Nose Push Race

        If contestants in this race are expected to look respectable for the rest of the party, a sheet should be provided for the race-course. There are not more than three contestants, each one of them being provided with a peanut, and, we hope, a long and practical nose. Contestants are asked to kneel at one end of the sheet, put their peanuts on the sheet before them, and when the signal is given, to push the peanuts to the other end of the sheet and back, using their noses as the pushers, their hands being clasped behind them.
       The winner is not the only one who deserves a prize in this contest!

The Pea Pushing Race - A big nose helps!

Siamese Twins Race

        Children are paired off into couples, the two members of a team having their backs to each other, with their hands joined at the side. One of them is facing the goal. At the signal, all teams start racing to the goal and return, their method of locomotion being anything they choose. Usually they try to run, but they soon get over that foolishness, and finally discover that the best and safest means of getting there is to hop, both members of a team hopping at the same time. The relay plan may be used.
       There is no prize good enough for the winners of this race!

Relay Races

        In several cases a suggestion is made to the effect that the relay plan may be used. When this is used, all the children are divided into groups of equal size, members of a group standing in lines or columns or couples, as the case demands. When either the first runner or the first couple has run the course, the second contestants are touched off, and then the third and fourth, and so on until all members of a team have run the race. The team whose last runner or couple first finishes the required stunt, gets the prize as the winning team.
       Relay races are particularly good for large groups, for a great many children can take part in a race which requires comparatively little space.

The Snow House

       ''At night after the children had gone to bed and it had grown colder and colder Old Man Snow came around to see what the children had been doing,'' said daddy.
       " 'Well, well, well,' he said as he saw a snow house and a snow fort and a snow man, 'this is fine. They appreciate me. They know what handsome things I can make. This is really gorgeous.
       " 'Look, Prince Icicle, isn't this fine?'
      "Prince Icicle appeared with a number of the other princes and princesses who hung down from the roof of the snow house and the top of the snow fort and from the shoulders of the snow man. Prince Icicle himself took a very fine place over the doorway of the snow house.
       " 'Isn't this handsome?' asked Old Man Snow. 'Our fine king will be delighted and his royal majesty will be honored.'
       "As Old Man Snow said these words along came King Snow. He wore a most beautiful crown of snow and he showed the Icicle family the compliment of wearing icicles from his beard and his crown and his locks of snow and from his hanging snowy sleeves.
       " 'They stopped me as I went by the brook,' said King Snow, 'and begged me to have some of their jeweled icicles. Don't they sparkle beautifully? Yes, they asked me to have them, and the brook, which
was beginning to freeze around the edges, begged me to listen to its story. 
       'It had so much to tell of its travels, how it ran down a long and winding hill and how it couldn't help trickling and laughing all the time with the jokes and merry tales it kept hearing.'
       "So Old Man Snow, King Snow, Prince Icicle and the other princes and princesses talked all through the night and told wonderful stories as they sat in the children's snow house."

Craft and Color More Snow:

• Cutting snowflakes and drawing snowman... - Read all about Wilson Bentley too...
• See how we made a snow house for our Christmas display!
• Young people can craft a snowman from a paint stirring stick
  

Baby Bears

       "In the winter, at the start of the new year," said daddy, "when Mother Bear was sleeping and dozing and dreaming in her home back in the hole of a big rock, the little bears arrived. She taught them about the berries they must eat and about the things which would make them feel well and strong. She also told them of the bad things they must not touch - the things which would make their little tummies feel very miserable indeed and which would make them quite, quite sick.
       ''And when, at last, they went out of the cave, and saw the real world, the trees and the forest paths, they wanted to start off at once for adventures, for the world looked so mysterious and wondrous.
       " 'Do you want to leave your old mother?' the black bear asked.
       " 'We love you, mother, but we want to see the world,' they said.
       " 'Bang,' suddenly went a gun and Mother Bear received a slight wound.
       ''The baby bears were around her in a flash, but mother bear was safe, for the man with the gun had hurriedly gone when he had seen how near the old bear was. And he had seen her teeth and had almost
been able to feel them!
       ''And the babies knew their teeth would never have done. They, too, had had a glimpse of their mother's anger and their mother's strength.
       ''And as they licked the wound they said,
       " 'We won't leave you, Mother Bear. We don't know the world as yet.'
       ''And Mother Black Bear groaned with the hurt from the slight wound in her shoulder, but still more she grunted with pleasure, for her babies had seen that they still needed their mother.'' 

