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Monthly Spotlight: Holidays!

Other Holidays in October

Dyslexia Awareness Month

From the Mayo Clinic, the definition is as follows:

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called a reading disability, dyslexia is a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language.

The International Dyslexia Association has additional facts about dyslexia:

  • The exact causes of dyslexia are still not completely clear, but anatomical and brain imagery studies show differences in the way the brain of a person with dyslexia develops and functions.
  • Most people with dyslexia have been found to have problems with identifying the separate speech sounds within a word and/or learning how letters represent those sounds, a key factor in their reading difficulties
  • Dyslexia is not due to either a lack of intelligence or a desire to learn; with appropriate teaching methods, students with dyslexia can learn successfully.
  • Some signs of dyslexia include:
    • Learning to speak
    • Learning letters and their sounds
    • Organizing written and spoken language
    • Memorizing number facts
    • Reading quickly enough to comprehend
    • Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments
    • Spelling
    • Learning a foreign language
    • Correctly doing math operations
  • Dyslexia affects 1 in 10 individuals, many of whom remain undiagnosed and receive little or no intervention services. 
    • Check out the International Dyslexia Association's Self-Assessment Tool to see if you might have dyslexia HERE.
      • Please note, that this test does not diagnose you but helps determine if you and your healthcare provider should look further into it.

Improve your Office Day- 4th

  1.  Open windows or use natural light bulbs
    • Since employees often spend the bulk of their days inside offices, it can be helpful to design an office with open windows that allow outside light to filter through
    • If this isn't possible, you may consider installing light bulbs rated to omit natural light. This can help your team connect to the outside world and avoid headaches from fluorescent, unnatural light.
  2. Use adjustable chairs and computer risers
    • Adjustable chairs and computer risers can help team members alter the height of their workspace equipment to maintain optimal levels for their unique stature.
  3. Keep clutter from fogging the space
    • An organized, clean office space can help team members concentrate more easily on their work.
  4. Employ Color Strategically 
    • The color scheme you choose for your office can greatly affect your employees' comfort and ability to focus throughout the day
  5. consider raising the temperature
    • Room temperature is generally considered anywhere between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Many organizations maintain their offices at such temperatures, but warmer temperatures can increase employee productivity.
  6. install sound-canceling infrastructure
    • It's common for employees to experience drops of productivity in noisy workspaces, especially if they can easily overhear colleagues' conversations, music, or other external sounds
  7. Designate multiple workspaces
    • Different individuals will likely have varying workspace preferences which shift on a day-to-day basis, depending upon specific timely workflow needs.
  8. keep snacks and beverages on hand
    • To maintain team energy levels throughout the work day, it's a good idea to keep snacks and beverages on hand in a designated kitchen space
  9. place plants strategically
    • Surrounding team members with reminders of the natural world can help them feel calmer and maintain focus throughout the workday.
  10. design an outdoor space
    • This can help employees feel more balanced and less stressed when they return to their desks
  11. install artwork across the office space
    • Having artwork visible can help inspire creativity among team members. 
  12. personalize workspaces
  13. use welcoming materials
    • While metallic materials may seem sleek and appealing, they can sometimes appear cold and uninviting.
    • balance the type of materials installed by using a combination of wood, metal, and fabric.
  14. take your team's needs into account
    • Some team members may need particular, targeted support to boost their productivity. 
    • Ex. multiple parents working in an office may like a daycare to help with stress and focus on work
  15. provide easy access to all parts of the office
  16. consider getting an office mascot
    • A recent study by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) reported that pets in the workplace improve work/life balance, reduce stress, and nurture productivity. All great things when you’re looking to make your team happier. 

 Information from Indeed and Bond Collective.

National Stop Bullying Day- 9th

Bully, verb

To behave in an overbearing, intimidating, or aggressive manner towards (someone); (now usually) to seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable), esp. persistently or repeatedly: to intimidate or frighten into doing something.

