Hello,
Happy Holidays! During this exciting time of year, remember to relax and enjoy your family and friends. But also remember that the beginning of a new year is a good time to establish goals for yourself and children. Organization is one area included on most of our New Year’s resolution lists. Help your children to reorganize and clean out knapsacks, binders, and notebooks, and purchase new ones if necessary. Now is also a good time to begin organizing material for midterm exams, if appropriate. Use this downtime constructively so 2014 starts off strong!
Many of our students will spend some time over the break working towards their goals. Most 8th graders applying to private schools have taken their high school admissions tests, but many are finishing up applications. High school juniors are focusing on SAT/ACT test prep, while others will start preparing in January. Finally, high school seniors are working on their college applications.
Make it a productive break and, as I tell my students, do whatever you can do today to make tomorrow easier!
Please remember to call us at Foundation for Learning if we can help you in these areas or with any other academic needs.
Happy Holidays!
Betty
Betty Bodenweiser
Director
Foundation for Learning
Here are some dates to mark on your calendars.
We all know Rudolph, the most popular of Santa’s reindeer, but how much do you know about the other reindeer that pull the famous sleigh each year?
Washington Irving wrote in 1812 about the magical St. Nicholas, who would ride in a wagon over the tops of trees in order to bring Christmas gifts to children. But in his story, "A Complete History of New York," Irving never mentions how the wagon is moving about through the sky. It’s not until 1821, when a poem written by an anonymous author called "A New Year’s Present" is published in New York that we first learn that reindeer are pulling the famous sleigh along.
Old Santeclaus with much delight
His reindeer drives this frosty night.
O'er chimneytops, and tracks of snow,
To bring his yearly gifts to you.
In 1823, Clement C. Moore wrote "A Visit From St Nicholas," which is more popularly known as "The Night Before Christmas." In this poem Moore firmly plants the tale of eight flying reindeer into our holiday traditions and is the first accounting of the actual names of the creatures.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Dunder and Blixem!
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!"
Rudolph, the lovable red-nosed outcast who later becomes a hero, was first brought to us by Robert May, who wrote a book in 1939 for the Montgomery Ward Department Stores that was to be given as a gift to children who visited the store’s Santa.
Did you notice that two of the reindeer are named Dunder and Blixem? Well those names actually are Germanic words that translate to thunder and lightning. It’s not surprising that we’d see those German names as these stories originated in New York, which was initially called New Amsterdam and settled by Dutch and German immigrants. Well, in 1949, Johnny Marks composed the enormously popular song, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," based on the Robert May book, and in it those two reindeer are named Donner and Blitzen, and those two names remain the popular versions today.
So why reindeer? Well, many of our Christmas traditions were brought to us by early Dutch and German immigrants, and along with them came their customs and their own stories. In their homelands, the reindeer population was quite widespread and once the majestic creatures were domesticated they were popularly used for transportation…including pulling sleds and sleighs.
So this season, while you’re creating your wonderful holiday cookies, why not whip up a batch of Reindeer Chow too? It could be a new tradition in your own home!
Reindeer Chow
1 box Crispix or Chex cereal
1 small jar peanut butter
1 box powdered sugar
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter over low heat, stirring constantly until liquidy and hot.
Pour the cereal into a large bowl (make it plenty large because you’ll need room!) and when the chocolate mixture is ready, pour over the cereal. With a wide spoon, gently stir until all the cereal pieces are evenly coated. Let sit for a few minutes until it cools a bit.
Meanwhile, pour half of the powdered sugar into a brown grocery bag. Once the cereal mixture is sufficiently cooled, pour the contents of the bowl into the brown bag and then pour in the remainder of the powdered sugar.
Roll the brown bag closed and shake, shimmy, and roll the contents around in the bag until the contents are completely coated with the sugar. This may take a few moments, so have a good time dancing around the kitchen with your kids while doing this step of the recipe.
Once covered, let the reindeer chow sit in the brown bag until cooled. Store in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
Match each of the four images below to a quote from the list. Extra credit: Name the character who spoke the quoted line!
1. “Say, by the way, can you play ‘Jingle Bells?’”
2. “Santie Claus, why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?”
3. “Hey Buddy, wanna pick some snowberries?”
4. “Someday I’d like to be…a dentist.”
Answer next month!
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LAST ISSUE'S PUZZLER: The Kingdom of Castles, with ANSWER
Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Castles there lived a prince in search of a bride. The prince searched throughout the kingdom. One afternoon, after many hours of seeking hither and yon, the prince spied a fair maid fetching some water from Castle Creek. The prince fell instantly in love.
“Greetings and well met, fair maid!” said the prince, “I am Prince Phillip, future king of all this land. Will you marry me?”
“Nay, bold prince, it cannot be,” said the fair maid, “unless you can answer my riddle. For the man who marries me must be clever beyond compare.”
“Speak your riddle then, beautiful maid, and I will answer it, and you shall be my bride.”
“You are confident, good prince, but we shall see if you are clever. Here is my riddle:
Forty men and forty horses
may not move it one hair.
As large as yonder castle,
yet lighter than air?
What am I?”
The prince proceeded to make 99 guesses but each time the fair maid replied, “Nay, nay, try once more.” Finally the prince smiled a princely smile and said: “I have got it at last, and now you will be my bride!”
The prince gave his final guess and the fair maid smiled and held out her arms and said, “Now I shall be your bride, for you are clever indeed!
What is the answer to the fair maid’s riddle?
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ANSWER:
The shadow of a castle.
