July 2016

FOURTH OF JULY
by Cynthia MacGregor
For most kids, the
three major patriotic
holidays have lost
their true meaning. They are
beach days or days off from
school or other programmed
activities. But how many kids
really think about what the
holidays mean and stand
for? And how many kids are
likely to spend the day doing
anything other than their
usual activities—videogames,
texting, watching TV, and
hanging out on Snapchat,
Facebook, and other social
media?
Why not suggest to your
kids that they celebrate the
patriotic holidays with some
good old-fashioned fun?
Here are three activities that
honor the patriotism of the
occasions.
REDESIGNING
THE FLAG
Number of players: One or
more. Materials needed: Paper
and crayons or colored
markers
July Fourth is a patriotic
holiday. Many families who
own flags fly them on this
holiday. Have you ever
thought about the American
flag? The stripes represent
the 13 original states, and the
stars stand for the 50 states
we have now. If we ever add
more states, we’ll add more
stars to the flag.
But what if we changed the
flag completely? Suppose
you could redesign the
American flag completely?
Suppose you could change
the design, or even the
colors? How would you
want it to look? Draw a new
American flag.
INDEPENDENCE
DAY ANAGRAMS
Number of players: One or
more. Materials needed: Paper
and pen or pencil
The words in the four
sentences below have
had the letters scrambled.
Rearrange the letters in each
word until you have a familiar
word. When you are finished,
you will have four separate
sentences. One of the words
has an apostrophe. It has
been placed at the end of the
scrambled word it belongs in.
Most people enjoy
anagrams as a game to
play by themselves. The
challenge is simply to try to
unscramble all the words
and form sentences. But if
you’re playing with a friend,
you can turn the game into
a competition. See who
can get all four sentences
unscrambled correctly first.
(Answers are at the end of
the article.)
1 - HOEST WRFEKOISR REA
OTO ULDO!
2 - YMA I EVAH NOREHAT
MBHGRERUA?
3 - REEH MOCES HTE
RAAEPD!
4 - FI YADOT SI RUO
NUCROYTS’ RIAYTBDH,
HEERW SI EHT KECA?
INDEPENDENCE
STAR BOUNCE
Number of players: One or
more. Materials needed: Chalk,
rubber ball or tennis ball
Draw the outlines of
13 five-pointed stars in
chalk on pavement. The
sidewalk, driveway, or paved
playground will do. The stars
should be about 4” across
and about 4” apart, and they
should form a circle, like the
ones in the first American flag.
If you are playing the game
alone, you want to try to
get through each of the five
rounds that are explained
below. If you mess up, start
over at the beginning of the
round you were on. When
you have succeeded in one
round, go on to the next.
When you get through all
five rounds successfully, you
have won.
If you are playing
competitively, decide who
will go first, and who will go
next. If you are first, start
with the first round. If you
get through the first round
successfully, go on to the
second round. If you mess
up, you lose your turn and
it’s the next player’s turn.
When it becomes your turn
again, start with the round
you messed up on last time.
The first player to complete all
five rounds successfully wins
the game.
To play, stand in the middle of
the circle of stars and bounce
the ball into each star one at
a time. Here are more specific
rules for each of the five
rounds:
Round one: Bounce the ball
into each star one at a time.
Do not skip a star. Do not
catch or hold the ball until
you have bounced it in all 13
stars. Do not bounce twice
into the same star. Do not
bounce the ball anywhere
except inside a star. If the ball
bounces partly in a star and
partly out, it still counts.
Round two: Do the same
thing as in round one, but this
time clap your hands after
each time you bounce the
ball.
Round three: Do the same
thing as in round two, but this
time jump up in the air as you
clap your hands, after each
bounce.
Round four: Do the same
thing as in round one, but
name one of the 13 original
states each time you bounce
the ball. Do not repeat any
states. Do not leave any out.
(The 13 original states were
New York, New Jersey, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania, Virginia,
Georgia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Maryland,
and Delaware.)
Round five: Combine the
rules of round three and
round four—name one of
the 13 original states as you
bounce the ball, clapping
your hands and jumping
between bounces. P
Answers to anagrams:
1 - THOSE FIREWORKS ARE TOO LOUD! 2 - MAY I HAVE ANOTHER HAMBURGER?
3 - HERE COMES THE PARADE!
4 - IF TODAY IS OUR COUNTRY’S BIRTHDAY, WHERE IS THE CAKE?
22
JULY 2016