💘February Week 4💘

🧚Fairy Tales🧚

100

In this familiar English Fairy Tale a young boy named Jack climbs up what object? What was at the top of it?

A beanstalk! And at the top in clouds was a giant ogre!

The fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk states that the beanstalk "reached up to the heaven". Seeing as the fairy tale originates from a time where they would have said the same of a skyscraper, we will use another factor in the story to narrow down how tall the beanstalk could have been if it were real. Jack did not die of lack of oxygen, so it is not likely that the beanstalk was taller than the mount Everest. In fact it was probably shorter, as climbing to the top of the mount Everest requires an extra air supply, which Jack did not have. So hypothetically speaking, the beanstalk would be less tall than 8848 m above sea level.

200

True or False: The European fairy tale about a young girl coming to visit her Grandmother only to find out she has been replaced with a large wolf is called Big Blue Driving Cap. 

False, It was Little Red Riding Hood!

Many have speculated why Little Red Riding Hood's cloak was chosen to be the color red, with theories ranging from the symbolism of the color red being associated with maturity to it representing the bright sun which is swallowed up by the terrible night (the wolf). The real reason though was simply that her grandmother made a red cloak and it suited her so much that everyone just called her as such!

300

This German Fairy Tale is about two siblings who are abandoned in the forest and wall into the hands of a witch who lives in a sweet house but has sour intentions...

a. Heinrich and Frieda 

b. Friedrich and Bertha 

c. Hansel and Gretel

d. Wilhelm and Ada 

c. Hansel and Gretel

The original written version of "Hansel and Gretel" ends with Gretel pushing the witch into the oven which kills her. Gretel frees Hansel, and the two children steal the witch's treasure and return to their cottage. When they get home they find that their cruel stepmother is dead, and that their father is overjoyed to see them. "Hansel and Gretel" is not a real story. It is a fairy tale that was recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. Parts of the fairy tale were inspired by real events, such as the famine of the early 1300s, or the fact that some parents did abandon or kill their children during times of famine.

400

This German Fairy Tale centers around an imp with a very hard to remember name who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child.

Rumpelstiltskin!

The name Rumpelstilzchen in German means literally "little rattle stilt", a stilt being a post or pole that provides support for a structure. A rumpelstilt was consequently the name of a type of goblin, also called a poppart, that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks. The meaning is similar to rumpelgeist ("rattle-ghost") or poltergeist ("rumble-ghost"), a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. (Other related concepts are mummarts or boggarts and hobs, which are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.)

500

This German Fairy Tale was most notably recorded by the Brothers Grimm, telling the tale of a young maiden trapped in a tower with only her long flowing hair to save her.

Bonus: What other Grimms Fairy Tale princess is known for running away from the ball at the stroke of midnight, losing her shoe in the process? 

Rapunzel!

The true story of Rapunzel is thought to be about a young woman in Italy named Barbara who was so beautiful that her father locked her away in a tower so no men could get to her. Though many asked for her hand in marriage, Barbara dedicated herself to God and a newfound Christian faith, and refused them all. Her father, however, was a pagan, and not pleased about her Christianity. The story goes that when she prayed for help when he drew his sword on her, God created a hole in the tower for her to escape. Unfortunately, she was soon discovered, and eventually beheaded by her father — who was then struck by lightning.

Bonus: Cinderella

🍓Strawberries🍓

100

This dessert has a crumbly scone-like texture, often served with fruit and whipped cream.

Strawberry Shortcake

The short part of the name shortcake indicates something crumbly or crispy, generally through the addition of a fat such as butter or lard. The earliest printed mention of the descriptive term short – as in short cake – occurred in 1588, in the second English cookbook to be printed, The Good Huswifes Handmaid for Cookerie in her Kitchen (London, 1588). However, that recipe describes an unleavened cookie or biscuit (in the English sense), made of flour, cream, sugar, egg yolk and spices. The North American introduction of baking soda and baking powder as leaven in the 1800s revolutionized baking and made possible the biscuit-style shortcake. By the 1850s, leavened shortcakes were the popular pastry for American strawberry cakes, and the term strawberry shortcake became established.

 

200

True or False: Strawberries make your teeth yellow. 

False, they are actually powerful teeth whiteners!

Strawberries contain Vitamin C which helps fight plaque. Eight strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange, that's 140% of our daily recommended amount. Strawberries are also full of a special substance called Ellagic acid which is thought to help fight some cancers. 

