July National Anti-Boredom Month National Ice Cream Month National Baked Bean Month National Hot Dog Month National Blueberry Month National Recreation and Parks Month National Tennis Month Read an *Almanac* Month Typewriter invented (1829)(exact date in July is unknown) 1 - Guy Smiley's b-day (S.Street) 1- U.S. First Zoo (1874) 1 - U.S. Stamp Anniversary (1847) 1 - Canada Day 2 - Half way point in the year 3 - First Bank in the U.S. 1791) 3 - Idaho becomes a state (1890) 4 - Independence Day * Star Cookie Cutters: Gather a few star-shaped cookie cutters and shallow bowls of red and blue tempera paint. Allow each child to have a turn pressing the cookie cutters into the paint, then onto a piece of construction paper to make star shaped prints. * Penny Count: Gather five small boxes or berry baskets and a handful of pennies. Tape or staple a piece of paper on the front of each with a number from one to five written on or use nuber of dots. Allow the children to work in groups or seperatly to count out corresponding number of pennies. * Patriotic Bead Patterning: Gather several packages of red, white, and blue beads and white pipe cleaners. Make a few example patterns with the beads on the pipe cleaners. Set the remaining beads and pipe cleaners on a table and allow the children to copy any of the patterns on their own pipe cleaners. * Traditional Songs: Star Spangled Banner Yankee Doodle America the Beautiful * Movement: March to "The Marine Corps Hymn" * Art: Give each child a white piece of construction paper and a straw. Explain that you will be dropping a few drops of tempera paint(diluted red and blue) on their papers. Once the paint is on the paper, they are to blow the paint around with the straw to look like fireworks. * Stars and Stripes Sandwich Bag Stars: Gather several star shapes from red, white or blue construction paper. Also gather ribbons, glitter,sequins, aluminum foil or stickers in the same colors,along with one plastic sandwich bag for each child in the class. Allow the children to place items in the bags sparingly and evenly.(the bag should be flat on a table) Place the bag between two pieces of foil with a towel between the foil and the table and iron with a warm iron. Peel away the foil, and when the bags are cool,allow children to trim to star shapes. * Steal the Star: Played just like Doggy Doggy Where's Your Bone. * Soldier Ring Toss: Gather several clean one-quart bleach bottles. Decorate the bottles to look like soldiers using permanent markers. Gather several rings(about 10") or make by cutting 1" wide rings from half gallon or gallon bottles of bleach. Set up the soldiers and allow the children to take turns tossing three rings over the soldiers. * Graham Cracker Flags: Gather a few packages of graham crackers, whit frosting, ice cream sticks, small paper cups, and red white and blue food coloring. Give each child 3 paper cups with a tablespoon of frosting inside each cup. Drop food coloring in each cup 1 red 1 blue 1 white. Give each child a ice cream stick and instruct them to mix the food coloring into each cup. Then allow to design flag using the frosting on the cracker. * Cookie Cutter Stars: Of course don't forget the ever popular jello stars cutting them out with cookie cutters. We use red for the stars and add blueberries and vanilla flavored yogurt. *Firecrackers: Decorate toilet paper rolls with construction paper, stars, and crepe paper streamers. *Making Models: Sculpting from clay statues such as the Statue of Liberty *Pledge of Allegiance: *Uncle Sam Hats: Cut top hat shape out of white, glue two red strips to the front, put small blue band of construction paper where a hat band would be, and decorate hat band with white stars. Attach hat to sentance strip and staple shut. *Hats off to the USA: Have the letters u s and a cut out of red white and blue paper. Have children take turns tossing their hats saying "hats off to the USA" and trying to land on the letters. *Red, white, and blue snack: Blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream over short cakes or pound cake. * Child's American Flag 1 piece each of red, white and blue construction paper gold star stickers glue and brushes, or glue stick Sample flag, or a picture of an American Flag Show the sample flag so the