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PAGE 8A —
Wacky Facts
# Play-Doh was first sold as a wallpaper cleaner.
It was first sold as a toy in 1956 at a Washington, D.C.,
department store. The original formula is still a secret.
• Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith made their
first box of crayons in 1903.
— World Almanac for Kids
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Grown-ups grumpy? Help them find joy in the little things.
M By Emilie Le
Chicago
om is not smiling after her trip to the mall,
and Dad is a little testy because he can’t
untangle the holiday lights. Your younger
brothers are squabbling over a sled and the roof of the
bread house you’ve spent three hours making just collapsed.
Happy holidays?
This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the
year, but it can feel like the season of stress. Stores are
crowded, shopping lists are long and tempers are short.
Parents, not surprisingly, are grumpy just when you’re feel¬
ing holly-jolly.
So what’s with the Scrooge scene? Nearly half of grown¬
ups surveyed in a Gallup poll say they feel stressed during
the holidays. Money problems and patty preparations are
some of the reasons adults feel anxious, the poll reports.
But too many worries also
means not enough zzzz’s. Nearly
half the adults in the Gallup sur¬
vey complained they get less
sleep during the holidays. Less
sleep and more stuff on the to-do
list sometimes means grown-ups
acting like Grinches.
Colin B., 9, says he does his
best to avoid those with bad atti¬
tudes. “I try to stay away from
those people because I don’t want
them ruining my holidays,” he
says.
Sledding, gift-giving and his
school’s winter party are Colin’s
favorite ways to celebrate the
son. His family heads out of state
* for their celebrations, and he says
not much can bring down his
spirit.
Spreading your good mood
help adults who heed a bit of
day cheer. Jill Murphy Long,
author of “Permission to Party:
Taking Time to Enjoy and
Help!
It takes two to keep up a friendship
DEAR AMERICAN GIRL: I’m always the DEAR AMERICAN GIRL: I want to be
one who calls to set stuff up with my friend. funny, but I’m not!
I’m sick of it! I don’t think I should have to do —
everything to keep our friendship going. ■ Funny kids are fun to be around. But even
— Troubled if you aren’t a great joke teller, you
■ It’s no fun if one person is doing can show you have a terrific
ail the work for two friends. Do sense of humor. How? By
you fee) hurt and unappreciat¬ being a great joke listener.
ed? Let your friend know. Say, Every time you laugh at
“It would be fun if we took turns friends’ funny stories, you’ll
planning things to do.” Be add to the ftm. Sometime a
prepared; she may simply be American Girl m good belly laugh is even
the kind of person who likes better to hear than a good
to let others take charge. If joke.
so, you might feel happier if you reach out to Visit americangirl.com
other friends — girls who are as full of energy to get or give advice.
and ideas as you are. © 2005 American Girl, LLC. All rights reserved.
Poultry Serving Industry the North and Georgia helping the
environment by recycling poultry ^
by-products into useful feed ingredients.
COUNTY NEWS —Thursday, December 1,2005
—
Copyright 2005 Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Keeping spirits bright
Everyone in the family has a
‘tude? Have some festive fun by
yourself, or get your sibs to join in
the joy. Here’s how;
• ROLL OUT THE WELCOME
WAGON. Is the party at your place?
Make signs welcoming your guests,
says Jill Murphy Long, author of
"Permission to Party: Taking Time to
Enjoy and Celebrate Life." Put one
word on each sign and attach them to
sturdy sticks. Place the signs all down
your block so guests will have a holi¬
day greeting as they drive up.
• ACT UP. Put on a holiday play.
Organize the other kids in your family
and make props, costumes and a
script. Perform the play for the full
family after dinner, Murphy Long says.
• PLAY AROUND. Go outside and
enjoy yourself. Make a snowman or
gather pinecones for decorations.
Celebrate Life” (Source-Books, $14.95), says many families
have a “black cloud” or holiday humbug who just can’t seem
to have any fun. “If you’re a joke teller, please tell them
jokes,” she says.
Asking how you can help with chores also can cheer a
worried parent. “Do easy things, something simple. That will
help brighten his or her mood,” Murphy Long says.
Making party preparations seem more like happy holiday
rituals (think decking the halls) also saves the spirit. Bridget
B., 9, says her family makes chores cheeiy. .»
“If we’re having the party at our house, we have to make
food, clean up and get ready,” she says. “We listen to songs
while we do it and we kind of dance around.”
