The Squid Calendar

Sponsered by the Tolkien Society, today is Tolkien reading Day.  It’s not J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday, and it’s not the anniversary of his death.  It’s not Frodo’s birthday, or the day Lord of the Rings was published.  Today, March 25th, marks the Downfall of Sauron.

There are many great pages I can recommend for Tolkien Reading Day, so I have decided to direct you to one that features many others.  Take a look at these LOTR lenses by Tinw.

Today is National Family Volunteer Day, a day to go out into the world and do some good with your family. This is a day to teach your children about the value of community service.

Some kids have already learned that message well. Take a look at some of these Kids Who Make a Difference (by poutine).

(photo by redakuma)

The Great American Smokeout gives Americans a reason to encourage people to quit smoking, encourage kids not to start smoking, and to encourage a healthy smoke-free lifestyle.

Check out these Lung Cancer Pictures by Megal – they aren’t pretty.

Also, join into this debate discussing if smoking should be banned in ALL public places by Christene.

(photo by Mykl Roventine)

It has been estimated that approximately 60% of our rubbish thrown away today could be recycled.

I think there is a lot of confusion on what can be recycled and how to go about about the recycling process. Also, many don’t fully understand the significance of recycling.

To try to remove some of the confusion, here are 50 Things You Can Recycle from TheGreenerMe.

(photo by Mykl Roventine)

November 9-13 is National Young Readers Week, co-sponsored by Pizza Hut and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Pizza Hut runs the Book It! program and does a lot to encourage children to read. As a former Book It! kid, I know that this is a valuable program.

I believe that the best way to get kids to read is to give them a GREAT book – a story they would enjoy and want to read. One amazing book can do a lot to foster the love of reading.

LindaJM has made a series of lenses on Newbery Award Winning Books. This is the perfect place to look for extraordinary children literature.

If you are looking for a way to actively encourage reading, consider Mentoring Children through ePal Program (by mbgphoto).

(photo by t.blue)

November is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, as it is affectionately called. This month, participants challenge themselves to write and entire novel (of at least 50,000 words) in just thirty days.

Everyone who finishes their novel is a winner. Last year, NaNoWriMo had 119,301 participants and 21,683 winners.

Lensmaster EelKat is currently participating in NaNoWriMo for the fifth time – she has won three times!

Find out how she does it:
NaNoWriMo: Reaching 50,000 using EelKat’s Methods

(Photo by TheGiantVermin)