How to Create Family Fun Nights Around the Rhythm of the Seasons
The rhythm of the seasons offers families opportunities to connect around special days. Holidays have always been the time to bring families closer together and in addition to our national holidays, there are also some very unusual and unique “holidays” to celebrate with your family! When life is busy, sometimes we need a reminder like National Hot Dog Day to spark fun and spontaneous ideas for family fun! Here at Minno, we want to help you make the most of each season as you move throughout the year—and especially now, when many families are spending a lot more time at home together. Use these unusual celebrations and the many more you can find online to inspire ideas on creating more fun moments of connection for your family.
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How to Create Family Fun Nights Around the Rhythm of the Seasons
Carnival Day – February 26
Carnivals have always been an entertainment staple around the world. With thrilling and chilling rides, animal acts, fun and interactive games, and delicious food, summer and winter (yes there is such a thing as winter carnivals!) carnivals attract many tourists. On Carnival Day use your creativity and with your family create your own carnival! Check out this link for 29 homemade carnival games that you can enjoy for a fun family night!
Polar Bear Day – February 27
Polar Bear Day celebrates the world’s largest carnivore. At nine feet tall and 1400 pounds, polar bears live in the North Pole region. A few fun and fast facts on polar bears: polar bears are so adapted to cold that they can’t take temperatures above 50 degrees. Polar bear hair appears white but it is actually transparent. Most land animals are too fast for a polar bear to catch. So how can you and your family celebrate this day?
Watch Jungle Beat, Wake Me Up on Minno. Create your own polar bear using these polar bear craft ideas to get you started.
National Chili Day – February 28
With most of the nation experiencing cold and frigid temperatures, a warm bowl of chili sounds like a good idea! San Antonio, TX is the birthplace of chili. During the 1880s in San Antonio, Texas a group of women nicknamed “Chili Queens” sold stew they called “chili” made with dried red chiles and beef from open-air stalls at the Military Plaza Mercado. They made their chili at home, loaded it onto colorful chili wagons, and transported the wagons and chili to the plaza. They built mesquite fires on the square to keep the chili warm and dished out chili to customers who sat on wooden stools to eat their fiery stew.
How to celebrate this day? Hop in the kitchen and create some fun memories making chili with your family. This recipe is kid-friendly so your little ones can help out and enjoy!
National Good Samaritan Day – March 13
National Good Samaritan Day recognizes the actions of those who provide help for people in need. The term ‘Good Samaritan’ comes from the Bible parable (Luke 10) where a Samaritan helped a stranger who had been beaten and robbed by the side of the road. The Samaritan helped to clean the man’s wounds and provide him with clothing.
How can you and your family observe this day? It’s important to remember that family fun nights don’t have to always be about food and games. Your family can connect in meaningful ways around serving others. Plan a night to look through websites and gift-guides for relief organizations. Here are a few organizations that we know and trust. If you are able, consider giving your child(ren) a budget to spend on helping others. For around $30 they can buy a few chickens to help their neighbors in another part of the world!
Samaritan’s Purse – Donating your time and gift to Samaritan’s purse helps to fulfill their mission of relief and evangelism worldwide. Samaritan’s purse provides emergency medicine, international emergency relief, care for mothers and babies around the world, and so many more services to those in need.
Compassion International – Compassion International is a Christian humanitarian aid organization and child sponsorship program. Compassion aims to support and assist children living in poverty globally. You and your family can sponsor a child in need, as a result of this many families have developed lifelong bonds with the children they sponsor.
Food for The Hungry – Food for the Hungry was created to serve the poor by providing food, shelter, and clothing. Food for the Hungry also aims to provide economic development in some of the world’s most impoverished places. By sponsoring a child, providing clean water, and helping families during a crisis you are making a positive impact in the world!
Another way to have fun on this day is to share random acts of kindness as a family. You never know how much your thoughtfulness can make someone’s day! Celebrate Good Samaritan’s Day with your family by performing Random Acts of Kindness. Each act of kindness changes the way we see ourselves and others and well as how others see us. The little acts you carry out help to show that what you do matters. They bring awareness to the fact that you can make a difference in this world with just one act of kindness at a time. Visit the website www.randomactsofkindness.org to get some creative ideas on how to celebrate kindness this day!
Time to let loose and have some fun! National Goof Off Day can be a day to just relax, enjoy, and well . . . goof off! With the way the beginning of the year has started off, families need to unwind and have fun! We all need a break, so what better time to do it than on National Goof Off Day! How to celebrate this holiday? There are no rules! Maybe anything goes at the dinner table tonight!
Check out some fun ideas for families to do on International Goof Off Day on National Day Calendar.
National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day – April 12
Grilled cheese is recognized as one of America’s top comfort foods. So, of course, it’s only right to have a holiday for it! The United States’ modern version of the grilled cheese sandwich originated in the 1920s. As sliced bread and American cheese became easily available, Americans began making open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are very versatile! Mix and match bread, use different varieties of cheese to create your own signature grilled cheese sandwich. A fun way to celebrate this day with your family? Create a grilled cheese bar and use some tasty and unconventional ingredients to make the grilled cheese sandwich of your dreams.
Check out these wacky, yet delicious cheese combos and ingredients!
National Picnic Day – April 23
Grab your favorite blanket, a fun basket filled with all your favorite snacks, and take breakfast, lunch, or dinner outside with a picnic. National Picnic Day encourages everyone to pack up their meal and take it outside! But picnics don’t have to be limited to the park, get creative with your family. Set up your picnic in your living room or even transform your dining area into your perfect picnic spot. Need some ideas on what to pack? Check out these fun kid-friendly recipes to make with your family!
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These are just a few of the many fun national days you can use as inspiration to create fun and connection in your home around the rhythm of the seasons. You don’t have to do a lot of planning. And you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Get creative as you look for ways to bring lightheartedness and joy to your family schedule.