Toot Your Horn!

It’s New Year’s time, and you may hear lots of horns. Do you know why? Horns are usually associated with celebrating. It’s time to toot your own horn as you engage in these rootin’ tootin’ activities!

CONNECT:

• Horns were created more than 2500 years ago. Discover their history at http://www.hornplanet.com/hornpage/museum/history/horn_history1.html
•  Car horns have been needed since the start of cars in order to warn others of their coming; it’s a lot simpler than the other warning suggesting: having a man walk in front of each car and wave a red flag. Read more about car horn history at http://www.cogapa.com/history.htm
• Animals have natural horns ; look at the top ten amazing horns in the animal kingdom at https://themysteriousworld.com/10-amazing-horns-in-the-animal-kingdom/
• Watch and hear the shofar being blown for Rosh Hashana at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRpwei1Qs88

CREATE:

• Make your own French horn by following these visual directions: https://www.savvyhomemade.com/homemade-french-horn-for-kids/
• Watch this video to create unicorn horns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM9udMbTfbk
• Have your horn and eat it too with these edible party horns that you can make: http://cookingwithmykid.com/2010/12/28/countdown-to-2011-edible-party-horns/
• Explore the science behind horns with a plastic bottle horn: https://www.childrensmuseum.org/blog/saturday-science3a-handmade-horn

CARE:

• Music can be an important part of life, but instruments can be expensive. “Horns for kids” (http://www.hornsforkids.org/) supports music education. Consider donating to this cause – or start your own musical instrument donation project.
•  Animal horns have been desired by people for thousands of years, and have sometimes been cut before the animal is dead. What are the consequences – and what can you do? https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/thorny_issues/dyeing_rhino_horn_and_elephant_ivory
• Discover how technology in rhino horns can help save them: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/technology-save-rhino-extinction-180956958/
• Find out how the National Park Service is using horns at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=35955

CAREERS:

What can you do with horns? Manufacturer them, sell them, play them, repair them, teach how to play them – and that’s just as a musical instrument. You can also product them as they exist on animals.  It’s time to blow your own career horn!

https://www.careersinmusic.com/

https://music.usc.edu/music-teaching-careers/

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes499063.htm

http://wildlife.org/next-generation/career-development/careers/

Go Gaelic!

Around Christmas time, you may see Gaelic art or hear Gaelic-inspired songs. Discover this rich culture with the following activities. Start with watching a Scottish Gaelic Christmas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8v0_Hj_cG4 and learn Christmas words in Gaelic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDg_6CT87tI

CONNECT:

• Football means different things in different countries. Gaelic football is the most popular spectator sport in Ireland. See this explanation of this form of football at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSOe-USZzok
• Gaelic is a Scottish language related to Irish. Find out about its history and use at https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_language
• Gaelic first names started in the 4^th century and still continue; see the variety at http://www.babynames.net/all/gaelic
• With English rule in Ireland, Gaelic language was threatened. So in the late 1800s, its culture was revived. Learn about those efforts then and now at http://www.gaelicmatters.com/gaelic-revival.html
• Watch Irish Gaelic dancing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F__a-30Axc4

CREATE:

• Learn simple Gaelic online at https://learngaelic.net/lg-beginners/index.jsp
• Learn traditional songs as a family activity at https://www.gaelic4parents.com/nip/listen-and-sing
• You too can sing Gaelic. This is a song about emigration from Scotland: https://learngaelic.scot/beginners/beagairbheag/songs/illean/index.jsp
• The Celtic cross has it’s beginning in Gaelic Ireland. Discover its meaning at http://www.gaelicmatters.com/celtic-cross-meaning.html. Try your hand making your own.

CARE:

• Learn Celtic and Irish Christmas blessings in Gaelic at: http://www.celticchristmasmusic.com/christmas-traditions/learn-celtic-irish-christmas-blessings-in-gaelic.htm
• How about using drama to learn a language or share a culture? See a Gaelic nativity play as an example: http://gaelic.co/gaelic-nativity/
• Color Celtic art (https://www.colorwithfuzzy.com/celtic-coloring-pages.html), and give it to a friend.
• Try writing with the Irish Gaelic alphabet; it looks great on holiday cards that you can make for others: http://www.gaelicmatters.com/gaelic-written-alphabet.html

CAREERS:

Learning other languages can broaden your career options. You can also use knowledge about Gaelic history and art can also lead to lifelong work.

http://www.feisean.org/en/feisgoil-en/gaelic-learning/gaelic-arts-culture-heritage/

https://gradireland.com/career-sectors/languages-and-culture/careers-using-the-irish-language

https://www.teagasg.com/en

https://www.e-careers.us/lifestyle-interests/languages/scottish-gaelic-package

The Road More Taken

What do you walk or drive on? Paths, streets, highways all mark our communal movement. Don’t just trample them – give them the respect they deserve. And make your own path in doing the following activities.

CONNECT:

•  How are roads made? The answer(s) are available at https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-you-build-a-road
• What was the historical road to roads? Follow the story at http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a4447/the-road-ahead-road-evolution/
•  How did toll roads start? Read about it history in the US at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/mcdonaldtoll.cfm
•  “All roads lead to Rome.” How did this saying start? Find out at https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/all-roads-lead-to-rome

CREATE:

•  While you’re on the road, banish backseat boredom by playing these car games: http://www.minitime.com/trip-tips/10-Best-Car-Games-for-Kids-article
• Learn how to read (And make) trail signs: http://howtowilderness.com/trail-signs/
• Play these park and street cleaning games: http://www.cleaning-games.net/park-and-street. Maybe they will inspire you to make your streets clean in real life.
• Make your own rocky road dessert using this kid-friendly recipe: https://planningwithkids.com/2009/06/06/rocky-road-recipe-kid-friendly-version/

CARE:

• Here’s a way to turn community (including streets) clenup into a fun scavenger hunt: http://www.mykidsadventures.com/cleanup-scavenger-hunt/
• Learn how to make and maintain a hiking trail at https://mylandplan.org/content/hiking-0
•  Help reduce and slow down traffic in your street with these activities: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-you-can-do/change-your-street/easy-ways-reduce-traffic-your-street
• The Expanded Environment is a non-profit group that tries to help the relationship between biological systems and architecture. They visualize animal movement in order to help engineers to identify eco-friendly human paths and roads. See those animal paths at http://www.expandedenvironment.org/animal-paths/

CAREERS:

Roads can carry you to a career: in urban planning, construction, engineering, road safety personnel. These are some career paths for you to consider:

https://www.brazen.com/blog/archive/job-search/urban-planning-jobs-how-to-get-them-and-what-to-expect/

https://www.sokanu.com/careers/civil-engineer/

https://www.chp.ca.gov/chp-careers

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