300

What happens to strawberries once they are picked?

a. They turn into blackberries

b. They turn blue

c. They explode

d. They stop ripening

d. They stop ripening

Strawberries don’t ripen once they’re picked, so if they don’t look ripe, they never will be. How can you tell which strawberries are the freshest? Look for a bright red color, a natural shine, and fresh-looking green tops. Avoid berries with white tops or tips. Keep berries refrigerated, although they will taste sweeter if you let them come to room temperature before eating. 

400

Strawberries are the only fruit with ______ on the outside.

Seeds!

There are about 200 seeds in every strawberry. If you plant seeds from a strawberry fruit, some of them will germinate, but very slowly. Under optimum conditions it takes about three weeks for the seed to germinate. The seedling that emerges is a tiny plant. It takes another week to see the first true leaves and you’re still looking at a very tiny plant that is months away from producing a flower. Contrast that to transplanting, which will push out a new set of leaves immediately after planting and produce flowers within days. A flower will take about five weeks to develop into a ripe fruit. So time is a big factor. If you planted seeds, it would take a year to get a decent sized plant that could produce fruit. That’s too long. The transplant will do it in 2-3 months.

500

What are some foods that we use strawberries in? Do you like strawberries? 

Strawberry shortcake, cobbler, cookies, ice cream, pie, salad, smoothies, as well as jams, vinegar and wine!

The first garden strawberry was grown in Brittany, France, during the late 18th century. Prior to this, wild strawberries and cultivated selections from wild strawberry species were the common source of the fruit. The strawberry fruit was mentioned in ancient Roman literature in reference to its medicinal use. The French began taking the strawberry from the forest to their gardens for harvest in the 14th century. Charles V, France's king from 1364 to 1380, had 1,200 strawberry plants in his royal garden.

🐸Leap Year🐸

100

Why do we have leap years? How often do leap years occur? 

We have leap years to synchronize with the solar year. Leap years occur every four years!

Many companies don’t recognize Leap Day as a “valid day.” They make leapers choose Feb. 28 or March 1 as their birthday instead. Most employees who are paid fixed monthly incomes will work for free on Feb. 29 because their wages are likely not calculated to include the extra day. 

200

True or False: February 29 has traditionally been a day on which women were allowed to propose to men.

 

True!

Bachelor's Day, sometimes known as Ladies' Privilege, is an Irish tradition by which women are allowed to propose to men on Leap Day, 29 February, based on a legend of Saint Bridget and Saint Patrick. It once had legal basis in Scotland and England. The tradition is supposed to originate from a deal that Saint Bridget struck with Saint Patrick. In the 5th century, Bridget is said to have gone to Patrick to complain that women had to wait too long to marry because men were slow to propose, asking that women be given the opportunity. Patrick is said to have offered that women be allowed to propose on one day every seven years, but Bridget convinced him to make it one day every four years.

300

What are people born on Leap Day called? 

a. Jumpees

b. Leaplings

c. Springy Dingies

d. Skippers

b. Leaplings

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the only verified example of a family producing three consecutive generations born on February 29 is that of the Keogh family. Peter Anthony was born in Ireland on a Leap Day in 1940, while his son, Peter Eric, was born in the UK on February 29, 1964. Peter Eric's daughter, Bethany Wealth, was also a Leap Day baby, born in the UK on February 29, 1996. The Henriksen family from Andenes, Norway currently holds the official record for the most number of children born in one family on leap day. Karin Henriksen gave birth to three children on February 29; her daughter Heidi in 1960 and her sons Olav and Leif-Martin in 1964 and 1968.

400

Who introduced the first leap year around 46 BC? 

Julius Caesar

The Julian Calendar, which Julius Caesar introduced in 45 BC, included an extra day every year. He borrowed the idea from the Egyptians, though his math wasn't exactly correct. Caesar overestimated the solar year by about 11 minutes, leading to an overcorrection by about eight days each millennium. That explains why Easter, for example, fell further and further away from the spring equinox over time.

500

What event in the United States takes place every Leap Year in November? 

Election Day

Every leap year not only marks the global sporting spectacle of Summer Olympics but also is the year of United States of America’s (USA) Presidential Elections. The President of USA serves for a 4-year term and barring the first election in 1789,  the US presidential elections coincided with the leap year. 

🥞Pancakes🥞

100

What meal are pancakes usually served for? 

Bonus: What do we traditionally serve on pancakes? 

