Squirrel Appreciation Day coloring book! EMF, trees, and Arbor Day Foundation, & American persimmons.
What is a fern? What is an acorn? Do we not need words if they aren't used in "everyday language"? and why aren't ferns and acorns in the everyday language of modern children?
Arbor Day (or Arbour Day) is a non-religious holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. In the United States, National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, although some states observe Arbor Day on different dates based on the best tree planting times for their area.
The Arbor Day celebration began in the state of Nebraska on April 10, 1872, and was made a legal state holiday in Nebraska in 1885 with April 22 as the designated date. A million trees reportedly were planted in Nebraska in 1872 on the first event. (arborday.org) Earth Day is held on April 22nd now and it first began in 1970.
My Squirrel Appreciation Day coloring book is ready, or I could keep dinking with it forever… I amazed myself and I hope some readers enjoy it, both for adults who like to color and families with children learning to read. Hat-tip to crossword puzzle writers, it is not easy…
Squirrel Appreciation Day Coloring Book (sync pdf, 92.8 MB) *Jan. 3, 2025 updated link, with the newer pudding and goop pages, couple other pages - now 94 pages. *I hope the links are clickable, I include some recipes and a few other resource links. If anyone reads it… to the end… please let me know what you think about my handling of the adult topics and if improvements or less/more info would be better.
PNG zip file, 26 pages,109.4 MB, best for photo type online sharing or other digital viewing. (PNG sync.zip)
SVG zip file, 26 pages, 211.7 MB, better for digital use or animation, maybe a Wallpaper version could be made. (SVG sync.zip)
I grew up with camping and trees, waterfalls, mosquitos, and lots of squirrels and chipmunks. Many children don’t have that luxury anymore and pictures might seem like a fantasy rather than reality (which is sad). I was telling my lawyer child about my squirrel book, and she said she didn’t think she really needed to know types of squirrels. This is ….me feeling like a failure as a parent… We may not NEED to know types of squirrels, BUT we will be much more complete citizens of the planet if we do know more about the other inhabitants of our planet.
My kids do know the difference between a chipmunk and a squirrel. We were visiting Washington D.C. and saw a couple other children looking excitedly at a chipmunk in a city park and my kids were astonished that the other children were excited about a boring old chipmunk. My kids…staring at the other children as if they were the foreign species in a zoo… “What’s a chipmunk?”
Can we put a price tag on art? For single copy printing on good paper, I will be charged $44 for each spiral bound 82-page booklet. Canva.com tells me how much the Premium clip art has added up to, as I add more pages. The current cost of the squirrel book is at $367 in subscription access clip art - covered in the monthly subscription fee though.
I was astonished reading something about changing words listed in a children’s dictionary… fern was being removed. Modern children didn’t need to know what a fern is…. Ferns existed long before we did on this planet, (ferns are about 400 million years old, older than dinosaurs) and long before chipmunks too. I think school children do need to know what ferns are, and chipmunks, squirrels and maybe even marmots. *More on the fern story is at the end of the post.
An EMF oriented coloring page celebrating how trees can help protect us:
People love trees and forests. We can celebrate the year around.
In Germany, Arbor Day (Tag des Baumes) is celebrated on April 25.
In China, Arbor Day is celebrated on March 12.
In Flanders, International Day of Treeplanting is celebrated on or around March 21.
In Australia, National Schools Tree Day is held on the last Friday of July and National Tree Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in July.
In Cambodia, Arbor Day is celebrated on July 9.
In Guam, Arbor Day is celebrated on the second Tuesday in October.
In Iceland, Students’ Afforestation Day is celebrated (no specific date mentioned).
In India, National Festival of Tree Planting (no specific date mentioned).
In Israel, Tu Bishvat (New Year of the Trees) is celebrated on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat (date varies).
More forest holidays: EarthForests Network - Forest Calendar, earthforests.org.
American Persimmons
Persimmon fans - this article has interesting history tidbits and a discussion of the difference between Asian persimmon and the Virginia strain native to the Americas. It was discovered here in 1538 and brought back to Europe. The American type is astringent, very tart, until it is ripe at which time its quite soft. Some people may have tried that type and not realize the non-astringent Asian style Fuyu can be eaten when firm. Other Asian species are also astringent until they are ripe or until they are pollinated for the brown goma species.
American vs. Asian Persimmons: What’s the Difference?, By Dianna Grabowski, (thefruitgrove.com)
Tree info: Arbor Day Foundation, arborday.org. The 2024 Canopy Report - what Americans think about trees. (arborday.org//canopy-report) 79% of Americans either have or would consider climbing a tree. 56% have to drive to reach a green park or forested area.
