Official Kids Mag

May 6-12 National Nurses Week National Nurses Week is a week to thank nurses for all they do to make us feel better and be healthier. Chances are you know a nurse, maybe someone in your family is even a nurse. May 12, the final day of National Nurses Week, is Florence Nightingale's birthday. Florence Nightingale was a nurse in England who lived from 1820-1910. She is known as the founder of professional nursing because of her work during the Crimean War in 1853-1856. During the war she was asked to help improve conditions at a hospital for injured soldiers. Florence started by cleaning the hospital from top to bottom and providing clean sheets. This was at a time when no one realized the connection between germs and infection. Thanks in part to Florence Nightingale, we've all learned a lot about the importance of washing our hands since then! Florence also talked to the soldiers and made regular rounds, day and night. Her efforts made a big difference in the health of the soldiers, and many of her ideas about nursing caught on. If you've ever been to the hospital, or even your doctor's office, chances are a nurse helped you. Nurses are on their feet and working long hours in communities all around the world to keep people happy and healthy. If you know a nurse, remember to say thanks to him or her this week (yes, many men are nurses too!) sunday, May 9 Mother's Day This is a big one, the day that's all about MOM! Make sure to give Mom an extra hug on Mother's Day, and maybe do something special for her to say thanks for all she does for you every single day! Some ways to celebrate are helping mom with house chores and cooking, buying or picking some flowers for her or taking her on an outing. See some great Mother's Day outing ideas on page 10 and some picnic food recipes on page 38. The important thing is treating mom like a queen today! President Woodrow Wilson first declared the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in 1914. Around the world, more than 40 countries honor moms with Mother's Days, some of them at other times of the year. In Russia, on International Women's Day March 8, they celebrate all women, including mothers. In Mexico Mother's Day "día de la Madre" is on May 10. It is a big holiday, celebrated with music, food, and of course, lots of flowers. In Japan, Mother's Day is called "ha no hi." It was first celebrated on the birthday of the Empress Kōjun, but now is celebrated the second Sunday in May. The act of giving flowers is a very popular thing to do to celebrate. As in this country, children often prepare food for their mom. In Egypt and many other Arab countries, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first day of Spring, March 21. It is a common belief that the tradition of Mother's Day began in the West, originating from Greek and Roman spring festivals dedicated to maternal goddesses and Mothering Sunday observed in Europe since the 1600s. But in fact, the first celebrations of motherhood started with ancient Egyptians, who held an annual festival to honor Isis, a popular ancient Egyptian goddess, who represented the ideal mother and wife and was the patroness of nature and magic. In Thailand, Mother's Day is celebrated on August 12 to commemorate the birthday of their queen, Queen Sirikit, who is considered the mother of all Thai people. Every year during the month of August, Thai households and public places are decorated with lights, decorations, and portraits of the beloved Queen Sirikit. Many people wear light blue on the queen's birthday and children offer their mother jasmine flowers, which are a symbol of motherhood. May 13 National Apple Pie Day Do you love pie? Well, here's a holiday you can sink your teeth (and fork) into! Apple pie itself has been around since the Middle Ages. A Dutch cookbook dated 1514 lists a recipe for Appeltaerten. It used a pie crust, slices of apples, and some tasty spices—cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, mace, and sugar—all cooked up in a traditional Dutch oven. The English also had their version of apple pie, which dates back to the time of Chaucer and used figs, raisins, and pears with the apple-and-spice mixture. In Sweden, apple crumble was the apple dessert of the day. In France, apple pie is served upside-down as a tarte tatin. Apple pie didn't come to America until the 17th century. Over time, apple trees (which were not native to the Americas) began to grow, which made pie-making much easier. Now, apple pie is considered one of the most American things in the world. For more about pie, see the story on page 41. May 24 National Scavenger Hunt Day This is a day to celebrate hunting for items, or solving a series of clues to "win." Though no one knows the true origin of the first scavenger hunts, which evolved from folk games, a woman named Elsa Maxwell has been credited with the creation and popularization of the scavenger hunt in the 1930's. She often organized scavenger hunts for the guests at her parties, that involved roaming around town and looking for objects from a list. Players were not allowed to buy the objects, but rather, beg, barter, or work for them. The team with the most items, or the first to complete the list, won. www.officialKidsMag.com • May 2021 • 7

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