We left off in the History Calendar of Book (1) towards the end of June 15. The rest of the day into the 16th and 17th Grandma will cover along with lessons on the Circus in Book (1) and Book (57). Before lessons I want to add a note to parents in our Home Education Program of home schooling a few pointers. That is to make sure you have a line of some kind set up to attach notes of history on beginning with the time of dinosaurs and man through the Bible and into American History along with space for any other history needed. These will take up a lot of space so be prepared. Then make sure you have a big calendar set up-a poster one is best-for birthdays, weather notations and notes necessary for lessons. Also have an area for pretend news and weather broadcasts; along with plays and puppet shows, or doll play of roles. Act out role plays of characters if wish in these areas. The same place can be used for dance and exercise. Next have a place for writing, drawing and other forms of art. You may want a separate space for sewing and one for hand sewing. Also provide a place for books and supplies. You may want these areas marked as in Day Cares. Also provide plenty of space for lists or posters and projects for words and sounds to learn. Notebooks can also do a lot.( Grandma will also make a note of this on the Home page.)

Now Grandma will give you the beginning summer lessons as follows:

June 15 1904 Mary McCann Helped Save 20 People after the

steamship General Slocum caught fire in New York's East River.

Book (1) says in "Young heroine-While recovering from the measles in a New York City hospital over-looking the East River, 14-year-old Mary McCann saw a steamboat on fire. Still feverish, she ran to the river and yelled encouragement to the people floundering in the water. Her courageous act helped save 20 people, including nine children, and she was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal by the U.S. Congress. Invite your (children) to design their own ...medal to commemorate heroic deeds. Then, over the next month, have students clip and share newspaper articles about people who have helped others. Encourage the kids to write letters congratulating these people and to include copies of the class-designed medal."

June 15, 1988 General Motors Corp.'s Sunracer established a Speed Record for Solar-Powered Cars. Its top speed: 48,712 mph.

June 15 is also A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Day as well as a Smile Power Day in which Book (1) says in "Miles of smiles-Here's a fun way to celebrate Smile Power Day. In the center of a large sheet of paper, write the words "It's Great to Smile Because..." Post the paper in the hallway or outside your (bedroom) door. Then encourage (the children) to use this "graffiti-style" message center to complete the sentence."

June 16 has only two birthday's as follows:

June 16, 1890 Stan Laurel, English comedian, was born.

June 16, 1920 John Howard Griffin, American

photographer and author of Black Like me, was born.

The Events for June 16, are as follows:

June 16, 1497 Amerigo Vespucci claimed he sighted

the mainland of America on this day.

June 16, 1836 Arkansas became the 25th state.

June 16, 1858 Abraham Lincoln made his famous

"House Divided" speech in Springfield, Ill.

June 16, 1897 The Alaska Gold Rush began.

June 16, 1922 The First Helicopter Flight took place in College Park, Md.

June 16,  1939 Hundreds of Tiny Frogs fell on Trowbridge, England.

June 16, 1963 Lieutenant Valentina Tereshkova of the

Soviet Union became the First Woman in Space.

June 16, 1980 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Scientists

Who Developed New Forms of Life in laboratories could

patent their creations.

June 16, 1987 The Dusky Seaside Sparrow became extinct.

Book (1) says in "Vanishing wildlife-Tell your (children) that on this day in 1987, the last dusky seaside sparrow died in a wildlife preserve at Walt Disney World in Florida. Then encourage the kids to take steps to protect animals for the future. Have each child research an extinct animal, draw a picture of the animal, and write a one-paragraph report about it. Next. have the (children) each write a letter to their state or federal representative telling about their animal and asking for help in saving other wildlife. Have the children include their drawings and reports with the letters. Make copies for a ... display entitled "The Extinct Zoo...What You Can Do About It." Add any responses your students receive to the display."

June 16, 1988 A China Shop Owner decided to find out

what a bull in a china shop would really do.

Book (1) says in "Risky business-Grant Burnett, a china shop owner in New Zealand, always wondered what a bull would do in a china shop. He borrowed Colonel, a 2,000-pound Hereford, and let the animal roam around the store for 3 hours. Burnett risked thousands of dollars' worth of dishes, but Colonel didn't break a thing. Ask your (children) to think of other descriptive animal phrases (for example, eyes like a hawk, quiet as a mouse, fish out of water, hold your horses, sly as a fox, clam up, dead as a dodo). Have them each select a phrase, then illustrate its literal and figurative meanings. Afterward, read aloud Eve Merriam's poem "Cliche," which deals with figurative and literal language. Then ask your students to write poems about their animal subjects."

June 16 is also South Africa's Soweto Day and Korea's Tano.

Next is June 17th with three birthdays as follows:

June 17, 1870 George Cormack, inventor of Wheaties cereal, was born.

Book (1) says in "Breakfast favorites-To celebrate the birthday of George Cormack, inventor of Wheaties cereal, poll your (family to see if any of you) have eaten Wheaties. Do (you ) eat it regularly? Why or Why not? Next , invite your (children) to each name their favorite cereal, Then use three adjectives to describe its taste. List all the adjectives on the board (or a piece of paper.) How many different ones are there?"

June 17, 1882 Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky, Russian-American composer, was born.

June 17, 1898 M.C. Escher, German mathematician, was born.

Next come the events for June 17 as follows:

June 17, 1579 Sir Francis Drake landed on the California coast.

June 17, 1682 William Penn founded the City of Philadelphia.

June 17, 1775 The Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the earliest

engagements of the Revolutionary War, was fought near Boston.

