Category: News for Kids

Clever Hedgehog turns one year old!

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova

Happy Birthday, Clever Hedgehog!

On July 1st, our Clever Hedgehog is celebrating its first birthday. This year was exciting, and we are so happy you have been with us!

Clever Hedgehog’s website is where Ukrainian families with children can find interesting stories, educational games, and fun activities.

We hope you will visit Clever Hedgehog often and tell your friends about us.

Parents' Picks Awards 2024 to Clever Hedgehog
Write a wish to Clever Hedgehog

Leave a birthday wish to Clever Hedgehog!

We have created the form where you can leave your wishes for Clever Hedgehog. Type your wish in the form below, and it will appear on our website shortly.

Write a birthday message to Clever Hedgehog 🎁

Find a surprise for you below – Clever Hedgehog’s jigsaw puzzle 👇👇👇 Keep scrolling! 👇👇👇

THIS IS SO EXCITING! READ A NEW BOOK “CLEVER HEDGEHOG’S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE“

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English Book Collection Ukrainian Book Collection Fairy Tales Collection
Go to Clever Hedgehog’s Library

Can You Solve This Jigsaw Puzzle?

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Clever Hedgehog on International Children’s Day – June 1

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova

Today is the first day of summer!

June 1 is also International Children’s Day, a day that aims to show how important it is to protect kids from harm and make their lives better everywhere in the world.

As of 2024, there are approximately 2.2 billion children in the world. Unfortunately, not all kids have safe, healthy, and happy lives. Some even have no food to eat, not saying toys or books! About 2 million Ukrainian children have had to flee their homes due to war since February 2022. Many Ukrainian families still live in different parts of the world, while others are staying in Ukraine. 

Clever Hedgehog hopes all kids will be safe and happy, no matter what. Keep dreaming big and never stop being curious and kind!

FUN IDEAS TO MARK THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER AND INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY

New Entertaining Short Stories in Ukrainian for Children

Синичка - Василь Горбатюк - оповідання для дітей
Ласощі для білочки - Василь Горбатюк - оповідання для дітей
не хочу-хочу Василь Горбатюк
Образа - Василь Горбатюк - оповідання для дітей

Embark on exciting adventures

This week, Clever Hedgehog is traveling to Hong Kong! His flight is 14 hours… Hope he can make it!

Clever Hedgehog loves travelling!

What about you? Does your family have plans to travel this summer?

Take Clever Hedgehog with you. Use this cut-out to get your own traveling Clever Hedgehog picture.

Traveling Clever Hedgehog Cut-Out
Download – Traveling Clever Hedgehog Cut-Out

Imagine your summer with new coloring pages and crafts

Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog
Download – My plans for summer coloring page
Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog
Download coloring page – The last day of school
build your ice cream cut out
Download – Build Your Own Ice Cream cut-out
Download Free PDF Printable – Summer Fun Activity Pack

See All Coloring Pages >>>

See All Crafts projects >>>

See All Printable Activities>>>

Learn New Games

See all Games here >>>

Active Game “What Time is it Mr. Fox?” 

Read how to play “What Time is it Mr. Fox?”:

“What Time is it, Mr. or Mrs. Fox?” is basically a game of tag for 3 or more people that involves less running and adds counting practice. An adult should start as Mr. Fox (you can put kids in charge once they get the hang of it) and organize everyone to stand side-by-side in a line.

Players yell out “What Time is it Mr. Fox (Mrs. Fox)?” and Mr. Fox (Mrs. Fox) yells out a time, e.g. “It’s 7 o’clock!” and the kids take that many steps forward.

The kids must continue to take steps forward based on the time called out even if it means they are super close to Mr. or Mrs. Fox.

This continues until Mr. Fox calls out “Lunch time!!” and the kids try to race back to the start line without getting tagged by Mr. Fox. Got tagged? That person is the next Mr. Fox.

Hand Clapping Game 👏 “Double Double This That”

Read how to play “Double Double This That”:

All you need is a partner.

So once you’ve found your partner, sit down, facing them.

All you need to know is three motions: The first one is “double” – you clap both hands.

The second one is “this” – you face your partner and hit their palms.

The third one is “that” – with the back of your hand you’re going to hit the back of your partner’s hands.

So it’s going to be: Next time try it a little faster. Then try really fast.

