The national holiday “reminds us how the people in the GDR fought the Communist dictatorship using peaceful means to win their freedom. They thereby wrote one of the most beautiful chapters in Germany’s history and bestowed this gift on all of us in Germany,” according to German President Kohler. The day celebrates the vote by German parliament on Oct. 3, 1990 that unified the country, which had been separated by a barbed wire wall in the city of Berlin. Erected in 1961, the wall was meant to keep people isolated in western Germany.
Visit “From Cold War Division to Peaceful Unification” on the German Embassy Website for great information on the history of the unification of this great country.

This year United Nations used the occassion of Gandi’s birthday to establish the International Day of Non-Violence. The late leader’s “novel mode of mass mobilization and non-violent action” brought down colonialism, strengthened the roots of popular sovereignty, of civil, political and economic rights, and greatly influenced many a freedom struggle and inspired leaders like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.
This is a great oppurtunity to discuss with your students and family the importance of using peaceful methods to make a point, as Gandhi inspired many of our greatest leaders to do. As a British-educated lawyer, Gandhi first employed his ideas of peaceful civil disobedience in the Indian community’s struggle for civil rights in South Africa.
Born on Oct. 2, 1869, Mahatma Gandhi was a leader in his native country of India, where his birthday is commemorated each year as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday.

Started in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society as a way to bring awareness to the ethical, environmental, health and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.
Celebrate with your family by serving up this great Ratatouille

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini and squash in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

1. Holidays are great ways to teach about different cultures. The foundation of many holidays come from the legends and stories handed from generations to generation. Social studies can also be taught by examining how the same holiday is celebrated differently in various cultures. For example, Father’s Day is the third Sunday in June in many parts of North America, but in Australia it’s observed on the first Sunday in September. Finding our why and how the holiday is celebrated in different parts of the world will show how alike and how different we all are.
2. Holidays are a great way to study history. Most holidays have a historical background. Many celebrate wars or battles and almost every country has an independence day of some sort.
3. Lessons will stick in students’ minds if they are linked to something else. If they learn that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, they may better remember that rest of the battle’s story.
4. Holidays teach compassion. Days and months are dedicated to causes such as the awareness of various diseases and the promotion of human rights. Use these opportunities to spur discussion and possibly action such as fund raising and volunteering.
5. Holidays are a great way to explore current event. Elections can certainly be considered holidays (people get the day off, right?). Months dedicated to the history of certain groups, such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month, can be used to highlight their current situations.
6. Holidays highlight health and safety. There are awareness weeks promoting everything from seat belt use to sexual health awareness. These are great opportunities to open discussions on topics students will need to think about for the rest of their lives.
7. Holidays are fun! Food, dance and festivals are important ways to celebrate holidays and they are great for getting student’s active in learning.

Everyday’s a holiday when your best friend is so close.

Fact: Johnny Appleseed was an actual person. His real name was John Chapman.
Fact: He was born on Sept. 26, 1774, near Leominster, Massachusetts.
Fact: He planted a lot of apple trees! Mainly on the western side of New York and Pennsylvania, and then later in Ohio, where he loved for more than 50 years.
Fact: An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but they are full of fiber and Vitamins A and C.
Fact: Apples are a most versatile fruit and can be used in everything from main entrees (great with chicken and pork) to the ever popular sweet dishes like pies and dumplings.
Fact: There’s nothing like homemade applesauce!

Peel and core about 10 to 12 apples. The type of apple will determine the taste of your applesauce. If you like tart sauce, use tart apples, a more mild apple will give a blander applesauce.
Dump the apples in a crock pot. Add about ½ cup of water and ¼ cup brown sugar. Leave in crock pot 6-8 hours until apples are soft enough to break apart. Stir to the consistency you like. Serve warm and then refrigerate the remaining. Will last in the fridge for about 10 days. But don’t leave it, eat it!

Use the excuse of Family Health & Fitness Day to get your group moving! The event was started by the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC) to promote family involvement in physical activity, one of the goals of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health. Events will be held throughout the country. Visit their website for more information.

If you don’t think one or two “regular” people can make an impact on the world, just look at John Baur and Mark Summers, two guys who invented “Talk Like A Pirate Day”. The story goes that in 1995 they started having fun with Pirate talk while playing racquetball. They decided in jest to make it an official “holiday” and picked September 19 because it was the birthday of Mark’s ex-wife. They practically forgot about the venture until one day several years later someone encouraged them to make a big deal about it. They sent an email to syndicated columnist Dave Barry telling him about their fun and he loved it! He wrote a column about the boys and history was made.
Ah, the power of the Internet!
If you’re not sure how to begin, take a look at this One Minute How To.

Here on the East Coast we are beginning a wonderful time of year, apple picking time! All the farm stands are loaded with fresh fruit picked from nearby orchards. There are HUGE amounts of recipes to use this very versatile fruit. Even the secret ingredient on last night’s Iron Chef America was apples.
Here’s a recipe I tried for Sunday breakfast. A real winner with my family!
APPLE PANCAKES
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 c. water
1 cup apple juice
1 eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
3 c. Granny Smith apple slices, about 3 med.
1/4 c. butter, melted

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine Bisquick, water, apple juice, egg and cinnamon. Mix well. In a skillet, saute apples in melted butter over medium-high heat until tender. Remove skillet from heat. Pour apples in batter.
On a flat skillet brown pancakes on both sides. Transfer to a baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven for about 5 - 6 minutes.

On Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by thirty-nine brave men who changed the course of history. Now Constitution Day is a time for us to continue their legacy and develop habits of citizenship in a new generation of Americans.
There’s no better place to explore the Constitution than at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. If you can’t make it there in person, they have a great site full of information on the most important document ever written in United State’s history.