October Holidays, Celebrations & Family Fun Ideas

October is the tenth month of the year and the first full month of fall. The October calendar is of course home to the ever popular holiday of Halloween but there are many other lesser known holidays and celebrations waiting to be noticed in October.

Month Long Celebrations in October:

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Computer Learning Month

National Go on a Field Trip Month

October is a perfect month for a family field trip with views of fall leaves along the way. Don’t forget the camera.

National Roller Skating Month

Consider rolling with your family this month.

International Dinosaurs Month

Dinosaurs are a popular topic for theme teaching.

Dinosaur diorama crafts

Dinosaur lesson plans with books, center ideas and snacks.

Dinosaur lesson plans with crafts and games.

National Dessert Month Continue Reading …

Christopher Columbus: 15 Interesting Facts about Columbus

1. Christopher Columbus is believed to have been born between August 25 and October 31, 1451.

2. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy and his given name was Cristoforo Colombo.

3. Christopher Columbus began a career as a seafarer at the age of fourteen and later supported himself by selling maps and charts.

4. Christopher Columbus believed that Asia would be 2,400 miles west. In fact, 10,000 nautical miles lay between Europe and Asia.

5. Christopher Columbus first went to King John of Portugal with his idea to find a westward sea passage to Asia but after months of waiting, the answer was no thank you.

6. Queen Isabella’s response to Columbus’s idea was that his price was to high and that he wanted too many ships.

7. If he in fact reached the Indies, Christopher Columbus was asking for a title, a coat or arms and one tenth of all profits for Spain.

8. It took Queen Isabella six years to agree. Christopher Columbus, having given up, was four miles out of town when the Queen’s courier caught up with him and shared the news.

9. It wasn’t easy to get the money or the ships, but it was even harder to find a crew. Many people still believed that the earth was flat and that at some point a ship would hit a waterfall and fall off of the side of the earth.

10. A royal decree on April 30, 1492 ordered the suspension of judicial proceedings against criminals that agreed to sail with Christopher Columbus. Even so, only four prisoners took advantage of this offer. Continue Reading …