|
His Royal Leapness.
He is encouraged you to vote. |
Welcome to the
That's "kids" of ALL ages!
Here are some fun facts about
Leap Year Day February 29
You don't have to be born on
February 29
to enjoy Leap Day
It's everyone's
extra day!
In Leap Year 2008
New little Leaplings entered the world!
Click here for a special
greeting to the Leap Day 2008 Babies!
|
Click on the images
to view them larger.
|
|
The LeapStork.
She promoted the Olympics. |
|
Back to the Leap Year Day Home Page
Click over to the Teachers Page
Click over to the Parents Page |
Hi - My
name is
Raenell.
I was born on Leap Day in 1960.
This last Leap Year
I turned 12 - again! |
|
OK - First
of all, learn to say it correctly!
|
Someone born on February 29 was born on Leap Day,
or Leap Year Day. They were NOT born ON Leap Year.
Leap Year is the year we are in; like 2008 or
2009.
Anyone can be born IN a
Leap Year. Leap Year lasts
all year. Leap Day Babies were born ON Leap Day.
THAT is what is rare. In fact, the odds are 1 in 1461!
|
|
|
|
|
This
page is for my fellow
Leap Day babies/kids/teens, and
adults, to help them understand our
birthday a little
better. |
|
It's also
for the Leapless, you know, those of you born on one of
those annual dates, cause hey, it's your extra
day too! Not just
our birthday. ;0) So, Get your Leap on and check
it out!! |
|
|
|
 |
|
WHY IT'S SUCH A BIG DEAL
| It
took years and years to perfect the way we keep track of time. |
|
The calendar has not always been the
way it is now. |
|
Lots of people in the history
of the world tried to figure it out. |
|
Perfecting it took many generations. |
|
Take the time to think about this analogy... |
|
|
|
|
You and a friend are on the swings in the playground.
One of you represents the
seasons of the earth.
The other represents the universe. |
|
You both sit on the swing at
the same time. |
|
You start swinging at the same
time. BUT, you're NOT swinging at the same time! |
|
Both of you concentrate on your
movements so that you can get yourselves lined up. |
|
Eventually, it happens. Both of you
are in sync. You're swinging together. You did it! |
But it doesn't last.
Soon, you're out of sync again. |
 |
|
You try again and you line up again, but
each time you get lined up, it doesn't last.
|
|
|
|
Well, way back in time, back in 46
B.C.,
they needed to get the calendar, and
how we
keep track of time, in sync with
the earths rotations around the
sun. |
|
| They concentrated
on the movements
of the earth, the moon and the sun. |
|
It was important because they needed to keep
track of the seasons. At many points
in our history of calculating time, the seasons
did not happen the same time each year. |
|
We want the seasons to come and go
the same time every year
so we can
plant and
harvest on a predictable schedule. |
|
It took hundreds of years before the system was
finally in sync. Eventually,
it worked. They had calculated the years,
months, days, hours, minutesand
seconds into a pattern that allowed us to
experience the seasons in the
same time frame...each and every year. (give or
take a few Leap Seconds). |
What
made it work so well is the extra day that was
added to February.
That extra day was added to February because
February used to be the
last month of the year. Weird huh! |
|
 |
 |
We were born into this
existing system of time-keeping.
Hundreds of generations of people went through
the changes of the calendar. |
|
Speaking of planting and
harvest,
we are reaping
the benefits of all those
generations before us
who
worked so hard to
perfect the calendar. |
|
I hope you *got* the swing analogy.
And I hope you'll learn more
about
your calendar
system and how we
keep track of time. |
|
|
It's because of that extra day,
February 29, that the calendar is as
perfect as it is. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Even Decades
have three
Leap Years |
Odd decades
have two
Leap Years |
|
1960 1964 1968 |
1972 1976 |
|
1980 1984 1988 |
1992 1996 |
|
2000 2004 2008 |
2012 2016 |
|
WHAT DO LEAP DAY BABIES CALL THEMSELVES?
We are Leap Day babies,
not Leap Year
babies.
Anyone can be born IN a Leap Year.
We were born ON Leap Day.
There's a big difference there!
If you were born on February 29
You are a Leap Day baby. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
28 DAYS
HAS FEBRUARY
Twenty-eight days has February
A very light load for one month to carry
The other months have 2 and 3 more
Thirty and thirty-one being their big
score
In Leap Years the days they do vary
Making 29 days in February
|
|
|
|
If you were born on February 29
your birthday will be on a
Wednesday in Leap Year 2012! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HOW TO
TELL IF IT'S A LEAP YEAR
BY WHAT
DAY OF THE WEEK IS IT?
Another way to tell
if it's a Leap Year or not is by what day of the week the year starts
and ends on.
Every year January 1 and December 31 (the
first and last day of the year)
fall on the same day of the week.
Unless, of course,
it's a Leap Year.
Leap Years
only occur in years that show January 1st landing on one
day of the week
and December 31
on the following day of the week. See
the example below. |
|
| 2007 |
Monday
January
1 - Monday December 31 |
Not
a Leap Year |
| 2008 |
Tuesday
January
1 - Wednesday December 31 |
Leap
Year! |
| 2009 |
Thursday
January 1 - Thursday December 31 |
Not
a Leap Year |
|
2010 |
Friday January 1 - Friday December
31 |
Not
a Leap Year |
|
2011 |
Saturday January 1 - Saturday
December 31 |
Not
a Leap Year |
|
2012 |
Sunday January 1 - Monday
December 31 |
Leap
Year! |
|
2013 |
Tuesday January 1 - Tuesday December
31 |
Not
a Leap Year |
|
|
|
|
Leap
back up |
|
|
Also
known as:
The
Jump Rope Rhyme
Leap
Year, Leap Year
When will you be?
Every four years
Then you'll see.
You want more?
We do too!
How many more
can you Leap to?
This can be
used for one of those
hand-clapping games too!
by
Raenell Dawn
|
|
|
Leap
back up |
|
If you were born in:
You will be this age in Leap Years by
2012:
(If you find any errors in this
chart please let us know by clicking here)
| Birth Year |
Leap Years |
Actual Age |
|
Birth Year |
Leap Years |
Actual Age |
| 1908 |
26 |
104 |
1960 |
13 |
52 |
| 1912 |
25 |
100 |
1964 |
12 |
48 |
| 1916 |
24 |
96 |
1968 |
11 |
44 |
| 1920 |
23 |
92 |
1972 |
10 |
40 |
| 1924 |
22 |
88 |
1976 |
9 |
36 |
| 1928 |
21 |
84 |
1980 |
8 |
32 |
| 1932 |
20 |
80 |
1984 |
7 |
28 |
| 1936 |
19 |
76 |
1988 |
6 |
24 |
| 1940 |
18 |
72 |
1992 |
5 |
20 |
| 1944 |
17 |
68 |
1996 |
4 |
16 |
| 1948 |
16 |
64 |
2000 |
3 |
12 |
| 1952 |
15 |
60 |
2004 |
2 |
8 |
| 1956 |
14 |
56 |
2008 |
1 |
4 |
|
Click here for a special page dedicated to
Leap Day Babies born in 2008! |
|
|
 |
| IF
YOU ARE A LEAP DAY BABY...
You will hear the same questions for
the rest of your life!
If you haven't heard these yet, you will! Be ready.
1. When do you celebrate?
2. How old are you really?
3. What's it like to not get a birthday?
Number 3 - Of course we get a birthday. We age, we
celebrate that age every year, and we "get" a birthday.
The question they are really asking
is:
What is it like to have a birthday that's
not on the calendar every year?
Just explain to them that you do
"get" a birthday. Just
because it's not on the calendar doesn't mean you don't
get one. It doesn't mean we don't age either. Let
them know what it feels like to you. Be honest.
Sometimes, when they know what it's
all about, they
wish they were a Leap Day baby too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
IF I WAS BORN ON LEAP
DAY,
HOW OLD AM I REALLY?
When speaking of your Leap-age, it is incorrect
to say you are 2 "years" old when you are really
8 "years" old.
