Monday, February 15th is Presidents’ Day! The origin of Presidents’ Day is the 1880s, when the birthday of George Washington was first celebrated as a federal holiday. In 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays. This was implemented to schedule certain holidays so that workers had long weekends throughout the year. During debate on the bill, it was proposed that Washington’s Birthday be renamed Presidents’ Day to honor the birthdays of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Eventually, this holiday was changed to represent and celebrate all 46 president’ birthdays, and that is what we celebrate on the third Monday of each February. Do your students know the presidents? Consider using this day to teach them this bit of history!
While we’re talking about national days, Wednesday, February 17, is Random Act of Kindness Day! This is a day to celebrate and spread kindness. Random acts of kindness have been shown to improve the recipients mood, the givers mood, and even the moods of people who witness the acts of kindness! Below, I have provided a list of easy random acts of kindness that you or your children/students can do on this day or any other:
• Pay it Forward: buy coffee for the person behind you in line.
• Compliment the first three people you talk to today.
• Send a positive text message to five different people right now.
• Post inspirational sticky notes around your neighborhood, office, school, etc.
• Donate old towels or blankets to an animal shelter.
• Let someone go in front of you in line who only has a few items.
• Write a kind message on your mirror for yourself or a family member.
• Smile at five strangers.
• Set an alarm on your phone to go off at three different times during the day. In those moments, do something kind for someone else.
• Practice self-kindness and spend 30 minutes doing something you love today.
This weeks functional tip is a 5 minute freshen up! Some days we get really busy, and sometimes when we get busy we also get sweaty or just don’t feel our best. This is when we implement the 5 minute freshen up! It’s important to, on top of teaching basic hygiene, give children basic tips on how to make sure they remain fresh and clean throughout the day. Here are the steps one can take in a 5 minute freshen-up:
1. Wash your hands
2. Put on chapstick or lipstick
3. Spritz perfume/cologne
4. Apply hand lotion
5. Comb hair
6. Stretch
7. Take a bird bath (use wet nap for smelly body parts)
8. Put on new deodorant over the old
9. Brush teeth
10. Wash your face
Remember to take care of yourself this week, and as always, stay tuned on my instagram for tutor tips and more! Have a great week!
