☀ We have been in the middle of a heat wave, with temperatures outside soaring into the 90s. Take advantage of the sun shining down to create some Sun Prints today. Sun prints are what happens when you leave an object on a colored piece of paper so that the sun fades the paper but there is a darker space left where the object shields the paper from the sun’s rays. To make this fun Read more
Suggested Family Activity • Family ♥ and Friendship 👨👩👧👦 As we begin the month of August, there are several important National Day celebrations that illustrate the importantance of families and friends – Respect for Parents Day, American Family Day, National Friendship Day and National Sisters Day. Wow, that’s a mouthful! And a lot of celebrations packed into just one day! National Respect for Parents Day highlights how important it is to show your respect for Read more
Suggested Family Activity • Tie 🍥 Dye Tie-dye patterns have been a popular Do-It-Yourself option for upgrading plain T- shirts for decades. Today, the method remains a stylish and affordable way to express your creativity with splashes of color. This weekend, why not get the whole family involved in tie-dying fun and colorful items to wear? The activity does not require many supplies – a piece of clothing and some tie dye solution are the Read more
Every two years we get to marvel at them—no, not the superhuman feats of strength and skill from the greatest athletes in the world, but the weird and wonderful names of the many, varied Olympic sports. Here’s a look at some winning Olympic words and their origins. 1. POLO At today’s Olympics, polo is a water sport; its original form, played on horseback, left the program after the 1936 games. The British army brought the sport, and Read more
Suggested Family Activity • It’s National Chocolate 🍫🥛 Milk Day Today is National Milk Chocolate Day, a day to celebrate all things good and chocolatey. You might enjoy this classic sweet in a variety of ways, such as making smores, baking chocolate chip cookies 🍪 or having a plain chocolate bar 🍫. You can also heat chocolate pieces to drizzle on plain cookies, cakes, or even popcorn. Or you can add it to milk to Read more
Suggested Family Activity • Summer 🍅🥒🍉 Gardens Many summer gardens are producing lots of great fruits and vegetables right now so take advantage of the variety of local produce available to get some fresh and healthy food for your family. Selections can be picked up from several places – your favorite grocery store, Farmer’s Markets located in many communities, or just roadside stands run by people who want to share their extra produce. This would Read more
Suggested Family Activity • Disc ⛳ Golf If you are looking for a fun activity to do outside, disc golf is gaining in popularity everywhere. And one of the best things about it is all you need to start the fun is a disc (a special disc golf one or just a frisbee) and a course to play on. Some city parks departments have started incorporating disc golf courses within their parks and along walking Read more
Suggested Family Activity • Picnic 🧺 Before the summer ends, make sure you go on a picnic one day. You can pack a traditional picnic in a wicker basket or just grab some snacks and sandwiches and head outside with a blanket to enjoy your food. Take time to sit and really enjoy nature, whether you stay at home in your backyard or go to a nearby park. Make sure to spend at least part Read more
Suggested Family Activity • Shark 🦈 Shapes For a combination craft project and learning activity, try out this fun idea: On a piece of paper or cardboard, draw a picture of a shark’s head with its mouth spread wide open (or find an image online to print out). Cut out the mouth area from the center of the picture. Don’t forget to draw some shark teeth around the whole mouth! Use tape, such as painter’s Read more
Suggested Family Activity • Painting 🐟 Fish The website education.com has a really great idea for how you and your family can paint fish with your fingerprints. Check out a sample picture and instructions here. Did you check out a NERL Story Walk at a walking trail near you this summer? Unfortunately, we have had to take some of our Story Walks down because of damage and theft but you still have another week to Read more
