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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

~ CLOSED ~ 2012 Canadian Farmer's Almanac and Kids Almanac - Review & Giveaway

Canadian Edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac

   I remember seeing, The Old Farmer's Almanac, in my maternal grandparents farmhouse.  I remember it sitting on the table, looking all dog-eared and well read. 
   I have always been a bit fascinated by the book, but, have never owned a copy.  I guess I must have believed it would only be of interest to "farmers". 
   Well, I was completely wrong.  The first time I opened my book, I flipped through it, reading all types of little tidbits of information and never looked up for over an hour!
   The book is divided into sections titled - 
  • Amusement
  • Anniversary
  • Astrology
  • Astronomy
  • Calendar
  • Food
  • Gardening
  • Special Report
  • News
  • Health & Home
  • Husbandry (the farmer's type!)
  • Outdoors
  • Sports
  • Weather
  • Miscellany
  Reading this list, I'm sure you can see why I was so engrossed in this publication. 
  The calendar pages are the heart of The Old Farmer's Almanac.  They present sky sightings and astronomical data for the entire year and are what make this book a true almanac, a "calendar of the heavens."  In essence, these pages are unchanged since 1792, when Robert B. Thomas published his first edition.  The long columns of numbers and symbols reveal all of nature’s precision, rhythm, and glory, providing an astronomical look at the year 2012.
   My only disappointment was in the left-hand calendar pages.  Unless you live in Ottawa or Halifax, you need to execute some do-able but confusing (at least to me) calculations to obtain the information for your specific region.  You do however; have the option to purchase ($4.95) a 13 month printable chart with times set to your postal code, just visit  MyLocalAlmanac.com.   When I stop to think about it, this makes sense.  If you had a book with information for each postal code it would be a very thick and very expensive tome.
   I can absolutely see myself keeping this almanac on the coffee table and reading it off and on for the entire year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids, Volume 4, is a winner in five categories at the 2011 International Book Awards.  
  • Best Children's Book Series
  • Best Children's Educational
  • Best Children's Non-fiction
  • Best Young Adult Educational
  • Best Young Adult Non-fiction 

  
  The kids almanac is laid out in a similar fashion to the adult almanac. It provides full-colour pages loaded with fun stories, quirky facts, and the type of trivia that kids love...
          "every day your mouth produces 2-3 pints of saliva (also called spit, spittle, or slobber)"...
          "an acre was the amount of land that one man behind an ox could plough in one day"...
          "an ear of corn has, an average, 800 kernels, 16 rows with 50 kernels in each row.  There is one strand of corn silk for each kernel"
...well, you get the idea, and kids absolutely love all these little bits of information! 
   There is a dedicated website, Almanac4Kids, be sure to enter your postal code (top right corner) and you'll receive information specific to your area.  I would think most elementary and middle school aged children; parents of children in these age groups as well as elementary and middle school teachers would love to have this book in their repertoire.
   With the holidays quickly approaching, this book would make a great fun, as well as, educational gift. 


To Buy -
Visit most major book retailers or purchase online at The Old Farmer's Almanac. 
Win Them -
Five very lucky Older Mommy, Still Yummy readers are going to win a Farmer's Almanac giveaway bundle.  Each bundle will consist of one copy of the Canadian Edition of The 2012 Old Farmers Almanac as well as one copy of The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids, Volume 4.
To Enter -
Fill in the form below with your qualifying entries.  Good-luck!! 

If you are new to Rafflecopter, click here for a 45 sec. tutorial on how to enter.)



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36 comments:

  1. lost butterflyOctober 26, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    I learned they have an astronomy page and that sort of thing has always interested me. It includes everything from eclipse dates to sunrise and sunset times and even meteor shower guides. I haven't seen a farmers almanac in years and would LOVE to win this. Thank you for another great giveaway!!!

    jglaframboise at eastlink dot ca

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  2. Maegan MorinOctober 26, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    There is so much cool and interesting facts and tidbits on that site! I learned that to many sky watchers, the Moon is home to the gods. Plutarch, a first-century Greek essayist, considered it a way station for the coming and going of souls.

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  3. UnknownOctober 26, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    I found a new recipe to try (miss Annie's Apple Pie!). Yummm!

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  4. Teena in TorontoOctober 26, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    I didn't know they still made the almanac ... it's been years since I've see one.

