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published on 11/16/2001 FUN FOR KIDS-A November to Remember By sigmtn.com staff writer What color are the trees in your yard? Do you still have leaves clinging to the branches? How many leaves are on the ground? A hundred million trillion? Maybe. Maybe not, but one thing for sure there are a lot of leaves on Signal Mountain this month. NOVEMBER is a great month to celebrate. Families get together for Thanksgiving Dinners. High school and college football teams play their biggest rivals to see who's the best team. And the temperature finally cools things down so we pull out our winter coats, hats, and gloves. This time of year we celebrate our families, our friends, our neighbors, and those people that don't have as much as we have. This NOVEMBER choose to do something for someone so they will remember that you cared. What about those leaves? Help your Mom and Dad by picking them up. You may have to put them in bags or you might have to bring them to the curb by the street. Before you pick them up, how about having some fun first? Try raking the leaves by making paths all through your yard. Start in the center of the yard by making a circle clear of leaves. Then make paths that go to different spots in the yard. See if one of the merchants on Signal Mountain has a cardboard box that they will give you. Take the box and fold in one side and put it on the ground with the opening facing out. Dump as many leaves as possible on top of the box and around it. Now you have a clubhouse! Think of other things you might put at the end of the paths that lead to the other corners of your yard. Remember to go around trees and not through them! What if it rains and you have to stay indoors? Here are a couple of things that are fun: 1. Make a "Me Collage". Start with a spiral notebook, or loose-leaf paper in a three ring binder, or gather recycled paper that is blank on one side, and staple them together. Leave the top sheet or cover blank. Then using a stack of old magazines (ask your parents to start saving them for you), cut out pictures of things you like. It can be pictures of your favorite foods, toys, books, places, colors, anything that is something YOU like. This "Me Collage" is about YOU and nobody else so enjoy it. Now glue the pictures on the pages and write down anything you think is important about each picture. Put your name on the first sheet. *Big brothers and sisters, or parents can assist little children. Remember to use scissors that are safe and to ask your parent's permission to make this "Me Collage". 2. Thanksgiving Dinner place cards. Gather enough smooth rocks for each person sharing the meal. Maybe collect a few brightly colored leaves. Use a permanent marker and write the name of each person coming to dinner on each rock. (Parent's may need to supervise the use of the marker.) Place a colored leaf by the plate and put a rock with someone's name on top of the leaf. Save the rocks for next year or use them again for your next family meal! Does it seem darker earlier than it did in October? It should. We turned our clocks back and are on Standard Time now. When it's dark outside we can see the stars in the sky. Up here on Signal Mountain, we are lucky because we don't have the city lights to block the shining stars. Would you like to see a star up close? You can. The Jones Observatory l proudly presents the Stellar Imagery of Mr. David Hanon on Sunday November 18 at the regular time. This promises to be a multimedia presentation featuring beautiful stellar vistas and soaring music. The admission is free. And, he will entertain, edify, and inspire children of all ages. For more information click on Jones Observatory at UTC . Did you know that the week of NOVEMBER 12th thru 18th is National Children's Book Week? Here are some ideas to celebrate this great week: 1. The Signal Mountain Library invites all pre-school age children to celebrate this week by attending a story time on Terrif TWO's Days. 2.Give a book to a good cause. The E.L.I.S.H.A. Project on the Westside of downtown Chattanooga is an after-school tutoring program for the children who live on the Westside. They meet four days a week to study and have Bible study. High school students at Baylor High School, UTC students, as well as members of the community give their time to this worthy cause. But they need books. A library is being set up for use and easy reader books for younger children are needed. Go through your bookshelf and see if you have a book that you liked and would like now to pass on to another child to enjoy. It will make you feel so good! NOVEMBER is a time for giving thanks. Families try to get together and eat lots of good food. Some families share their happiness with other people who don't have as much as them. You might want to talk with your Mom and Dad about doing a SERVICE PROJECT this Thanksgiving. Here are some ideas: 1. The Chattanooga Community Kitchen serves Thanksgiving Dinner to many needy people. Talk with your Mom and Dad about volunteering to do this. Call for more information. 2. Consider making a batch of cookies or gingerbread and giving it to a neighbor that lives alone. What about inviting that neighbor to eat Thanksgiving Dinner with you and your family? 3. Look around your neighborhood and see if someone hasn't picked up his or her leaves yet. Get a group of friends together, gather your rakes, and offer to rake their leaves. Don't forget to get your parent's permission to do this first! 4. The Grateful Gobbler Walk for Homeless will be Thanksgiving morning at Coolidge Park. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For more information call the Homeless Coalition 423.267.2320 Finally, NOVEMBER is that time of year that we kick off the holiday seasons. One special event that happens off the mountain that you don't want to miss is: Winter Days & Lights Grande Illumination & Christmas on the River - Held on Saturday, November 24, the Holiday Open House is an all-day activity, with street performers, refreshments and discounts to entice shoppers from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Then at 7:00 PM, the festivities move to Coolidge Park for the 20th annual Christmas on the River. This event features a lighted parade of approximately 40 boats decorated for the season. As they circle in front of Coolidge Park, crowds enjoy holiday choirs, a live Nativity scene and delicious food and drink concessions. Immediately following is the Grande Illumination Ceremony which features lively performances by singing and dancing groups and the popular singing Santa who performs pyrotechnic wizardry to illuminate over 120 downtown buildings for the season. At approximately 8:30 PM, the evening is brought to a colorful conclusion with a fireworks finale over the river. For more information click on www.downtownchattanooga.org/holidays.htm. *For more information about this event, parents can call the Chattanooga Downtown Partnership at .

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