You are 2 LEAP Years old. Or - even better, just
simply 2. Keeping it simple has the best impact.
When talking about a friend or
relative born on
Leap Day it is best to say "This is my Aunt, she
is only 5."
And watch the facial expressions change.
Don't say "5 'years' old" that doesn't
make sense,
think about it. BUT,
stopping at the number has a bigger impact.
I was born in 1960, but I turned 12 this last Leap
Year 2008!
See the difference? It's fun too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WHEN DO
LEAP DAY BABIES
CELEBRATE THEIR BIRTHDAY?
In Leap Years, we celebrate ON February 29th.
We only get to do that every 4 years.
In off years, we
can celebrate on February 28th
because we were born in February. However,
we were born the day after the 28th so we can
celebrate on March 1st if we want to.
Or, both because we
can! And some of us do! |
|
|
|
 |
|
Turning 13 is a big deal to some of
us. But when
we Leap Day kids
turn(ed) 13, in
annual years,
our birth DATE is not on the
calendar.
So, no one
can tell it's our birthday because
it's not there to
remind
them. That's what I'm talking
about in this
poem: |
|
The
Birthday Rhyme
There
is a girl named Raenell
Who didn't like her birthday very well.
When she turned 13,
she thought it quite mean,
It was her birthday but no one could tell!
(You
may substitute the first line with:
There
is a girl/boy I know well...) |
When
I was a kid I didn't think it was
very cool to
have a birthday
that's only on the
calendar every
four years. My thinking changed
when
I turn 4@16.
Ever since then I've thought it a
very cool date
to
be born on. Especially after
learning more about it. |
|
|
|
|
Books With Leap
Year themes...
Ask your local book store or
do a search online. And if you can, get one for
your local school, and/or, local library. They really need these
books!
Click on the book to be taken to more information about it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raenell's
favorite
version |
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Movie (worth owning!)
Kevin Kline
Linda Ronstadt
Angela
Lansbury
Director: Wilford Leach
Release Date: 18 February 1983 (USA)
Genre: Comedy / Musical / Romance
Tagline: Broadway's smash hit is now the
movie!
Plot Summary: This movie is an
adaptation of
Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta of
the same
name, with parts of other of their
operettas stirred in. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Read
The
PEACOCK'S
PROMISE
Written
and Illustrated by
Nancy Lucas
Nancy
wrote and painted this story for
her Granddaughter who was born on
Leap Day 2000.
Click on the book cover to be taken
into the book. Read about all the
suggestions of when to have your
birthday when your birth date isn't
on the calendar. |
|
 |
|
|
Leap
back up
|
|
|
Click on images
to enlarge. |
|
The
Leap Year Book
by Barbara
Sutton-Smith, LY2000 |
|
|
This
is the most comprehensive book
on the subject yet.
From Legends and
Folklore, to all about Leap Year cards
and postcards from the early 1900s.
Significant events
that
happened in a
Leap Year
as well as people born on
Leap Day.There is
even a picture of Raenell on
page 60 (she was
born in 1960) where
the Honor Society of Leap
Day Babies
is mentioned. The book is illustrated
by Tina Holdcroft with beautiful color
and
humor. Click the link at right to
purchase this book. |
|
Click on images
to enlarge. |
 |
 |
|
|
Leap
back up.
|
|
|
|
It's My
Birthday... Finally!
By Michelle Whitaker-Winfrey
On
Saturday Miles will be celebrating
his
birthday.
Although he is happy
about his birthday there
seems
to be
some confusion about how old Miles
will
be.
Will
he be eight or will he be
just two?
|
|
|
. |
LEAP DAY
A young adult
novel
by Wendy Mass
about a girl who turns
16 on her 4th birthday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leap
back up
|
|
|
|
Leopold's Long
Awaited Leap Year Birthday
by Dawn Desjardins
Leopold and his parents wait patiently
for his first birthday February 29th to arrive,
but it just never seems to come.
