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BlogLearning Through the Days of the Year
By: Diane Flynn Keith and Fran Wisniewski
There are historic and important events to commemorate nearly every day of the year. You can use some of these dates to boost your young child's knowledge of the world in a fun and playful way. We have compiled information, books, DVDs, and other resources to help you do just that in this on-going, free resource that will be updated monthly.
Note: If your preschool-age child has older siblings at home, you may be interested in our comprehensive DVD Schooling Calendar with learning suggestions for every day of the year.
June Learning Calendar
1 — National Doughnut Day -- The history of this little known holiday dates back to WWI. Salvation Army volunteers cooked home-made foods for soldiers on the front lines as a way to boost troop moral. Doughnuts were fried in oil inside the metal helmets of infantrymen. As a result, the American soldiers were commonly called doughboys.
Gimme One of THOSE!
In celebration of National Doughnut Day, some Krispy Kreme stores offer a FREE DONUT to customers. To locate a participating store near you visit the Krispy Kreme website. By the way, you can actually see the doughnut-making process at many of the Krispy Kreme stores. So, whether or not the store near you offers a free donut, take the kids to Krispy Kreme to see how donuts are made on National Doughnut Day!
If you can't get to a Krispy Kreme store, watch a video of how their donuts are made.
You'll also find some online games and puzzles, as well as coloring pages for kids at the Krispy Kreme website.
Your little ones may enjoy reading...
- "Curious George: The Donut Delivery" by H.A. and Margret Rey
- "The Donut Chef" by Bob Staake
- "Arnie, the Doughnut" by Laurie Keller
- "Sling a Jammy Doughnut: A Plateful of Poems About Food" by Joan Poulson
June 1st is also Flip A Coin Day! This tradition dates back to Julius Caesar who would take a coin and flip it to make yes-or-no decisions. The "yes" answer was represented by the "heads" side of the coin, which bore Caesar's image. Teach the kids to flip coins!
2 — National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day! -- Who knew? Why not take this opportunity to teach the kids all about how to make ice cream with these fun resources:
Book:
Young children will enjoy the story, "From Cow to Ice Cream" by Bertram T. Knight
Website:
Take a free Virtual Field Trip to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory!
DVDs:
"Hippy Gourmet - on Maui, Hawaii making Lavender Ice Cream!" is a fun documentary that takes viewers on an video field trip to Maui, Hawaii at Roselani Ice Cream! The view from Upcountry Maui is breathtaking! Or try this entertaining DVD, "Strawberry Shortcake - Adventures on Ice Cream Island"
Make Rocky Road Ice Cream! Use these instructions to help your children make ice cream using baggies, newspaper, and a t-shirt! Then, create your own version of Rocky Road by topping the ice cream with chocolate syrup, mini marshmallows, and almonds.
3 — Repeat Day -- This holiday has lots of potential for fun. Just do something and repeat it. Read a book - twice! Brush your teeth 2 times! Hug your child once, then hug her again. Repeat what other people say.
For musical fun, try singing "echo" songs. You sing a line from a song, then your child repeats it. For more ideas get "The Book of Echo Songs." Or try this book and CD, "One, Two, Three... Echo Me: Ready to Use Songs, Games, and Activities to Help Children Sing in Tune," by Loretta Mitchell.
4 — Hug Your Cat Day -- June is "Adopt a Cat Month". Visit the kitties at your local humane society. Some animal shelters have "socialization" programs, they will allow you to pet the animals to help them become comfortable with being touched and pet by humans.
Read the book "Have You Seen My Cat?" by Eric Carle.
Watch Milo and Otis on DVD and see the remarkable tale of a cat and dog who become best friends forever. (Note to Parents: There is a live animal birth scene in this movie, so please preview to determine suitability for your young children.)
Visit the "About Cats" website designed to help kids learn all about cats. You'll find info on different breeds, fun stories about cats, coloring pages and more.
6 — Yo-Yo Day! -- Celebrate the birthday of yo-yo manufacturer Donald F. Duncan. Make yo-yo shaped pancakes or bake a yo-yo shaped cake! Then, while you eat, you can watch yo-yo videos that demonstrate popular tricks like "Walk the Dog" or "Shoot the Moon." Little kids may not have the coordination and dexterity to work a yo-yo, but if they have an older sibling or a neighbor who can demonstrate a yo-yo for them, they might enjoy watching.
A Chinese Paper Yo-Yo may be easier for a young child to use. Use these instructions to make your own. You can purchase a dozen for $2.95 at Oriental Trading Company. They make great party favors!
8 — Celebrate Frank Lloyd Wright's Birthday! -- This famous American architect was born in 1867. Celebrate Wright's birthday with a Block Party! Build with blocks today. Have block-shaped sandwiches for lunch. Make your own blocks out of boxes and brown paper bags. Have fun!
