Official Kids Mag is specifically written for kids ages 5 to 12. It contains activities and stories ranging from kid heroes, cooking, gardening, STEAM, education, fun facts and much more every month.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1343116
March 20 won't you Be my neighbor day Everyone's favorite neighbor, Fred Rogers, the star of TV show "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood," was born on this day 1928. "It's a beautiful day" to honor him by being kind, generous, and neighborly! March 20 spring equinox The Spring Equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, is when the sun sits vertically above the equator, making day and night equal across the planet. It officially marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and there are celebrations around the world to celebrate the springtime and warmer days ahead. How will you celebrate the first day of spring? March 31 National Crayon Day National Crayon Day on March 31 celebrates one of America's favorite toys, the crayon! The modern-day crayon got its colorful start in 1903, when Crayola crayons were introduced by Binney & Smith as a safer and cheaper alternative to the art supplies being used back then. The first pack of eight crayons contained the colors: Black, Brown, Orange, Violet, Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow. These eight colors stayed the same for 45 years. Which is your favorite color? Since then, many colors were added, color names and packaging have changed, and new color styles such as neon, metallics, and glitter have been invented. There are over 120 different Crayola crayon colors including many retired and limited edition colors which are no longer available. There are 12 million crayons made daily. It is estimated the average American will have used 730 crayons by their 10th birthday. Even Mr. Fred Rogers himself has had a part in the history of crayons by molding the official 100 billionth crayon in February 1996 at the Crayola plant in Easton, Pennsylvania. crayons are even recyclable! The Crayon Initiative is a way for schools, restaurants and kids like you to donate used crayons which are sorted, melted, and then made into new crayons and given to places such as children's hospitals. Almost 60 million crayons are thrown away each year, and that prevents them from ending up in our landfills. Ask your adult to find out more by visiting www.thecrayoninitiative.org. statue of popeye in alma, arkansas...the "spinach capital of the world." (courtesy arkansas parks and tourism) March 17 St. Patrick's Day Unless you've been living under the Blarney Stone you probably know about St. Patrick's Day. The luck of the Irish and all things green are celebrated on St. Patrick's Day on March 17 every year. It started out as a day to honor St. Patrick of Ireland, but over time it has evolved into a fun celebration of Irish culture involving green food, shamrocks, leprechauns, pots of gold and other silly things. Parades are a common way to celebrate on St. Patrick Day in America. That's not surprising, since the first parade held in St. Patrick's honor took place in America, not Ireland, in 1601 in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Today the world's biggest St. Patrick's Day celebration is the annual parade in New York City, where more than two million spectators line the parade route. Every year starting in 1961, Chicago, Illinois has dyed its river bright green on St. Patrick's Day. Check out our St. Patrick's Day jokes on page 9. March 26 National Spinach Day Here in Arkansas, the town of Alma calls itself the "Spinach Capital of the World." At the time the town started calling itself that, it was canning more than half the spinach consumed in the United States. The canning factory is gone now, but Alma still celebrates all things spinach. The town's water tower is painted to be "the world's biggest of spinach." They also have an annual Spinach Festival, complete with a spinach-eating contest and a spinach drop where a package of spinach is dropped from an Alma Fire Department ladder truck onto a board with a contestant's name, who then wins a prize. Plus there's a giant bronze statue of cartoon character Popeye the Sailor on top of a water fountain near City Hall. Why Popeye? The television cartoon series "Popeye the Sailor" encouraged kids to eat more spinach for super strength. Not only does spinach provide iron, it's also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C — not to mention manganese and magnesium. Celebrate National Spinach Day by growing some spinach indoors! Learn how on our Kids Grow page 8. www.officialkidsmag.com • march 2021 • 7