Types of bullying:

  • Verbal
  • Social
  • Physical
  • Cyber

Ways to help prevent bullying:

  • Help kids understand bullying
    • Adults can do training on bullying prevention
  • Keep lines of communication open
  • Encourage people to do what they love
  • Model how to treat others
  • Set boundaries (rules and policies)
  • Remember you can FEEL one way and ACT another
  • Establish a reporting system

World Arthritis Day- 12th

Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common signs and symptoms of arthritis involve the joints. Depending on the type of arthritis, signs and symptoms may include pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, and decreased range of motion.

Types of Arthritis:

  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Also known as axial spondyloarthritis, is an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause some of the bones in the spine, called vertebrae, to fuse.
  • Gout
    • It's characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness, and tenderness in one or more joints, most often in the big toe.
  • Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
    • Formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, is the most common type of arthritis in children under the age of 16.
    • Juvenile idiopathic arthritis can cause persistent joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Some children may experience symptoms for only a few months, while others have symptoms for many years.
  • Osteoarthritis
    • The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis involves wear-and-tear damage to a joint's cartilage — the hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they form a joint.
  • Psoriatic Arthritis
    • Most people develop psoriasis years before being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. But for some, the joint problems begin before skin patches appear or at the same time.
  • Reactive Arthritis
    • Reactive arthritis is joint pain and swelling triggered by an infection in another part of the body — most often the intestines, genitals, or urinary tract.
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • In rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system attacks the lining of the joint capsule, a tough membrane that encloses all the joint parts.
  • Septic Arthritis
    • Septic arthritis is a painful infection in a joint that can come from germs that travel through your bloodstream from another part of your body.
  • Thumb Arthritis
    • Thumb arthritis is common with aging and occurs when cartilage wears away from the ends of the bones that form the joint at the base of your thumb — also known as the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint.

National Boss's Day- 16th

National Boss Day began back in 1958. A woman by the name of Patricia Bays Haroski, a secretary for State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, IL, registered the holiday with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She chose October 16th, because it was her father's birthday, and she thought he was an exemplary boss as she was working for him at the time. 

If the holiday is on a weekend, then it is celebrated on the closest workday. In 1962, the Illinois governor at the time, Otto Kerner, made the date official by proclamation. The purpose of the holiday is for employees to show bosses appreciation for all the hard work and dedication they put into their jobs.

National Boss Day has become an international celebration in recent years and is now observed in countries such as England, Australia, and South Africa.

-The Hallmark Corporation and ABC News

Tips to being a boss

  1. Know your people
  2. Think like an employee, act like a manager
  3. Be inspirational
  4. Be a fixer (don't pass the blame)
  5. Keep your boundaries
  6. Pay attention and communicate
  7. be a strength-spotter
  8. Let go of the reins (it's not a DIY job)
  9. Provide a clear map of goals
  10. Have high expectations & attentiveness
  11. See coworkers as people first, employees second
  12. Be a manager, not a daycare worker
  13. Don't take things personally