Finally, the wise old doctor figures out why
the seasons continue to pass without any
recognition of his special day…
Mother explains it as a “Peek-a-boo holiday…
“It’s there, it is just hiding”
Perfect for preschool to primary |
|
|
|
|
Disney's
LEAP DAY
NO BOUNCING
JUMPING OR LEAPING
EXCEPT ON LEAP DAY. |
|
|
|
|
THE
PIRATES OF PENZANCE
William S. Gilbert and Arthur S. Sullivan,
- (written in the
1870s)
|
If you like musicals,
pirates that really aren't all that bad, and you are
into Leap Year Day, then
this book or movie is for you. The book is quite good, and
entertaining, but the film version with
Kevin Kline, Rex Smith and Linda Ronstadt was utterly delightful.
The perfect Pirate King,
Kevin Kline was subpurb. I did not realize he was so musically inKlined. I know
he's funny, but in
this, he was unmatchable. |
G.
Schirmer, Inc.
version of P of P by
Gilbert and Sullivan |
“When
Frederic was yet a little boy, his nurse (Ruth) was
told to apprentice him
to become a pilot. She heard the word incorrectly and
apprenticed him to a band
of pirates, remaining with them herself as a
maid-of-all-work. Although Frederic
loathed the trade to which he had thus been bound, he
dutifully served and, as
the curtain rises, his indentures are almost up and her is
preparing to leave the
band and devote himself to the extermination of piracy. His indentures
were to run
until his twenty-first birthday, and – as he was born on February 29
– he has
really has as yet only five birthdays. Obeying the dictates of his strong sense of
duty, he immediately rejoins the pirates.”
From
the G. Schirmer, Inc. version of Pirates of Penzance
by Gilbert and Sullivan.
It's
very funny. If you like musicals, and comedy, this one is
both of those.
|
|
|
|
Leap
back up |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
WHEN WILL I BE OF
LEGAL
AGE?
Depending on where you live will determine
when you may drive or be considered an adult.
Regardless of when
we celebrate,
we will not be our next age until
after
midnight of February 28.
No matter what
the next day is.
That
makes sense right? Think about it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TEASING
- AND WE'RE NOT TALKIN' HAIR!
I got teased in elementary school. Kids back then were not aware of Leap Year
Day like
kids of your
generation are. They
didn't know how cool
it really it is.There
were kids who sang
"You don't get a birthday" in that sing-song style kids do so well.
They
said things like,
"You can't play with us, you're a
baby!" or "You're only 2, how could you
know?!"
My second grade teacher asked if we knew someone
born on February 29.
I rose my hand and told her I was born on that day. She said, "Oh you poor child" Teachers of today
probably wouldn't say that. And if you hear of
one, let us know!
Teachers
in this generation know so much about Leap
Year. But, there might be an
UnLeapified teacher lurking somewhere. So be aware, be Leap Year Day Aware, and
make sure your teacher is too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CLYDE answers questions readers
email to us.
Click on the logo above to check
out the page.
Maybe some questions you have
will be answered
by CLYDE. If not, email CLYDE
for answers! |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Leap
back up |
|
|
WHO
IS RAENELL AND WHY DOES SHE THINK SHE
KNOWS SO MUCH ABOUT THIS?
I am not a child, or even a parent.
But I've been a child, and I am a Leap Day baby. |
I want to
give you an older Leap Day baby's perspective
to help you understand Leap Year Day. It's nice
to be
born on a day in history that
represents balance and
harmony.
Now, more
than ever maybe, teachers, students and
parents will have a clearer understanding
of what Leap
Year is, and what Leap Day is.
And if you are a Leap Day baby I hope you
have a
clearer understanding of why your birth date isn't on
the calendar every year.
If you are NOT a Leap Day baby I
hope you, too, have
a clearer understanding of this
extra day.
It's not just our birthday, it's
everyone's extra day. Do
something good with it!
Please contact me if you have any questions or
comments regarding this subject.
|
|
You may
email me, Raenell,
here.
Be sure to have your
parent/guardian's permission first. |
|
|
Thank you for visiting this website!
 Please be sure to visit
the
LEAP THIS shop
Leap
back up
|
|
|
