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Here we are at the start of a brand new year. January is usually a time when we recover from the festivities of Christmas and plan for the year ahead. Resolutions are made and will power is strong as we resolve to be better, try harder and make it the best year yet.
But it is also the month which brings us National Winnie the Pooh Day. Held on the 18th January, the birthday of Winnie the Pooh creator A A Milne it is a day for fond reflection of the lovable bear. AA Milne created many children’s characters and is the author of many books, but he is particularly known for his stories about the “hunny” loving Winnie the Pooh. The 23rd January is National Handwriting Day. This date was chosen to tie in with the birthday of John Hancock. John Hancock signed the United States Declaration of Independence on 4th July 1776. His signature was so large and clear that the term “John Hancock” has become, in the United States, a synonym for a signature. January is also the month which plays host to Burns Night, celebrated by Scots across the globe to celebrate the birth of their most famous poet – Robert Burns on January 25th. We have a range of activities and things for you to try with the children to recognise each of these days so we hope you have fun.
January 18th – National Winnie the Pooh Day
Winnie the Pooh Day takes place on January 18. We all know Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, the fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A.A. Milne. Winnie the Pooh Day celebrates the birth of Alan Alexander Milne (always referred to as AA) who was born in 1882. A.A. Milne based Winnie-the-Pooh on a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin whose favourite soft toy was a cuddly bear called Winnie Pooh. The bear got its name from a Canadian Black Bear Christopher used to enjoy watching at London Zoo who was called Winnie and a swan they met on holiday once which they nicknamed Pooh. Christopher Robin also features in the stories.
In the Milne books, Pooh is naive and slow-witted, but he is also friendly, thoughtful, and steadfast. Although he and his friends agree that he “has no brain,” Pooh is occasionally acknowledged to have a clever idea, usually driven by common sense. Pooh is also a talented poet, and the stories are frequently punctuated by his poems and “hums.” Pooh is very fond of food, especially “hunny” but also condensed milk and other items. Winnie the Pooh’s favourite game was to play Pooh Sticks with his friends. We have made a simple step by step guide to playing pooh sticks. It’s a great way for children to have fun outdoors so we hope they enjoy giving it a go.
January 23rd – National Handwriting Day
Handwriting is one of the ways we can each express ourselves. There’s something poetic about grasping a writing instrument and feeling it hit the paper as thoughts flow through fingers and pour into written words.
Handwriting remains uniquely personal at a time when computers, faxes and e-mail tend to take over communication. Computer fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it. Yet handwriting adds intimacy and a personal touch to a letter. Throughout history, handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and declared independence.
Graphology is the study of handwriting. Graphology looks at a person’s handwriting in terms of the style of writing, the size of the letters, the slope of words, the pressure of the strokes, spacing between the letters and much much more. Graphologists use hand writing traits to make suggestions about someone’s personality although it is by no means an exact science. Whilst for most of us handwriting is a basic skill we learn at school it is easy to turn to the computer rather than a pen and paper. So today gives us all a chance to refocus on the skill many of us take for granted. We have created a practise handwriting sheet for the children and have fun with our ever popular wordsearch with this month’s theme on literacy.
January 25th –Burns Night
January 25th brings us Burns Night. Robert Burns is regarded as Scotland’s National Bard! He was born on 25 January 1759 in the small village of Alloway, two miles south of Ayr. His parents, William Burnes[s] and Agnes Broun, were both tenant farmers. They always wanted their son to receive a good education so from an early age they bought him books and he began to read avidly. At the age of 15 Burns penned his first verse, “My Handsome Nell”, which was an ode to the other subjects that dominated his life, namely scotch and women.
When his father died in 1784, Robert and his brother became partners in the farm. However, Robert was more interested in poetry than farming and he had plans to emigrate to the West Indies to pursue his writing in warmer climes. However, at the point of abandoning farming, his first collection of Poems was published and received much critical acclaim. This made him stay in Scotland. In a matter of weeks he was transformed from local hero to a national celebrity. However even though he was becoming famous his poems were not making him rich so he took up a job as a customs and excise man to supplement his income. He still continued to write both poems and songs during this time. In all, more than 400 of Burns’ songs are still in existence.
The last years of Burns’ life were devoted to penning great poetic masterpieces such as The Lea Rig, Tam O’Shanter and a Red, Red Rose. He died aged 37 of heart disease. His death occurred on the same day as his wife Jean gave birth to his son, Maxwell.
On the anniversary of his birth, Scots both at home and abroad celebrate Robert Burns with a traditional supper of haggis, tatties and neeps. A celebration which would undoubtedly make him proud. Why not try for yourself the traditional Burns Night Supper with our simple recipe.
Originally written 4 January 2016