February is a good month to discuss many things with young children. This year is a leap year – what does that mean? It means we have an additional day this year, and it only happens once every four years. Instead of 365 days this year, we will have 366 days!

February is African American History Month. During this month we pay tribute to the generations of African American who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society (africanamericanhistorymonth.gov). Carter G. Woodson, raised awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization and he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925 (africanamericanhistorymonth.gov). Teachers will pay tribute in the classrooms by reading books and doing activities centered on the many accomplishments African Americans have made to make the U.S. a better place. We will have a display of wonderful children’s books in the front lobby, on top of the lockers, for you to review. Be sure to read our parenting article in this newsletter, “Teaching Your Child About Black History Month” by PBS.org. https://africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/

February also brings us Groundhog Day, February 2. According to Wikipedia, it derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog, emerging from its burrow, on this day sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks, and if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early. Children enjoy learning about this curious creature and watching Punxsutawney Phil make his prediction. Ask your child to predict whether or not Punxsutawney Phil will or will not see his shadow, and then see what happens. Was your child right? What does that mean? You can also have great discussions about what a superstition is. Have fun making your predictions!

For February being a short month, it is packed with even more wonderful learning opportunities. Valentine’s Day is February 14, and classrooms will have a celebration. In short, Valentine’s Day is a day where people express their love for one another. This is a day we talk about friendships and being kind. Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, February 25. Not everyone celebrates Mardi Gras; however, you will see King Cakes at HEB and people wearing beads. To learn more about Mardi Gras, I encourage you to visit https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/. I also encourage you to try a king cake. It comes with a tiny baby you put inside the cake, and the person who gets that slice of cake with the baby has the next king cake party. Again, another fun tradition to try out this year. Lastly, February brings us Presidents Day. This day originated from the first U.S. President, George Washington. It honors all who have served as president. Washington is associated with cherries. When Washington was a child, he was given a hatchet and damaged his father’s cherry tree. The famous quote, “I cannot tell a lie…” came from this incident when his father approached him about the damaged cherry tree. Some people celebrate by eating cherries on President’s Day to honor George Washington. Visit www.mountvernon.org for more information.

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