We continued this morning with our Spring Celebrations around the world with the Hindu celebration called Holi. Bright neon powder covers northern India during the annual Hindu celebration called Holi, held in March. Known as the festival of colors, Holi is celebrated on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna. This ancient tradition marks the end of winter and honors the triumph of good over evil. They light bonfires, throw colorful powder called gulal, eat sweets, and dance to traditional folk music. Celebrations of Holi take place all over the world! There is no better way to explain a celebration than through the mouths of kids! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7NZEtivn0s

Fun Fact: Holi is also known as the “Festival of Spring” that lasts for 2 days. Kids start using water balloon and water pistols a week or 10 days before Holi. They hide and target the by-passers with balloons filled with colored water and water pistols.

Daily Challenge: Give me your most colorful art to honor Holi’s Spring Celebration OR Share your favorite thing about your time off! 

Send to msweeney@gpsd.us.

Morning Announcements: Tuesday, April 13, 2021 - Spring Celebrations (Nowruz)

We are finishing up our Spring Celebrations with learning about the Persian New Year, Nowruz that is celebrated by millions of people in Iran and other countries, especially through the Middle East and Central Asia on March 20^th.

Families celebrate Nowruz by cleaning their homes and having a big feast. A table is usually arranged with seven items that start with the letter s in the Persian language—such as sprouts (sabzeh) and dried fruit (senjed). Each item symbolizes a principle, such as love or rebirth. When Nowruz finally arrives, people dress up and visit with friends and family, celebrating with prayers, music, dancing and feasts. It's a time of joyful celebration. We even got to learn some new Persian words through our video today to help us fill the table with 7 items that start with “S”! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdbufOMWGRg

13 days after Nowruz is celebrated, a festival called Sizdah Bedar is held. On this day, families spend time outside at a park or in the countryside and have a festive picnic. The day is all about being outside in nature and enjoying spring.

Daily Challenge: In honor of Nowruz, what do you enjoy about nature and being outside in the spring? Bonus: Name as many objects as you can with the letter S.

Send to msweeney@gpsd.us.

Morning Announcements: Wednesday, April 14, 2021 - National Gardening Day

Today is National Gardening Day! Observed on April 14th annually, National Gardening Day is a holiday in which people can roll up their sleeves and get their hands a little bit dirty in their garden. Gardening is a hobby enjoyed by millions of people all over the world and is probably one of the most relaxing of all the hobbies a person can do. Did you know????

• It’s the scent of flowers that attract bees to them and not their color—which can be the reason why bees are preferring the weeds over the flowers in your garden.
• During the 17th century, demand for tulip bulbs increased so much that they became worth more than gold.
• An average strawberry has about 200 seeds. It is the only fruit that bears its seeds on the outside.
• Worms have 5 hearts.
• The first gardens were used to grow herbs for medicine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJX_PzlDp6U

Daily Challenge: Honor gardens today! Help clean up weeds outside, plant your own flowers, plan your own garden by drawing what vegetables you would grow! If you have a garden, show me your pictures! 

Send to msweeney@gpsd.us.

Morning Announcements: Thursday, April 15, 2021 - World Art Day