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In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb".
There's an old wive's tale that "golf" stands for "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden", when actually, it came from the medival Dutch word "kolf" or "kolve" meaning "club"

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)

The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature was not added until 5 years later.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that does not spoil?
A. Honey

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase... "Goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... Therefore, in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It is where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

~~~~~~~~~~~ AND FINALLY ~~~~~~~~~~~~
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

Do not skip this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it:

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
How to Re-enact the First Thanksgiving

Introduction
A re-enactment of the first Thanksgiving can be a great way to commemorate the roots of the Thanksgiving holiday, either with family and friends at a school, church or community gathering. A small group of children can easily put together a Thanksgiving pageant, with just a little advance preparation and adult supervision.

Instructions

Step One
Make costumes for the participants. Black or brown clothes make a good basic costume for the children representing pilgrims, and brown, tan, or yellow leggings and tunics will work well for those playing the parts of Native Americans.

Step Two
Make hats and bonnets for the Pilgrims and headdresses for the natives. Use black construction paper and tape or glue for the hats, and add a white paper band and a black paper buckle to complete the look. Bonnets can be made from white paper or white cloth napkins. Attach feathers (real or made from construction paper) and beads to headbands or hair bands for the headdresses.

Step Three
Glue pictures of Thanksgiving foods onto paper plates to represent the Thanksgiving feast. You can help the children cut out pictures from magazines, or have them draw or color pictures of turkeys, pumpkins, corn, and other holiday foods.

Step Four
Help the children put together a cornucopia, or "horn of plenty" as a centerpiece. You may be able to find a wicker basket in the right shape, but if not, these are easy to make from construction paper. Fill the cornucopia with real or artificial fruits and vegetables, including ornamental gourds and Indian Corn if they are available.

Step Five
Re-create the Mayflower, using cardboard boxes or sheets of poster board. Cut the rough outline of a boat, and then have the children add details with crayons, paints or construction paper shapes. The Pilgrims can "sail" across the ocean by standing behind the ship and carrying it along with them. When they arrive, get the Natives to greet them and welcome them to the New World.

Step Six
Choose one of the older children to make a short speech for the Pilgrims and another to speak for the Natives. For the Pilgrims, the speaker can mention freedom from persecution and the chance to build a community in the New World and learn from those already living there. The child representing the Natives can mention the goal of peaceful coexistence and the opportunity to share the bounties of the New World with the settlers.

Step Seven
Get the participants to pass around the "feast," and talk about the significance of the foods, mentioning which ingredients came from the Old World with the settlers and which foods were brought by the Natives.

Step Eight
Finish up by asking all the children to say a few words about what they are thankful for in their own lives.

Step Nine
Extend the presentation to include prayers, songs (anything from hymns to "Turkey in the Straw"), or a Thanksgiving poem as a "grand finale."

Step Ten
Make sure everyone takes a bow.

Tips & Warnings
If you are feeling really ambitious and have a little extra time to plan, help the children make a paper-mâché turkey. Lay papier-mâché strips over a small balloon for the base of the turkey, and add drumsticks and wings later or just paint them on when the paper-mâché is dry.
Get a couple of Thanksgiving-related children's books from the library to help you plan the presentation, or do some research online. There are lots of books out there that explain the story of Thanksgiving for children of various ages.

If some of the children present are extremely shy, don't force them to participate. They may be happy to wear costumes but may prefer not to perform.

Make sure children are supervised while working on their props and costumes, especially if they are using glue or paper-mâché.

Play a Word Search!


Play the WOW Flash Wordsearch game.

Requires Flash 6 (or higher)
Code by Jobe Makar

 

Inspiration...

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

—Will Rogers

 

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