holiday

on

I sure hope you are all safe and healthy during these times! 


This month, in honor of Halloween, I chose to read a book aloud called “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything,” written by Linda Williams.

I like this book because the little old lady is a very strong, brave, independent person, and I love characters like that. Just like Liberty Lane (the best learning apps for kids) as a matter of fact! 


I love how the story builds, and when she does become a bit scared towards the end of the story, she turns her fear into an idea, a successful one at that. 
This is a fun book to read with your kids because they can make the sounds that are written about in the book as you read along. 


Happy Halloween everyone! Talk to you next month! 


Amber 

on

Pinch me, its March! World of Liberty loves the month of March for 2 reasons. Everyone wears green in honor of Irish Heritage and it’s Women’s History month. You know what that means…lots of celebrating, parades, and learning about strong women. Some of our favorite things.

Happy St. Patricks dayTop o’ the month to you lass and lad. Just getting into the Irish spirit. Every year, on March 17th, we turn everything green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, or you’ll get pinched. But did you ever wonder why all the pinching? Legend has it that wearing green on this day made you invisible to leprechauns so they couldn’t pinch you because they couldn’t see you. The leprechauns are sneaky little guys from Irish folklore, full of mischief and always looking to rile things up. Although, centuries ago the only ones wearing green were Catholics. Most people took on wearing green in America to represent their love of the Irish and to honor Saint Patrick on the date marking his death, March 17th.st patrick

Saint Patrick is known for bringing Christianity to Ireland. It has been said that he used the shamrock to teach the Holy Trinity to the Irish, each leaf representing a different entity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So now you know why we wear green and the shamrock’s role in all of it. Pretty neat right?

Over 35 million Americans list “Irish” as their heritage according to the US Census, while Ireland’s actual population is around 4.8 million. That means there’s more Irish people in America than there are in Ireland! So you better believe we are going to celebrate the Emerald Isle in style, and what better way to do so than with a parade. Let’s dye a river green while we’re at it.

Liberty_part20012Every year in Chicago the St. Patrick’s Day parade starts with the dyeing of the river. This happens on a Saturday whether or not St. Patrick’s Day is actually on a Saturday. This year it
will be on March 12th the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. But Chicago isn’t the only city to throw a big parade, most big cities across America have one. The top 5 big ones for your bucket list are New York (the biggest parade around), Chicago, Boston (the longest running parade), Savannah, and Kansas City in Missouri. So don’t forget to wear your green and celebrate on the 17th, the day where we’re ALL Irish!

banner_womens_historyMarch also happens to be Women’s History month. Did you know the President has to make a formal proclamation to Congress for a group to be celebrated for a whole month? That’s a great achievement for women to be recognized for their heroic, amazing efforts and accomplishments in history.

One of our favorite women in history has to be the great adventurer, Amelia Earhart. She is highly regarded as a woman who broke down the walls of tradition and blazed a trail all her Ameliaown. Imagine a world where it was unheard of for a woman to be a passenger in an airplane, not to mention flying an airplane on her own. Amelia had a passion for aviation and went after her dreams, setting record after record. People took notice of her bravery and she became a sought after aviator, lecturer, and writer.

Truman FlyingAmelia Earhart’s last flight was her most ambitious endeavor, a flight around the world. As the story goes, she never made it to the final destination and her disappearance remains a mystery. In her short time on Earth, Amelia broke down barriers for women in the work force as well as provided inspiration for all women that wish to fulfill their dreams, whatever they might be. We at World of Liberty believe she is truly a heroine to be remembered this month.

Another significant woman in history, was Frida Kahlo, a talented artist from Mexico. She was most known for her self taught ability to depict her pain and culture in self portraits.Frida After a bus accident, Frida suffered injuries that would plague her for the rest of her life, requiring 35 operations. In her time of solace, she honed her skills and became well known for her spirit of feminism. Always controversial, Frida never strayed from her passion or let anyone change her. It’s a great lesson to be learned these days. Stay focused on being who you are, find the best way to show others what makes you unique and you will inspire the world.

Womens History MonthThat’s what Women’s History month is all about. Learning about the past to inspire a better future. Perhaps your school will be one of the lucky ones to enlist a woman performer to come tell the story of one of our many brilliant women of history.

We hope you feel inspired to seek out other courageous women throughout history that left their mark. There’s always a chance you might follow in one of their bold footsteps. Enjoy your lucky March full of heritage and history.

on

Brrrrrrrrrr! It’s that time of year where it’s frosty outside and toasty inside. There’s cheer in the air and a spirit of sharing at World of Liberty. It seems as though the calendar saved the
best dates for last. We can’t think of a better way to end the year than on a giving note.