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  5. GlogirlOctober 27, 2011 at 12:33 AM

    I learned that you can buy products other than just the almanac on the website. Available for purchase are soy candles, puzzles and a gardening calendar.

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  6. Denise GOctober 27, 2011 at 12:54 AM

    word of the day December
    From the Latin word decem, "ten," because this had been the tenth month of the early Roman calendar.

    ontariohappychick at gmail dot com

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  7. C WilsonOctober 27, 2011 at 12:55 AM

    I learned that you plant garlic in the garden in the fall in the six weeks before the ground freezes

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  8. GingermommyOctober 27, 2011 at 1:37 PM

    I learnt there are 56 days till winter

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  9. AnonymousOctober 28, 2011 at 3:45 AM

    I had no idea they had a website, and I just had a lot of fun shopping int he store that I didn't know they had!
    samorjj(at)hotmail.com

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  10. TinatchickOctober 28, 2011 at 11:35 AM

    I like their question of the day!

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  11. flowerchildOctober 28, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    I learned that You can purchase the 2012 copy for $6
    thanks
    flower_child_23(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  12. SharonneltOctober 30, 2011 at 2:08 AM

    when the next full moon is.

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  13. deanna_boocockOctober 30, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    I learned I can use vinegar for cleaning cooking oil off a stovetop

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  14. UnknownOctober 31, 2011 at 12:40 AM

    I had no idea that I could find out when to plant my garden and flowers. I thought this was mostly for farmers that had large farms.

    I have heard my hubby talk about his dad always reading it and I never thought that it would have so much info in it. Amazing.

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  15. ZONE F DG TEAMOctober 31, 2011 at 1:29 PM

    I love the Almanac. Great resource. Thanx for popping to my blog from the Canadian bloghop. I'll be back soon.

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  16. Jen MOctober 31, 2011 at 6:54 PM

    I learned they have a recipe index on the website with some cool rcipes

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  17. AnonymousNovember 3, 2011 at 4:21 PM

    What did I learn? The Almanac is such a great source of knowledge. Something simple it reminded me to do was get ready to set my clock for daylight saving time.

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  18. nicolthepickle (Nicole Graham)November 4, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    The advice of the day is, "One hour's sleep before midnight is worth two after."
    I agree. I'm not sure of that's something that I learned, but it's something I should put into practice :).

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  19. UnknownNovember 6, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    I learnt they sell cool Amish Harvest Soy Candle - and many other things!

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  20. Jeanette JNovember 6, 2011 at 11:25 PM

    The Old Farmer's Almanac has been around since 1792

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  21. CrystalNovember 10, 2011 at 10:48 AM

    I learned to plant garlic in the fall!

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  22. AnonymousNovember 11, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    I learned what Indian Summer is - hope we get one!

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  23. LauraNovember 12, 2011 at 7:24 PM

    I learned about Sassafras tea! It is made from the roots of the sassafras tree.

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  24. jennemNovember 14, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is named for the Roman god of agriculture. In Greek mythology, Saturn became the ruler of the universe when he led a successful rebellion against his father, Uranus.

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  25. mousecatNovember 15, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    I learned that they have caluculated the best days for fishing. I should have been looking at that this past summer!!

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  26. Belinda MNovember 20, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    I learned the the first frost fall for 2012 in winnipeg is expected to be Sept. 22


    bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
    belinda mcnabb

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  27. Charlene VidalNovember 27, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    How to grow salad in the winter (indoors).

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  28. ALICIA MNovember 27, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    My daughter just loves books

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  29. annNovember 27, 2011 at 7:03 PM

    I learned when the next full moon is .

    amhengst at verizon dot net

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  30. desitheblondeNovember 29, 2011 at 5:24 PM

    books i want tem and love them t read

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  31. Amy CDecember 3, 2011 at 12:48 AM

    I learned that in
    1831: The Erie Canal was closed due to weather

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  32. cocorriccoDecember 4, 2011 at 6:22 PM

    The site is FULL of recipes. Which really makes me excited!

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  33. Journeys of The ZooDecember 5, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    I did not remember that winter officially begins in 17 days (it feels more like fall around here -- eastern ontario).

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  34. Country Mouse, City MouseDecember 5, 2011 at 10:47 PM

    I learned when the next full moon is.

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  35. CrystalDecember 7, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    I learned they have recipes!

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  36. larrypmNLDecember 9, 2011 at 7:55 PM

    The first Christmas card is thought to have been printed in England in 1843.

    ReplyDelete