Washington’s Birthday used to be celebrated with Birthnight Balls, speeches and receptions.  Alexandria, Virginia holds an annual George Washington Birthday parade as part of its month-long tribute to the first president of the United States.  Washington founded the Purple Heart and many people take this time to honor American’s veterans . 

While Presidents’ Day was created to celebrate Washington and his contribution to the United States, other presidents have since been included in the holiday.  Many states combine it with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.  In 1968 Congress drafted legislation that changed many Federal holidays to be held on Mondays to give government employees and officials three-day weekends.  Starting in 1971, Washington’s Birthday has been honored on the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809.  Lincoln’s birthday was first honored in 1865, the year after he was assassinated.  Although Lincoln’s birthday was never established as a Federal holiday, many states recognize it as a separate holiday. However, many states have combined it with Washington’s Birthday, creating what is known as Presidents’ Day. 

For years, businesses were closed in observance of Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays, however in the 1980’s, many businesses began having Presidents’ Day sales, taking advantage of all the people who had the day off from work and school. 

The observances of Washington’s Birthday and Presidents’ Day vary quite a bit.  Alexandria, Virginia holds a month-long celebration of Washington, including a parade, where Presidents’ Day is still called George Washington Day. In New York City, the city schools take a mid-winter break for the entire week following Presidents’ Day, instead of closing for both presidents’ separate birthdays.  Some states, such as Massachusetts, honor not only Washington, but all the presidents who were from the state.  Alabama celebrates a Washington and Jefferson Day.  New Mexico celebrates President’s Day, but it is on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Presidents’ Day has changed a great deal over the years, but it is still a great time to stop and remember all those who’ve given much to serve the United States.  

I had to look up this holiday, I new it existed but I have become more enviromentally aware over the last year. The earth is our home if we all practice a little recycle and reuse thats a good start.

Senator Nelson first approached President John F. Kennedy in 1962 about including environmental issues on a conservation tour.  President Kennedy traveled to eleven different states over five days to share the message of preserving the environment in September of 1963.  While it took until 1970 to have Earth Day officially recognized, it was a start.

Taking inspiration from the “teach-ins” in the 60’s, where anti-war protestors had sit-ins on campus to share their views on the Vietnam War, he began having “teach-ins” for the environment as well.  They announced the plans for an environmental movement in September of 1969 and the response was pouring in from all over the country. People sent letters, and telegrams and called Senator Nelson’s offices for more information.

Denis Hayes was selected to organize the first Earth Day out of a donated office and with a few college students as staff.  The grassroots movements across the United States led to nearly twenty million people celebrating Earth Day.

Earth Day’s date is the same as Julius Sterling Morton’s birthday, the founder of Arbor Day.  Some think it was the inspiration for choosing April 22nd as Earth Day.  While Arbor Day is still celebrated on April 22nd in Nebraska, it varies around the rest of the world. It is usually changed to fit in with the best planting time for the area.  There are some organizations that promote Earth Day around the vernal equinox, around March 21st.

Earth Day has continued to grow over the years.  Some cities have even started having Earth Weeks, which usually begin on April 16th and conclude on April 22nd.  Earth Day is celebrated in 175 countries by more than a half billion people worldwide.

* Plan ahead - A party planned at the last minute is often a recipe for disaster.  Choosing the date well in advance and beginning to make plans a month or two ahead is a better idea.  You can go ahead and buy decorations and plan the games and menu.  Then when party time approaches, all you’ll need to worry about are the favors and how many people you’ll be serving.

* Include details on the invitations - Make the invitations as clear as possible.  If you are inviting the child only, inviting him by name is completely acceptable.  If you want the parents to come or are allowing the child to bring a sibling as a guest, state that as well.  And if the type of party you’re having requires a certain type of dress, as in the case of a costume party or a pool party, be sure to include that.

* Set an appropriate time for the party - The best time for a party is an hour or two after mealtime, and when there are kids involved the best meal to plan a party after is lunch.  For school children, 1:00-3:00 or 2:00-4:00 are popular time frames.  For younger children who generally take naps, a party a couple of hours before lunch might be more appropriate.

