Since the 17th century, pineapples have been the universal symbol of welcome and hospitality in America and Europe. Because they were incredibly rare and expensive at the time, serving a pineapple was a major show of generosity. It was the “crowning” piece of a banquet table! Is the beginning of tropical fruit season. Why not wrap all this up in a beautiful planter? Add a caring Mother’s Day card to finish the gift!
Materials Needed
Clay pot
Acrylic paint in white, green, and yellow
Paint brush
Paper towels
Water
Black permanent marker
1. On the place mat, use the white paint to coat the pot. Let dry. Rinse the paintbrush in the cup of water, then dry it on the paper towel.
2. Paint two coats of the yellow paint on the outside of the pot and let it dry completely.
3. Use the green paint to coat the inside of the pot and the rim.
4. Use a black permanent marker to draw little “x” s spaced around the yellow area around the pot to make it look like a pineapple .
Mother’s Day Card
Now for the card to top it off! You can make a card using a sheet of construction paper folded in half. Draw something colorful on the outside (like a pineapple!) with markers or crayons.
Then, write something nice on the inside. You know what works? Mom’s very own pineapple poem!
Example Poem
You help me stand tall and hold my head high,
A symbol of caring, the pineapple of my eye.
You’re tough when I need it and sweet when I’m down,
September’s national days include quesadillas and guacamole. So, what better time to whip up some of both! They’re simple to make and absolutely fabulous to eat.
Guacamole
Materials
Sharp knife
Large soup spoon
Sturdy bowl for serving
Potato masher or fork
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1-2 tomatoes finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons of lime juice
Salt to taste
Quesadillas!
Materials
Large skillet
Spatula
Ingredients
Large flour tortillas
Grated cheese such as
cheddar or Monterey Jack
1/2 teaspoon olive oil or
butter for each quesadilla
OPTIONAL: Other ingredients, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions, can be cooked with the cheese. It can also be topped with guacamole!
Directions
1. Heat the skillet on medium-high heat.
2. Add oil or butter and spread it around the bottom of the pan with a spatula.
3. Place one tortilla in the pan.
4. Flip the tortilla over a few times, 10 seconds between flips. Air pockets should begin to form within the tortilla.
5. Spread a handful of cheese on the tortilla, careful not to spill it onto the pan.
6. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan.
7. If the quesadilla begins to smoke too much, remove the skillet from the heat.
8. After a minute, check to see that the cheese has melted. If not, keep heating for another minute.
9. Fold the tortilla over with the spatula. Slide it onto a plate and cut into three wedges.
Schooling in America started at home. Parents, usually moms, would teach their own children what was needed to function in the community. This included subjects like math and history. It also involved duties and skills like sharing and making agreements. Additionally, it encompassed learning wisdom from history’s greatest thinkers. This means that your education was there to serve you and help you serve others better. This made for a tighter community where people can better help each other succeed. Early education was highly service-oriented. In early America, some teaching moms would also teach several children from different families.
The First Schoolhouses Were Homes!
As towns grew, citizens and local governments hired teachers to teach the children. Kids had to walk miles to get to their teacher. The school rooms often had children of all ages and in different stages of their education.
Teachers were great role models for their hard work, dedication, and sacrifice for others.
In 1690, the Puritans (The Pilgrims were Puritans) used a version of a British textbook. In America, it was called the New England Primer. It was full of history, philosophy, and a lot from the Bible.
FASCINATING FACT
Religious people primarily built early America. There were no textbooks early on. The Bible was beneficial with its lessons in morality, family, duty, and history.
Noah Webster
Revolutionary period educator Noah Webster later created the “Blue-Backed Speller.” This is a nickname for A Grammatical Institute of the English Language. The textbook taught and standardized reading, spelling, and writing in all areas of the country. It was used for decades and sold millions of copies. Webster also started what we know today as Webster’s dictionary!
Wonder what it was like going to school back then? Really hard! In fact, some of America’s Founding Fathers, like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, read books written in Latin. They were doing complex math before they were teens! No wonder they put so much value on education. It birthed a Revolution!
Later, Thomas Jefferson helped found the University of Pennsylvania. Benjamin Franklin, who was primarily self-taught, started the first lending library so that everyone can access books. He knew education was a power for freedom, so he also started several schools for African Americans.
The Test of Time
Today, there is great debate over the current school system. President Jimmy Carter nationalized it with his 1979 creation of the Department of Education. Since then, test scores have fallen. Yet, many home schooled students commonly score much higher on the college-bound SATs and ACTs. This trend is akin to America’s beginning and contrasts with those who attend K-12 public schools.
The debate is ongoing, but one thing is for sure. We always have a lot to learn!
In October, grocery and gift stores have beautiful displays of caramel apples. Some are decorated, some are not, but they all look delicious. Here’s how you can make your own!
