Salty Sam’s Fun Blog for Children
Number 410
Sunshine
Hello Everyone
So here we are celebrating another Christmas.
There will be lots of people leaving work today to have a nice long holiday and lots of people like nurses, doctors, policemen and ambulance drivers who of course will need to keep working.
So a special mention and Happy Christmas wishes to all of them.
Lots of children will be dreaming of big piles of presents waiting and ready to greet them on Sunday morning and l am sure that Santa is making some last minute checks on his sleigh getting ready for his long haul flight as l write… a long haul flight with a big haul of presents!
l always expect my readership numbers to be quite low on 25th December because l imagine that people will be watching lots of television whilst eating piles of pudding or playing games with their families.
However, l always seem to have quite a high number of readers on that day.
l think it might be because lots of people get new computers and other devices and call in to my website to try their new presents out!
You are all very welcome.
Whatever you do over the holidays, this is a turning point in the year of course.
We are just past midwinter which means, of course, that the days are beginning to get longer, and if you hate dark, winter evenings, that is good news for you!
Throughout history, the Sun has been treasured and even worshipped as a great giver of life. And of course this is indisputably true.
Without sunlight, and of course, soil and water, life as we know it would not be possible on Earth.
ln many cultures, the Sun is a symbol of power and everlasting life, also enlightenment and knowledge rather than darkness and ignorance.
lt just keeps coming up every morning.
lt is very predictable – and has been for millions of years.
All over the world, in the most ancient of religions people saw God manifested in nature. That means that God existed in nature like a source of energy and life.
A lot of people use the time of sunrise or sunset to meditate. lt seems like a peaceful time to gather your thoughts and find stillness.
There are ancient and mystical pillars at Stonehenge that line up with the rising of the Sun at midsummer and midwinter.
Thousands of people go to Stonehenge every summer solstice to celebrate the day.
Sweden has a midsummer festival on Midsummer’s Eve in its holiday calendar and above the Arctic Circle the Sun will not set at all over the summer months.
ln the winter, there is very little daylight and the days are short, so making the most of the summer is important.
Sunshine is something to celebrate. lt raises your mood because it has an effect on your brain chemicals, these chemicals are called endorphins.
lt gives you vitamin D and is good for your eyes and helps clear up skin complaints if you have them.
Of course, too much sun can be bad for you as well. Too much of anything is bad for you.
lf you are taking your holidays in the sun this year, you have probably already packed your sun tan lotion.
Having sunburn is painful and dangerous.
The Sun emits lots of rays including ultraviolent ones.
UVB rays cause sunburn and you can protect yourself with a sun lotion with an SPF factor with a number of 15 or above.
UVA rays penetrate further into the skin and cause wrinkling. You need to look at the stars on your bottle of sun cream. Four or five stars indicate a high level of protection.
People who want to try and prevent sun damage on their faces can buy cream with SPF factor 50 and five stars to wear very day in the summer and winter as well.
Of course, to have nice skin you must also not ever smoke and you must eat a good diet and take exercise.
lf you go skiing or cruising out on the water, it is really important to wear sun tan lotion. You can get high levels of ultraviolet light bouncing up at you from the snow or water as well as coming down at you from above.
Our family will go out for a walk over the holidays whenever the weather lets us.
A walk out in the fresh air is very invigorating this time of year.
Whether you spend your holidays in the snow or the sun or at home, l hope you have a nice time.
lf you like my blog, please support it by telling all your friends and followers about it.
Thank you!
And see you again next Fun Friday!
Love and kisses
Salty Sam
www.christina-sinclair.com
Bill and Bob’s Joke of the Week
Bob: A photon checks into a hotel, and the receptionist asks him if he needs any help with his luggage.
Bill: And the photon replies?
Bob: No thanks, l am just travelling light.
Salty Sam © Christina Sinclair 2015
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material from this blog without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited.
Links may be used to www.christina-sinclair.com
Picture Gallery
The Sun’s surface
Holiday Time!