Double, double, this, this  
Double, double, this, this
Double, this, double, that
Double, double, this, that

Next time try it a little faster.

Then try really fast.

Game “Funny Script”

This is a “paper telephone game’ variation

Download – Game Rules

Let’s Read A Book “Here Comes Summer”

Turn your mobile device to a Horizontal view for a better reading experience

Read more books from Clever Hedgehog’s Library >>>

Tell Clever Hedgehog what your favorite thing is about being a kid!

Have your parent nearby and email us at storieswithcleverhedgehog@gmail.com with what your favorite thing about being a kid. You may be featured on Clever Hedgehog’s website!

Download Clever Hedgehog’s Fun Screen-free Printable Activities >>>

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World Vyshyvanka Day

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova

lET’S PUT ON YOUR FAVORITE VYSHYVANKA

World Vyshyvanka Day

Hey, kids! Did you know about World Vyshyvanka Day?

May 16 is a special day when Ukrainians around the world celebrate traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts called “vyshyvankas“! On this day, we wear our beautiful vyshyvankas to honor our culture and heritage. It’s a day filled with colors, patterns, and lots of fun activities to learn more about Ukrainian traditions!

Clever Hedgehog congratulates you on World Vyshyvanka Day!

Let’s learn more about Vyshyvanka

Vyshyvankas, like pysankas (traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs), are two of the most well-known symbols of Ukrainian culture. From old times people used embroidery to encode their “destiny, dreams, and happiness” in the national dress.

This holiday is not tied to any religion and is not a public holiday. It is celebrated to emphasize Ukrainian culture in the everyday life of Ukrainians.

❓ Did you know when this holiday came to exist?
❗The idea arose from students and teachers from Chernivtsi National University in 2006.

Crafts for Vyshyvanka Day

Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog
Download – Vyshyvanka coloring page

Ukrainian girl

Decorate a vyshyvanka

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📸 Clever Hedgehog’s Photo Contest! 📸

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova

Are you ready to celebrate the most special person in the world – your mom?

Hello, dear friends! Are you ready to celebrate the most special person in the world – your mom? It is the day to congratulate your mother, aunt, and grandmother too!

Clever Hedgehog is excited to announce a photo contest, where you can show your love and appreciation for your amazing mom!

Clever Hedgehog wants to say a big “hooray” to all the moms who are always there for their kids.

How to Participate

🌟 Step 1: Take a photo with your mom or capture a special moment you shared.

🌟 Step 2: Get creative! You can dress up, make funny faces, or show off your favorite activity with mom!

🌟 Step 3: Tag us on your photo on Instagram or Facebook with #CleverHedgehog_contest or send your photo to us at storieswithcleverhedgehog@gmail.com with your name, age, and a short description of why your mom is THE best!

Valentine's Day Cards
Valentine's Day Cards

Contest Rules

🎉 The contest is open to all children who want to celebrate their moms!

🎉 Only one photo submission per participant, so choose your favorite picture!

🎉 Photos must be original and taken by you.

🎉 By sending us your photo, you agree and give permission to let Clever Hedgehog share it on his website and social media.

Awards and Honors

🏅 All participants will receive a special certificate of participation from Clever Hedgehog!

🏆 The top 3 winners will receive a special prize!

Submission Deadline: June 1

Get your cameras ready and let’s celebrate the wonderful moms in our lives! We can’t wait to see all the heartwarming and creative photos you’ll send us!

With love,

Clever Hedgehog 🦔

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Mother’s Day – A Day To Make Your Mom Feel Special

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova
Clever Hedgehog has some gift ideas for children to make Mother's Day extra special

Are you ready to celebrate the most special person in the world – your mom?

This Sunday, May 12, 2024, will be extra special for us. It’s Mother’s Day! 

Our mothers deserve to be loved throughout the year, but Mother’s Day is the time to show how their love and effort are special to us with family activities and gifts.

Clever Hedgehog wants to say a big “hooray” to all the moms who are always there for their kids.

On Mother’s Day, family members make sure their mother feels special and surprise her with gifts, take her out for dinner, or even cook for her at home.

Mother’s Day in Ukraine

A few years ago, Ukraine joined countries where this holiday is celebrated. Mother’s Day in Ukraine is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year.

Valentine's Day Cards

Finding a Mother’s Day surprise can be difficult.