June 17, 1856 The First Republican Party National

Convention took place in Philadelphia, Pa.

June 17, 1873 Susan B Anthony was fined $100

for voting in the 1872 presidential election.

June 17, 1925 The First National Spelling Bee was held.

Book (1) says in "Cooperation bee-Hold a cooperative spelling bee in your (home0. ....--without using dictionaries--work together to correctly spell words you call out. Give each...a point for each correctly spelled word. The (one) with the most points at the end of a specified period wins."

June 17, 1972 Five burglars were arrested at the

Democratic Party headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The break-in and subsequent cover-up, which came

to be called Watergate after the building where the

burglary occurred, ultimately led to the resignation

of President Richard M. Nixon.

June 17, 1979 Richard Brown set a prone-position

Skateboard Speed Record of 71.179 mph on a

course at Mr. Baldy, Calif.

June 17, 1991 President Zachary Taylor's Remains

Were exhumed (141 years after his death) in

Louisville, Ky., to investigate the theory that

he had been poisoned. No evidence was found to

support the theory.

June 17 is also Independence Day in Iceland and it is used to mention that June is Carnival and Circus Month.

Book (1) says in "Celebrating the circus-Tell your (children) that the circus originated in ancient Rome, where it was a place for chariot races and combat between gladiators. Then have the children look up the origin of the word circus. (Its Latin meaning is "circle.") Next, have students brainstorm for the kinds of acts and performers found in modern-day circuses--for example, dancing elephants, trapeze artists, clowns, jugglers, bareback riders. Ask children who've been to a circus to describe the acts they saw. Finally, have your (children) imagine they could be a circus performer or a day, and ask them to write and illustrate stories about what they'd do."

Book (57) uses the following unit to tell about it:

Historically, the circus has been around for a long time. Performers doing acrobatic stunts appear in Egyptian wall paintings. Marco Polo reported being entertained by jugglers and tumblers in the court of Kublai Khan.

Early people caught and trained wild animals. While most of these were used for religious ceremonies, others became part of a menagerie kept to showcase rare and unusual species. In Rome, the circus Maximus, a large animal theater for chariot racing, also presented trick riders, familiar with today. The show is made up of clowns, acrobats, animal acts, and colorful spectacles.

The purpose of this unit is to explore the circus world from the known to the unknown. You will compare the training of pets to the preparation of wild animal acts. You will proceed from climbing about on the jungle gym to learning about flying through the air. You will learn how clowns advance from being accidentally funny to working on routines and tricks to entertain an audience.

The Circus World

In the winter, the circus community prepares for the coming year. New acts are developed and perfected, while old ones are practiced and improved. Trainers work with their animals. Acrobats and aerialists stay in shape rehearsing their acts and trying new routines. Clowns create new tricks.

On the road, circus performers travel from one location to the next, thrilling audiences with circus magic.

Presenting...

Because of his ideas, leadership, and inspiration, P.T. Barnum influenced the circus world. Read to find out about his contributions to the circus.

          (Also a good thing to put in your newspaper.)

Clown Alley

A clown's job is to make others laugh by doing tricks, acting, and wearing funny clothes. In the circus, clowns entertain and fill in while the next acts are being set up or when something goes wrong. From makeup to funny shoes, each clown develops a unique look.

                          b.      Write a letter to the Clown College stating your talents. Ask for an application to the school. (This will be a practice letter since you have to be at least seventeen years old to enroll.)                                                                                                                          c.       What questions do you think an application for Clown College would ask?

Presenting...

Throughout the years, there have been famous circus clowns. Find out more about one of them and write his or her biography. Focus on what he or she has accomplished as a clown. Share and compare the lives of these clowns to see if you can find some lives of these clowns to see if you can find some common traits. Put together a clown bulletin board (or a poster).

Imagine That!

As a circus performer, write your autobiography explaining what made you decide to become a clown. Tell about your act. What's hardest about being a clown? What do you like best? What you're not performing. what do you do? Be sure to include a self-portrait showing you in costume.

Art Activities

Be a Circus Clown

Mainly Mammals

The circus presents wild and exotic animal shows to the public. Before zoos became popular, this was the only opportunity people had to see elephants, lions, and tigers. Today there is a need to provide protection for these rare animals whose natural habitats are threatened. Circus animals are cared for, provided with food, and given medial attention.

You Make the Choice

Calling All Pets

To better understand the task of a wild animal trainer, consider the care necessary to maintain a domestic animal.

Trainers and Trainees

A bond of mutual trust is established between the trainer and the animals.

Presenting

Gunther Gebel-Williams, now retired, was a world famous animal trainer with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Imagine That!

Problem Solving

The many animals in the circus need a great deal of food each day. At every stop along the route, fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains are purchased from local merchants.

Poems

Search for poems about animals that perform in the circus.                               

      a. Choose one to illustrate.

      b. Memorize it and recite it for the (family).

      c. Present it as a choral reading.

Art Activities

Circus Animals

Fabulous Flights

They fly through the air, walk on wires, or tumble in the ring. They perform feats of strength, balance, and courage. They are acrobats, aerialists, and flyers.

Poetry in Motion

Presenting...

Jules Leotard invented and introduced the flying trapeze. Like many inventors, he made his discovery accidentally.

Circus Flyers and Tumblers

The Day the Circus Came to Town

Read Dr. Seuss' If I Ran the Circus and decide how you would run a circus. Write a book with the same title, but use your own circus.

Art Activities

Circus Performance

After studying the different facets of the circus, it is time to put the parts together and present your own show.