More Bears To Color:

• Color the polar bears at the zoo
• Color-by-number: Bear Bone 
• These bears have their marching orders
  

Facts About Toucans

The Toucan

 Interesting Facts About Toucans:

1. In ornithology, it's genus is called Rhamphastos.
2. These birds are all natives of tropical America.
3. They are easily distinguished by their enormous bill.
4. Toucans are irregularly toothed along the margin of their mandibles.
5. All of these species live prefer to live in pairs.
6. Toucans love the shade of the forests.
7. They occasionally congregate in small parties with each other.
8. These birds do not approach human habitations when they have only lived in the wild.
9. They are generally covered with black feathers and the throat, breast and rump adorned in white, yellow and red.
10. Their bodies are short and thick. 
11. Their tails are rounded or even, varying in length among their species. 
12. They can turn their tail feathers up over their back when roosting.
13. Toucans may be easily tamed and live in confined spaces well, even in cold climates.

See Toucans:

• 10 Most Beautiful Toucans

 

Timmy Toucan's monstrous bill!

The interesting features of the stingray...

 A stingray is a fish allied to the rays proper, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. It has many distinct characteristics:

1. It is remarkable for it's long, flexible, whip-like tail, which is armed with a projecting bony spine.
2. The spine is very sharp at the point, and furnished along both edges with sharp cutting teeth.
3. Although most stingrays are found in tropical marine waters, one of the species is common on the East coast of North America and sometimes inflict serious wounds with their tails.
4. These fish are vulnerable to extinction due to unregulated fishing.
5. The flattened bodies of stingrays allow them to effectively hide or conceal themselves in their environments.
6. The stingray uses it's paired pectoral fins for moving about.
7. These fish come in a wide range of colors and patterns.
8. They feed primarily on mollusks and crustaceans.

Stingray pups prove that slimy 

can be cute by Animal Planet

The Rhyming Years

       "Well," said the Old Year, "I am going to make up a poem about myself. I feel quite poetical."

       "And," said the New Year, "I will, too." For the New Year didn't want to have the Old Year think that he was unable to do anything like that, even though he was young. But he felt very much pleased when the Old Year said: ''Though I have lived twelve whole months, I have not become a poet.''

       ''I think age should be given the right to speak first,'' said the New Year.

       The Old Year shook his white hair and smiled so that the wrinkles in his face all ran in together.

       This is what he said:

''Yes, it is true I was feeling old,

Yes, it is true I was also cold,

Yes, it is true I heard them cheer,

Welcoming in the glad New Year.''

       Then New Year recited this verse:

''Of course, you see I was out for fun,

My life has only just begun,

They said 'He is young and full of vim,

No one can help but welcome him.'

       "You mustn't think I am conceited," he added. "I say a lot to make my rhyme come out right."

       "Of course," said the Old Year, "for I do too. Well, I will give my second verse. Don't believe it all, though!" Then the Old Year took an old harp he had and he began to play and sing, and this was what he sang:

''And Poor Old Year - he almost wept

As he packed up his things and left.

But as he turned to say good-by,

Something in him made him cry:

'Though my work is mostly done,

I, have, too, had lots of fun,

And 'ere I go upon my way,

This I certainly would say:

'Happy New Year, big and small,

Happy New Year, short and tall,

Happy New Year, every one!

May you all have lots of fun!' "

A New Year's Party

        "Just because it was the first day of the year," said daddy,"and because parties were about the nicest things in the world to the mind of a little girl named Ella, her mother decided to give her one.

       "It certainly does seem like the first of the year, or the first of something," said Ella. 'It's a new day, a new year and we have new toys and new games. We are even going to have supper out of new dishes.'

       ''For among the presents Santa Claus had brought to Ella was a fine set of dishes. They were pink and white and there were six cups and saucers, six little plates, a teapot, sugar bowl and cream jug. It was really a very complete set.

       ''They had thin bread and butter, hot chocolate with whipped cream and a cake which Ella's mother called a New Year's cake. It was pink and white on the top with pink sugared trimmings on the white frosting.

       ''In the center of the cake was one pink candle, for Ella's mother said it would be quite impossible to have a candle for the number of years there had been, and too, it would be nice to have a new way and just consider the year a day old.

       ''After the cake had been almost entirely eaten they played house. Each little girl took a corner of the room as her house and fixed it up with some of Ella's things. They all had their own dolls and many

of their other toys so they really felt quite at home.

