Penny Loaf Day

Today is Penny Loaf Day. This holiday originated in the 17th century in Newark, Nottingham, when a man named Hercules Clay dreamt for three nights in a row that his house would burn down. He moved his family out on March 11th and shortly thereafter, his house was burned down during the English Civil War. To give thanks for his unbelievable luck, he created a fund of £100 to buy Penny Loaves of bread, boots and shoes for the poor each year on the 11th of March. To get the bread, the poor had to listen to a sermon first. Although the funds are gone to give bread today, the sermon is still delivered in Newark.

To celebrate, watch a video on making bread and then try some of these family-friendly bread recipes . In the spirit of the day, make an extra loaf of bread and donate it to a local shelter. Older children can make bread dough beads and talk about how grains keep us healthy, while younger children can play with bread themed items in a sensory table or tub, such as oats, corn, barley, measuring cups, funnels and spoons or play Bread Basket Upset.

Image Credit: (Moonimama's Memoirs)

Happy Birthday, Kenneth Grahame!

Happy birthday, Kenneth Grahame! Grahame is the Scottish author of the much loved children's book The Wind in the Willows. The story of Mole, the Water Rat, Badger and Mr. Toad is believed to have originated in bedtime stories that Grahame told his son. The story tells of the adventures of the wandering friends with underlying references to kindness, patience, hard work and loyalty. Although hard to believe, the book was panned by adults and children alike when published. Luckily, Grahame sent a copy of the book to US president Teddy Roosevelt, who loved it. Sales increased soon after!

Go to the library or you can read the story online. Older kids can do a worksheet or make some wildlife crafts and younger ones can make a toad mask or do some coloring to celebrate Grahame's birthday today!

Image credit: (Telegraph)

Celebrating St. David's Day!

The Welsh have honored March 1st as St. David's Day since the 18th century. Dewi Sant, St. David, was a Celtic monk who helped spread Christianity in Wales in the 6th century.

Traditionally, school children performed concerts or eisteddfadau, reciting poems and singing. Some schools are open for a half day only to extend the celebrations. Daffodil and leek emblems are typically worn to honor St. David. Daffodils commonly bloom in March, and leeks are the personal symbol of St. David. Additionally, in the Welsh language the words are similar: Cenin (leek) and Cenin Bedr (daffodil, literally "Peter's leek"). In the South of Wales, young men wear leeks while young girls wear daffodils, but in North Wales the daffodil is the most popular. The Welsh traditional costume consists of a long wool skirt, white blouse, woolen shawl and Welsh black felt hat.

To celebrate St. David's Day in Las Vegas, pick up some dadffodils. Big kids can make traditional costume craft or a clay dadffodil magnet , while younger children can do some coloring pages. Finish off the celebration with some traditional Welsh dishes such as welsh rarebit, welsh cakes or Bara Brith, or visit Whole Foods to pick up ingredients for a goat cheese and leek quiche.

Image credits: (Clare Matson, Richard)

Happy Birthday Lord Baden-Powell!

February 22, 1857 is the birthday of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, lieutenant general in the British Army and founder of the Scout movement. Baden-Powell served in both India and Africa from 1876 to 1910, and wrote several books on military reconnaissance. Upon his return to England, Baden-Powell discovered these books were being read by boys and youth organizations. Based upon those earlier books, he wrote Scouting for Boys in 1908, a guidebook for exploring the wilderness.

The book is described as including "practical instructions on how to light fires, build a boat, or stalk animals (or men), it includes sections on chivalry, self-discipline, self-improvement, and citizenship. Indeed, the book brims with Baden-Powell's philosophy of life, one that replaces self with service, puts country before the individual, and duty above all".

Baden-Powell tested the ideas put forth in the book in August of 1907 at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, with a group of boys. The boys participated in camping, nature observation, woodcrafts, chivalry, life saving skills and patriotism. The Brownsea Island adventure is viewed as the origins of the scouting movement. The Girl Guides (or Scouts) began a few years later in 1910.

Locally, we have the Girl Scouts of the Frontier Council and the Las Vegas Area Boy Scouts. You don't have to be in the scouts to celebrate today - there is lots of wilderness in Southern Nevada to explore! Practice tracking animals in the backyard (even if it is the family dog!) and identify plants, animals and birds in your neighborhood. Older children can learn to make fires and build an emergency shelter.

