60 years ago, the entire week of April 4, 1964, The Beatles filled the first five places in the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Please Please Me”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”,  She Loves You”, “Twist and Shout” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”. In total, they had 12 places on the US chart. 


April 10, 1633, England got its first glimpse of the banana, for sale in a shop in Holborn, London. By contrast, bananas officially started being imported into Japan in 1903 from Taiwan. The first ever banana is thought to be presented to daimyo Nobunaga Oda by a Portuguese missionary (15th century). 


April 10, 1847, publisher Joseph Pulitzer was born in Budapest, Hungary. At the age of 17 he moved to America and fought briefly in the Civil War before starting a remarkable career in journalism and publishing. He established a fund for the Pulitzer Prizes, awarded annually for excellence in journalism. 


On April 4th, World Rat Day celebrates this intelligent rodent and promotes the idea of keeping rats as pets. They are highly intelligent, easy to care for, easily tamed as well as very curious, social, and full of personality. All these characteristics make these rodents excellent pets. Go to your local pet store and look at the rats and other rodents!


Every year on April 6th, World Table Tennis Day promotes social inclusion and unity as table tennis competitions and events are held all over the world in gyms, schools, workplaces, bars, and shopping centers. This is also a great day for table tennis organizations to promote the idea that everyone can play table tennis. Join the competition!


On April 16 World Voice Day is dedicated to recognizing the boundless limits of the human voice as the conduit of the human experience. Each one of us communicates in unique ways, and our voice allows that expression to be heard.

This observance is a chance to recognize the endless fields the human voice touches. Let your voice be heard!


International Dance Day on April 29th is an annual celebration of how dancing can positively impact our lives. It was created to allow the world to recognize dance as a professional art form. Dancing gives us the ability to communicate emotions frequently deeper than our own language. Challenge yourself to learn a new dance!


This 1988 American melodrama is an adaptation of Howard Fast’s 1966 novel about a teenage boy’s coming of age on the eve of the American Revolution. The story follows Adam as he struggles to gain the approval of his intellectual father (played by Tommy Lee Jones). Hoping to achieve that, he surprises his father by volunteering to join the local militia as they head to Lexington and Concord to take a stand against the British troops. Adam will inevitably have to grow up fast amidst the violence and death that ensued with the “shot that was heard around the world”.

While the novel was not originally written as a young adult story, it has increasingly been assigned in middle school English and social studies classes, due to the age of the protagonist and the journey he takes on.


     Strawberry Crumb Bars

 

 

1.    In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt. Add 2/3 cup of unsalted butter and combine until you have a crumb-like texture. 

2.    In a separate bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup of light brown sugar, 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until combined. Slowly add in the flour mixture and combine into a crumbly consistency.

3.    Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of a 23x23 cm baking pan lined with parchment paper.

4.    For the filling, stir together 3 cups of chopped strawberries, ¼ cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Spoon this mixture over your crust then top with the crumble mixture you have set aside.

5.    Bake at 180C for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the over and allow to cool completely before cutting it into squares.