Someone says “Let me check my calendar first” when asked to join a friend for lunch or attend a church committee meeting. The calendar, important for busy people, is a must for parents and their children.

The Middlesboro Daily News prints announcements and information about scheduled events, programs, and activities by reminding its readers of important meetings and interesting topics that might go on a personal calendar.

On the internet, one can find a National Day Calendar claiming more than 1,500 national days. If your own calendar is not filled, you may consider this source for information, conversation, and fun. Try www.nationaldaycalendar.com

Just last week, there was a reminder of National Kindergarten Day-April 21. About the same time, the Bell County School System announced that district kindergarten registration for the 2018-19 school year is set for this week, April 23-30.

If there’s a child in your family that will be going to kindergarten in the school year ahead, it’s time to check your calendar and follow the registration process to be sure this important step is taken.

You will be participating in an educational program that started in Germany in 1837! A teacher, Frederich Wilhelm August Frobel, laid a foundation for modern education recognizing that children learn through play and experience.

Frobel’s idea was that kindergarten would allow children to transition from home to school more easily.

It was not until 1856 that the first US kindergarten opened in Watertown, Wisconsin. It wasn’t until 1873 that the concept found its way into public schools.

In 1990, a book by Robert Fulghum attracted a lot of attention, first because of its title “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” He came up with a list of 16 basic rules to live by. One reviewer noted that “if followed by people and governments around the world would result in a sane, orderly, pleasant experience.”

The author stated “All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten. All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten…”

Check your calendar for kindergarten registration, and check with your library for the Fulghum book if you want to feel good, think about everyday happenings, slow down, and savor the world.

William H. Baker, a Claiborne County, Tennessee, native and former resident of Middlesboro, may be contacted at wbaker@limestone.edu