9 — Happy Birthday, Donald Duck! -- Disney's Donald made his film debut in "The Wise Hen" on June 9, 1934. Celebrate with these fun resources:
Book:
Donald Duck Adventures Volume 3
DVD:
Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald
Website:
10 — Maurice Sendak's Birthday! -- Beloved children's author of "Where the Wild Things Are," was born in 1928. Watch the beautifully animated classic, "Where the Wild Things Are...and Other Maurice Sendak Stories" by Scholastic. Your preschoolers will love it!
12 — Red Rose Day! -- A rose is the "official flower" for the month of June. The color of a rose signifies different things:
- Red = Love
- White = Purity
- Pink = Appreciation
- Yellow = Friendship
Of course, roses come in many different colors. How many different colors and combinations of colors are there?
Go on a Rose Walk around your neighborhood. Count the roses you find. How many different colors can you name?
If you have roses in your garden, pick some and give them to friends. Or, buy some roses and set them in a vase for the family to enjoy.
Book:
Your child many enjoy this story: Rosie's Roses (Hardcover) by Pamela Duncan Edwards.
Websites:
Enjoy these recipes for Rose Petal Tea, Rose Petal Omelettes, Rose Petal Cookies, Rose Petal Linguine, Rose Petal Ice Cubes and more!
14 — Flag Day! -- This is the day in 1775 when the United States flag was adopted by the Continental Congress. Betsy Ross is credited with making the country's first flag.
Take a FREE virtual tour of Betsy Ross's home.
Children 4-8 may enjoy reading "Betsy Ross: Designer of Our Flag" by Ann Weil.
Make a Flag! Get directions for how to help your little one make a flag, along with ideas for how to celebrate the 4th of July.
15 — Father's Day & Eat Your Veggies Day! -- Celebrate both occasions with these fun ideas:
Take Dad to a u-pick farm and pick your own fresh fruits and veggies. Make a nice dinner salad for Dad tonight! Kids-A-Cookin' has a recipe for Strawberry-Spinach Salad that even very young children can help make for dad.
Check out the Dole 5-A-Day website for more fruit-and-veggie recipes, nutrition facts, games and activities just for kids.
Dad and the kids can enjoy reading, Veggie Soup by Dorothy Donohue.
18 — Go Fishing Day! -- June is National Kids Fishing Month. Kids can learn to fish. Check out some tips for teaching those who are long on excitement, and short on patience. Then use the "Places To Fish Locator" at this site to find some great fishing spots that provide opportunities for families to reconnect and experience the fun of fishing. Or go to an aquarium to see fish -- by using this directory of aquariums worldwide to find one near you. Here are some more fish resources to enjoy:
DVD:
The Great Barrier Reef (IMAX)
Book:
Fidgety Fish by Ruth Galloway
Music:
Learn to sing "Three Little Fishies"
Crafts & Coloring Pages:
19 — Baseball's Birthday! -- The first baseball game with set rules was played in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1846. Your little ones may not have the coordination yet to play baseball, but kids as young as 4 can learn to play Tee Ball. Here are some other fun ways to celebrate and learn too:
DVD:
Book:
H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet by Brad Herzog
Song:
Teach your kids to sing, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."21 — Summer Solstice -- Today is the longest day of the year and the first day of Summer! Here are some fun ideas to welcome the summer season:
DVD:
Dora The Explorer - Summer Explorer
Book:
It's Summer! by Glaser, Linda
Websites:
23 — Today is National Pink Day! -- Wear pink. Look for pink things everywhere. Show your child how to make the color pink by mixing red and white tempera paint or water color paint together. Or color a picture with a red crayon, and then color over it with a white crayon -- the color should look pink. Eat pink today! Use a dash of red food coloring to make pink oatmeal, pink applesauce, pink drinks, pink whipped cream, pink mashed potatoes, pink muffins, or cake with pink frosting. Go on a Pink Color Hunt around the neighborhood -- what can you find that is pink? Here are some fun pink resources too:
DVD:
The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection, Vol. 1: Pranks in the Pink
Book:
Priscilla and the Pink Planet by Nathaniel Hobbie
25 — Log Cabin Day! -- - This day was founded in 1986 by The Log Cabin Society that seeks to promote the preservation of log cabins, and raise awareness about pioneers and how they built homes from logs. Here are some fun ways to commemorate Log Cabin Day:
Book:
The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Patricia A. Pingry is a sturdy board book designed for preschoolers, and includes a clear picture of Lincoln's log cabin.
Websites:
- Make a Log Cabin! Get directions for how to make a log cabin out of craft sticks.
- Make an Edible Log Cabin! Use pretzels and peanut butter to fashion this fun treat!
27 — Paul Bunyan Day! -- This hero of American folklore was a giant lumberjack with a giant pet blue ox named, "Babe." Some of their amazing feats included:
- Starting the U.S. logging industry
- Creating the Great Lakes
- Training Carpenter Ants to do logging work.
- Creating Minnesota's 10,000 lakes.
Learn more about Paul Bunyan and Babe by enjoying the Reading Rainbow book by Steven Kellogg titled, "Paul Bunyan: 20th Anniversary Edition". Then watch the 1958 film on DVD, "American Legends."
Have Older Children?
- Check out Homefires DVD Schooling Calendar
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