? And the decorations and carolers? And not to mention, what would your family and friends think of you?
These are the types of questions Luther and Nora Krank are faced with when they suddenly decide to forgo the holidays in the novel, Skipping Christmas. With their only daughter leaving for a year to go teach children English in Peru, the Kranks are feeling pretty gloomy and don’t know if they are up to celebrating Christmas. In fact, Luther, who has never liked the holiday because of the all the stress and chaos it brings, proposes the plan of skipping altogether and going on a luxurious cruise instead. Although the idea at first seems crazy and Nora immediately vetoes it, the couple eventually comes around and they excitedly book their tickets for a Caribbean cruise, starting on Christmas day.
At first, Luther and Nora’s attempt to forgo everything that has to do with Christmas goes very smoothly and they begin to think that skipping the holidays will be easy. However, as they continue to refuse invitations to Christmas parties, turn down charities asking for donations to help give underprivileged kids presents, and go as far as to not decorate their house with Christmas lights, ultimately causing their neighborhood to lose the annual holiday decorations contest, they soon begin to be met with distaste from their neighbors. As the book goes on, that distaste grows into a full-fledged “war” between the neighborhood and the Kranks, the matter being over whether or not Luther and Nora are going to celebrate Christmas.
This novel is very amusing and will have you constantly laughing as you read it. I recommend it to preteens and young teenagers because it does contain some bad language (Luther utters the occasional swear word) and was originally aimed for an adult audience. Other than that, this book is very funny and entertaining and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when he came out of his tree stump this morning in Pennsylvania. According to the legend, if Phil sees his shadow, we should expect six more weeks of winter weather. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring is just around the corner.
Read more about Punxsutawney Phil on National Geographic News.
Learn about groundhogs on National Geographic.
Photograph by Gene J. Puskar, AP
The 2011 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony begins today 5 p.m. EST. Carson Daly will host the ceremony, and President Obama will officially light the tree. There will be performances during the event, featuring Kermit the Frog, Will.i.am, Big Time Rush, and more.
There has been a National Christmas Tree every year since 1923. The tree that will be lit today is a new Colorado blue spruce. The last tree was damaged in February 2011 and had to be replaced. There will be nightly performances at the National Christmas Tree from December 6 through December 23.
PBS stations across the country will broadcast the ceremony. You can also watch the ceremony online at www.thenationaltree.org.
How much do you know about winter holidays? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph by Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images
This Sunday, May 8, is Mother’s Day. Kick off the celebration by watching this video about baby seal Puff and her search for her mother.
What are you going to do for your mom this Mother’s Day? If you need inspiration, try these cool activities:
This Sunday, September 12, is National Grandparents’ Day. This holiday has been a national holiday since 1978. The day is all about celebrating grandparents! You can visit with them, make a card, play a game together, or if they live far away call them on the telephone.
Do you have a special nickname for your grandparents? How are you planning to celebrate Grandparents’ Day? Leave a comment below and tell us!
Create a card for your grandmother or grandfather! Learn how on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Stephen St. John
This morning, Punxatawney Phil came out of his tree stump and saw his shadow. That means winter’s not quite over yet. According to tradition, if Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day (February 2), we will have six more weeks of winter weather. However, if the day is cloudy and Phil’s shadow is nowhere to be found, spring is just around the corner.
Read about the history of Groundhog Day on National Geographic News.
Learn more about groundhogs on National Geographic.
Photograph by Jason Cohn / Reuters
Photograph from AP
Today is Earth Day! People in countries around the world will be celebrating our wonderful planet and raising awareness about the environment.
Earth Day is 39 years old this year. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. With support from Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, a Washington, D.C. environmental group organized an event called the Environmental Teach-In to raise environmental awareness. This event became Earth Day. Earth Day spread from being recognized in cities and colleges in the United States to being observed in places all over the world.
Are you planning to do anything to celebrate Earth Day? Let us know!
See photos from the first Earth Day on National Geographic News.
Get green tips on National Geographic Kids.
Sort recyclables with Gus when you play Recycle Roundup!
Uh-oh! The groundhog saw its shadow this morning, which means six more weeks of winter are on the way. Tradition says that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on February 2, winter will last another six weeks. However, if Phil does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
Learn more about groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, on National Geographic.
Today is the Chinese New Year! According to the Chinese horoscope, each year is represented by a different animal. There are a total of 12 animals. This year is the Year of the Ox.
Find out which animal you are!
Learn more about China.
