In The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kid described August best when she wrote, "The month of August had turned into a griddle where the days just lay there and sizzle." Those dog days of August are upon us! But the start of a new school year just around the corner. August's birthstone is the beautiful olive-green Peridot found in lava flows and the flower is the showy spikes of gladiola.
Here are some fun days to celebrate with your family before the summer is over!
August 1: National Girlfriends Day and National Sisters Day
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Hopefully, your sister IS your BFF also! Sounds like a good excuse for a spa day or a girl's night out!
August 1: International MahJong Day
If you are looking for a new family game, my family loves to play MahJong! Wildly popular today, this 19th-century strategy game was introduced in the United States in the 1920s. The game is played with tiles, but it’s much like rummy. The players meld beautifully designed tiles with Chinese characters and symbols to earn points.
If you don’t know how to play, order a game on Amazon and learn! The game comes with easy to follow instructions.
August 3: National State of Georgia Day:
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From unique foods to unique places, Georgia is filled with beauty and adventure! See some of the many things that make us proud to be Georgians at 5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL STATE OF GEORGIA DAY.
August 4: Chocolate Chip Cookie Day:
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Today we raise a glass of milk to Ruth Graves Wakefield, the inventor of the chocolate chip cookie. She made the first batch in 1938 by chopping up pieces of a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar and mixing them into her dough.
August 4: Great American Outdoors Day
August 4th is the third fee-FREE day in 2023 to visit a national park, including 15 Georgia locations! The National Park System includes more than 84 million acres, comprised of parks, historical sites, monuments, recreation areas, battlefields, and seashores.These amazing parks are truly our nation's treasure and can be enjoyed by families of all ages. I can think of no better way to be out in nature and learn about our country at the same time.
Click HERE to see all the FREE days and Georgia locations in 2023.
August 5: National Disc Golf Day:
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Since the late 1960s, enthusiasts have been playing disc golf. The game became a formalized sport in the 1970s. While disc golf parallels the traditional golf in many ways, there are differences. Instead of clubs and a ball, the only gear necessary is a disc or Frisbee™. Players start from a tee pad and after each throw, the player progresses down the fairway. From where the disc lands, the player throws again and repeats until the disc lands in the target. As in traditional golf, the total number of throws a player takes to get the disc into the target is equal to the score for that hole. The sport offers a terrific workout that can test both physical skill and mental determination and can bring the whole family together for an afternoon of laughs and enjoyment together.
Disc Golf courses in our area are:
- Suwanee Disc Golf Course, 1170 Buford Highway, Suwanee 30024
- Chattahoochee Point Disc Golf Course, 5990 Chattahoochee Point Dr, Suwanee 30024
- Alexander Park, 800 Old Snellville Hwy, Lawrenceville 30044
August 6: National Root Beer Float Day:
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The root beer float got its start in Colorado in a mining camp. Frank J. Wisner of Cripple Creek, Colorado, gets the credit for inventing the “Black Cow” way back in August of 1893. One night Wisner, owner of the Cripple Creek Cow Mountain Gold Mining Company, was staring out the window. The full moon that night shined on the snow-capped Cow Mountain and reminded him of a scoop of vanilla ice cream. He hurried back to his bar and scooped a spoonful of ice cream into the children’s favorite flavor of soda, Myers Avenue Red Root Beer. After trying, he liked it and served it the very next day. It was an immediate hit. Wisner named the new creation, “Black Cow Mountain” but the local children shortened the name to “Black Cow”.
Since its inception, hundreds of thousands of root beer floats have been enjoyed around the country each day. If your kids have never had this delicious treat, today would be the perfect day to make one!
August 7: National Purple Heart Day
Purple Heart Day on August 7 was created as a day for us to give back. It’s a day for Americans all over the country to remember and honor the men and women who bravely served their country and were either wounded, killed or taken as a prisoner of war "POW" while serving their country. These men and women are decorated with a Purple Heart - this day is for remembering them and their sacrifice. Lets not only honor those that have been given a Purple Heart, but lets also teach our children that there is a cost to freedom and we should not only remember, but honor their sacrifice.
Learn more about the Purple Heart:
- The Purple Heart Foundation
- National Purple Heart Honor Mission
- History of the Purple Heart
- The Purple Heart – The Story of America’s Oldest Military Decoration and Some Soldier Recipients
- 9 Things You Need to Know About the Purple Heart Medal
- Many Veteran Women may be long overdue a Purple Heart Medal!
