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Dates to Remember: August

July 30, 2015 by Meredith

Most people—especially students—would agree that learning should be fun and memorable. The question is how to meet that goal? One way is to include different events in your everyday life. With this idea in mind, I’ll be putting together a list of events to watch for each month. Here are some activity ideas for the month of August. Enjoy!

wood engraving of Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key/Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

August 1

Celebrate the birthday of Francis Scott Key (1779–1843) by singing our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” He wrote the lyrics after seeing the American flag proudly wave as “the bombs [were] bursting in air” during an important battle in the War of 1812. Did you know that there are four stanzas to the song? Read all the lyrics online and then have everyone in the family pick a part to sing. If you need a soprano, let me know.

Christopher Columbus arrives in America
Christopher Columbus arrives in America by L. Prang & Co., Boston/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

August 3

“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” This little rhyme helps me every time to remember the year that Columbus came here. This day marks when Columbus left Spain on his first voyage to the New World. He and his crew would arrive in the Caribbean several months later. Columbus’s discovery changed the course of history despite the fact that he never made it to the North American continent. Don’t Celebrate Columbus Day? offers discussion points for how Christians should identify this explorer.

JourneyForth youth titles on a bookshelf

August 9

It’s officially National Book Lover’s Day. Taking a trip to the library or acting out a story are just two ideas mentioned in Summer Fun Meets Summer Reading. But if it’s a rainy day, spending time reading aloud together would be my vote.

"Composite Photograph of all visible Perseid meteor activity on August 12th 2013 from 2:28 - 3:32am, as seen from Bracebridge Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. Image contains grain as a result of the high ISO and long exposure required for this type of photography.
© iStockphoto.com/SHSPhotography

August 12–13

Watch the peak of the Perseids Meteor Shower from your backyard, an open field, or a campsite. The meteor shower will last all night long and is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. Putting away electronic devices, dressing appropriately for any cool breezes, and looking at the sky for thirty minutes with the naked eye are all tips mentioned in this list of Meteor Showers 2015 from NASA.

August 13

Raise your left hand for International Lefthander’s Day! If you’re left-handed like I am, we can celebrate the fact that we’re always in our right minds. But sometimes our sanity doesn’t help when it comes to completing daily tasks in a dominantly right-handed world. We lefties often have our own “angle” for doing things as the article Tips for Teaching a Left-handed Child points out. Get out some paper and pen to see what each left hand can do; it’ll be fun, ink smears and all.

poetry in letterpress type
© iStockphoto.com/marekuliasz

August 18

If you aren’t very poetic, don’t worry because this day is National Bad Poetry Day. Maybe your family would enjoy a bad poetry competition. Share a haiku, sonnet, “Roses are red / Violets are blue” rhyme, or autobiographical poem on the BJU Press Homeschool Facebook page.

Street in Pompeii overlooking the Vesuvius. Pompeii is an ancient Roman city died from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
© iStockphoto.com/scaliger

August 24

Get ready for an explosion of volcanic proportions! On this day in AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying Pompeii, Italy.  The city remained covered up for centuries until it was discovered and archaeologists unearthed it. Make Your Own Volcano to demonstrate the force behind a natural eruption.

National Park Service
© iStockphoto.com/RiverNorthPhotography

August 25

Visit the great outdoors for the birthday of the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS is ninety-nine years old! You’ll want to start planning the trip now since this day is a free entrance day for many national parks. Get tips on preparing for an enjoyable family hike and download a hiking trail journal from Hiking—A Learning Experience.

Subscribe to the blog to receive my upcoming event post about events in September.

Filed Under: Successful Learning Tagged With: activities, August, English, family, history, homeschool, language arts, science

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About Meredith

Meredith, a marketing team member at BJU Press for five years, is passionate about Christian homeschooling. Having used BJU Press materials as a homeschool student herself, she knows firsthand that excellent curriculum can spark a child’s love for learning. Meredith also enjoys exploring historical sites, volunteering for her church’s children’s ministry, and building discipleship relationships with younger women. Read more posts by Meredith. Read more posts by Meredith.

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