November 15, 2007

ParentInfo, Nov. 15, 2007

Last Updated on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 5:01 AM

In this issue

*Thanksgiving 2007

*Commissioner update

*National Parental Involvement Day

Make the most of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is fairly self-explanatory. It’s time to give thanks. Whether you’re thankful for your family and friends, good health, your pets, the stretchy waistband around your pants just before the holiday feast or all of the above, one thing’s for sure: you want to make the most of the time.

There’s no better place to start doing that than with your children. Leading up to the big day, get your children into the spirit with some Thanksgiving arts and crafts projects.

Show kids how to use an apple, a shelled peanut, an almond and a Lifesaver to make turkey place card settings for the dinner table on Thanksgiving.

Or your children might want to try:

paper turkeys made from toilet paper tubes and construction paper
pilgrim outfits for stuffed animals and small pets
squash geese
paper bag scarecrows
a bouquet of thanks
mosaic family frames

Click here to get find out how to make these Thanksgiving crafts as well as others.

About a bird: Here’s some fun facts about the turkey to share with your kids.

Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the U.S.
Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining. turkeys spend the night in trees.
Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.
A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
Turkey terms:
caruncle – brightly colored growths on the throat region.
gizzard – a part of the bird’s stomach that contains tiny stones.
hen – a female turkey
poult – a baby turkey
snood – the flap of skin that hangs over the turkey’s beak.
Tom – a male turkey
wattle – the flap of skin under the turkey’s chin

Also…

President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
The average age of one of the 104 Mayflower passengers was 32. The oldest passenger was James Chilton, 64. The gender breakdown was 73 males, 31 females.
The first and simplest of all pumpkin puddings made by the Pilgrims, involved picking the pumpkin, washing it, hollowing it out, filling it with cream or milk, and baking it whole. This is what developed into pumpkin pie about 50 years after that first Thanksgiving.
It takes about 200 cranberries to make one can of cranberry sauce.
Beatles legend John Lennon repeated the words “Cranberry sauce” at the end of the song Strawberry Fields Forever. Many thought he was actually saying, “I buried Paul.”

For more about the history of Thanksgiving, click here. To learn more about the turkey, click here.

Thanksgiving around the television

Gathering around the television on Thanksgiving Day is about as synonymous with the holiday as gathering around the table is. With the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on in the morning and NFL games on in the afternoon, there are still other options for those looking for something different.

Here’s some recommended Thanksgiving-related rentals recommended for children the whole family can enjoy together.

“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (1973). The DVD also includes “The Mayflower Voyagers” special, a Peanuts rendition of the famous trip across the Atlantic and the first Thanksgiving.
“Winnie the Pooh – Seasons of Giving” (1999) is a collection of holiday adventures featuring a number of songs for sing-a-long time.
“Mouse on the Mayflower” (1968, VHS only). In this tale, kids set sale with the tiniest pilgrim on a musical voyage to America.
“Garfield: Holiday Celebrations” (2004) features three cartoons centered around Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“Miracle on 34^th Street” (1947) starts with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade before Kris Kringle must prove to a little girl he’s the real Santa Claus.

Fun facts about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade:

This year marks the 81^stMacy’s parade.
The Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Fayette Co.) marching band, under the direction of Jeff Hood, will perform in the parade this year. This award-winning band is tentatively set to perform on television at 11:06 a.m.
More than 44 million viewers tune into the parade every year.
Debuting at this year’s parade will be balloons Shrek, Hello Kitty and Abby Cadabby.
Six different versions of Snoopy have appeared in the event over the years.
The first female balloon was Olive Oyl, which debuted in 1982.

For those of you who don’t normally watch football games, maybe it’s time to sit down with the rest of the family and enjoy all the action. Are you still not sure because you don’t know the difference between a first down and a touchdown or the end zone and the neutral zone? Well, it’s not too late to learn the basics. Click here to get started. Who knows? You might teach the football fan in your household a thing or two.

This year’s Thanksgiving Day NFL lineup:

12:30 p.m. – Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (Fox) 4:15 – New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys (CBS) 8:15 – Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons (NFL Network)

Did you know? The Lions have hosted a game on Thanksgiving Day every year since 1934. The Cowboys have done the same since 1966.

For more Thanksgiving resources, click here.

Commissioner search update

During a special-called meeting last week, the Kentucky Board of Education agreed to continue its search for a top candidate for the position of commissioner of education.

The board held interviews with the four finalists for the position Tuesday and Wednesday at the Embassy Suites RiverCenter in Covington.

After the completion of the interviews, the board is determining the next steps in the process, which might include gathering additional information on the finalists and/or extending the search to allow an additional opportunity to consider other persons.

Governor-Elect Steve Beshear attended the board meeting and offered his support as the board moves forward through the process. Beshear encouraged the board to extend the process and seek to broaden the pool of candidates.

In late October, the board selected four finalists for the position:

· Jon Draud, state representative for the 63^rd District and a former superintendent of the Ludlow Independent school district

· Richard Hughes, a professor at Morehead State University and former superintendent of the Hardin County school district

· Larry Vick, superintendent of the Owensboro Independent school district

· Jim Warford, executive director/CEO of the Florida Association of School Administrators and a former chancellor for Florida’s public schools

National Parental Involvement Day

Today marks the 15^th annual National Parental Involvement Day sponsored by Project Appleseed, a national campaign for public school improvement. Parental Involvement Day began to provide opportunities in which parents can volunteer in their local public schools. That may include reading to a group of students or helping the school with fundraising. Go to the Project Appleseed Web site to learn more or click here to order a Parental Involvement Toolbox.

Project Appleseed also wants parents to help its cause by taking the Parental Involvement Pledge. The pledge is a written learning agreement in which parents commit to being involved in a child’s education. The pledge is the most widely distributed learning contract in the U.S. To take the pledge, click here.

History of Thanksgiving

http://www.history.com/minisites/thanksgiving

Facts about turkeys

http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/turkey.htm

Thanksgiving crafts

http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/

Pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce trivia

http://www.foodreference.com/

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

http://www.macys.com/campaign/parade/parade.jsp

Football tips for beginners

http://www.footballbabble.com/