Before we get to the biggest holiday of the year, there is another special day that is celebrated across the world. You have all heard of St. Nicholas, right? Well, December 6th is St. Nicholas St NicholasDay, also known as Feast Day. St. Nicholas is a real person from 4th Century Greece known to help the needy by placing coins in their shoes. His name means “bearer of gifts” and there are several stories about him bestowing gifts to children that are well behaved. When the children knew he was coming they would leave carrots for his donkey in their shoes or boots, and St. Nicholas would leave sweets, fruit, nuts, and coins inside of their shoes in return.  Many parts of this worldly tradition are represented in our modern day Christmas celebrations. For instance, this is where the tradition of hanging your stockings originated. This day is meant to remember the kindness and giving nature of Saint Nicholas rather than focus on what you have received, be grateful for what you have been given.

We are very blessed in America, but December 7th reminds us of a day “that will live in infamy.” Can you name the President that spoke those famous words? That would be Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941, in response to the surprise attacks from Japan Pearl Harbor Dayon the naval base at Pearl Harbor inHawaii. Over 350 Japanese fighter planes bombed Pearl Harbor early that morning, upon which America was forced to declare their entrance into World War II. Eight battleships were damaged, 4 sunk, in efforts to expand the Empire of Japan. The USS Arizona was the only battleship unable to be raised and is memorialized forever underwater off the shore of Oahu. You can visit the site of this historic attack and the museum in the USS Missouri. Even though the 7th is not an official federal holiday, we will always remember and honor the thousands of lives lost in the fight that day.

On a lighter note, let’s talk about the Festival of Lights known as Hanukkah. This 8 day long Jewish celebration can start as early as November depending on the Hebrew calendar for that given Webyear. Each day an additional candle is lit on the 9 branched menorah, representing the 8 days and nights the oil burned on what was supposed to be only a day’s worth of oil. This miracle took place after the successful Maccabean revolt and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Truly a miracle to celebrate!  Hanukkah is full of tradition such as reciting three blessings before lighting the candles each night. It is also customary to play a game of dreidel after the candles are lit. Playing dreidel represents the games the Jews would play to disguise the fact that they had gathered to read the Torah which has been outlawed back in 2nd century BC.  The soldiers would think they were gambling rather than learning. Can you imagine having to hide the fact that you were learning? Take the opportunity to find a dreidel of your own and play at home. You might also  want to enjoy foods made in oil such as latkes and doughnuts as they do traditionally. Sounds yummy right? It’s all done to remember the importance of oil all those centuries ago. If you aren’t Jewish yourself, perhaps you can join in the festivities with a friend and experience the wonder that is Hanukkah.

One of the newest holidays in the month of December, full of culture and community, is Kwanzaa. It was first celebrated in 1966 as a specifically African-American holiday that starts on PrintDecember 26th to January 1st. It was created by Maulana Karenga to honor African heritage. Each of the 7 days of the holiday represent a core principle. Unity, Self-Determination, Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. Every day of Kwanzaa you can discuss what these principles mean in your everyday life and their importance. It’s great culmination of food and gift-giving. World of Liberty thinks Kwanzaa is fantastic addition to creating community and enjoying the abundance this season brings.

That brings us to the biggest holiday of the year, Christmas. December 25th is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. They celebrate by attending church on Christmas Eve and enjoying the retelling of the Christmas Story through the display of a nativity. This was the original reason for Christmas over 2000 years ago. Over the years christmas treetraditions have been added to what we know today as Christmas, which brings us back to St. Nicholas. Remember him? Even though he is celebrated on December 6th in the rest of the world, in America we have celebrate the legend of St. Nick with Santa Clause on the 25th. He is indeed the gift giver as children well know. And just like St. Nicholas, Santa Clause only rewards kids that have been good all year. While St. Nicholas would leave a stick in the shoe of the bad children for their parents to punish them with, Santa Clause is known for leaving a lump of coal to those that are naughty. In the end, it’s all about being kind to one another and being on your best behavior. Instead of focusing on what you will receive this Christmas, try doing something for others. Make an ornament for your best friend. Create a Christmas card for your parents. Go caroling to spread cheer in your neighborhood. There’s so many wonderful ways to celebrate Christmas!

No matter what you believe in, this month is all about celebration with family and friends. So gather together and get festive. Put up a tree and decorate. Light up your home with candles with the help and supervision of an adult of course. December MemeMake your favorite food and cookies. And most importantly, share with those around you. There’s nothing quite like seeing your loved ones smile because of something you did for them. Enjoy the rest of 2015 and let there be peace and joy around you this season.