Clever Hedgehog has some gift ideas for children to make Mother’s Day extra special

Hand-made Mother’s Day card

Hand-made cards are among the best gifts you can offer your mother this day.

Print out a Mother’s Day card for mom that can warm her heart

Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog, Happy spring coloring page, a gift to my mom
Download a Mother’s Day card
More Coloring Pages Here

Chocolates

You may not see your mom eating sweets often, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it. You can surprise her with chocolates in this cute trinket box.

Download – A TRINKET BOX -printout template with instructions

Flowers for your mom

Add colors to the Mother’s Day celebrations by getting your mom flowers she loves or making one yourself! 

You will need: scissors, construction paper, and glue. Follow the instructions from this video

Sing a song for your mom 

Your mom will love to hear you sing this lovely Ukrainian song!

Listen to the song and learn the lyrics.

Download Mother’s Day Songs Lyrics

Make your Mom smile

Laughing is a sign of happiness. Tell your mom some funny jokes to make her laugh!

If you or your mom know the Ukrainian language – Find jokes in a NEW BOOK with jokes for kids

Tell your mom some fun facts about Mother’s Day, like this one:

Did you know that there are lots and lots of moms in the world, about 2 billion of them? In the U.S., there are about 85.4 million moms.

More Fun Facts about Mother’s Day

A NEW CONTEST – Tell us why your mom is special!

Take a photo with your mom or capture a special moment you shared. Get creative! You can dress up, make funny faces, or show off your favorite activity with Mom!

Contest Rules

🏆 The top 3 winners will receive a diploma and a special prize! 

🌟 Send your photo to us at storieswithcleverhedgehog@gmail.com with your name, age, and a story of why your mom is the best!

Remember! – You can only send us pictures or videos with you. By sending us your photo, you agree to let Clever Hedgehog share it on our website and social media (with a parent/guardian permission).

Clever Hedgehog wants to congratulate the moms of Clever Hedgehog’s team. You are great!

The Enormous Turnip Fairy Tales Stories with Clever Hedgehog репка

Roberta Golinkoff

In addition to her groundbreaking research and esteemed career as a professor, Dr. Roberta Golinkoff is a caring mother. Her commitment to making a difference in the lives of Ukrainian children affected by the war reflects her compassionate and empathetic nature as both a mother and a renowned scholar.

The Enormous Turnip Fairy Tales Stories with Clever Hedgehog репка

Alisa Moldavanova

While Alisa is known for her expertise and leadership in academia, she is also admired for her role as a mother. Despite her busy schedule, she prioritizes her family and is deeply committed to their well-being.

The Enormous Turnip Fairy Tales Stories with Clever Hedgehog репка

Olena Smith

In addition to her professional achievements and contributions to the University of Delaware’s Geospatial Research community, Olena is also a dedicated mother. Born and raised in Ukraine, she brings values of hard work, community engagement, and a rich cultural background to her family life.

The Enormous Turnip Fairy Tales Stories with Clever Hedgehog репка

Olga Zhestkova

In addition to her expertise as a web specialist, Olga is also a loving mother. Olga always makes time for her family. Originally from Ukraine and now residing in Boston, MA, ensuring her daughter stays connected to Ukrainian roots and heritage.

Clever Hedgehog has some gift ideas for children to make Mother's Day extra special

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Hedgehog Awareness Week 

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova

Hedgehog Awareness Week is observed yearly on the second week of May. This year is observed on 5–11 May 2024. It was introduced by the British Hedgehog Protection Society (BHPS) in 2011. The week aims to highlight the problems that our beautiful hedgehogs 🦔 face and how we can all help to protect them.

Hedgehogs are endangered, which means the number of hedgehogs is falling. The main danger to hedgehogs is loss of habitat or places to live. They find it difficult to find places to make a nest.

Download FACTS SHEET ABOUT HEDGEHOGS

Clever Hedgehog has a lot of fun materials for all hedgehog lovers!

FACTS SHEET ABOUT HEDGEHOGS – Download FREE PDF

Where do hedgehogs live?

Hedgehogs 🦔 sleep for a large portion of the day under bushes, grasses, rocks, or most commonly in dens dug underground.

What do hedgehogs eat?

Hedgehogs aren’t fussy when it comes to food 🍲! Hedgehogs are omnivores, which means they eat both plants 🌿 and insects 🐛.

Hedgehogs 🦔 are lactose intolerant! They may have a stomach ache from drinking milk 🥛.