       ''Then they began calling on each other, dressing up in shawls and old hats which Ella's mother let them use. After a while they heard a flutter, flutter against the window pane, and then another little flapping sound.

       ''It's a little bird,' said Ella, as she looked out of the window. 'It's right on the sill, and I am dreadfully afraid it has hurt its wings. Poor little dear.'

       ''They opened the window and Ella took the little bird in her hands. Oh, how cold the little bird's feathers were!

       '' 'We'll take care of you,' said Ella. They gave the little bird some bread-crumbs and some water. Then he had a delicious piece of lettuce from the seeds which Ella had started in a box in her room.

       ''Pretty soon the bird began to grow much better and hopped and chirped about the room, and then they let him out for he had simply been very hungry.

       '' 'We'll put some suet in that tree over there,' said Ella.

       '' 'Let's put some bread-crumbs,' said her friends, and then one of them added,

       '' 'And let's give some of the New Year cake crumbs too.'

       ''So the little bird was given a regular New Year's feast, and Ella and her friends were among other children who decided to look after the feathered people through the cold months of the winter and to give them bread-crumbs and suet which they love so well.''

• Christmas for the birds...
• Fun things to do with your dolls on New Year's Day!

The Brave Little Sister

       ''There was once a little boy who had a young, little sister," said daddy. "He was very disappointed that his sister didn't care more for long walks and boys' games and that animals seemed to frighten her.

       "He used to scold her about it instead of helping her to get over her fear. One day these two children were taking a walk. They went into the country along a quiet road. They passed a little house in which lived an old woman who had a great many cats. She was very strange and her cats seemed to be strange too. Anyway, it was said that they hated people they didn't know.

       The little boy didn't believe this, and when his sister tried to hurry by the house, he laughed at her.

       "Oh, come and see this nice cat!" he said. And he tried to pick the cat up.

       "The cat objected to strangers, as all the people had said, and she started to scratch the little boy. With a cry his sister rushed to him. She grabbed the back of the cat and got him off. Then she cried ''Shoo!'' to the cat, which made him go right home, for he didn't care about hurting the little boy. He only would not be played with.

       " 'I shall never make fun of you again, sister,' he said. 'You saved me by taking off that cat, of which you were afraid. I have not been at all a nice brother to you, and I don't deserve such a good sister, for it was love for me that made you forget about your fear. But you may be quite sure I will never make fun of you in the future, for really you are the brave one.' ''

The Bravery Medal

       "Two children," said daddy, "were skating on a pond. It was a blustery, snowy afternoon, and they were the only ones on the ice.''

       "A big dog was taking a good run on this cold winter's day when he spied the children on the pond."

       ''He went down to the pond and ran across it a little way, but the ice had a bad way of creaking, and he was sure it was not so very firm.He decided that he had better stay around to see that nothing happened to the children.''

       ''He had been there but a moment or two when a terrific crack in the ice sounded. It gave way, and the two children fell through. The sheet of ice broke rapidly, and the water was soon clear for some distance around them.''

       ''Quickly the dog went to the rescue of the children and swam to the shore with them. He saw some people drive by in a sleigh on the road above, and he barked so frantically that they stopped to see what the trouble was. Then, of course, they drove the two children to their home. The big dog went along too. The hero simply said 'Bow-wow!' when later they fastened a medal on his collar. He wanted to tell them that he thought they were being very good to him, and he thanked them, but at the same time he was so modest that he didn't think he had been so brave. He felt any other dog would have done just the same, as he adored children.

The Pet Monkey

       "Once there was an old lady," said daddy, "who lived all alone.

       One day, though, she went to town and bought a pet monkey.

       She named him Niles. He was only seven inches long and had a curly tail. He was a very dark gray color. He proved to be a most expensive pet, for he liked all the most delicious fruits and would only eat his bread and rice when plenty of rich cream was poured over it. What fascinated him above all was the old lady's rings.

      "When the old lady saw how fond Niles was of jewels she took out her jewel box. Niles had the most glorious time playing with its contents. He decorated himself with all the beads and chains and bangles

and looked at himself in the mirror. He shook all over, for he liked the noise as well as the glitter of the jewels.

       ''So the old lady was very, very happy with her pet monkey. Niles was delighted with his new home and his new mistress, for he had never had jewels to play within the pet shop."

More About Silly Monkeys:

• Make a sock monkey for your 18" Doll...
• How to make a cute little monkey from a clothespin...
• The Animal Store