19th January Popcorn and Potions

As well as Martin Luther King Day, the 19th of January is also Popcorn Day and Brew a Potion Day.

Fun fact about popcorn:

During the 16th century, popcorn was used in headdresses worn during Aztec ceremonies honoring Tlaloc, their god of maize and fertility. Early Spanish explorers were fascinated by the corn that burst into what looked like a white flower. Now we eat it!

Fun fact about potions:

"Potion" comes from the Latin word "potio" or "potionis," which means drink or beverage. Potions are seen as having magical properties. In mythology they were made by witches, sorcerers, fairies, dragons, and magicians, and were used to poison, heal, or bewitch people, but Brew a Potion Day is a jocular holiday intended for fun, not a day to use potions to harm anyone. The day is meant for people to brew up positive potions for their family and friends, such as love potions.

The good thing about popcorn and potions, is that they are both very easy to celebrate with picture books.

There are popcorn picture books attached to this blog entry.

There are potion picture books attached to this blog entry.

19th January Popcorn Day

It's Popcorn Day. Get out the popcorn machine and eat popcorn while you read any of the books below. Compare the procedure you undertook to get popcorn with the ones in the two expository texts or share a story. The Popcorn Dragon by Jane Thayer is an oldie but a goodie and Frank Asch's title has been reissued in a new cover. Look in the library as there's bound to be other titles as well!