National Geographic Kids Weird But True – A Perfect Christmas Gift

Paula — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 20:02:25 +0000

I received product from Moms Meet for consideration here. My opinion is my own. National Geographic Kids Weird But True! is a series of books tailor-made to get kids excited about learning. As you all know, I love to give gifts that promote learning for birthdays and holidays. Whether books, games, or puzzles; I’m always on the lookout for gifts that make learning fun and exciting. That’s why I love the National Geographic Kids Weird But True! series. Their books are full of fun facts that get kids excited about learning and exploring. They make a perfect gift for the holidays or birthdays. Why I love National Geographic Kids Weird But True For years I have been mailing my youngest nephews a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine. They love it and it’s an educational gift that keeps on giving all year round. I mean what child can resist getting something in the mail addressed to them? Several years ago my kids discovered National Geographic Weird But True books. For years my older daughter took these everywhere and memorized a zillion quirky facts. National Geographic Weird But True never gets old. I’ve been giving Nat Geo Kids products to my oldest nephew since he was old enough to sit and read with his mom or dad. Now, at age 10, he still loves to learn. He devours trivia, and he loves to surprise me with trivia questions whenever I see him. Along that same line, both of my kids – one who is just about to graduate and another who is into her teens – STILL flip through these books every so often. Even I look through them on occasion. They are quite simply a lot of fun. As my youngest niece and her two brothers have grown, they have become voracious little readers. My own girls have been reading independently for well over a decade. Both often received these Nat Geo Weird But True books for Christmas and for summer months too. We always learned something new every time we read one. Now my girls often sit and read in both French and English with their cousins when they visit us. Slowly and progressively over time, we have watched Taiga and Hannah grow so much more confident in their independent reading. The youngest Kaz is getting there. But he’s five and working on three different languages – English, French and Japanese – so he’s got a lot going on. It’s pretty exciting to see my youngest niece and her brothers falling in love with books. About two weeks ago I was in Toronto for work and had a chance to stay over at my brother’s house. From the moment I arrived the kids peppered me with trivia and oddball facts. “Auntie Paula, did you know…?” In fact, I was amazed how much they knew. So, these National Geographic Weird But True! Books are going straight to them this Christmas. The Tenth Anniversary In honor of Weird But True! turning 10, here are a couple facts regarding this series (and one fact about me too): Canada was the first country to get its very own Weird But True! book in March 2018. Nat Geo Kids has published more than 15,000 Weird But True! Facts and counting Weird But True! started in Nat Geo Kids magazine back in 2004 and it’s been the most popular feature ever since. More than a third of all Weird But True! facts are about animals. This Werid But True! series is now up to 32 books with more than 7 million copies in print around the world. This series and my blog BOTH turned 10 this year. Win Weird But True Right now, National Geographic Kids Weird But True! has a fun contest going for kids, aged 6 to 14. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, they’re hosting a contest that allows kids to find their own verifiable facts about Canada. Kids are encouraged to find weird facts about their town, province, or country and mail it to National Geographic by May 1, 2019. If their fact is featured in next May on the National Geographic Kids website, they’ll win two books: Weird But True! Canada and Weird But True! 10. Give the Gift of Weird National Geographic Weird But True! is a wonderful series promoting reading, exploration, and a general love of learning. With so many exciting facts to be found. This series is the perfect gift for any child on any holiday. Check out this series for yourself, and you’ll quickly see what I’m talking about. I received product from Moms Meet in exchange for an honest review here. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful.

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Halloween Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Paula — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 09:08:50 +0000

Halloween facts you probably didn’t know are the focus today. We all know that Halloween is a night of dressing up and tromping around the neighborhood for sugary treats that will cause our children to become raving lunatics. But do we know any more than that? Well, you will after you read this! Get ready from some Halloween facts that will blow your mind! Halloween Facts – Fun and Interesting All Hallow’s Eve Trivia So let’s get into it. Halloween hasn’t always been about candy. Well, it has, but it hasn’t always been about JUST candy. It actually has a long, storied history that most of us don’t know. Halloween Used to Be Work The practice of trick or treating can be traced back to the European practice of “mumming”. People showed up to houses wearing costumes and performing dances, songs, and play in exchange for treats. In some early version of the practice, men paraded from door to door while boy followed and begged for coins. These early trick-or-treaters were poor and actually needed that money. Halloween is the Real Irish Holiday Most people think of St. Patrick’s Day when they think of Irish holidays, but it was basically invented in American by Irish-Americans. In fact, until the ’70s, it was only a minor religious holiday in Ireland. Add to that that St. Patrick was more than likely NOT Irish and the story about him banishing snakes is actually a metaphor for his ousting of Irish paganism, St. Patrick’s Day is really not very Irish at all. And speaking of Irish paganism, THAT’S where we get Halloween. The true Irish holiday, Halloween originates from a Celtic festival for the dead called Samhain. The Celts believed that the ghosts of the dead came forth onto the earth on this day. People dressed in costumes and left treats by their front doors to appease the roaming spirits. The Celts also invented the Jack O’Lantern, a staple of our modern day Halloween. Costumes Used to be Animal Skins and Heads One of the more macabre Halloween facts is this one. If you think the involved rubber masks you sometimes see are ghoulish, just think of what it was like back when Halloween celebrants meant business. Tribes in what is now Germany and France wore costumes made of animal heads and skins. Halloween A.K.A. Cabbage Night If you think cleaning up after your house has been toilet papered is bad, read on, and you’ll feel somewhat better. Way, way back in early Framingham, Massachusetts, teens co-opted a Scottish fortune telling game where girls used cabbage stumps to predict what their future husbands would be like. The Framingham teens tweaked the game and instead threw cabbages at their neighbors’ houses. Later in the late 19th century, American boy purportedly threw cabbage, corn, and other rotten veggies at their neighbors’ homes. Some Shelters Won’t Adopt Out Black Cats on the Holiday Another of the more strange Halloween facts is that some shelters will not adopt out black cats around Halloween. Somehow a misconception that people may sacrifice the cats on Halloween has taken hold, although there is NO evidence to support this. Halloween Brings Out the Inner Monster This is one of the Halloween facts you might not know but that should also come as no surprised. Costumed children wearing masks have been shown to be more likely to act badly when they believed there was no adult supervision. The study showed that when these children grouped together, they were far more likely to steal candy and money than non-costumed children. Halloween Facts – Who Knew? I don’t know about you, but until I started researching this, I didn’t know ANY of these Halloween facts. It was interesting to read a few of these facts, especially when I came across the fact that Halloween is more Irish than St. Patrick’s Day. I am still shook. Do you know any odd or lesser know Halloween facts that I didn’t list here? If so, please share!

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National Geographic Kids Weird But True – A Perfect Christmas Gift

Halloween Facts You Probably Didn’t Know