Monthly Archives: January 2015
2014 CRITTERS PREDITOR AND EDITOR READER’S POLL
The Mud Rose (Book Two of my Time Rose series) placed sixth in its category the recent 2014 Preditor & Editor’s Reader’s Poll. Last year, its predecessor, The Disappearing Rose, also made the top ten.
TRIVIA TRAIL: AMERICA’S ANCIENT EGYPTIAN OBELISK
Question: What is the name of the ancient Egyptian obelisk erected in Central Park, New York on January 22nd, 1881? Answer: Cleopatra’s Needle. Twin of the one that sits on the banks of the Thames in London England, the red granite structure is 69 feet (21 metres) tall, with hieroglyphs on all sides. Some […]
HISTORIC SHARE: CALENDARS
By now, everyone should be used to this year’s new calendars, but it’s interesting to check out how calendars used to be, and you can find some vintage ones through the Digital Public Library of America: http://bookpatrol.net/happy-new-calendar-a-sampling-of-calendars-at-the-dpla/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BookPatrol+%28Book+Patrol%29
HISTORIC WEATHER: HISTORIC COLD SNAP
If you live in certain areas of the Northern hemisphere, chances are you’re finding the days a bit nippy. But probably not as nippy as it was in the northern United States during the winter of 1779-80. That was the winter the whole of the Potomac River froze over, as did a good bit of […]
INTRODUCTORY RE-POSTS: WHAT’S THIS BLOG ALL ABOUT?
For the benefit of those who might be new to this blog, I am re-posting some of the introductory information. HISTORY YAY, OR HISTORY NAY? Why do some kids like history, and others hate it? It might have something to do with presentation. If a teacher views a historical event in terms of facts and […]
HISTORY LURE: SNOW-RELATED HISTORY FOR SNOWY DAYS
Kids in British Columbia’s sunny Okanagan are now back in school, but earlier this week, the Okanagan wasn’t so sunny, and they had a couple of ‘Snow Days’ – something that hasn’t happened in this region for decades. (For the benefit of those who don’t ever have them, a snow day is a day that […]
HISTORIC CELEBRATION: HANDSEL MONDAY
While Hogmanay (New Year) is a big deal in Scotland, there was a time that Handsel Monday was a big deal too, and it is still celebrated there, as well as in some places in Ireland and Northern England. Handsel Monday (in Gaelic, Diluain Traoighte, or ‘Drained Monday’) is observed on the first Monday of […]
Time Travelling With Kids 