THE SALTY SAM NEWS DESK
When I finish writing my blog post, I will be wrapping my presents up.
Like most men, I have left it to the last minute.
I hope there will be enough room in my boat to carry them over to the mainland! I seem to have a lot of them this year.
Barney my parrot usually likes a seat to himself but he may just have to sit on top of the pile when we go over tomorrow.
Auntie Alice on the other hand is completely organized and everyone will be gathering at her cottage for the festivities as usual.
There aren’t enough beds for everyone in the family so the children will sleep on camp beds in a downstairs room.
Henry won’t be with us of course because he will be with his own family.
The children have spent a lot of time with him at all the parties, plays and celebrations at school.
Christmas in Rocky Bay is always lovely. The shops and cafes have merry songs that drift out on the cold winter air into the streets.
There are twinkling fairy lights everywhere in the dark evenings and everyone is very merry.
We also went carolling again this year and ended up in the community orchard for our last songs – a lot of people followed us there.
And then we went into the heated rooms of the vicarage for some warming drinks. It was very crowded in there.
We collected even more money than last year in the bucket perched on top of Henry’s little wagon.
Maybe our singing voices are getting better!
The children also wrapped some of their presents up in his playroom. There was plenty of room up there to spread out sheets and rolls or wrapping paper.
They are all very excited. I expect you are too. So from me and everyone else in Rocky Bay…
Happy Christmas everyone!
And here are some fascinating facts that I found for you to think about while you are wrapping your presents…
Different countries around the world give gifts to their children on different dates. Some children have to wait until January for theirs.
The Royal Family open their presents on the evening of 24th December and go to church on the morning of the 25th.
The tradition of bringing evergreen foliage like ivy and mistletoe indoors and giving children presents at midwinter solstice dates back to Pagan Times.
Naughty children in some countries will only get a lump of coal or a stick instead of presents.
Santa Claus has many names: Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Grandfather Frost and they all relate to the spirit of giving – which is something everyone can have.
There are two islands called Christmas Island – one in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Indian Ocean. It is unlikely to snow on either of them.
There are three towns in the United States that are called Santa Claus. They are in Arizona, Indiana and Georgia.
The song of Jingle Bells was written in 1857 by James Pierpont. He actually wrote it for Thanksgiving. The title was originally One Horse Open Sleigh.
Candy canes were first made by a confectioner in Indiana in the United States. They are in the shape of a J and he wanted them to spread the name of Jesus all over the world.
The handle is on the inside of the door
(That means it is your choice whether to open it or not)
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Quick Quiz
Yellow is a very happy, vibrant colour.
Can you fill in these missing letters to find different types of yellow?
- s _ _ _ _ _ n
- o _ _ _ e
- g _ _ _ _ n
- e _ g y _ _ k
- b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ p
- l _ _ _ n
- b _ _ _ _ a
- m _ _ _ _ _ d
- c _ _ _ _ y
- s _ _ _ _ _ _ e
lt’s the Weekend!
HOW TO MAKE LlTTLE TREE DECORATlONS
These decorations are so cute!
HAT (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 12 stitches
Knit 4 rows of garter stitch
Change to red yarn
Knit 4 rows of garter stitch
Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of the next 10 rows of garter stitch
Knit 2 together
Cast off
BOOTS (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and red dk yarn cast on 24 stitches
Knit 4 rows of garter stitch
Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of the next 8 rows of garter stitch
Change to white yarn
Knit 10 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
- Using over-sew stitching and with right sides together sew the sides of the hat together and the base and front seams of the boots up
- Sew a bead to the top of the hat
- Sew a loop of green thread to the top of each item
Please note that the material on this blog is for personal use and for use in classrooms only.
It is a copyright infringement and, therefore, illegal under international law to sell items made with these patterns.
Use of the toys and projects is at your own risk.
©Christina Sinclair Designs 2015
Quick Quiz Answers
- saffron
- ochre
- golden
- egg yolk
- buttercup
- lemon
- banana
- mustard
- canary
- sunshine
More yellows
