We enjoy celebrating random holidays around the year. Here are ways to incorporate books, baking, and food into whatever theme you’re into.
Below, you’ll find ideas for your next book club and other ideas inspired by this year’s theme: The Lord of the Rings. There is also the occasional post about a themed birthday party! I usually use the opportunity to find fun books to read around the birthday party theme.
- Books on the Origin of Valentine’s Day
Let’s talk about the origin of Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite ways to make geography and history relevant is to explore the origin stories of our holidays. - Interesting Books about JRR Tolkien
Our family fun theme for 2024 was based on Tolkien’s books: . But here is a list of books about JRR Tolkien and the fantasy setting of his books! - What is Rosh Hashanah? Diverse Books to read
I grew up in a school district with many Jewish teachers and students, but that didn’t mean I had a clear idea of the significance. So, what is Rosh Hashanah? - Book Party Ideas: Our Year In Review with Book Club
We had so much fun celebrating books with our book club last year! With each discussion, we had a “book party.” If you’re new to the idea, read on! - Learn about Egypt in the Modern Day
We took a week to learn about Egypt in the modern day: food, a book party about Ra the Mighty, the capital, the religion, the language, & historical events. - Origins of Earth Day: Two Important Events
The origins of various holidays is always of special interest to me. I found these two picture books on the origins of Earth Day, both published in 2023! Surprisingly, they do not tell the same story. - Celebrate Purim with Baking, Books, and Beyond
In 2024, Jewish people begin to celebrate Purim at sunset on March 23. These are the ways in which we, as a Christian family, learned about Purim this year! - A Dinosaur and Dragon Themed Birthday Party
My youngest is really into dinosaurs and dragons right now! I threw him a Dinosaur themed party for his 7th birthday. The previous week, I had already thrown him a Lord of the Rings themed party with my side of the family. I would have preferred… Read more: A Dinosaur and Dragon Themed Birthday Party - Lunar New Year Books Around the World: My Recommendations
Lunar New Year Booklist I never knew the Lunar New Year traditions until recently. But… you’re Chinese/Taiwanese! It’s true. But I learned the traditions by reading to my kids, starting just a few years ago with our study of China. Keep reading for my favorite Lunar… Read more: Lunar New Year Books Around the World: My Recommendations - 2024: New Year, New Curriculum
Isn’t the New Year always such a thrill? It feels brand new to write January 1, concentrating on writing the next numbers 2-0-2-4 correctly. Let me share what has worked for us: New Year, New Curriculum. Combatting the January Blues Does anyone else find January a… Read more: 2024: New Year, New Curriculum - Top 6 Books About Thanksgiving in AmericaThis year, we’ve been focused on American History, including the study of indigenous American tribes. Here are the top 6 books about Thanksgiving in America, gleaned from various booklists on my blog. AND we’ve been continuing our country studies (currently central Africa), so finding the last… Read more: Top 6 Books About Thanksgiving in America
- Stories from the New England Algonquian TribesWe dove into these stories from New England Algonquian tribes of the Wampanoag and Narragansett peoples along with our study of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. According to Legends of America, the New England Algonquian tribes “include Mohegan, Pequot, Narragansett, Wampanoag, Massachusett, Nipmuc, Pennacook, Abenaki, Maliseet, and… Read more: Stories from the New England Algonquian Tribes
- Cherry Blossoms, from Japan to Washington, D.C.
One of our favorite aspects of geography is celebrating beautiful traditions of other countries, and how those traditions sometimes become part of ours. Japan’s national flower is the sakura, or cherry blossom. Every springtime, people enjoy the Hanami (flower-viewing) Festival across the country of Japan. I… Read more: Cherry Blossoms, from Japan to Washington, D.C. - Books to Learn about Irish American Culture and Immigration
All the Irish people I know are super proud of their Irish heritage. So it was surprising when my friend recently found out that she has Irish heritage! Her grandmother had hidden that fact from the family. We had lots of interesting thoughts and comments about… Read more: Books to Learn about Irish American Culture and Immigration