NATIONAL I LOVE HORSES DAY

On July 15th we recognize the love of one magnificent creature on National I Love Horses Day!

With over 200 breeds, these spirited animals give humans much to love. Their loyalty and devotion throughout history may only be a fraction of the reasons to love them. Not just a means of transportation, horses cleared fields, fought wars, and moved cattle. Beyond their utility, their companionship was indispensable on long lonely trails. Cattlemen, pioneers, and more recognize horses as cornerstones of survival in a burgeoning nation.

Horse Breeds

The tallest horse breed is the Shire. The stallions of this draft horse breed tower at 17 hands above the tiny Falabella, which grows to only eight hands and is the smallest breed of horse.

The phrase “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” is a reminder to be grateful for the gifts, opportunities or kind gestures that come our way. The phrase comes from inspecting a horse’s teeth to determine its health and value. If the horse was a gift, such an inspection would be considered an insult.

The quarter horse, named for its speed on a short track, is one the of three fastest breeds of horses. Thoroughbreds follow quarter horses for longer distance, but Arabians outlast both breeds for endurance on the longest races.

Horse Facts

A horse can see almost 360° at once. Because of this, it’s difficult to sneak up on a horse. Their only blind spots are directly behind them and in front. However, don’t approach a horse from behind; their powerful hind legs can do serious damage if they decide to defend themselves with a kick. Because horses have such an excellent range of vision, they can be easily distracted or startled. Trainers will place blinders or blinkers on their harness to block the horse’s view from the side. The small piece of leather helps the horse to focus their vision forward.

Just like human hair and fingernails, a horse’s hooves are made of the same protein – keratin. Farriers specialize in caring for horses’ hooves. They not only fit horses with shoes, but they trim their hooves and make recommendations for hoof care and foot health. Since horses spend an enormous amount of time on their feet, the care a farrier provides is instrumental to their overall health.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalILoveHorsesDay

Celebrate by visiting a local stable for a horseback ride. Seek a view of wild horses in a national park. Spend time riding your own horse if you have one.

Post on social media using #NationalILoveHorsesDay.

NATIONAL SIBLINGS DAY

National Siblings Day (also referred to as Sibling Day) on April 10th each year honors our brothers and sisters. 

Siblings. They are our best friends or our worst enemies. At times, siblings will provide us with our biggest competition, strongest encouragement and remind us of our most embarrassing moments.

Fictional characters describe those siblings best who are both rivals and yet best friends. From The Brady Bunch and the Cosby family to The Simpsons and the Piersons, television siblings tell our stories in humorous and dramatic form. 

However, real-life royal siblings Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret had a different set of rules to follow making their relationship quite different from anything we would call normal. Being a queen will do that. Queen Elizabeth’s grandsons, Princes William and Harry and William’s children, too have royal sibling relationships that engage the world. 

Playing fictional characters who are siblings and being siblings in front of a television audience must have created a different lifestyle for Mary Kate and Ashley Olson. Their older sister is Elizabeth. Another pair of sibling actors is Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty. And don’t forget the exuberant Tia and Tamera Mowry.  There have been plenty of presidents with siblings as well. George W. Bush has five siblings and William Jefferson Clinton has three.

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How many siblings do you have? Are you rivals or do you support each other in all you do?

NATIONAL SIBLINGS DAY HISTORY

In 1995, native New Yorker, Claudia Evart, founded National Siblings Day to honor and celebrate siblings.  After losing her two siblings early in life in separate accidents, she knew how important siblings could be in our lives.

Claudia created the Siblings Day Foundation (SDF), a tax-exempt organization, whose goals included the establishment of the national holiday. Claudia selected April 10th in honor of her late sister, Lisette’s birthday. 

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalSiblingsDay

  • Celebrate your siblings and the times you’ve had together.
  • Laugh at the awkward and ill-spent time in your youth.
  • Catch up with your sibling(s). Enjoy looking at photos and videos of time spent with your sibling(s).
  • Play a song or two from the 35 Best Sister Songs list.
  • Share photos of you and your siblings.
  • Use #NationalSiblingsDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL FIND A RAINBOW DAY

Each year on April 3rd, National Find A Rainbow Day challenges us to look to the sky and find a colorful ray of hope cast across it. 

There are people that see rainbows as an artistic masterpiece in the sky, to others it is a sign of hope and to many a sign of promise.

It can be all three; beauty, hope and promise.    

Jill Magnus

A spectrum of light in the form of a multicolored arc, appearing in the sky, is caused by both reflection and refraction of light in water droplets in the Earth’s atmosphere. These rainbows always appear directly opposite of the sun.  The light is refracted (bent) when it enters a droplet of water, then is reflected inside on the back of the droplet and refracted again when leaving it.

Red is the color that is visible on the outer part of a rainbow and violet on the inside of a primary rainbow. Children learn in science class the mnemonic ROYGBIV to help them to remember the sequence of colors in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Many forms of airborne water can cause rainbows including, rain, mist, spray, and dew.  

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HOW TO OBSERVE #FindARainbowDay

Find yourself a rainbow or use the garden hose or a prism to make one yourself.
Families, students, and classrooms, create a rainbow from the colorful hearts on this printable. There’s at least one for every color in the rainbow. Take out your color crayons and finish what we’ve started. Then cut them out and put them in a cheerful, sunny window to brighten the day of someone passing by. 


Use #NationalFindARainbowDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL AUDUBON DAY

On April 26th each year, National Audubon Day honors the birth of John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851).

Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter noted for his extensive studies of American birds and his detailed illustrations of the birds in their natural habitats. Audubon’s greatest work wasThe Birds of America which is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. His work in this book contains more than 700 North American bird species with 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species.

Spring is an excellent time to observe the birds John Audubon described and painted. As they migrate across the country, set out feeders to welcome them along their journey. Watch them from your window or while strolling on a path.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at last count approximately 45 million people watch birds. They bird watch while they travel or all year long from their homes. Many trek around the country to see a bird for the first time in its natural habitat. So can you. Learn about their habitats and migration patterns. Or simply watch them for their color and song. 

NATIONAL AUDUBON DAY HISTORY

The National Audubon Society sponsors National Audubon Day. 

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalAudubonDay

Grab the binoculars, the bird book, and see how many birds you can identify. Join local bird watching groups for tips and ideas.

Use #NationalAudubonDay or #Audubon Day to post on social media.