Crunching the Numbers for Anti-Bullying Day
Statistics on Cyber Bullying

February 26 is Anti-Bullying Day. Bullying is a problem that everyone experiences. From the schoolyard to the classroom and even online. Cyber bullying is a growing problem. With anonymity, people online feel empowered to bully others. The following guide shared to us by our friends at PACER features statistics on cyber bullying that can help spread awareness of this issue.

Here are some of those statistics:

• 73% of students feel they have been bullied in their lifetime.
• 77% of kids agree that bullying and cyber bullying is not a part of growing up.
• Cyber bullying is not limited to children and teenagers. Adults can be bullied; although this would be called harassment.
• 69% of people admit to doing something abusive to others online.
• Girls are more likely to be bullied online than boys.

To learn more, read all the cyber bullying statistics here. And, check out our October 2, 2017 blog post for strategies to help fight against cyber bullying.

Spread Kindness with Random Acts

February 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day. We encourage everyone to participate in the #RAKTIVIST movement. RAKtivists "live and breathe kindness, share knowledge and lead by example." With busy lives it's easy to internalize things and ignore what's happening around you. As such, we as people can become anti-social. When one thing in your day goes wrong, it can have a lasting effect for the rest of the day. So, for one day only, we encourage you to do something random and kind for someone else. Just a simple positive act can have just as much of an effect on someone's day. Doing something as simple as saying hello to a stranger, or holding a door open for someone behind you can create a ripple effect by placing that someone in a positive state of mind. You never know, you might inspire someone else to do something kind for another person. This chain can create a positive and harmonious community.

To help you get started, here's a list of some random acts of kindness you can perform in your daily life:

• give your spare change to a homeless person
• donate a canned food item to a food drive
• volunteer for a day
• pick up garbage in a park
• let someone go in front of you in line
• pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru
• say thank you to someone
• give someone a smile
• ask your server how their day is going

There's so many more little and big things you could do to turn someone's day into a positive one. We challenge you to pick just one random act to perform on someone this February 17 on Random Acts of Kindness Day. Who knows, you might get inspired and challenge yourself to keep this going for every day moving forward. For more inspiration download these FREE Random Acts of Kindness posters from RandomActsOfKindness.org.

Interesting Facts about American History

February is American History Month. Many key figures and events have sprung up throughout American history. From the Revolutionary War in 1775 to today, there are many important moments that highlight key change in America. To celebrate this month-long observance, here are interesting facts about key figures and events in American History.

• Out of all the famous figures who have signed the Declaration of Independence, Edward Rutledge was the youngest at 26 and Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at 70. Learn more about the American Revolutionary War.

• The 3 main problems that led to the American Civil War were: slavery, industry in the north vs. agriculture in the south, and states' rights. Learn more about the American Civil War.

• During World War 1, Woodrow Wilson presented his peace program to Congress, which came to be known as The Fourteen Points. Learn more about World War 1.

• President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the New Deal to help the US recover from the Great Depression. Learn more about the US Economy.

• The Battle of Midway was the "turning point" of World War 2, where the US defeated Japan during a fight to control the Midway Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Learn more about World War 2.

• Before 1951, presidents could serve for many terms. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times. The 22nd Amendment limited a president's consecutive terms to two. Learn more about the American Government.

Get inspired with free worksheets and activities from our Social Studies FREE CONTENT page.

Adapting to Change Quiz

Being able to adapt to change is a key skill any 21st century student should acquire. It's not easy to change. We as humans enjoy routine and a sense of comfort. Unfortunately, change is an inevitability, and something that we all will experience in our lifetime, whether it be in our personal lives or in the workplace.

So, how well do you handle change? Take this quiz and find out! For each question, mark off the answer that most applies to you. Then, tally up your scores using the key. Download the free How You Are With Change Quiz worksheet for the score key.



Get more tips on acquiring 21st Century Skills with our related freebie worksheets.

New Year Trivia Game

January 4 is National Trivia Day. What better way to ease back into a new year of studies than to start things off with a trivia-style game. Separate the class into 2 or more groups. Have them name their group something unique. Then, gather a series of trivia questions. You can choose from a variety of subjects. For instance, you could do movie trivia, or pop culture, or go a little more educational and have science trivia, or world history. Below are a few options to get you started.

• At MomJunction.com, you can search through trivia questions and answers from different categories like sports, science, history, movies and music: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/trivia-questions-and-answers-for-kids_00418437/#gref
• TriviaCafe.com has a variety of questions about general education topics: https://www.triviacafe.com/trivia-questions/education/
• Chartcons.com also has a variety of questions stemming from literature to geography: https://chartcons.com/100-trivia-questions-kids-answers/
• TeachersFirst.com provides a trivia quiz geared towards breaking the ice for high school students: https://www.teachersfirst.com/content/knowyou/trivia.cfm
• FamilyEducation.com has even more topics to choose trivia questions from, like animals, food, holidays, math, seasons and television: https://www.familyeducation.com/quizzes

There are multiple ways to play a trivia-style game. Below are 3 different variations along with instructions.

1. In this first style, simply read out the questions and allow each team to answer quietly. Then, if they get the answer right, they get a point. In this style, every team gets to answer each question. In the event of a tie at the end of the game, you could include a lightning round. Each team gets 1 minute to answer as many questions as they can. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

2. In this second style, each team is asked a single question. Only the one team is allowed to answer the question. If the team answers correctly, they get a point and the next team is asked a question. If the team answers wrong, then they receive no point, and the next team is asked a question. In the event of a tie, you could include a lightning round, similar to what is used in the first style.

3. This third style is a variation of the second. In it, each team is asked a question that only they can answer. If they get the answer right, they get a point and are asked another question. The same team may answer questions until they answer one wrong. If the team answers a question wrong, then the next team has a chance to answer that same question. In this version, it is unlikely that a tie will occur, but in the event that it does, you can include a lightning round similar to what is used in the first style.

Additionally, you can check out our FREE CONTENT page to gather more information to add to your trivia game.