Every month there is lots to celebrate – official holiday or not, they provide great inspiration for creative activities you can do with your family. The great thing about “month” celebrations are they are not tied to a specific day and allow for activities that can spread out throughout the month and celebrated whenever you like. It gives you the chance to celebrate and make everyday special. November is: Aviation History Month, National Model Railroad Month, National Novel Writing Month, Peanut Butter Lovers Month and National Sleep Comfort Month.
Aviation History Month:
If you have the opportunity to go to an aviation or flight museum, or take in an air-show these are great educational family activities that build memories. You can learn about all of the different types of flying machines that have been built over the years, or have your children invent their own flying machine. What would it look like? How would it work? Sketch it out to follow in the footsteps of Leonardo Da Vinci, or even better, build a model and try it out, just like the Wright brothers!
Most kids know the basic paper airplane model, but there’s a wide variety of designs out there. Why not have a neighborhood paper or model airplane making party? Each family could make their own model of a historic aircraft or invent their own. Set up a paper airplane course with colored tape and see who can fly their plane the farthest! Offer little prizes for the most creatively decorated and the most accurate or any other category you like.
National Model Railroad Month:
From the old west to the Orient Express, trains have captured the imaginations of young and old for centuries. See if there are any Model train hobby groups operating in your area. Some may even have public displays.If anyone from home is reading Growing Creative Kids, the Golden City Railway Modellers has an AMAZING Model of what Rossland use to look like. They are celebrating Model railroad month by having model Railway Days on Nov. 18 and 19 at the Waneta Mall in Trail, BC. They have kindly agreed to let me share some pictures with you.
“Center Star and War Eagle Mines” – Golden City Railway Modellers
“Mining Modules” – Golden City Railway Modellers
“The Rossland Courthouse” – Golden City Railway Modellers
National Novel Writing Month:
Have you ever had your children come to you and say “I want to write a book” or have you ever wanted to write a book yourself? There’s a saying that there’s is a book within all of us waiting to come out. The folks at http://www.nanowrimo.org/ have created a challenge, write a novel in a month. This is an ambitious challenge that many people take up each year and the movement is growing. Their website has some amazing resources for getting kids and teens involved.
These workbooks http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/workbooks are incredible tools. There was over 42,000 children and teens who participated in National Novel writing month in 2010!
Writing has always been seen as a rather solitary pursuit, but it doesn’t have to be! Besides having the option of joining an online community you can turn this into a fun family activity. You can support each other, share ideas and inspirations while you each work on your own projects. Going through the workbooks be fore starting to write and while you are writing is a great way for everyone to learn about the craft of writing!
Peanut Butter Lovers Month:
Peanut butter seems to be one of those foods you either love or hate. If you happen to love peanut butter as much as I do, head over to our “Peanut butter” post.
National Sleep Comfort Month:
Having a comfortable sleep is vitally important for everyone in your family. Numerous studies have shown that an uncomfortable sleep has a big impact on our health, cognitive abilities and emotions. When considering sleep comfort, environment, habits, diet and exercise all play a roll.
One of the biggest “sleep thieves” is having a television in the bedroom. According to a National Post article, “Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who analyzed data for 2,707 children found 5 year olds are more likely to have behavior problems, disturbed sleep and ‘less emotional reactivity’ if they have a television in their bedroom than those with TV-free rooms.”
If you would like to create a more functional and restful bedroom there are some ideas in our Creative Kids Bedrooms post.
This is an opportunity to look at all of your bedrooms and habits like a detective and see what might be disrupting sleep. Some people cannot stand having lights on, even the glow from a digital clock can disrupt sleep. Some people need a specific temperature range in their bedroom. You might find that eating a heavy meal before bed disrupts your sleep, or you might find you get thirsty at night and having to get up to get a glass of water will wake you more than having a glass easily accessible. Having a discussion with your kids is important in helping identify things that might be keeping them from getting a good night sleep. It might also be an idea to try a sleep journal. Sleeping is something we do pretty much every day of our lives, but you really need to stop and look at the how’s and why’s to understand what works best for you.
How will your family be Celebrating November? Please share your ideas and comments below!
