March – In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

This is an old expression about the month of March – how the weather is cold and unpleasant at the beginning of the month, and then warmer and more comfortable at the end.

Here’s a children’s story about it:

Try reading it out loud to your child (or just yourself).  It’s good practice.
You can also  buy the book here, or borrow it from your library.

March – In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

This is an old expression about the month of March – how the weather is cold and unpleasant at the beginning of the month, and then warmer and more comfortable at the end.

Here’s a children’s story about it:

Try reading it out loud to your child (or just yourself).  It’s good practice.
You can also  buy the book here, or borrow it from your library.

Baseball Idioms

   Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the United States.  The baseball team in Boston is the Red Sox.  They play their first game of the 2019 season on Thursday, March 28th.

There are many expressions – ‘idioms’ – used commonly that come from baseball A few examples:

  • Someone who is “on the ball”  is a person you trust to get something done.  They are knowledgeable and responsible.
  • Someone who “strikes out” fails at something (there are other meanings too).
    For example: He asked for her phone number, but he struck out.
  • If you “Go to bat” for someone, it means that you help or support them.

If you know the rules of how to play baseball, it can really help you to understand these idioms better – and also to watch a game on TV, or even better, at the baseball park.

March – In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

This is an old expression about the month of March – how the weather is cold and unpleasant at the beginning of the month, and then warmer and more comfortable at the end.

Here’s a children’s story about it:

Try reading it out loud to your child (or just yourself).  It’s good practice.
You can also  buy the book here, or borrow it from your library.

Presidents’ Day

   Until the middle of the 1970s, February 22, the birthday of George Washington who was the first president of the United States, was a national holiday.  Also, February 12,  the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president during the Civil War, was a holiday in most states.  In the 1970s, Congress declared a single holiday, to be called Presidents’ Day, would be observed on the third Monday in February (Monday February 18th this year) to honor all past presidents.

Here’s a video rap to help you remember their names.

Here’s information about what places are open or closed on this national holiday…

Town/City Hall and other government offices and courts: Closed

Public Schools: Closed (Part of February vacation week)

Senior Center: Closed

Public Library: Closed

Supermarkets: Open

Retail stores: Most are open

No Mail Delivery

Abraham Lincoln

  Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born on February 12th, 1809. He led the United States through its Civil War in the 1860s, which abolished slavery in the country.  He was assassinated (killed) in 1865 – only a few days after the war ended.

At the site of a large battle in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (where 23,000 soldiers died in just one day), President Lincoln gave a 3-minute speech (now known as The Gettysburg Address) that has become the most famous in American history…

Groundhog Day

February 2nd is a small, fun/silly holiday called Groundhog Day.  You may see it mentioned on the news – especially during the weather report.  According to legend:

  • If the groundhog sees his shadow on Feb 2nd, there will be 6 more weeks of winter
  • If he doesn’t see his shadow, there will be an early spring

Did he see his shadow this year?   No, he didn’t see his shadow.  Here’s the ceremony  – in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania

There’s also a popular romantic comedy movie called Groundhog Day that you might enjoy watching.