Why Yom HaShoah Jewish World Holocaust Remembrance Day?

January 27 marks Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day, Jews around the world honor those lost in the Nazi genocide of World War Two. And we join them in commemorating this profound loss. The depth and width and breadth of Germany's Third Reich killing machine is too much to imagine.

And to think some deny the Holocaust happened. Those people I won't even think about. That monstrous egotism is beyond help. But then some basically loving people ask why Jews get to use the term Holocaust? Like it's a privilege? These people then cite other genocides of which sadly there are many.  It's petty, but there's hope of reaching these. So I explain Why Yom HaShoah Jewish World Holocaust Remembrance Day?

2014 Chinese New Year of the Horse Crafts, Printables

Chinese New Year begins early in western calendar January 31, 2014. This year, we celebrate the Year of the Horse. It's also called the Spring Festival and concludes with a Lantern Festival. I'd love to visit China--all that festivity! The theme is Good Fortune and the expression is "Gong Hay Fat Choy!" wishes luck for the coming year.
Speaking of luck, I happened upon a cute site I thought I'd share with parents: Activity Village. It's one I've used a lot over my career writing about educational printables. But they seem to have improved site loads and content. There are crafts, games, puzzles, coloring sheets and worksheets for kids on CNY (Chinese New Year). There are recipes, game and party ideas. Read on.  2014 Chinese New Year of the Horse Crafts for Kids

Creating Friend Maps to Learn Geography, Social Studies

When I was a little girl, my parents took me to visit big churches. The minister would ask if there were visitors and how far they'd come. It's one of the ways I developed my passion for world travel. Since I started writing online, I've done kind of the same thing. Writers come from around the globe. So I keep a mental map of places my friends hail from. You know, like those maps where you stick a pin in your location? You might attach a string to show how far you traveled to get there.  This is a great geography and social studies activity. My Bubblews World Friend Map, Where Should I Put Your Pin?