- Annie Fox and the case of the disappearing Purple Heart
- 3 Stories of Bravery that Help Show What a Purple Heart Means
- Stories of Valor
August 10: National S'mores Day:
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That's right. Give me s’more. We’ve got more than a dozen non-traditional takes on this ooey, gooey, delicious summertime treat and recipes for 10 NO-CAMPFIRE S'MORES.
August 13: National Left Handers Day:
Hats off to all those individuals who have mastered using their left hand in a right-handed world. Approximately 10% of the population are southpaws. Scientists don’t know why a person develops left-handedness. But it’s more likely a child will be left-handed if one parent is a lefty, too.
In a world designed for the right-handed, those who are other dominant adapt quite well. For example, eight United States presidents were left-handed, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Michelangelo used his left hand to paint the Sistine Chapel and Leonardo de Vinci painted the Mona Lisa with his left hand. So, if you are a lefty, you are in good company!
Read more:
August 14: National Navajo Code Talkers Day
Navajo Code Talkers Day recognizes the contributions of Navajo marines during World War II. Navajo marines encoded and transmitted messages using a complex Navajo language-based code during a time when secret communication was essential to win a war. Navajo was a near ‘perfect’ language that was used to create military codes. This is why it has been recorded in history and is recognized for its brilliance even today. However, the code wasn’t the language itself but was a communication form that was encrypted using the Navajo language. Since many people couldn’t decipher it, the code remained unbreakable throughout the war. It is this success of the code that is celebrated by Americans every year.
The U.S. government recruited over 400 Navajo men to serve during the war. The Navajo Code Talkers successfully transmitted more than 800 messages without error and helped the U.S. win the war. In 1982, Navajo Code Talkers Day was established through a presidential proclamation by President Ronald Reagan In 2014, Arizona passed legislation declaring every August 14 Navajo Code Talkers Day in Arizona.
🎦 There was a great movie about the Navajo Code Talkers: Windtalkers, 2002 - Rated R. It might not be appropriate for kids, it talks place during WWII.
On this day, celebrate the great American heroes and their service to the nation!
Learn more about the Navajo Code Talkers:
- How Navajo Code Talker Marines Used Their Indigenous Language to Help Win World War II
- CIA Stories: Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code
- Navajo Code Talkers World War II Fact Sheet
- National Archives: The Unwritten Record - Navajo Code Talkers
- Veteran. com: Navajo Code Talkers Day
August 18: 19th Amendment was Ratified
On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to our Constitution was ratified, securing the right to vote for women.
This milestone in American history was the product of the tireless efforts of suffragettes and other advocates for women's rights, who steadfastly pursued their vision of a just and more equal society.
August 24: Pluto Demoted Day
Pluto, you'll always be in our hearts! Explore space together and check out the jaw-dropping pics from the James Webb Space Telescope. Space-tastic!
Follow the telescope and its latest images on NASA's site.
Learn more about Pluto:
- This date in science: Pluto gets a demotion
- The Rise and Fall of Planet Pluto
- Pluto and the Developing Landscape of Our Solar System
- Pluto: Everything you need to know about the dwarf planet
10 Need-to-Know Things About Pluto and more - Facts about Pluto
August 26: Women's Equality Day
Women’s Equality Day marks the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. While we still have work to do, we've come a long way towards achieving equity. When election time comes think back to all those who fought before us and exercise your right to get out the vote! This is a day to celebrate the fierce women who shaped history! Let's cheer for progress and remind our children that they can achieve anything.
This day also celebrates the birthday of Susan B. Anthony - did you know that the 19th Amendment was known as the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment” to honor her work on behalf of women’s rights, and on July 2, 1979, she became the first woman to be featured on a circulating coin from the U.S. mint? Most think about her work for the women’s suffrage movement, but before that she was an abolitionist and active in the temperance movement. This is a day to honor her and all she accomplished.
August 28: Anniversary of 'I Have a Dream' Speech
Martin Luther King Jr. made his "I Have a Dream” speech on this day in 1963. Today, with your kids, read the speech and talk about King's message. How far have we come? How far do we have to go? Let's all keep his spirit alive by making strides toward a better, more just tomorrow.
Learn more about MLK:
- More about the 'I Have a Dream' Speech
- 7 Things You May Not Know About MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
- 10 Things You May Not Know About Martin Luther King Jr.
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