Friendship Day

Invite a friend over to play. No friends available? For preschool age children you can have a picnic or a tea party with stuffed animal friends. Suggested books to read: Best Friends for Frances by Russell Hoban and Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel.

A Summer Craft Recipe: Watermelon Magnets!
Suitable for ages three and older.

1. In a bowl mix 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup salt. Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/8 cup warm water and 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring. Blend well and knead 20 times. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour.
   
   
2. In another bowl mix 1/3 cup flour and 2½ tablespoons salt. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, 3 teaspoons warm water and a few drops of green food coloring. Blend well and knead 20 times, adding more flour if necessary.
   
   
3. Mold the red dough into flat circles and roll the green dough into a long snake shape and wrap it around the edges of the red circles. Press the two colors together so that they stick to each other. |
   
   
4. Cut each circle in half and press 5 or 6 real watermelon seeds into the red part of the dough.
   
   
5. Bake the finished watermelon slices at 200 degrees for 2 hours. Turn them over and bake for 1-2 hours more until completely dry.
   
   
6. Glue a small magnet to the back of each.  Be sure the kids do not eat the magnets!

Use these on the refrigerator or give them as gifts.

Happiness Happens Month

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.” —James M. Barrie. 

As you enjoy the warm days of summer, think about the ways you and the children can bring sunshine into the life of your household.  With a fun activity, a happy song, a big smile, or a hug – try to make happiness happen every day.

National Golf Month

Although too young to play regular golf, children over 4 love to play mini-golf.  It’s fun for grown-ups too!  Check the local yellow pages for mini golf near you. 

This day commemorates August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. More than 50 years ago, a young Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki, a victim of the bombing at Hiroshima, dreamed of creating 1000 paper cranes to release into the wind as a symbol of peace throughout the world. Unfortunately, she died before she was able to fulfill her dream. Each year at the Hiroshima Peace Park 1000 paper cranes are released into the wind in the hope that death and destruction caused by war will never be repeated. Fold your own cranes by following these simple directions: http://library.thinkquest.org/5402/images/pcranes.gif

To get more factual information about the events at Hiroshima, visit http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwii/hiroshima/

Sea Serpent Day

Sea serpents are not a part of our everyday life, so they are fascinating to children. Have fun drawing your own ideas of fantastic sea serpents. Remind the children that they can be friendly or scary but are never real. Two delightful children’s books include sea serpents in the story: Harry by the Sea by Gene Zion and The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg.

Smokey Bear

Smokey Bear was created in 1944 to remind us of the importance of outdoor fire safety and wildfire prevention.  Visit http://www.smokeybear.com/kids/default.asp for online games, fun facts and important information about outdoor fire safety.

We use inventions everyday to do all the things we need and like to do. Imagine being without some of our everyday inventions. Think about what new inventions there still might be. Learn about famous inventors at the library such as Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, the Wright Brothers, and George Washington Carver.

In 1870 the last spike was nailed to complete the coast-to-coast railroad. This train track helped to open up the western area of the U.S. to development. Trains still hold a fascination – whether it is Thomas the Tank, Brio or electric trains, children love to build tracks. Is there a train nearby that you could take a short ride on or watch go by? There are many children’s books about trains – The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper is a charming story with an important message. Check here for railroad attractions in your state: http://www.trains.com/railroadguide/map.asp

Joke Day

Create your own book of favorite jokes and riddles with your children ages 4 and up. Children love jokes and will treasure a collection to look at over and over. Write just one or two jokes on each piece of paper. If it’s a riddle, put the answer on the back of the page. Draw colorful pictures to go with the joke. Follow the directions below to turn your collection of illustrated jokes into a book.

Step 1: Get two pieces of thin cardboard at least 5.5 x 8.5 inches (14 x 22 cm), to match the size of the paper.

Step 2: Gather the following: ribbon, string or a stapler, crayons or markers, or if you want, scissors, glue, and white paper or colored construction paper.