Rocking out to carols is one way to enjoy the season. If
everyone else is in a bad mood, you can still sing your way
to a festive feeling.
Francesca L., 7, loves holiday tunes. “My favorite one is
‘Nuttdn’ for Christ-mas.’ It’s cool. When my dad puts on
songs in the car, I always sing,”
she says.
Finding fun in the little things
also can help kids delight in
December. Francesca says her new
Mrs. Claus nightgown is a total
holiday thrill and helps her enjoy
the season.
Grown-ups aren’t the only ones
to get grumpy, either. Packed malls
and long lines can make a kid
cranky too. When shopping with
her mom, Francesca says they often
have to wait in line for a long time.
“She says we’re going for just two
minutes, but it ends up being three
hours,” Francesca laments.
After a long day shopping, kids
should treat themselves to some
serious relaxation just as adults
should, Murphy Long says. “You
have to take some down time dur¬
ing the holidays ” she says. Play
with some of your favorite toys
or, she says, “soak in the tub or
take a nap.”
1 Try This
Colorful Christmas cat^
These curious ornaments will make a purr- 1
feet acrylic 2. DIRECTIONS 1. addition Paint First, paint. a coat to patch your a wooden of Christmas the same craft tree shade spoon this onto with season. a M *!
piece of white card stock and let the paints dry. place, adding a few
3. Cut a Vi-inch square from the card stock, tiny red beads or
then cut the square in half diagonally. Glue the glitter for berries,
two triangles to the top of the spoon for ears. 7. Glue on more
4. For a tail, curl a 6-inch piece of pipe beads for buttons.
cleaner and glue it to the back of the spoon. 8. Finally, make a
5. Glue on black seed beads for eyes and hanger by tying a piece
draw a face with a fine-point permanent marker, of string into a loop and
6 , Add a holly collar by twisting two or gluing the knot to the back
three 1-inch squares of green tissue paper of the spoon. Let your cat dry
around the tip of a pencil, then glue them in before hanging. — ■ FamilyFun magazine
isdspsi Mi 1 €®b mm ■ -
p.- ■:.
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Chatter Box
“The Easy-Bake Oven was big when I was 7.
I loved making brownies
in the little tins it came with.”^^^_
Gahrielle Union, on her happiest
holiday memory, in People magazine. JrS
In The News
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COURTESY OF HONDA
The Spallino family test-drives th Honda FCX, an
environmentally friendly car that uses hydrogen
and oxygen as fuel.
Family tests new
earth-friendly car
When Jon and Sandy JJME
Spallino go to the grocery
store or to their daughters’
soccer games, they drive in high-tech style. The
Spallinos drive a $1 million, fuel-cell powered
Honda FCX. It may be the world’s most expensive
car and one of the most environmentally friendly.
The FCX is the first fuel-cell-powered car to be
used by a family anywhere in the world. The
Spallinos are leasing the car for $500 a month
from the Honda Motor Company.
Carmakers have been working to develop vehi¬
cles that are better for the environment. They are
developing cars that use fuel other than gasoline.
WHAT IS FUEL-CELL POWER?
Fuel-cell technology works by changing the
chemicals hydrogen (which is stored in the car)
and oxygen into water. This process produces elec¬
tricity, and water vapor comes out of the car’s
tailpipe. Most cars release the dangerous gases
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Many scien¬
tists say these gases are major contributors to glob¬
al wanning.
“The FCX drives just like any other vehicle on
the road — without the emissions (of gases that
pollute the environment),” Jon Spallino said.
Honda plans to lease more FCX vehicles over the
next year.
Fuel-cell technology has been around since the
1800s, but scientists have yet to perfect it. They
say it may take years before the technology is
ready for widespread use.
CREATING GREEN’ CARS
Another earth-friendly car is already on the
market. Hybrid cars use both gasoline and an elec¬
tric motor. They are becoming more popular with
customers because they cut pollution and improve
fuel efficiency.
Toyota is the world’s leader in selling hybrid
cars. There is a waiting list of 11,000 people who
want to buy the cars.
— Jill Egan
© 2005 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TIME FOR KIDS and Timeforkids.com are registered trademarks of Time Inc.
Laugh. Lines
What would you get if
you crossed a bridge To the
with a car? other side!
— “BEST RIDDLE BOOK EVER'