Mama’s at a Glance- August

But researching and planning can take time. Time often taken up with dishes, laundry, and carpooling. Don’t let these fun activities and events pass you by. Take a half hour to sit down with your calendar and plan what will work with your schedule. Try doing this a week before the month so you can gather books and other supplies you might need. You don’t have to do it all, but pick things that you think your family will enjoy.
Have fun!!
For your convenience we have provided a link to a printable calendar for August www.freeprintablecalendar.net/august/2009/printcalendar.aspx
Print it out and fill it out with these activities

August 2nd-8th

August 3rd Watermelon Day

Haven’t you always wanted to have a watermelon seed spitting contest? Well now is your chance. Draw a starting line, have everybody line up and go to town!

Craft: Shell Crafts

• Create an animal magnet. Glue shells together to form a turtle, a snail, or a butterfly. Add googly eyes and a magnet on the back.

• Make wind chimes by tying strings around eight to ten small, lightweight shells. Tie opposite ends to a stick, spacing shells one to two inches apart.

• Turn a scallop shell into a stamp. Apply fabric paint to the textured side and carefully press onto paper, a t-shirt or headband.

• Get blingy. Wrap wire around a shell, making a loop at the top. Thread ribbon or leather cord through to make a necklace.

August 9th-15th

Fieldtrip: Alpine Slide

The Alpine slide is a family favorite. Get out of the heat and head up to Park City (www.parkcitymountain.com) or Snowbird (www.snowbird.com)for an amazing ride. A contest is always in order to see who can get down the fastest. Grab some lunch or dinner to make it a big event.

Game of the Month: Hopscotch and Four Square
Hopscotch. The player tosses a stone or some flat object into the first square, hops into that square and picks it up or kicks it out, and then hops back out. The stone must not land on any lines, and the player must not touch any lines with his hand or foot. The goal is to do the same thing in each square from 1 to 10. If the player throws his stone outside of the square he is aiming for or touches a line with his hand or foot, he must begin again or let someone else take a turn.

Four-square. Four players usually play at a time. The player in square A usually bounces the ball to the player in another square. This player must control the ball and bounce it to a player in a different square. A player misses and goes to square D if he steps on a line, bounces the ball on a line, or cannot control the ball. The goal is to move up to square A. More than four players may play by having another person waiting outside each square. When the person in the square bounces the ball to another square, he must then jump out of his square and the waiting person then jumps in before the ball is bounced back to that square again.

Service Project: School Supplies
There are so many kids that go back to school with out any school supplies. Teachers also spend a good deal of their own money on supplies. You could use your money from the lemonade stand to buy school supplies or have the kids pick out a couple extra things at the store.

August 16th-22nd

Read Back to School Books

These books will help your child prepare for school and know what to expect. Miss Bindergarten gets ready for Kindergarten, by Joseph Slate; When Kangaroo Goes to School, by Sonia Levitin; Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School, by Herman Parish; First Day Jitters, by Julie Danneberg; There’s a Zoo in Room 22, by Judy Sierra; and Mrs. Nelson is Missing, by Harry Allard and James Marshall

Back to School Ideas

These are a couple ideas to make back to school more fun.
Bring out the fine china and have a back to school dinner. Let the kids know how special they are and lift them up.

It’s a great time of year to evaluate your goals and set new ones for the school year. Have each child decide what they would like to work on. Establish a family theme and post it so your family will see it daily.

The night before the 1st day of school the Backpack Fairy comes and fills the kid’s backpacks with school supplies, a new shirt, and of course some books.

Journaling

Your summer was probably jam packed full of memories. Sit down as a family and jot down your favorite activities, games, crafts, camp, vacations, and things that were said. Include pictures, postcards, and any other memorabilia. You will love looking back on what you did each summer.

August 23rd-29th

Family Cooking: Puppy Chow

Make this delicious treat to take with you to the drive-in.

½ c. butter

1 ½ c. peanut butter

1 pkg. (12 oz.) semi sweet chocolate chips

1 large box chex cereal (family size)

1 lb. powdered sugar

Melt butter, peanut butter, and choc. Chips.
Stir in cereal. Place powdered sugar in a brown grocery bag. Add coated cereal and shake well.

Family Fun Night: Drive-In Movie

This is one of the most fun activities you can do during the summer months. Load up the lawn chairs, blankets, and treats and have a great time! Here’s a link of all the drive in Movie Theatres in Utah www.driveinmovie.com/UT.htm

Utah Mama’s provides personal, professional and parenting resources designed to foster a greater sense of identity, empowerment and connection for women and mothers everywhere. The Handbook covers what, where and how to be the best Mama in town by collecting all the top Mama secrets. From community services and school information, to places to do and things to see-it’s a book packed with information that is compiled into 25+ in-depth chapters.