Come February 2, a lot of us await a visit from a little groundhog AKA Punxsutawney Phil, to give us the Winter/Spring forecast, will he see his shadow this year?

Monthly Events

American Heart Month. This month the American Heart Association’s theme is “Go Red For Women.” Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women—claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 each year. Visit www.americanheart.org for more information.

National Bird-Feeding Month. In 1994, February was established as the time to spread the word about how difficult it can be for wild birds to survive North American winters. For information on feeding suggestions, go to www.audubon.org.

National Black History Month. This celebration of the contributions and achievements made by African-Americans to our society has been observed in some form since 1926. For a historical overview, visit the Association for the Study of African American Life and History at www.asalh.org. For fast facts and activity ideas, go to www.biography.com/blackhistory .


Weekly Events

Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week Feb. 1-7. A weeklong celebration intended to promote literacy and encourage a lifelong love of reading. For more information, visit http://www.childrensauthorsnetwork.com/caiw.htm

If you are looking for a great poster for your child’s room check out the American Library Association book store at http://www.alastore.ala.org You do not have to be a member to make a purchase.

National School Counseling Week Feb. 7-11. School counselors play an important role in helping students succeed, both in school and all life long. For more information, visit http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?contentid=271

International Flirting Week Feb. 13-19. Flirting—it’s a great way to connect with people, make new friends (and romantic partners), and bring some romance back into your current relationship. Not sure how or why this started, but it seems to be big. No URL needed--just have fun and do a little flirting ;-)

National Engineers Week Feb. 14-20. A celebration to increase awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession, and to cultivate and support future generations of engineering talent. For more information visit http://www.eweek.org/Home.aspx

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week Feb. 20-26. According to the National Eating Disorders Association website, as many as 10 million women and 1 million men in the U.S. are fighting a life-and-death battle with anorexia, bulimia, or some other eating disorder. For more information, visit http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/programs-events/nedawareness-week.php

Daily Events

National Freedom Day Feb. 1. Commemorating the signing of the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery on Feb. 1, 1865, by President Abraham Lincoln. For more information, visit http://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/pa/es_pa_free_1.html

Groundhog Day Feb. 2. The annual prognostication. According to folklore, we should hope the little fellow does not see his shadow, then we can look forward to an early Spring. For more information, visit http://www.groundhog.org

National Job Shadow Day Feb. 2. A campaign to introduce young people to the world of work through job-shadowing experiences. Yes, there really is such a day. For more information, visit http://www.wcpss.net/school_to_career/work_based_learning/job_shadow/index.html

Chinese New Year Feb. 3. Happy 4709, the Year of the Rabbit! For more information, visit http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html

Boy Scouts DayFeb. 8. The 101st anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. For more information about the Scouts, visit http://www.scouting.org

Valentine’s Day Feb. 14. Spread a little love and romance today—and all year. For more information, visit http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

Presidents Day Feb. 21. Remember the birthdays of two of our greatest presidents, George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12, 1809). For more information, visit http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maggieoh/Pd/prindex.html