 -Reader's Digest

International Sloth Day- 19th

  • There are 2 types of sloth, together there are 6 sloth species
    • 2-toed
      • having 2 claws on their front limbs
    • 3-toed
      • have 3 claws on all 4 limbs
  • Their diet is primarily leaves, fruits, and saps; making them folivores
  • Sloths eat very little food per day since digestion takes a very long time to complete, sometimes even days or weeks.
  • Everything from feeding, sleeping, and resting to mating and giving birth happens in the trees.
    • Seldom do they descend to the ground purposely, usually it's only when it is time to go to the bathroom (which is once a week)
      • Sometimes they confuse their limbs with branches and can fall from trees
  • Since they have most of their strength in their arms, their hind legs are weak, thus making it hard for them to stand.
    • However, this makes for great swimmers
  • They spend most of their time eating and sleeping (15 to 20 hours a day)
    • Sloths compensate for their low-energy, leaf-based diet by adopting a slow-paced lifestyle and expending as little energy as possible.
    • Also, the fact that sloths have been around for 65.5 million years—just before dinosaurs disappeared—shows that a slow-paced lifestyle can be a good survival strategy in the wild.
  • The sloth’s hair is a living, breathing home to many different organisms, from microbes, and insects to fungi and algae.
    • Even the entire lifecycle of some moth species, including Cryptoses Choloepi Dyar, relies almost exclusively on sloths.
  • Sloths also have a special, symbiotic relationship with green algae for the purpose of supplementing their diet.
    • In return, the green algae benefit from shelter and water since the sloth's fur is extremely good at absorbing and retaining water.
    • The algae-covered fur is also believed to work as a camouflage to avoid predation.
  • The longest-ever recorded lifespan for any sloth species is 43 years
    • The average for a 2-toed sloth is 20 years according to the few studies done
  • Sloths are the reason we have avocados
    • The extinct giant ground sloths were some of the only mammals that had digestive systems large enough to process the huge avocado seeds whole.
  • They can starve to death on a full stomach
    • It happens if they get too cold

Information gathered from WWF and The Sloth Conservation Foundation.

National Food Day- 24th

National Food Day falls on October 24 each year. This day, celebrated for the first time in 1975, was created by the Center for Science and Public Interest (CSPI) and was supposed to be similar to Earth Day. The day toasts nutritious and healthy food and focuses on educating people on healthy eating, good farming methods, and safe food production. It also reminds us of the strides we’ve made in living more healthy lives and growing food in viable, responsible ways. -National Today

Take a look at some books we have on hand to learn some new recipes, garden your own food, or simply learn the history!

National Cat Day- 29th

National Cat Day is celebrated on October 29. It was created by Colleen Paige to bring awareness to the number of cats that need to be rescued each year. With 40-70 recognized Cat breeds, there is a cat for all cat lovers. -National Today

Why cats make great pets:

  • Cats are low-maintenance
  • They're quiet
  • They're independent
  • They keep your house pest-free
  • They have long lifespans

Cats offer health benefits!

  •  Lower stress and anxiety
  • Improve your cardiovascular health
  • Prevent Allergies
  • Reduce feelings of lonliness

Statistics on cats in shelters:

  • About 3.2 million cats are in US shelters each year
  • Around 530,000 cats are euthanized each year
  • Of cats entering shelters, approximately 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized, and less than 5% are strays returned to their owners
  • The number of rescue groups and shelters in the US is around 10,000
  • Percentage of total shelter intake comprised of cats: Approximately 50% (in some regions, 2/3 of a shelter’s population is cats)

Information from HelpGuide, ASPCA, and the National Kitten Coalition

National Magic Day- 31st

In the summer of 1927, less than one year after the death of Harry Houdini, a “Houdini Day” was established.  In 1938, Les Sholty, a Chicago member of the Society of American Magicians, sought official sanction for a “Houdini Day.”  A friend of the Houdini’s requested and obtained permission from Mrs. Houdini to proclaim October 31st as National Magic Day in honor of Harry Houdini.  A plan was formulated to celebrate this day by having free magic performances for shut-ins and the handicapped, who would otherwise not be able to go out and enjoy a show.  The first radio broadcast about National Magic Day occurred on July 20, 1938, on Radio station KQW.  Mrs. Houdini participated in that broadcast. -The Society of American Magicians

The making of magic history is actually pretty interesting. The earlier known magical was an Egyptian papyrus dated around 2500 BCE that portrays a magician named Dedi performing an animal decapitation trick for the pharaoh. According to the story, Dedi magically replaces the severed heads and then makes a number of prophecies to the king. Some experts believe that the tale is purely fictional, while others point out that there are a number of Egyptian stories that describe magicians who also make prophecies. -The American Museum of Magic

Take a look at our collections on magic and its history: