#08-342: Puff, the Magic Dragon

A cartoon dragon (probably not "Puff") (Wikimedia)

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Note: This sweet nostalgic story has been a favorite for generations--and it's fun to sing!

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Get Ready: What do we gain by growing up? What do we lose?

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#08-131: Tarzan of the Apes

Poster for a 1918 film version of Tarzan of the Apes
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Prolific American "pulp" author Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote almost 80 novels, 24 of them about "Tarzan." Let's see the first one!

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Get Ready: Did you ever swing on a rope or chain and do a "Tarzan yell"? (It's fun!) If you don't know what I mean, watch an old Tarzan movie!

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#05-029: Mother's Days

Church where the first Mother's Day service was held in 1908
(Wikipedia)

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Note: The official recognition of Mother's Day in the U.S. was long in coming. But today, nearly half of the world's 175 celebrations use approximately the same date!

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Get Ready: When do you celebrate Mother's Day? What do you do to recognize the importance of mothers?

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#05-027: New Beer's Eve and Other Frivolous April Days

FDR signed the "Beer Permit Act"
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Fads come and go, but people will have their beer! Find out about "New Beer's Eve" and the end of Prohibition in the U.S.

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Get Ready: Overall, do you think the consumption of alcohol has a positive or a negative effect on a society?

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#05-026: International Jazz Day

Herbie Hancock performs on International Jazz Day in Havana, Cuba
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Find out how American jazz rose from its humble beginnings to become an important force in international relations.

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Get Ready: Do you like jazz? Do you think it's an important element in international relations?

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#05-022: April Fools' and Tomb-Sweeping Day

During Tomb-Sweeping Day in Singapore
(Wikipedia)

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Note: From the foolishness of April 1st, we pivot to the "grave" activity of sweeping the ancestral tombs, in Chinese culture.

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Get Ready: Do you have any annual (or regular) activity in which you celebrate or remember your ancestors?

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#05-021: Month-Long April Observances

Locksley Hall, inspiration for a line about love in the springtime
(Wikipedia)

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Note: It's spring! Write a poem, listen to some jazz, donate your organs, or volunteer!

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Get Ready: Have you ever written any poetry? Are you good at it? (Share some in the comments!)

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#05-006: Frivolous January Holidays

A traditional Burns supper
(Wikipedia)

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Note: There seems to be a "National Day" for almost anything. So how do you celebrate "National Hot Sauce Day"?

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Get Ready: What is the silliest "holiday" you can think of? What makes it seem silly to you?

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#03-015: The Fab Four

Clockwise from top left: John, Paul, Ringo, and George
(Wikipedia)

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Note: In 1964, America was struck by BEATLEMANIA! In that year, the Lads from Liverpool landed on our shores. Read about them and their impact on music history.

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Get Ready: Look at the picture of the Beatles above. Do you find their hairstyles shocking? Why or why not?

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#03-012: More Networking Jargon

Social networking "site"
(Wikipedia)

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Note: This lesson, like #03-011, was written in 2012. Although a lot of things have changed on the internet, lurkers still lurk, and memes are still fun!

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Get Ready: Are you ever a "lurker"? Where do you "lurk"?

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#03-011: Social Networking Jargon

Professor Jim Bucket's social links
(see live version at the bottom of the page)

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Note: This lesson and #03-012 were written in 2012. Social media is more popular--and more challenging--since then, but I think most of what you'll read here is still useful.

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Get Ready: Do you use any social networking sites? If so, how many friends (fans, followers) do you have? Do you think that's a good number? Why or why not?

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#01-136: Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy birthday!
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Please indulge the old Prof as he talks about his birthday (when he was a young pup of 53) and the people who share it.

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Get Ready: How do you sing "Happy Birthday to You"? Do any of the versions below sound familiar?

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#01-126: How to Talk Nice

A little kindness goes a long way.
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Poking fun at people is always... well, fun. But it may be more fun for us than it is for them. Learn more about talking nice.

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Get Ready: Do you ever tease or joke with your friends? Have you ever made a mistake and hurt someone's feelings?

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#01-123: Talk Like a Pirate - Part II

A Jack Sparrow imitator
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Another ship, another pile o' plunder, as we continue learnin' the tongue o' Long John Silver and his mates!

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Get Ready: Have you ever watched a pirated movie, listened to pirated music, and so on?

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#01-122: Talk Like a Pirate - Part I

The founders of International Talk Like a Pirate Day
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Ahoy, there, me hearties! Be ye able to talk like a pirate, ye lubber? Ye'd do well to lend an ear!

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Get Ready: Have you ever noticed the way pirates talk in movies? What's unusual about it?

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#01-110: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

It's off to work they go.
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Everyone knows the seven dwarfs. But did you realize that, except for Doc, they all have adjectives for names?

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Get Ready: Do you know anyone with an adjective for a name? For example, "Linda" is Spanish for "beautiful," and "Bella" means the same in Italian. I have met women named "Precious," "Merry," and "Bonnie" (also "beautiful," this time in Scottish). And don't get me started on the mean nicknames we gave our playmates when we were kids!

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#01-109: Cowboy Talk - Part IV

Pull in your horns, there, partner!
(Wikipedia)

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Note: Just pull in your horns and don't get your back up: this roundup of cowboy slang's about to peter out, and you'll be done!

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Get Ready: What's the farthest you've ever had to walk--not by choice? Why did you have to do it?

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#01-108: Cowboy Talk - Part III

A fiesta--in Canada!
(Wikipedia)

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Note: This cowboy slang just might turn you into a powerful flannel mouth. If you're game, you might  even wind up flush!

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Get Ready: Do you know how to play poker? Look at the words below and see if you recognize a couple of them from that game.

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#01-107: Cowboy Talk - Part II

An old calaboose in Texas
(Wikipedia)

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Note: If you get all balled up and come a cropper, this lesson on cowboy slang will help you directly. Learn seven more terms besides these!

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Get Ready: What's the smallest town you've ever visited? How would you describe the kind of people that lived there?

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#01-104: Jiminy Speak - Part II: Encouragement and Scolding

"The Talking Cricket" in the book on which Disney's film was based
(Wikipedia)

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Note: As Pinocchio's conscience, it was Jiminy's job to encourage him to do well, and scold him when he did wrong. Let's learn some more "hip" expressions!

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Get Ready: What are some expressions you use to encourage your friends to "do the right thing," or to warn them when they seem to be doing wrong?

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