children know what to expect. Have child tear or cut the red paper into strips and glue onto white paper. Then have child cut or tear the blue piece and place onto top corner. Then have the child place the stickers onto the blue piece. *Party Hats Make each child a newspaper party hat. Provide paper feathers, real feathers, and other collage items to glue on hats. Have a Forth of July parade. * Pinata- we bought a 4th of july pinata and filled it with blue red and white candies and the kids just loved it! * ice cream cone cakes- mix up a blue cake mix and poured it in ice cream cones with the flat bottom.. place cones in a muffin pan to hold them up and cook as normal... ice with white icing and sprinkle with red white and blue sprinkles. ' * Fire cracker popcicles: In small bathroom cups, pour in red fruit punch to fill cup to 1/3. freeze. pour lemonade to fill 1/3. freeze. pour the blue gatorade to fill last part and partly freeze, before totally frozen- insert a piece of licorice ( red) this will be the wick of the firecracker! Dip cups in warm water to release it from the cup. Keep cups- kids can keep it in there when eating it. Keeps them clean! * Neat kiddie gift bags- we buy small kid tumbler glasses ( plastic) and I fill with goodies like Bubbles, pencils, crayons, erasers, stickers, rings, bracelets and candy. Take cellophane and wrap cup and then tie a ribbon around the gather of cellophane. *Ind. Day Bells: Give each child a paper cup and sheet of tinfoil and have them "wrap" the cup creating a silver bell.Help children poke popsicle sticks through top of "bell", securing popsicle stick with tape. Let each child thread a short piece of string/yarn through a bead or washer and tie to inside portion of popsicle stick.Have children decorate bells as desired. *4TH OF JULY ICE CREAM COOKIE SANDWICHES Ingredients: 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream sugar cookie dough (use your favorite recipe) red and blue food coloring red, white and blue sprinkles Materials: 2 med. bowls mixing spoons and teaspoons baking sheet small bowl plastic wrap Divide your sugar cookie dough in half and place in your 2 med. bowls. Add a few drops or red food coloring to one bowl and a few drops of blue food coloring to another bowl. Stir untill each is well blended. Add more food coloring until you like the color of your dough. Spoon dough onto your cookie sheet by rounded teaspoonfuls and bake according to your recipe directions. When cookies have cooled completely, take one red cookie and spoon on a thick layer of softened vanilla ice cream. Top with one blue cookie. Pour red, white and blue sprinkles into bowl roll the ice cream edges of your cookie sandwiches in the sprinkles. Wrap the cookies in plastic wrap and freeze until iice cream is firm again. makes approximately 20 ice cream cookie sandwiches *AT THE FIREWORK SHOW Sung to "London Bridge" All together here we go here we go,here we go, All together here we go, to the fireworks show. I like fireworks, don't you know, don't you know,don't you know, I like fireworks don't you know, at the fireworks show. They make such a pretty sight, pretty sight,pretty sight, they make such a pretty sight. WOW! The fireworks show. *ON INDEP. DAY Sung to "Mary had a little Lamb Fireworks go snap,snap,snap! Crack,crack,crack!Zap,zap,zap! Fireworks make me clap,clap,clap On Independence Day! 10 - Wyoming becomes a state (1890) 11 - Cheer Up The Lonely Day 14 - Bastille Day 20- Apollo Moon Landing 20- Moon Day 20-National Ice Cream Day 21 - First man on the moon 22- Pied Piper Day 23 - National Day (Egypt) 26 - Berts b-day 26 - New York becomes a state (1788) 30 - Comedy Day General: *Musical Fruit Melodies (8 Serv.) Ingredients 2 Cups chunked pineapple 1 firm,large Banana,peeled and sliced 1 cup seedless grapes , 1 Orange,peeled and sliced 1 red apple,cored and sliced 1 cup pitted prunes 1 cup pitted dates Dipping sauce: 1 carton (8 ounces) lowfat vanilla yogurt 1 cup chopped strawberries Utensils : Large Platter ,small mixing bowl,mixing spoon,knife! Method: Arrange all fruit on platter, Combine yogurt with strawberries in small bowl.Put bowl in center of plate! Per serving: 215 cal.,3g protein,1g fat(.3g sat.),49 g carbohydrate,23mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol