Kid’s Craic: Celebrating Fantastic Fathers!
- John O'Brien
- June 16, 2020
- Edited 5 months ago
Table of Contents
Kids’ Craic: Celebrating FANTASTIC FATHERS!
By Dottie Wenger
Father’s Day (in America and Ireland) is June 21st this year!
Father’s Day took a long time to become an official holiday in the United States. The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. In 1924, United States President Calvin Coolidge recommended the day as a national holiday.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made a proclamation for a day to celebrate fathers and declared that an official Father’s Day be held every year on the third Sunday in June. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made the proclamation a law.
While the holiday originated in the United States, other countries, including Ireland, have adopted the celebration. Irish children honor their dads in much the same way American kids do on the holiday, with gifts and family activities.
Craft Corner
Here’s a Father’s Day gift idea kids can make for their dad, granddad, step-dad, or other favorite guy:
Materials:
- Inexpensive picture frame, any size
- Collection of small rocks to fill the outside of the frame
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Paper to fit inside the frame
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
Using crayons, colored pencils, or markers, kids can print the words, “Dad, you ROCK!” on a piece of paper to fit inside the frame. With help from a grown-up, insert the picture inside the frame and then use a hot glue gun to attach small rocks to the frame.
Fun Fact: the average height of men in Ireland is 5’8”.
Also in June … In Ireland, the first Monday of June (June 1st this year) is the “June Bank Holiday.” It’s a public holiday, observed as a day off for the general population. Schools and most businesses are closed.
The weather in Ireland is usually mild and pleasant at this time, so families use the long weekend to spend time outdoors when possible. Popular activities include picnics and barbeques (similar to Memorial Day weekend in the United States), camping, sailing, outdoor music festivals, and sporting events.
Gaelic Words of the Month
Fir (pron. fihr) meaning: men
Mna (pron. mnaw) meaning: women
(Look for these words if you’re traveling in Ireland and you need to use the restroom)
Literature Highlight: Finn McCool and the Great Fish, written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Zachary Pullen
Finn McCool is a legendary figure in Irish folklore. He’s a friendly giant, a great warrior, but not very smart. He learns that he can gain wisdom by eating a fish. Read what happens once the fish is caught!
*Dottie taught kindergarten and second grade for a total of thirty-two years, and she now handles promotions for Yorktown Service Plaza in Parma Heights. In her spare time, Dottie is a baker extraordinaire and also enjoys participating in 5K events in order to offset collateral damage from this hobby.
