Story Hour
Treasure Hunt
Written by Gene B. Williams
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We’re going on a treasure hunt, but a different kind of treasure hunt. Here’s a calendar page you can print for the month of February, and another for next month (March). These give some ideas as starting points. As you know (don’t you?) there are lots of special days throughout the year. What makes them special? Most people (not everyone) celebrate their birthday, or the birthday of someone famous. But what about Pencil Day? Or Ball Point Pen Day? Yes, there are holidays for those things. You can pick anything that follows … or pick your own starting place. The idea is the same. Unlock your imagination. Be curious. See what happens. Go ahead. Look up “pencil.” Or look up “penguin” or “polar bear.”
A Good Place To StartActually, there are two ways – and both are similar.
You’re getting this from a computer. A computer can be like a very large library. You can find just about anything with “Search.” That will at least get you started.
Close is Wikipedia.com. You can “search” there, too. It’s an online encyclopedia – and it’s FREE! (It’s not the only free place.)
You’ll find so many places to look and to explore.
I just mentioned the pencil. There was no particular reason. I looked at my calendar. There was Pencil Day (March 30). In a search I typed the word “pencil.” We didn’t always have pencils. When they were invented, the first were wrapped in string. Then someone figured out how to put a piece of graphite (the “lead” of a pencil) inside wood. And then …. http://www.pencils.com/pencil-history
Go there and you will see a picture of the first known wood pencil. You’ll find out how they came to be painted yellow. All you have to do is … go look!
Let’s go exploring! I’ll give you a few starting points – or pick your own.
Type the words in “Search,” or go to wikipedia.com and type it in there. If you feel like going off in another direction … that’s the whole idea!
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FEBRUARY 12 – PAUL BUNYAN DAY Paul Bunyan was a giant of a lumberjack. His pet was Babe the Blue Ox. It is said that Paul dug out the Great Lakes because Babe needed a pond to get a drink of water. Another story tells of how the Rocky Mountains were made because he and Babe were playing, and the Grand Canyon came about because Paul was dragging his great axe along behind him. Was there ever a Paul Bunyan? Not ,really, yet … the idea wasn’t just made up … but yes, it was. Go take a look. You’ll find out that he has a brother, too. |
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FEBRUARY 14 – VALENTINE’S DAY In much of the world, Valentine’s Day is a day for love and romance. Other parts of the world think of it as a terrible day and even pass laws that the color red can’t be used on that day. How do you think of Valentine’s Day? With hearts and roses? Candies? Do you make cards for people you love? Maybe you look for Cupid and his little bow and arrow? |
FEBRUARY 14 – FERRIS WHEEL DAY  If you have ever been to a carnival, you will have seen a Ferris Wheel. Maybe you have been on one, way up in the air – or perhaps up not so far. They have been known since 1615, which means people were using them before that. Way back then, it was just a wheel made of wood with seats, and some big, strong men cranking it around. By 1892, William Somers built and then patented what was called the “Roundabout.” A year later, the Chicago World’s Fair had a huge wheel, built by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. (Hmmm – George Washington? Did you remember President’s Day?) It has been called a Ferris Wheel since. The biggest so far is the Singapore Flyer and is 541 feet high. WOW! Try this. Go outside somewhere and walk 200 big steps. Now look back at where you started. (Maybe a friend can be standing there?) That’s about how far off the ground you would be on the Singapore Flyer. |
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FEBRUARY 15 – GUMDROP DAY I was once told a story about how a great ruler loved to play the game of checkers, but also like to eat sweets. So, he had candies made – half of them red, and half of them black. Capture a checker and, you got to eat it! Another version is the jelly baby, and still another is the Gummi Bear (or Gummi Worm, or whatever shape you can imagine). There are candy orange slices, candy mint leaves … the next time you are in the store, just take a look at all the choices! If that isn’t enough to keep you wondering and looking and learning – don’t forget things like candy corn, cotton candy, how chocolate is made …. Then come back in 300 years and tell me what you found! |
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| FEBRUARY 18 – BATTERY DAY We use batteries for all sorts of things. Most say that the first battery was invented by Allesandro Volta in 1800. Some say that there were batteries used a few thousand years before. That’s possible because a battery is really quite simple. For the most simple, two different metals are separated with some kind of acid between. You may not believe this, but if you stick a pencil into an orange, then a clipped piece of a chain-link fence … you have a battery. There are certainly better ways. (When did you last see a flashlight come with a crate full of oranges?) You can find all kinds of batteries around your home. Wouldn’t it be fun to learn a little about how they work? CAUTION: DO NOT TAKE A BATTERY APART!!! |
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| FEBRUARY 20 – LOVE YOUR PET DAY FEBRUARY 22 – WALKING YOUR DOG DAY What a perfect way to love your pet. Take your dog for a walk! I have four dogs, two cats, Gordie the Social Tortie, plus all the other animals that wander in and out. Hummingbirds come in constantly. We get quail and road runners and coyotes and even skunks (do you remember the story of when Gordie met up with a skunk?) In past, I raised various kinds of fish, had a boa named Basil, a tarantula, a wolf pup …. Whatever pets you have, to love them is more than setting down a bowl of food. For “Love Your Pet Day,” why not learn more about your pet? |
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| FEBRUARY 24 – CHILI and TORTILLA CHIP DAY There must be 18,942,347 ways to make chili. And that’s just for Tuesday. It can be hot or mild, with meat or without meat. It can be almost anything you want it to be. Most of the time, it is made with at least one kind of bean (the pinto bean is the most common), some kind of meat, tomatoes, hot peppers, salt, water … then whatever else you want to toss in. Tortillas are much the same. There are lots of ways to make them, depending on where you are in the world. Look up “flat bread.” Some use yeast. Tortillas don’t. Wheat is the most common grain used for the flour, but corn is also common. From there it gets even more interesting. You can make your own tortillas, and your own tortilla chips, even your own salsa, to serve with your own chili. |
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| FEBRUARY 26 – TELL A FAIRY TALE DAY Once upon a time there was a … ogre, gnome, princess, prince, king, queen, witch, frog, bear, sea dragon. He (or she) lived in a … forest, castle, lake, pond, well, tree, cave, village, ocean, desert. He (or she) was very … happy, sad, young, old, large, small. There are many fairy tales, and only a few of them actually have fairies in them. For this day, it’s your turn to make up a fairy tale. Do you remember last year when Nicker made up a fairy tale? You can read it here. |
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FEBRUARY 27 – POLAR BEAR DAY The polar bear is the largest bear in the world. It lives in the Arctic Circle. It is a carnivore. Do you know what that is? Believe me, you wouldn’t want one for a pet. They might look cuddly, but … they don’t even like each other. They have been in the news quite a bit lately. Do you know why? |
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FEBRUARY 28 – TOOTH FAIRY DAY The average human has 137 teeth. No, that’s wrong. The average human has 4 teeth. No, that’s wrong, too. I guess you had better go find out. How many teeth do you have? Have you ever looked? Have you ever looked at the different kinds of teeth you have? How about the kinds of teeth other animals have? When you lost your last tooth, did the Tooth Fairy leave you a quarter? What IS a quarter? Even if you know, someone in Japan may have no idea. |
What if the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny had lunch of gumdrop chili, with a polar bear and Paul Bunyan, and they all took a ride on a Ferris wheel that uses batteries, while their pets and some toy soldiers used pencils to learn about butterflies, and ….
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