Q-Buddies Give Thanks And Blood!

After a wonderful weekend with family and friends, it is back to the office for another week of “work”. Fortunately, I am one of the lucky ones. I believe in what I do for WQLN, I genuinely enjoy spending time with my colleagues, and I am currently fulfilling a long-time aspiration to work for a PBS station. So as we continue to give thanks for the things in life that bring us joy, today I add to my list WQLN and my Q-buddies.

Where else can you find such an incredible group of people making great strides to improve, change, and save lives every day? And I am not only referring to the work done for WQLN, I am also referring to the volunteer adventures the WQLN staff members embark on occasionally.

For example, today a crew of Q-buddies traveled to the Community Blood Bank to donate blood during the lunch hour. As a community-minded organization we feel our community is stronger when we all work together and that makes it easy and very satisfying to give – time, resources, and even blood! So this week as you continue giving thanks for all of the blessings in your life, why not volunteer for or donate resources to a local organization that is striving to fulfill a mission you believe in? Now more than ever, our community will be stronger with your help!

A Game of Giving Thanks!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and this is usually everyone’s favorite holiday to gather with family, and of course, eat a delicious Thanksgiving meal.  But sometimes we forget what this holiday is really about. It’s about telling loved ones what you are thankful for in your life.  Here is a little game to play with your family, with a fun little twist to make it fun for the kids!

Here’s what you do. First, arrange the everyone playing in a circle. Pass around a “thankerchief” (handkerchief)  as everyone recites this rhyme:

Thankerchief, thankerchief, around you go —
Where you’ll stop, nobody knows.
But when you do, someone must say,
What they are thankful for this day.

The player holding the “thankerchief” when the rhyme ends must
say  one thing for which they are thankful. This continues until
everyone has had a turn.

It’s Turkey Time!

Families around the country are looking forward to a wonderful, longtime tradition. That’s right – it’s turkey time! While the turkey has become a popular icon for the upcoming holiday, it’s important to remember that next Thursday is about much more than feasting together. It is a time for giving thanks.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a fun time for me. My entire family would come together and, to this day, there is nothing I love more than time with my family. We always start the morning off, bright and early, cooking many, many courses for our meal. In fact, we cook so much food that it seems like we eat all day, every day for a week! Then, most of the day we sit together, talk, and watch football. And, if the weather is nice we head outside for a family game of basketball.

No matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving, be sure to do it with the people who mean the most to you. After all, this day of thanks is about way more than eating turkey. It’s about spending time together.

If you have young children, please consider this hands-on activity. This Thanksgiving you and your children can make adorable, homemade turkey hats! This is a great activity for the entire family to do together. Instructions are located at www.wqln.org.  Be sure to have your child write something that he is thankful for on each feather.

I made a turkey hat this morning for Ready Set Learn and, I have to say, it’s pretty cute! I promise your children will have so much fun doing this, they may not even know they are learning!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall is the Season for Science

Fall is by far the prettiest of seasons in my opinion. Each year I look forward to watching the leaves change color and then raking them into piles only to jump in them, destroying the piles. Oh come on… every kid loves jumping in the leaves and we are all kids at heart!

With every great life experience, simple or complex, I tend to search for the learning opportunity. This fall take this opportunity to talk with your kids about the science behind the season. Ask them where the brilliant colors of fall come from. Find out what they have already learned in the classroom and then expand on it.

Here is some basic information to give you a head start:

Most leaves appear green. In the fall, leaves turn orange, yellow, and red. Most leaves aren’t changing colors. The pigments are always present in the leaves. The green pigment simply overpowers the other colors during spring and summer. In the Autumn many colors can be seen as the green pigment becomes less prominent.

You can take this discussion a step further by creating your own little leaf friend. You can find instructions for this activity and so many more at http://www.wqln.org/readysetlearn.

Pictures with Santa!

As a child, I found few things to be more exciting than Christmas. And, I can honestly say that this same level of enthusiasm for the holiday season still exists in my adult life.  I love cutting down our Christmas tree, collecting ornaments, decorating the house, singing carols, baking holiday treats for friends, sending cards, writing our annual letter to friends and family, seeing the hustle and bustle everywhere you look, gathering with family, shopping for gifts, watching children’s faces light up when they see Santa Claus, etc. I have a hunch that this joyful season will always be a highlight in my year.

Although, typically, the season is rather short for me because I tend to fall behind in getting into the spirit of the season. Well this year I am moving full speed ahead and have already kicked it into holiday gear!

So, for a change, I am actually ready for the annual Holiday Craft Show hosted by WQLN. It is happening this weekend – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – at Rainbow Gardens. There are going to be tons of crafters selling unique items, which of course make excellent holiday gifts. But, more excitingly for our kids, Santa Claus will be there for photos. Last year my hubby and I even posed for a picture as we pretended to be kids again!

Needless to say, many local children will enjoy photos with Santa this year as they get into the holiday spirit. Here’s wishing you the same holiday joy!

A Beautiful Day in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood of Make Believe

Nurturing, caring and comforting, Fred Rogers is the kind of legend that children, young and old, can relate to. For more than 40 years children and parents have welcomed this television neighbor into their homes for learning experiences, music, conversation and friendship.

Children of all ages have a fondness for Fred Rogers. This was evident as we explored the original set of his Neighborhood of Make Believe one final time at WQED, the PBS station in Pittsburgh, Pa where Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was originally produced.

On Saturday, a bus load of educators traveled to Pittsburgh for a beautiful day in the neighborhood. With radiant sunshine, pleasant company and an itinerary jam-packed with educational fun, this day could not get any better.

Educators on the trip took a hands-on approach to learning Saturday morning as they danced to classic children’s songs, partook in lessons appropriate for the early childhood classroom, and explored the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum. For some, this experience truly tugged at heartstrings as these educators relived their childhood memories of Mister Rogers in the Neighborhood of Make Believe exhibit at the Children’s Museum.

We sat together on the swing on Mister Rogers’ front porch and then walked inside only to find his sneakers and sweaters in the front closet. A quick picture by the traffic light and Mister Rogers’ fish tank brought back so many memories. Then it was off to his piano for a bit of singing, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…”

This was just the beginning of our adventure through Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. We also climbed into X the Owl’s tree and stood outside Daniel Striped Tiger’s clock for a quick photo opportunity. And, of course we will not soon forget our visit to King Friday’s castle.

When we could finally tear ourselves away from the Children’s Museum, we headed to WQED to see the original set. We walked down the colorful stone sidewalk and visited many of our favorite characters from the Neighborhood of Make Believe. And, at the end of our walk through the studio we met Mr. McFeely for a hug, an autograph, and a quick photo.

These experiences helped us to remember that our childhood memories and the values that Fred Rogers instilled upon us as young children are timeless. Though many of us started off strangers at the beginning of our journey to Pittsburgh, by the end of the trip we all felt like neighbors and friends. And, we are looking forward to our next adventure together through WQLN’s Road Trips.