Songbird info: National Audobon Society, audubon.org.
Movie night, I’ve been working too hard on coloring pages. I watched a Reese Witherspoon Romance-Comedy ghost movie but the ghost turns out to be alive. (2005)
Coma reminder - it has been learned that simply giving the coma patient some thyroid and adrenal hormones can revive the in-body-consciousness. More people may be waiting just on the other side of out-of-body consciousness than the movie not-ghost. Sleeping Beauty meets Heaven Can Wait… it was fun. Nice couch, nice urban gardens. The gardener wins the girl. Fairy tale romance meets skeptical medical doctor. Dude, as the side role mystic book dealer wins the show. ‘Just Like Heaven’, co-starring Mark Ruffalo, (Youtube).
I am always saddened though when mainstream medical is failing patients.
Ferns! and Acorn!
Definition of Fern for Kids
Based on the provided search results, it appears that the Oxford Junior Dictionary, a popular children’s dictionary in the UK, removed words related to nature, including “fern”, in 2007 and 2012 editions. The dictionary’s editors justified the removals by citing declining usage of these words in children’s everyday language.
However, it’s worth noting that the removal of “fern” and other nature-related words sparked controversy and criticism from some quarters. Authors such as Margaret Atwood and Andrew Motion protested the omission, arguing that it reflected a broader cultural shift away from nature and towards technology.
In response to this criticism, a new book called “The Lost Words” was published in 2017. This book, written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris, aimed to “reclaim” the lost words, including “fern”, by creating a magical and imaginative context for children to learn and engage with these words.
In terms of current children’s dictionaries, it appears that some online dictionaries, such as those mentioned in the search results, still include definitions and descriptions of “fern” and other nature-related words.
Here is a summary of the key points:
The Oxford Junior Dictionary removed “fern” and other nature-related words in 2007 and 2012 editions.
The removals were justified by declining usage of these words in children’s everyday language.
The omission sparked controversy and criticism from some authors and nature enthusiasts.
The book “The Lost Words” (2017) aimed to “reclaim” the lost words, including “fern”, by creating a magical and imaginative context for children to learn and engage with these words.
Some online children’s dictionaries still include definitions and descriptions of “fern” and other nature-related words.
newyorker.com, Oxford Junior Dictionary Drops "Acorn" for "Broadband" | The New Yorker
more links… search.brave.com
My Squirrel Appreciation Day coloring book also tries to share the magic and wonder of nature and its value to us. The book gets into some adult topics regarding gender dysphoria and monogamy vs polyamory (Prairie voles!)
Grade schoolers are being expected to learn “anal sex,” but not “acorn”. I have a problem with that. *Whether homosexuals like it or not, it seriously not really safe for longterm function and is a worse risk for female internal anatomy. “Equality”, “diversity”, “anal fissures”, “fecal leakage”, there are so many fun words to learn!
Children being taught that anal sex is just normal, and everyone is likely to do it, i.s false and dangerous. Female anatomy really can’t handle it as too much is going on in there, with very thin membranes separating the ‘front and back holes’ (a trans-woman phrase).
What is normal? Not knowing what an acorn is. Or “knowing” that something called anal sex is an “expected” part of growing up as a boy or as a girl? Females should not be expected to have anal sex just because it has become a standard part of homosexual activity. Health professional and female in the room, it can be damaging in a fairly short amount of time, a few years may lead to a need for adult diapers. If a boyfriend is insisting on something that you don’t like, then find a new boyfriend. Long term health matters more than short term curiosity or pleasure.
Which words we teach our children does matter, it does affect what they think is normal and acceptable. Katy Perry encouraged “kissing a girl” in a song, and I tried it and found… it was like kissing my mother and why would I do that?
Acceptance is important, but that needs to include acceptance of traditional standards too. Just because Katy Perry may kiss girls and like it, doesn’t mean I have to. Children don’t always understand that they don’t have to follow the pack…. it might be a pack of lemmings falling off of the cliff.
Squirrel Appreciation Day Coloring Book (sync pdf) *I hope the links are clickable, I include some recipes and a few other resource links. If anyone reads it… to the end… please let me know what you think about my handling of the adult topics and if improvements or less/more info would be better.
…dinking with a manuscript can go on for quite a while. I realize that to me, “fern” is so basic, that I didn’t even include a text box saying, “F is for Ferns”, though I did include clip art of ferns.
Ferns perfect geometry always fascinated me.
Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance.
Great post. Gotta protect the young ones. Took a quick glance at the coloring book - Beautiful. I'm going to have some printed for some children in the neighborhood.