Image credits (ScoutBase UK, Scouts)

Remembering the Boston Tea Party

On December 16, 1773, colonists in Boston boarded ships carrying taxed tea from the UK and threw it overboard in an act of revenge against the British Government. The Boston Tea Party was a central event in the American Revolution, as the crisis grew and the Revolutionary War began near Boston in 1775.

How can you celebrate the Boston Tea Party with your children? Older kids can make boats , do a history activity or put on a play. Younger children can make a simple boat or color some activity pages. Post a link in the comments below to show off your artwork!

Thanks to Wikipedia for the picture!

Pencil it In: November 23 - 29th

Here are this week's upcoming UK events:

• Be sure to catch the British National Theatre of America's panto, Snow White. The final show dates are November 24 and 25th.
• The Clark County Library will be showing In Bruges at 7p on Tuesday, November 24th. Irish hit men Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson take a forced vacation in the Belgian town of Bruges when their employer orders them to lay low after a botched job. The jittery Farrell can't enjoy the medieval village's unusual sights until a movie shoot and a pretty girl take his mind off his problems--maybe too much. Ralph Fiennes, Clemence Poesy co-star in writer/director Martin McDonagh's brash comedy-drama. Presented in conjunction with Nevadans Organized to Better Address Diversity (N.O.T.B.A.D).
• Join UKLV for their Monte Carlo or Bust event in celebration of the launch of their new website. The event is at the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino on Sunday, November 29th, with the first 600 tickets free and just $15 after that.

Pencil it In: November 16th - 22nd

Here are this week's upcoming UK events:

• Join the British National Theatre of America for opening night of Snow White on November 16th! Additional show dates are Nov 17, 24, and 25th.
• The Charleston Heights Art Center (800 S. Brush Street, LV, NV) presents Scottish Country Dancing on November 20th. $5 per person, ages 13 and up welcome. Wear comfortable shoes! For more info call 229-6383

New Feature: Pencil it In

I am pleased to announce a new feature to the Las Vegas UK Mums blog - Pencil it In - a place for you to learn about family friendly UK events happening in the Las Vegas area on a weekly basis. The posts will run every Thursday and will cover Monday through Sunday of the following week. Events will range from films to sporting events and everything in between. If you have an event that you would like to have listed, please email me at the address listed on the right.

Panto in Las Vegas - BNTA Presents Snow White

A local Brit who organizes the British National Theater of America (BNTA) has invited the Las Vegas community to share in the panto tradition with a production of Snow White. So what is panto? It is a style of British musical comedy theater in which traditional children's stories are turned on their heads with music hall, modern references and audience participation to create a fun atmosphere for the whole family. Panto has strong influence from Commedia dell’arte often performed around Christmas and it originated in the UK sometime in the late 18th Century.

BNTA's current show is not the typical Snow White... The fair lass finds herself stuck in Las Vegas, stage manager to her evil & famous step-mother, Posh Nosh. Jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty & talent, the Posh Nosh hires a mafia hit man to rid herself of fair Snow White. The hit man, unable to bring himself to do the deed, leaves Snow White in the 14 jazz hands of 7 dwarfs. However, it is only a matter of time until the evil Posh Nosh finds out that Snow White lives. Determined to do the job properly herself, Posh Nosh poisons Snow White so that she may claim that she is the “Fairest of them All” once again....This Las Vegas reworking of the traditional story continues BNTA's goal of making British Panto a Las Vegas tradition. Snow White runs November 17, 18, 24 and 25th at 7p. Support local Brits in the community by attending - tickets are from $10-15 and can be purchased on the BNTA site.

Do your kids have the acting bug? BNTA also offers a 16 week session for 9-12 year olds to learn theater, dance and acrobatics while working with local professionals, culminating in participation in an upcoming production. For more information, contact jo@bntofa.org .

British National Theatre of America (BNTA) was formed in April 2008 by Rob Winch, Rich Perkin and Jo Cattell who met whilst working together on Cirque du Soleil’s The Beatle’s LOVE. It is a non profit theatre company based in Las Vegas that exists to engage, entertain and inspire the community through traditional and contemporary theatre from diverse international origins.

Won't make it to the show this time? Visit Robinsons Put on a Panto (http://bit.ly/PutOnAPanto) and let the kids do their own panto for you! Thanks to Carrots in Mum's Hair for the site!