Breakfast

Although we can't point out the exact date maple syrup was first used as a topping for pancakes, there are some theories about how it began. Dave Smoke McCluskey, a Mohawk chef, spoke with the Martha Stewart website and shared that the Dutch Mohawk trade could have something to do with this. Dutch pancakes were traditionally enjoyed with apple syrup, so using maple syrup as an alternative wasn't far-fetched.

Bonus: Maple Syrup

200

True or False: Pancake Day and Shrove Tuesday fall on the same day.

True

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter – was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday, Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still rung today. Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.

300

This famous American brand is known for their pancake mix, table syrup and other breakfast foods.

a. Father John's

b. Sister Susy's

c. Uncle Jeremy's

d. Aunt Jemima's

d. Aunt Jemima's

To distinguish their pancake mix, in late 1889 Chris L. Rutt appropriated the Aunt Jemima name and image from lithographed posters seen at a vaudeville house in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1915, the well-known Aunt Jemima brand was the basis for a trademark law ruling that set a new precedent. Previously, United States trademark law had protected against infringement by other sellers of the same product, but under the "Aunt Jemima Doctrine", the seller of pancake mix was also protected against infringement by an unrelated seller of a different but related product—pancake syrup. Aunt Jemima became one of the longest continually running logos and trademarks in the history of American advertising.

400

What ingredients usually make up pancakes? 

Usually pancakes are made using flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, butter and eggs.

Pancakes today differ significantly from what people ate in prehistoric times. The National Geographic explains that crude grinding tools from 30,000 years ago were used to process ferns, cattails, and other starchy plants into powder. According to researchers, the powders would then be mixed with water and baked on hot stones. The results were flat cakes likely harder than you'd typically prepare today.

500

What are some other versions of pancakes called around the world? 

Crêpes in France, Potato Pancakes in Austria, Blinis or Blintz in Russia, Cong You Bing (or Scallion Pancakes) in China, Hotcakes in Mexico, Dosa in India and Dutch Babies in the Netherlands are just a few examples! 

👵Old Wives Tales👵

100

For good luck, what should you hang above the front door of your home? 

Bonus: What should you never say to an actor before they go on stage?

A Horseshoe. 

The horseshoe is usually placed outside the front door (and above it) as a protective symbol. Some feel that hanging the open-end up collects luck, while others hang it open-end down to share the luck. Most people prefer the points of the horseshoe pointing up (like U).

"Good luck!" Wishing an actor good luck before a stage performance is considered bad luck.

200

If a pregnant woman eats a lot of bananas early in the pregnancy, will she be more likely to have a boy or girl? 

A boy!

Scientists say that if a woman eats a high level of glucose when she first becomes pregnant, she will likely have a boy. Another method is to eat more of specific nutrients to boost your chances of having a baby of your favoured gender. One study showed that a higher energy intake was linked to the conception of sons. This means that if you’re longing for a baby boy, don’t skimp on high-fat foods, or skip breakfast. For a girl, have leaner foods like fish and leafy vegetables.

300

According to an old wives tale, why should you never look directly at the sun?

It can cause you to go blind. 

Solar radiation from staring at the sun can cause damage to the retina of your eye. There is some truth to this though, as the human eye is very sensitive, and exposure to direct sunlight can lead to solar retinopathy, pterygium, cataracts, and potentially blindness. Studies have shown that even when viewing a solar eclipse the eye can still be exposed to harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation.

400

1. What is it said you should sit on in a car to avoid car sickness? 

2. Why is it said that young people should not drink coffee?

1. Newspaper!

Someone once said to someone at some point that sitting on brown paper or newspaper would alleviate the feelings of motion sickness – something to do with the smell. Having no basis in science – and even being rather light on anecdotal evidence – this one is probably not worth a try. It’s thought that most people grow out of it, and the NHS reports that it becomes less common after the age of 12.  

2. It will stunt their growth!

Coffee won't affect growth, but too much caffeine can prevent absorption of calcium and other important nutrients by the body.

500

1. It you spill salt, what should you do to avoid bad luck? 

2. According to this old wives' tale, in order to avoid bad luck, what should you do if you see an ambulance?

1. Throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder!

A superstition says spilling salt will bring you bad fortune. As legend has it, you should take a pinch of the spilled salt and throw it over your left shoulder to cancel the bad luck. The left shoulder was where the devil was supposed to be sitting and tossing salt in the devil's eyes kept the devil away.

2. Pinch your nose or hold your breath until you see a black or brown dog. DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!