Items You Will Need
Flat baking pan
Wax paper
Small saucepan
Wood spoon
Small bowl if you opt for chopped nuts, candy, or sprinkles.
Ingredients
Nonstick baking spray
6 clean, dry, unwaxed apples*
6 candy sticks
Bag of square chewy caramel candies (14 oz)
2 tablespoons of cream or milk…or water
Optional - chopped toffee, nuts, chopped candy pieces, sprinkles, etc.
Directions
1. Line the baking pan with the wax paper and spray the wax paper with the nonstick baking spray.
2. If you plan to add the optional chopped nuts, candies, or sprinkles, prepare them in a separate bowl. This will guarantee easy access.
3. Unwrap the caramels and drop them into the saucepan.
4. Add the cream or milk. Place on stove top over low-medium heat. Stir until it’s smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Dip each apple in the caramel to coat. If the apple doesn’t get coated, tip the pan and turn the apple to coat it thoroughly.
6. Remove the apple from the caramel. Let the extra caramel drip into the saucepan. Then, remove the apple to the baking pan to cool.
7. If you add chopped nuts or candies, dip the apple into the bowl quickly. Do this before placing it on the baking pan.
8. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving. ENJOY!
African American George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist who made many discoveries that helped farmers everywhere. He loved to paint in his spare time. So, he invented ways to create paint from natural materials. This project will show you how to make paints the same way.
February 11 is National Inventors Day. Follow in the footsteps of George Washington Carver. Invent some paint, and then invent your masterpiece!
What you need
6 tbsp. of cornstarch
6 tbsp. of baking soda
3 tbsp. of light or clear corn syrup
5 tbsp. of white vinegar
An assortment of different colored fruits and vegetables
Sieve (strainer), or some muslin
Clean ice-cube tray or an empty egg carton
Glass bowl or glass measuring cup
Whisk or a sturdy fork
Hand-held mixer
Small bowl
Measuring spoons
*Note - the fruits and vegetables be frozen but must be thawed before using.
In the glass bowl/measuring cup, whisk together the cornstarch, baking soda, corn syrup, and vinegar until smooth.
Put about a tablespoon of the mixture into each “cup” in the ice-cube tray. Do the same for the egg carton. Then set it aside.
With the hand-held mixer, mash up each of your fruits and vegetables separately. (Clean off the mixer and its container after each use.)
4. After each fruit or vegetable is mashed thoroughly. Put it through the sieve over a clean bowl. This will catch the liquid. 5. Add 1/4 teaspoon of each different color to the cubes containing the corn starch mixture. Stir to blend well. 6. You now have paints George Washington Carver-style. Go ahead and use the paints to create something wonderful!
Helpful Hints: For leafy green veggies, it is best to tear the leaves into tiny pieces before mashing. If you cover the paint, it can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
The Red Wolf is one of nature’s most misunderstood and endangered predators. For one thing, red wolves aren’t necessarily even red. Some are black or brown, but most have a reddish coloring behind their ears. As a cousin of the Grey wolf, the reddish coloring earned them their name. They are about the same size as German shepherds. They weigh between 45 to 80 pounds. They are about 30 inches long with very bushy tails.
Predators or Prey?
Red wolves are predators because they hunt smaller animals and eat their meat. Their preferred diet consists of rabbits, deer, and raccoons. In a pinch, they’ll eat berries or insects. They hunt individually or in pairs.
Other than animals like coyotes or Grey wolves that are akin to them, they don’t have any known predators. Well, aside from us!
Packs
A group of five to eight wolves is known as a pack. Packs of wolves consist of mother and father wolves. They travel with their young pups. The young pups leave the pack when they are old enough to start their own pack.
Dangerous or Endangered?
By the 1970s, there were only fourteen wild red wolves accounted for according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. To help, they captured the fourteen remaining red wolves. These wolves were left to breed until their numbers were enough to release back into the wild in North Carolina. The red wolves found today all come from those fourteen remaining wolves!
They are not a threat to humans. In fact, red wolves are more afraid of humans than we should be of them.
Red wolves communicate by howling, barking, and yipping. They also use body language and marking their territories with their individual scents to keep other animals away.
Habits and Habitats
Wolf packs are very territorial and will defend their territories fiercely especially their dens. Red wolves hide their dens in places like riverbeds, next to fallen trees, or even in drainpipes. They keep their newborn pups in the dens under the supervision of the older members of the pack.
Red wolves are at home in several different environments. These include swamps, coastal grasslands, and woodlands. Their dens can be anywhere.
Early in the nation’s history, red wolves were native to the southern states. They extended all the way up to Pennsylvania. But, hunting reduced their numbers almost to the point of extinction.
