August is the eighth month. This month is named after the Roman emperor, Augustus. This is the month for tomatoes, watermelon, peaches, and corn on the cob. Bright yellow sunflowers bloom along the roadsides. It’s a great time to visit the cooler canyons and swimming pools with the family. Be on the look out for bird feathers because this is the time of year that birds molt.
U.S. Airforce is established 1907. Make paper airplanes and fly away. Think of contests to do such as the longest flight, the best stunt, the most creative design and the best overall design for flight.
1 First U.S. Census taken in 1790. Take a census of the family. See whether there are additions to the family in the next 10 years.
Colorado became the 38th state in 1876
Francis Scott Key was born in 1779. Have family members learn The Star Spangled Banner.
2 Friendship Day: Make a new friend or do something nice for the ones you have.
First Lincoln penny issued in 1909. Gather all of the pennies you have in the house and see what dates are on each of them. Make a chart and put the year and how many pennies you have in each year. Go on a penny walk or ride. Heads at the flip is take a right and tails at the flip is take a left. See where you end up.
First mailboxes were set up in Boston in 1858. Take a good look at your mailbox, does it need any repairs, replacement, face lift or decorating done to it. Work as a family to make it look just a little better. Maybe you could plant some flowers around the base of it to make it a little more attractive.
Sister’s Day: Do something special for your sister/sisters.
Columbus set sail for America in 1492. How long did it take for him to get to the American continent?
National mustard day. Eat mustard on hot dogs or sandwiches or in other food today.
Jesse Reno, the inventor of the escalator, was born in 1861. Be sure to go to the mall or a department store where there is an escalator to ride on.
5 Alexander Flemming was born in 1881. He discovered Penicillin which has saved many lives from diseases. Take a look at your immunization charts. Are they up to date. If not, make appointments to get those immunizations for each family member.
8 First electric fridge was patented in 1899. Just think what a wonderful invention the fridge is! Think of what you would do if you didn’t have a refrigerator. How would you keep your food from spoiling or what modifications would you have do to in your cooking? Make a breakfast, lunch and dinner only using items from the refrigerator.
9 Family Day: Plan a family outing.
First Steam locomotive ran on tracks in 1831. See if you can go on a train ride.
10 Smithsonian Institute founded in 1846. Visit a museum.
Missouri became the 24th state in 1821
Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, was born in 1874.
11 Playground Pentathlon: Pick out 5 (pent= 5) playgrounds in and around your area that you and your family spend the whole day enjoying together. Figure our obstacle courses and feats to perform at these playgrounds. Remember what you liked the most at each place and report your findings.
12 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. If a grandparent has one, show it to your children, if not, then show a picture of one. What do we use now in place of the phonograph ?
13 William Gray patents the pay phone. Drive to a pay phone and teach your children how to use one.
15 Watermelon Day: Hold a seed spitting contest when you eat the watermelon. See who can spit the highest, the farthest, the straightest and most comical.
16 Ice cream Creation Day: Place all kinds of ice creams, toppings, and what-nots to have each member of the family create a delicious and creative ice cream dish. Take pictures of it along with the creator and then of course eat them.
17 Davy Crockett born in 1786. See if you can find a movie to watch about Davy Crockett.
18 Merriwether Lewis was born in 1774. Take your family and explore some place in the canyons or desert that you have never been before. Make a map of how you get there and of the area that you are exploring. What animals and plant life do you see. Draw pictures or take snapshots of where you are.
19 Orville Wright born 1871. This could be a day that you could go watch airplanes at the airport.
Philo T. Farnsworth was born this day in 1906. He was the inventor of the television. As a family, sit down and decide some of the good programs you will watch on T.V.
20 Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, was born in 1833.
21 SMILE WEEK: All week long be sure to use that gorgeous smile of yours. See how many people smile back at you
as you go about your day.
Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959.
22 William Sheppard patents liquid soap in 1865.
Claude Debussy, a musician, was born in 1862. Listen to some of his music.
24 Cornelius Sworthout patents the waffle iron in 1865. Make waffles for dinner or breakfast.
26 Hot Day Activities:
Play Dodge Ball in ankle-deep water.
Play tug-of-war over a pool of water or even a mud puddle. Then squirt the dirt off of each other after.
Put your feet and hands in a bucket of water then make feet and hand prints on the sidewalk or driveway.
Count how fast the prints evaporate. Whose stayed the longest?
Set up the lawn chairs in a circle underneath a water sprinkler. Play water musical chairs.
Spray bottle balloon blast: Each family member is supplied with a spray bottle of water and an inflated balloon.
Each person sees how long they can keep their balloon in the air by blasting it with water from their spray bottle.
Milk Jug Balloon Volley: Cut plastic milk jugs in half. Fill balloons with water. Toss water balloons back and
Forth catching them in the milk jugs. Of course some will break but that’s the cool splash of it!
27 Lyndon B. Johnson was born in 1908. He became the 36th President of the U.S.
28 Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, a famous artist, was born in 1749
Other Activities:
Food for the month of August is corn on the cob and peaches. Be sure to serve this delicious vegetable and fruit during the month.
Meteor showers often occur during this month. Check your local planetarium for dates and times. A good time for the Persied meteor showers are between the 9th-13th. Put a blanket down in your yard at night and see how many you can see.