Baby hedgehogs 🦔

Baby hedgehogs 🦔 are called hoglets. They are born with soft spines under the skin, and a second set of spines comes through after a couple of days.

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Read More FUN FACTS ABOUT HEDGEHOGS
clever hedgehog with a paper plane

Let’s Read A Book Hedgehogs “Hedgie, A Prickly Garden Friend” from Clever Hedgehog’s Library

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Hedgehog and hare fairy tale

Hedgehog and Hare

Once upon a time, in a faraway forest, the King Grizzly Bear wanted to see the fastest among the animals. Let’s find together who the winner was.

Read the story
Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog
Download – Hedgehog Awareness Week-Coloring page
Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog
Download – Clever Hedgehog Coloring page
Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog
Download – Summer Hedgehog Coloring page

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tags: protect hedgehogs, Hedgehog Awareness Week activities, Hedgehog Awareness Week coloring page, fun facts about hedgehogs

Egg Hunt, Haivky and Pysanky with Clever Hedgehog for kids

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova
Easter for kids with Clever Hedgehog

Happy Easter!

Orthodox Easter 2024 is coming quite late this year – on May 5th. Some people in Ukraine and many other countries have already celebrated Easter on March 31. Read our post about Easter traditions in Ukraine, USA, Australia and Guatemala here >>>

Clever Hedgehog wants to tell you about recent events and his favorite Ukrainian Easter traditions – haivky and pysanky.

Easter Egg Hunt and Haivky event for Ukrainian kids

This year for the first time, Clever Hedgehog led a fantastic Easter Egg Hunt and Haivky event for kids at the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Delaware! 

It was a day filled with laughter, fun, and community spirit, enjoyed by all: the children had fun running around the backyard of the church in search of eggs, after which parents joined them for singing and dancing special Ukrainian spring songs and dances – vesnianky and haivky.

 Take a look at adorable photos of the fantastic moments we captured from this event.

Easter Egg Hunt and Haivky event for Ukrainian kids
Easter Egg Hunt and Haivky event for Ukrainian kids
Easter Egg Hunt and Haivky event for Ukrainian kids
Easter Egg Hunt and Haivky event for Ukrainian kids
Easter Egg Hunt and Haivky event for Ukrainian kids

🌷What is Haivky?

You probably know what an Easter Egg Hunt is, but you may have not heard about Ukrainian Haivky.

For our ancestors, a new year used to begin with the awakening of Mother Nature from her winter sleep in the spring. Spring was greeted joyfully with songs, dances, and games.

Ukrainian haivky are traditional spring songs and dances, performed only during Easter. 

Let’s Read A Book “Ukrainian Easter” from Clever Hedgehog’s Library

Turn your mobile device to a Horizontal view for a better reading experience

Our Spring Scavenger Hunt is still in full swing on the website! Click the link to learn more about it >>>

Let’s Read A New Book “Ukrainian Pysanky” from Clever Hedgehog’s Library

Turn your mobile device to a Horizontal view for a better reading experience

Easter Printables and Coloring Pages

Free Easter activity coloring
Easter basket coloring Download
Free Easter activity coloring
pysanka egg coloring Download
Free Easter activity coloring
Easter activity pack Download

Easter Fun Activity Free Printable PDF

Easter activity packDownload

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS?

Clever Hedgehog’s friends created the largest Pysanka in Ukraine

Pysanka is a special Ukrainian Easter egg 🥚 painted with different patterns and colors.

Now in Zhovkva (Ukraine), you can find the largest Pysanka in Ukraine.

The big Pysanka set a new record for Ukraine as the Biggest Pysanka made of smaller pysankas!

This Easter egg 🥚 is special: it’s more than 3 feet (1.5 meters) tall and it’s made up of 480 smaller Pysankas! Many local kids helped create this big Easter egg and embroidered each little egg themselves. It took three months to finish!

Galyna Prykuta, a talented artist, inspired kids and helped them create this beauty.

You can see this Pysanka in the central square of Zhovkva in Ukraine where it stands proudly, beautifully embroidered. This big Pysanka is not just a beautiful decoration, it is also a reminder of the festive days of Easter!

Ukrainian Spring song – Haivky song – Podolyanochka

Listen to this song here >>>

Download song lyrics
Learn a haivky song Podolyanocka and sing with Clever Hedgehog - Вивчи гаївку Подоляночка та заспівайте з Їжачком-Розумничком

Ukrainian haivky songs and dances

Game with pysanky

   Follow Clever Hedgehog and do not miss the next event we will announce soon! 

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tags: Orthodox Easter, Pysanky, Ukrainian Easter egg, the biggest pysanka in Ukraine, Explaining Easter to young children, Easter resources for parents and kids, Toddler-Friendly Easter coloring pages, haivky for Ukrainian kids, book about pysanky

Passover For Children

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova
Hedgehog spring

This week, Jewish people around the world are celebrating a special holiday – Passover, also known as Pesach. Passover is one of the most important holidays in Jewish culture, marked by various traditions and customs that bring families together. 

Passover is celebrated for seven days. This year the festival begins on sunset Monday, April 22, 2024, and ends in the evening of Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Origin of the holiday

A long time ago, more than 3,000 years ago, there were people called the Israelites who were not free. They had to work very hard for people called the Egyptians with a king Pharaoh. But one day, a brave leader named Moses helped the Israelites escape from the Egyptians.

Passover is all about remembering this story of freedom and being thankful for it. Families get together, sing songs, eat special foods, and tell stories about how their ancestors became free. It is a holiday of rejoicing when Jews around the world remember their history and reaffirm their commitment to freedom, justice, and faith.

Preparation for Passover

The preparations for Passover typically begin weeks in advance, with thorough cleaning of homes and removing any leftover crumbs or boxes of crackers hiding around your home. This process, known as “spring cleaning,” symbolizes the removal of impurities and the renewal of spiritual life.

You can do a “Chametz-hunt” with your family, using flashlights or candles to search for any leftover crumbs or errant boxes of crackers hiding around your home.

Passover Dinner

Passover is one of the major festivals in Jewish culture. Imagine having a big family dinner with special food, songs, and stories. Passover is like that but with a special meal held on the first two nights of the holiday, called Seder. 

People gather with family and friends to retell the story of the Jewish people leaving Ancient Egypt, read the Haggadah – a guidebook to the Passover evening meal (Seder), containing ancient texts dating back to old times, and eat symbolic foods in a particular order (the Hebrew word seder means “order”).

The Seder plate holds symbolic foods, including matzah (flat bread), maror (bitter herbs), charoset (a sweet paste), and a roasted shank bone, among others.

Families also gather for festive meals throughout the week-long holiday, enjoying traditional dishes such as brisket, gefilte fish, and tzimmes. In addition to the Seder, Passover is marked by additional religious observances, including special synagogue services.

Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog, Solar Eclipse 2024 Coloring page
Pre-Seder Checklist Download
Seder Plate coloring page
Seder Plate coloring page Download

Why eat matzah during Passover?

Matzah plays a central role in Passover observance, symbolizing the rush in which the Israelites fled Egypt after the Pharaoh finally agreed to let them go.

There was no time to get ready or to wait.  They had to leave in a hurry, so they didn’t have time for their bread to rise. That’s why during Passover, Jews eat flat crackers called matzah instead of regular bread. Throughout the holiday, Jews consume matzah in various forms, such as matzah ball soup, matzah pizza, and matzah brei.

The seder can’t end without finding the afikomen, a special piece of matzah that is hidden during the meal. Enjoy making an Easy Afikomen Bag with the little ones, who race to find the hidden matzah. 

Why eat matzah during Passover for children

The Four Questions for Children on Passover

The Four Questions are traditionally recited at the seder by the youngest child present. All four questions help answer one big question: Why is this night unlike all others?

  1. On this night, why do we eat only matzah?
  2. On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs. On this night, why only bitter herbs?
  3. On all other nights, we do not dip our herbs even once. On this night why do we dip them twice?
  4. On all other nights we eat sometimes sitting and sometimes reclining. On this night, why do we all recline?

Find these question and their answers to practice with your children here 

Passover Fun for the Whole Family

Passover Crafts

Dayenu (Passover song)

Passover Song for Kids |

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tags: Explaining Passover to young children, Passover resources for parents and kids, The significance of ‘The Four Questions’, Toddler-Friendly Seder

Total Solar Eclipse of 2024

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova
Solar Eclipse 2024

Hey kids! On April 8, 2024, something super cool will happen in the sky. The Moon will completely cover the Sun for a while. It’s called a total solar eclipse.

Join Clever Hedgehog and count the days until nature’s greatest show!

THE NEXT TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OVER THE USA AFTER APRIL 8, 2024 WILL HAPPEN ON AUGUST 23, 2044

ECLIPSE COUNTDOWN

Days

Hours

Minutes

WHAT IS A SOLAR ECLIPSE?

ECLIPSE SAFETY

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, and it looks like the Moon is covering the Sun if you’re watching from Earth. 

what is solar eclipse

The 2024 eclipse will be first seen in Texas and go a long way up to Maine. This eclipse will pass above lots of big cities, and the Sun will be completely hidden for about 4 minutes!

Always remember to enjoy the eclipse with proper eye protection!

It’s super important to keep your eyes safe during a solar eclipse. Looking directly at the Sun can badly hurt your eyes! That’s why we always use special eclipse safety glasses. Regular sunglasses won’t protect you. And don’t try to use binoculars, telescopes, cameras without special filters — it is risky for your eyes too.

ECLIPSE SAFETY

The only time it’s safe to look at a solar eclipse without special glasses is during the short minutes of “totality,” when the Moon completely covers the Sun.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE ECLIPSE

FUN FACTS ABOUT THE ECLIPSE

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, and it looks like the Moon is covering the Sun if you’re watching from Earth. 

The Moon starts covering the Sun slowly. It’s like the Sun is playing peek-a-boo with the Moon!

When only a bit of the Sun is left, daylight starts to fade, and you might see cool shadows on the ground. 

Then, comes the best part — totality, when the Moon completely covers the Sun. You’ll see the solar corona, a beautiful halo around the Moon.

The sky becomes like twilight, not quite day and not quite night! And when totality ends, the Sun starts peeking out again, and the world goes back to normal.

1. A solar eclipse 🌓 happens somewhere on Earth at least twice, and as many as five times, per year.

2. When you’re getting ready to watch an eclipse 🌓, one big thing to remember is the weather. Even a few clouds ☁️ can make it hard to see the eclipse! 

3. During a solar eclipse, animals 🐕 may exhibit unusual behavior; nocturnal animals may become active as they mistake the eclipse for nighttime.

Read More Fun Facts About Solar Eclipse

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2024 MAP

The solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, will travel over 13 states of the United States, starting from Texas and ending in Maine.

If you want to see the total eclipse, you need to be in the special path shown on the map.

If you’re outside that path, you’ll only see a partial eclipse, which is still cool!

Can you find the area where you live on the map? How far are you from the Moon’s shadow path?

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2024 MAP

New Book “Hey Moon, You’re Blocking My Sun!”

Book Reading Instructions

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English Book Collection Ukrainian Book Collection Fairy Tales Collection
Back to the Library

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Solar Eclipse Coloring Page and Fun Activities

Coloring page for kids, Stories with Clever Hedgehog, Solar Eclipse 2024 Coloring page
Solar Eclipse 2024 Coloring page Download

SOLAR ECLIPSE | Paper Plate Craft

Make an Eclipse Viewer | Science Project for Kids

Easter Traditions in Different Countries

Posted on | by Olga Zhestkova
clever hedgehog easter

Happy Easter!

Easter is the most important holiday after Christmas for many people around the world.

Easter is considered both a religious and non-religious holiday. For those who follow religious tradition, Easter is special because it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For non-religious people, it celebrates new beginnings, longer days, and time spent with friends and family.

Whether you’re celebrating Easter in the USA, Ukraine or elsewhere in the world, Clever Hedgehog wishes you and your family a very happy Easter.

Clever Hedgehog asked his friends about how they celebrate Easter in their countries. Let’s see what they say:

Easter celebration in the USA

Timmy, the USA – “If you ask me what I like the most about the Easter celebration in the USA, it is friends, fun, and tons of chocolate eggs! 

The Easter egg 🥚 is a huge symbol of Easter. Easter eggs represent new beginnings and new life. We dye eggs at home to make them look nice and colorful on the Easter table. 

I like Easter egg hunts. Easter egg hunts are events where adults hide colorful plastic Easter eggs, filled with candy, treats, coins, or toys for children. Some people do Easter egg hunts with their family in their backyard, but larger Easter egg hunts are organized in parks, fields, and churches.

Those people for whom Easter is a religious holiday go to church. There are different types of church services offered around Easter time.

Chicks 🐣 are icons of Easter, as well as the Easter Bunny 🐰. When children fall asleep on the night before Easter, the Easter Bunny visits your house and leaves an Easter basket filled with candy, toys, and treats. Then on Easter morning when the children wake up, they open their Easter baskets to find surprises. I remember getting so excited to find out what was in my Easter basket! Once, we ate so many chocolates that our faces and clothes were covered in chocolate!

Easter egg hunt kids

flickr.com/photos/mdgovpics/7038792759

Here you can see me looking for Easter eggs. I remember getting so excited when I finally found one!

Easter celebration in Ukraine

Julia, Ukraine – In many regions of Ukraine, Easter is celebrated as one of the most important religious holidays, as well as in the city, of Kolomyia, where I am from.

Preparation and festivities begin three days before Easter. The most important preparation begins with baking a special Easter bread, called paska. My mom uses an old recipe passed down through generations in our family.

But my favorite Easter tradition is coloring eggs. All my family will dye Easter eggs, krashanky, in different colors to make them look nice. 

Ukrainians also make special Easter eggs – pysanky 🥚. You need to be very creative to do that. Pysanky come in various colors, unique patterns, and ornaments, where every dot has its meaning. You can paint symbols of the sun, moon and stars, water and fire, earth, leaves, etc. Each pysanka is a real piece of art.

Then my family fills a special Easter basket for church with paska, krashanky, pysanky, sweets, and candles. We bring Easter baskets to be blessed in church. 

On Easter day, people exchange special greetings, saying, “Christ is Risen,” to which the response is “Indeed, He is Risen.” 

Later, families gather around the festive table, where the main dish is paska, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ, accompanied by pysanky, symbolizing new life. 

Some people gather to sing and dance haivky, traditional spring songs and dances, performed only during Easter. 

My sister and I help decorate paska.

This pysanka I made this year.

If you visit me in Kolomyia, we can visit the Pysanka Museum. The museum has the shape of a pysanka. It possesses a collection of over 10,000 pysanky.

If you travel to the town of Vegreville in Canada, you can see a giant sculpture of a pysanka, a Ukrainian-style Easter egg – the largest pysanka in the world.

Vegreville_pysanka

Myke2020, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Easter celebration in Australia

Sam, Australia – You can see Easter bunnies 🐇 around, but here in Australia we also celebrate the bilby (or macrotis) as the Easter icon.

Bilbies have been hopping around Australia for millions of years, but are now sadly a threatened species. Look out for chocolate Easter bilbies to buy to help support bilbies in Australia. 

Another popular Easter activity in Australia is enjoying sweet hot cross buns filled with dried fruit.

Easter celebration in Guatemala

Carlos, Guatemala – The week leading up to Easter is a very special time in Antigua, Guatemala. During this time, people work together to decorate streets with Alfombras De Semana Santa, the Easter sawdust carpets that decorate roads that lead to churches.

People make colorful patterns and pictures, sprinkling them with flower petals, pine needles, fruits, vegetables, and brightly dyed sawdust. They work for hours to make their alfombras unique and perfect. With this tradition, people show faith in the Supreme Creator. 

On Easter day, the Statues of Jesus and Mary are carried out of churches on people’s shoulders. They walk through parks and neighborhoods on the cushion of the alfombras. 

The Alfombras are made of natural materials that are not meant to last. The carpet falls apart as people walk through the streets.

Clever Hedgehog would love to hear from you what Easter traditions you have in your family.

Send Clever Hedgehog an email at ebooks4ukrkids@udel.edu!

Fun Facts about Easter

Did you know that the date of Easter changes every year? In different countries, people use different calendars and ways to count days. This year, Easter 2024 will be celebrated on March 31st in many countries around the world, except for some countries, like Ukraine, that will celebrate Easter on May 5th.

Did you know that ornamented stone and clay eggs have been discovered from ancient times throughout Ukraine? The oldest eggshell pysanka was excavated in Lviv in 2013 and was found in a rainwater collection system that dates to the 15th or 16th century. The pysanka was painted on a goose egg with a wave pattern design.

Did you know that the Hutsuls — ethnic Ukrainians who live in the Carpathian Mountains highlands in western Ukraine — believe that the fate of the world depends upon the pysanka? As long as the egg-decorating custom continues, the world will exist. If, for any reason, this custom is abandoned, evil will overrun the world.

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