Step 3: Cut the cardboard into the size you want for your cover. Cut two pieces: one for the front and one for the back. Make two holes along one of the long edges, in the same spot on both pieces. Your ribbon or string will go through here to hold your pages together. (You can also staple the pages together if you want to keep it simple.)

Step 4: To decorate the covers: Draw right on the cardboard or create decoration using glue, paper and whatever else you might have around the house (magazine pictures, material, pressed flowers, old buttons, etc.) and place them in a design on the cover.

Step 5: When you have the items placed where you like them, then take your glue and start gluing the items down. Continue gluing until you are done. Set it aside and let it dry for a few hours.

Step 6: Punch holes in the paper you’ve written the jokes on to match the holes in the cover.

Step 7: Take your covers after they have dried and put the joke papers between the covers. Take your ribbon and thread it through the holes of the covers and the matching holes in the paper. Tie the ribbon into a knot or a bow. You can always add more pages later.

Davy Crockett

Potato Day

In the U.S. we most often eat potatoes baked or fried. However, almost every culture has its own way of preparing potatoes – introduce your family to potatoes as you know them. Potatoes are also useful for many craft projects. Cut one in half and carve a simple design into the cut end, then dip it in paint and use it for printing. Cut an end off a sweet potato and let it sit in shallow water for several days. It will start to grow into a beautiful vine.

Before the days of television and computers, families would gather around the radio for entertainment. In many areas of the country there are still children’s radio programs. Check your local listings – these might be fun to listen to in the car, during meals or just for a little quiet time on a hot day. Children’s recordings can be used the same way. If your host family doesn’t have any, check the local library. Children love to listen to stories or music.

In the U.S. when a child loses a tooth the Tooth Fairy comes during the night to take the tooth and leave a surprise. The surprise varies by family. What is the tradition in your country when a child loses a tooth? There are some fun books about loose teeth. Sometimes loose teeth are exciting and sometimes children can become upset. Look for these books to help them with the experience: Little Rabbit’s Loose Tooth by Lucy Bate, Andrew's Loose Tooth by Robert N. Munsch, The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist by Stan Berenstain.

Use canceled postage stamps to create an easy craft project, perfect for gift giving.

What You Need:

• Small wooden or cardboard box with lid
• Canceled postage stamps
• Glue
• Paint brushes (older ones for spreading glue)
• Liquid Tempera or acrylic paint
• Paint brushes for paint
• Mixture of 60% water, 40% glue

What You Do:

1. Glue overlapping canceled stamps all over the lid of the box.
2. Brush the glue on with a paintbrush and make sure to brush some glue lightly over the stamps once they are glued down. This will prevent any stamps from peeling away from the box.
3. Paint the remaining area of the wooden box or if you wish, glue more stamps on the box.
4. When the glue and paint are dry, cover the box with a glue/water mixture.

For children ages 4 and older.

Mix together 1/2 cup of plaster and 1/4 cup water in a clean plastic container (or follow package directions). Cover a seashell with petroleum jelly (Vaseline). When the plaster begins to set (thicken and harden slightly), press the shell into the plaster. Let it dry overnight and then remove the shell (it should slide out easily). Use the plaster mold to make clay fossils. You can also use plaster to preserve a child's hand or footprint. The plaster washes off skin easily with warm water, but make sure you run lots of water down the drain! Handprints make wonderful gifts for parents and grandparents.

Not everyone remembers their dreams, but if the children are old enough to tell you about their dreams, it might be fun to create a dream log with words and/or pictures. Children who have scary dreams may be helped by reading There’s a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer, Jessica and the Wolf by Ted Lobby, Bebe's Bad Dream by G. Brian Karas, or The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Dream by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

National Toasted Marshmallow Day

Toasting marshmallows at the end of a long green stick over a campfire is a summertime treat. This may not be possible at home, but you can still make ‘smores, a messy, gooey, sweet summertime delight.