 1916 Eve Merriam, children's poet, was born.
Book (1) has this to say about it in "Provocative poetry-Read aloud selections from Eve Merriam's It Doesn't Always Have to Rhyme, Blackberry Ink, and The Inner City Mother Goose. Have the children select their favorite poems and pick up Merriam's beat either by drawing pictures to go with the poems or by writing poems to reflect their own neighborhood experiences."
who ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1972, was born.
Book (1) has the following to say about it in "Forgotten politicians?-To mark George McGovern's birthday, have your (children) compile a list of unsuccessful presidential and vice presidential candidates from the second half of the 20th century. Ask each child to research the postelection career of one of these candidates,, then write a one-paragraph summary on an index card. Post the cards on a (poster board or wall) titled"American Politicians: Where Are They Now?""
trade and shipping on the high seas.
in the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
after Rowing Across the Atlantic.
chosen for a major-party ticket.
crew member on a space shuttle.
July 19 is also National Ice Cream Day (third Sunday in July) therefore Book (1) says in "Ice cream poll-To celebrate National Ice Cream Day, have each of your (children) ask at least 10 people the following question: "Does ice cream taste best served in a cone or in a dish?" Encourage (them) to create a pictograph to display the results. As a culminating activity, bring in ice cream, cones, and dishes--and invite your (children) to serve themselves."
of Mt. Everest, was born.
July 20, 1947 Carlos Santana, Mexican rock musician, was born.
July 20, 1810 Columbia declared its independence from Spain.
for the first time, to see Brooklyn play New York.
Book (1) has an activity for this in "Batting for dollars-Ask your (children) to find out the cost of the cheapest ticket for a major-league baseball game at the park nearest their hometown. Then ask them to calculate the percentage increase in admission price since 1859."
Fort Buford in the Dakota Territory.
for an Unprecedented Fourth Term at the Democratic convention.
July 20, 1964 NASA tested the First Successful Rocket engine.
Aldrin became the First Men to Set Foot on the Moon.
Book (1) writes in "Moon memories-Have your (children) ask their parents or grandparents to recall where they were and what they were doing when astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. Your (children) will themselves remember other historic happenings--including, perhaps, the smashing of the Berlin Wall, the liberation of Kuwait, and the Challenger accident. Have the children each make a chart that consists of historic events they recall and where they were, who they were with, and what they were doing the day each event occurred."
July 20, 1976 The U.S. space probe Viking 1 landed on Mars.
Book (1) says in "Searching for signs of life-After landing on Mars, Viking 1 sent back television pictures of the planet's surface. It also conducted experiments, one of which involved searching for life. The lander scooped up a soil sample, then added certain chemicals to trigger an organic reaction. None was observed. Perhaps Viking 1 wasn't able to recognize what Martian life looks like. or maybe the site was, indeed, devoid of life. Have your (children) discuss what it means to show signs of life. Make a list of places a spacecraft could land on Earth and what signs of life would be found there. Next, make a list of places on Earth that wouldn't show any signs of life--for example, inside a volcano. Take your (children) on an indoor field trip at (home) to search for signs of life. Be sure to include bacteria as a type of life."
in Gold, Silver, and Copper Treasure.
Elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
July 20 is also considered Moon Day.
July 21, 1899 Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, was born.
July 21, 1920 Isaac Stern, Russian violinist, was born.
July 21, 1952 Robin Williams, American comedian and actor, was born.
Book (1) says in "Stand-up comedy-Have your (children) seen Robin Williams on TV or in movies? To celebrate his birthday, ask the kids to choose a favorite comedian. Why do they like him or her? Are there any potential comedians in your (family)?  Nonperformers might like to join forces with the (family comics) and help write the skits."
death of the Marquis de Lafayette.
Thomas J. Jackson gained the nickname "Stonewall."
Book (1) writes in "Stonewall and other nicknames-Tell your (children) that Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson earned the nickname "Stonewall" during the first Battle of Bull Run. Despite overwhelming odds, his brigade stood firm--"like a stone wall"--against attacks from Northern troops. Ask your (children) to name other prominent Americans and the actions that have earned them recognition--for example, Alexander Graham Bell, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sally Ride, Carl Lewis. What nicknames might your students give these people?"
First Train Robbery, near Council Bluffs, Iowa.
state law. He was fined $100.
July 21, 1930 The U.S. Veterans Administration was established.
the First Nuclear-powered Merchant Ship.
Second American in Space. His flight lasted 16 minutes.
Book (1) says in "Flying in space-To mark the anniversary of Virgil "Gus" Grissom's space flight, turn off the lights in your (home) for 16 minutes. During that time--the length of Grissom's flight--ask your (children) to imagine what they might see or do or think about if they were flying in space. When the lights come back on, have the kids quickly write all their thoughts on scrap paper. Finally, have them use their ideas to write poems about space flight. (Make articles in your family newspapers also.)"
manned by Michael Collins.
July 21 is also National Independence Day in Belgium.
discovered the principles of heredity, was born.
after whom the spoonerism was named, was born.
Book (1) explains in "Sunny flips of the tongue-Have your (children) look up "Spoonerism" in the dictionary. Next, (...challenge competition with your children by taking turns reading aloud a favorite poem. Afterward,...write down your poems, intentionally transpose the initial sounds of some words, Then...read the spoonerism-filled results.)"
the Statue of Liberty, was born.
who wrote The Velveteen Rabbit, was born.
considered the originator of the mobile, was born.
Book (1) has the following to say in "Nature mobiles-Share some photographs of Alexander Calder's mobiles with your (children). Then encourage the children to make nature mobiles, " using leaves, twigs, tree bark, and other natural objects. First, take the students for an outdoor walk to gather their objects. Next, ask them to tie or glue their objects pieces of string cut to varied lengths, then tie the strings to coat hangers. Suspend the mobiles from the (home") ceiling."
July 22, 1898 Steven Vincent Benet, American poet, was born.
site of the first attempted English colony in America.
trace of the colony was the word Croaton carved on a tree.
Connecticut Land Co., founded Cleveland, Ohio.
Book (1) writes "Place names-Tell your (children) that in 1831, the spelling of Cleaveland was changed to Cleveland to better fit into a newspaper headline. What cities, buildings, businesses, schools, or streets in your (children's) area are named after people? Make a class list, and note any changed spellings."
the legal limit of 6 mph.
took 7 days, 18 hours, and 45 minutes.
Confederate forces during the Civil War.
July 23, 1926 Patricia Coombs, children's author, was born.
July 23, 1929 Robert Quackenbush, children's author, was born.
July 23, 1827 America's First Swimming School opened in Boston.
typographer,a Forerunner of the Typewriter.
July 23, 1903 Ford Motor Co. sold its first car.
Book (1) writes in "Classroom assembly line-Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor co., believed that the average person should be able to own a car. To make this possible, he developed one of the first assembly-line production systems. The assembly line allowed Ford to produce a greater number of cars at a lower price. The process proved so successful that other manufacturers began using it. Have your (children) conduct an experiment to test the effectiveness of an assembly line. Bring in a couple loaves of bread, several jars of Peanut butter and jelly, paper plates, and (a number of) knives. (Use the whole family to form an assembly line.) Tell the (family) that their goal is to make 12 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as quickly as possible. (Divide up the work and put the jobs to work. Test yourselves with a timer. Than each of you make so many of the same sandwiches do some alone. Does it make it any faster?)"
peerage, making them the First Women members of the House of Lords.
Woman to Swim 100 Meters in Under