Holidays have a magic that no other topic quite matches. Children feel them coming weeks in advance. They carry memories, traditions, food, and family stories all bundled together. They are, in many ways, the punctuation marks of a child’s year, the moments against which everything else is measured. I can remember family holidays when I was a child, and my children still talk about theirs. That’s what makes them perfect Traveling Spark Station territory.
In this final installment, Part 4, of the series on The Traveling Spark Station, we’re going to look at six holidays that have found their way into my Traveling Spark Station over the years. Some are eagerly anticipated. Some are barely on a child’s radar. Those turn out to be some of the most fun, because there’s nothing quite like introducing a child to a celebration they didn’t know existed. Every holiday has a story. Every holiday has something worth knowing. And every single one of them is better when you explore it together.
HOLIDAYS
1. Halloween
Halloween was one of my favorites as a child and as a mom. I had a truly impressive witch laugh and used it well. Teaching my grandchildren about Halloween’s origins, rooted in a Celtic festival and a Roman holiday both celebrated on October 31st, was fascinating for me. The ghoulish books were a hit for them. Making treats was wonderful for us all. We did crafts connected to both the ancient Celtic traditions and our modern celebration. We talked about Mexico’s Day of the Dead, as well; a shiveringly good time was had by all. Whatever you do in that last week of October, make it fun, fill it with learning, and do it together.
2. Fall Harvest Treats
One Traveling Spark Station activity was devoted entirely to fall treats, the kind that belong to this season and no other. The children helped make every treat. We made a magnificent mess, and we cleaned it up together.
We pulled saltwater taffy, which was the highlight; there is nothing quite like the look on a child’s face when taffy starts to harden. We made cinnamon apples, a fall fair staple from my childhood. And we made caramel corn, which, in the old days, we would bag up and give out as Trick or Treat gifts. Books about autumn and Halloween rounded out the day. Eating and reading together — you really can’t beat it.
3. Veterans Day
When I was a girl, Veterans Day meant parades down Main Street, speeches in the park, and visits to the cemetery where flags were placed on every grave. It was a solemn occasion and meaningful because my family had many veterans.
I wanted my grandchildren to understand this holiday and know some of our family veterans. This holiday offers a natural platform for so many important conversations — past and present wars, bravery and courage, patriotism, peace, and the specific people in your own family who served. It’s a topic that can take you down rich and interesting roads for a long time. Start with a good book or two, a coloring page, a simple craft, and a family story. That is enough to begin.
4. Thanksgiving
Every year, our family talked about the Pilgrims and gathered for Thanksgiving dinner. But there’s so much more to this holiday, and the Traveling Spark Station helped us explore it.
We learned about the Wampanoag people, the tribe that met and befriended the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Their chief, Massasoit, was a peaceful man, though his sons would later have many conflicts with the colonists. We learned about the Mayflower. My grands liked boats, but they decided firmly they would not have wanted to make that crossing on a cargo ship with no sleeping berths. We talked about what childhood was like in Plymouth in the 1600s, which was eye-opening. Children could not sit or speak during meals, were expected to both love and fear their parents, and were often sent to live with other families after age eight. My grandchildren were fascinated and deeply relieved not to be Pilgrim children.
I talked with Jack and Maggie about all of this, but what they were really interested in was turkeys. So, while we made paper turkeys, I wove in a bit about what Thanksgiving is, who was at the first feast, and what they ate. Mostly, though, we talked about turkeys. We read a book about a Thanksgiving feast for a very small mouse and a counting book about Plymouth, and spent a quiet morning chatting, gluing, and tracing. We all enjoyed it very much.
5. Labor Day
Here’s a holiday most children — and many adults — know nothing about. Growing up, I knew Labor Day meant school was starting and that there would be a parade, a BBQ, and speeches by important people in the park. What it actually meant, I had no idea.
So, it found its way into the Traveling Spark Station. I gave the children a little background on the holiday’s origins and the labor movement. They asked questions. We talked about the importance of work and what each of them was already contributing at home. We played a word game, did a craft, and read some books. It never became anyone’s favorite holiday, but at least they knew what it was about — and the crafts were a hit.
6. Leap Year
My sister was born on February 28th, just two years after me, and she has always been quietly relieved about that one day’s difference. If she had been born on the 29th, she would be a Leap Year baby — and at sixty years old, she would have had only fifteen birthdays. My grandchildren found this information both fascinating and deeply alarming.
I shared a few pieces of Leap Year trivia with them. Their favorite: In 1988, TIME magazine declared Superman to have been born on February 29th, making him an official Leap Year baby. I had a Leap Year rhyme, some coloring pages, books to read, and plastic frogs hidden around the room for the children to find. Not anyone’s favorite holiday — but a fun and surprising one, which is exactly what Leap Year deserves.
Four parts. Dozens of topics. Hundreds of moments.
That is what the Traveling Spark Station is really about — moments; the afternoon Jack discovered that two triangles make a diamond and couldn’t stop putting them together. The night my daughter Kate snuck outside in the dark to sprinkle glitter on a fairy ring. The conversation with Jason about silver dollars that stretched across weeks. The quiet morning of chatting, gluing, and tracing that no one planned but everyone enjoyed.
None of these required a lot of money. None required a teaching degree. They required a basket, a few books, a simple idea, and a person willing to show up.
That person is you.
Whether you’re a grandparent traveling across the country to visit for a week, an aunt stopping by for an afternoon, a family friend helping with an event, or anyone else who loves a child and wants to do more than just be in the same room, the Traveling Spark Station is yours. Fill it with what sparks you or what you know will spark them. Take it to the children in your life. See what happens.