* Ask for help - A party with lots of children running around is best handled by more than one adult.  Enlisting the help of your husband, parents, or a friend or two will make it easier to keep things under control.

* Invite parents to stay - If you don’t mind feeding and entertaining the grown-ups as well, invite them to stay for the party.  That way they can be responsible for their own children.  This will greatly ease the burden on you.

* Accept offers of assistance - If other adults stay and offer to help with games or serving, by all means take them up on it.  Giving them a choice of things to do will make them more comfortable.  Be sure to send them a special thank you note when it’s all over.

Parties are meant to be fun for everyone, including the parents of the honoree.  By taking steps to ensure that you won’t be handling it all alone and considering the details, you can have a low-stress celebration.  And that will be good for you and everyone else involved.

Balloon Invitations

A fun and easy way to make great invitations is to put them into balloons.  You’ll need to use regular paper instead of card stock to avoid potentially putting a hole in the balloon.  Simply write a note with the party details on it, roll it up, and insert it into a balloon.  If you can fill them with helium that’s great, but it’s not necessary.

Balloon invitations will have to be hand delivered.  Calling ahead to make sure the recipient will be home is a good idea.  When you give them the balloons, be sure to tell them to pop them - they may not realize that there is something inside!

Puzzle Invitations

Kids love puzzles.  So puzzle invitations are sure to be a hit.  There are a few different ways you can make them.

A simple way is to write your message and the details of the party on card stock and decorate with stamps or stickers.  Then just cut it up into pieces.  The pieces should be large enough not to get lost in the shuffle, but small enough to provide a challenge.  Then just put the pieces in an envelope and mail or deliver the puzzles.

You can also make a puzzle with craft sticks.  Lay enough of them side by side to write your party details on, and paint them with spray paint or craft paint.  Let the background color dry, then decorate by painting on designs or using rubber stamps.  Then paint the party details on, or write them with a permanent marker.  Once everything is nice and dry, mix the sticks up and tie them together with ribbon.

Making Invitations with Your Computer

It’s easy to make great invitations with your computer.  There are lots of software programs available that have premade card designs that you can customize to your liking.  Most programs also have clipart and fancy fonts that you can use to design a card that is totally unique.

You can add to the personalization of the invitations you make on the computer with some craft supplies.  Scrapbooking scissors with fancy designs, punchouts, and stickers can all add character to your cards.  If you’re feeling especially creative, you could forgo the computer and use card stock and craft supplies to make the invitations completely from scratch.

Homemade invitations can be as creative as you have the time and imagination to make them.  They also provide an opportunity for you and your child or children to collaborate to make something wonderfully original.  For less than you would pay for store-bought cards, you could make awesome invitations that are the talk of the town.

* penny - Abraham Lincoln
* nickel - Thomas Jefferson
* dime - Franklin Roosevelt
* quarter - George Washington
* fifty-cent piece - John F. Kennedy
* $1 bill - George Washington
* $5 bill - Abraham Lincoln

While going over the different coins and bills, talk about each President and a couple of important things about their term or terms in office.  Show them the front and back and let them get familiar with the buildings and other objects shown on the currency. You will have to decide if you want to use the older coins or the newer versions, or a mix.  Some of the questions you ask about the coins will vary depending on which edition of the coins you use.

Some questions to ask are, “Which one has a pyramid on it?” or “Whose home is on the back of the nickel?”  You can ask, “Which presidents appear on more than one type currency?”  Let the child ask you questions and see if you can find the money they are looking for.

Create a pretend store with the children. Why not find magazine pictures of things to stock in the store? Put the pictures on index cards with a price written on them. Some suggestions for items include:  cherries, axes, stovepipe hats, and books.  For practice buy ‘goods’ with the children, and help them make change. 

This not only helps familiarize children with how money works (like making change), but they will gain some American history along the way. My son loves playing store. It also taught him how to count very well too.