August 2018 Special Days Scroll down the page or click on a date below to jump to ideas for that specific day of the month. August 2018 Monthly Events Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Welcome to August Day – Welcome August by reading the August Monthly Gazette and Newsletter. Then go Searching for August and solve the Famous August Birthdays. Also, test your August IQ. Finally, play a game or two of August Bingo, which is available from the Shopping page. If the first week in August is unusually warm, the coming winter will be snowy and long. Clowning Around Day – August 1 marks the beginning of International Clown Week each year. Invite a local clown to visit the facility to perform and demonstrate how they put on their makeup. Ask how they got started in the business or for a short lesson on "clowning." Offer clown makeup for residents, volunteers, and staff to try. Make a clown bow tie or other clown props and set up a clown photo booth. Bring in red clown noses and encourage staff to wear them; these are practically guaranteed to bring on some laughs throughout the day. Also, try solving the Bring in the Clowns puzzles. Finally, visit our Discuss & Recall for a program titled "Clowning Around." PT-109 Disaster 75th Anniversary – On this day in 1943, the naval ship PT-109 sank off the Solomon Islands after colliding with a Japanese destroyer at 2:30 a.m. The actions of Lt. John F. Kennedy made him a hero. However, some criticize Kennedy's actions immediately before the collision. Discuss today. Watch the film PT-109 today. A Whale of a Tale Day – Today is the birth anniversary of Herman Melville. Visit this month's Who Am I? page and see if you can guess from the clues it's Herman Melville. Share excerpts from some of his works today. Or, see how many of his books you can list for a cognitive challenge. Show the 1956 movie Moby Dick, starring Gregory Peck, and discuss how it compares to the novel. Are you a book or movie lover (or both)? William Clark Birth Anniversary – The explorer who accompanied Meriwether Lewis on an expedition through the Louisiana Territory was born on this day in 1770. Learn more about William Clark today. Make a list of explorers. Plan a Scavenger Hunt. Print pictures of animals that William and Clark encountered (prairie dog, grizzly bear, buffalo, coyote, mountain goat, fox, etc.) along their journey, and hide them around the community. Then give each player a list of animals to check off as they discover them. Spidey Day – Can you guess which superhero made his comic book debut on this date in 1962? It was Spider-Man, the nerdy teenage superhero with radioactive spider powers. He is now a part of the popular Avengers movie franchise. Did you know that the first comic with Spider-Man sold for a whopping $1.1 million? If you have any old comic books lying around, share them today. Do you have any of these rare comic books? Have a discussion on this question: If you could have only one superpower, what would it be and why? When would it come in handy? Jerry Garcia's Birth Anniversary – Born on this day in 1942, Jerome John Garcia went on to become a successful bluegrass and folk guitarist. Do you remember the name of his band? (The Grateful Dead) See this month's Who Am I? page for more about the legendary singer. 2nd Take a Penny, Leave a Penny Day – The first Lincoln-head penny was issued on this day in 1909. Some people want to get rid of the penny. A penny for your thoughts—what do you think? Sort pennies by the year. How many different years do you have? Which is the oldest penny? Make penny rubbings by putting a coin under a sheet of thin paper and rubbing it with the side of a crayon or lead pencil. Ask a coin collector to visit. Design a Pitching Pennies Game where players try to toss pennies into a circle. Play the coin guessing game Spoof or Shove Ha'penny. Get some staff in on the fun and play the 'Minute to Win It' Penny Hose Game or Penny Towers (in which players have one minute to stack as many pennies as possible using only one hand). Jack Warner's 150th Birth Anniversary – Producer and movie studio mogul Jack Warner was born on this day in Ontario, Canada in 1892. He and his brothers Harry, Albert, and Sam formed Warner Brothers Studio in 1923. The studio’s first big star was an animal––Rin Tin Tin. Watch Casablanca, which was one of the studio's most successful films. Warner Brothers Studio is considered one of the "big six" Hollywood film studios. Can you name the other five? First Census Anniversary – On this day in 1790, the first census revealed that there were 3,929,214 citizens in the 16 states and the Ohio Territory. The U.S. has taken a census every 10 years since then. Do you know the results of the 2010 census? Ask people to guess and give a prize to the person coming closest. (Answer: There were 308.7 million people in the United States.) There has been a debate about the possible inclusion of a citizenship status question on the 2020 census. Discuss this news topic with your residents and encourage them to argue both sides of the debate. Also, what questions would they add? Dead Man's Hand Day – Do you know why a hand of "aces and eights" in poker is considered the "dead man's hand"? On this day in 1876, Jack McCall shot and killed Wild Bill Hickok during a poker game as he was holding a pair of aces and eights in his hand. Aces and eights have been called the "dead man's hand" ever since. Play a modified version of Dead Man's Hand today. See if you can guess the meanings of these Western Phrases. Wear Your Birthstone Day – In celebration of Gemstone Month. Can you name all the birthstones? Try Matching Birthstones. Share the history of birthstones. Discuss the Science and Legends of Birthstones. Try solving the Beautiful Birthstones matching puzzle. FYI: We also celebrate A Gem of a Day (Aug. 25) this month. Ice Cream Sandwich Day – Always celebrated on August 2. Create your own ice cream sandwiches today. All you need is a variety of ice cream flavors and some cookies. Try chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, sugar cookies, and... well, you get the idea. 3rd Seeing Double Day – Twins Days begin today in Twinsburg, Ohio. According to Guinness World Records, this is the largest gathering of twins. Double up on everything today. Check out some interesting information about twins. Learn A Thing or Two About Twins and discuss. Then, talk about some famous twins. Watch the movie Twins. Also, see how many "twin" words you can list (twinkling, twinge, twine, twin-engine, etc.). Try solving the Double Take puzzle. Ernie Pyle Birth Anniversary – The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist was born on this day in 1900. The war correspondent died while on assignment in the Pacific during World War II. Learn more about Ernie Pyle. Share some of his columns today. Show the film Story of GI Joe, which is based on Ernie Pyle's time in the army. Discuss these 100 famous journalists or discuss these journalism ethics problems. Discuss the SPJ code of ethics and whether you think journalism today does these things. Domestic Diva's Birthday – Martha Stewart was born on this day in 1941. Watch her television show or read one of her magazines today. Also, can you solve theMartha Stewart Coded Message puzzle? Try one of Martha Stewart's seashell crafts, such as a seashell koala. Explore Martha's website and make a craft like personalized coasters or sun print pillows. Another possibility is to make her Plant Rubbings Calendar. Happy Birthday, Tom Brady – The Patriots quarterback was born on this day in 1977. Learn more about Tom Brady. Practice passing a foam football during an exercise program today. Discuss your favorite football players during a men's program today. Invite everyone to wear a jersey or their team's colors. Serve some of these football-themed recipes. Try to solve the Matching Quarterbacks puzzle. Tony Bennett Day – On this day in 1926, singer Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Queens, New York. By 1965, he had 24 top 40 hits under his belt, including "Rags to Riches" (1953), "Stranger in Paradise" (1953), "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" (1962), and "Fly Me to the Moon" (1965). Plan a birthday party for Tony and listen to some Bennett today. Make several large-print copies of the lyrics to "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Fly Me to the Moon." Then cut out each line of the song, mix them up, and put them in a large envelope. Working in teams, put the lyrics back in order as quickly as you can. Peachy Keen Day – It's Peach Month, which was first proclaimed by President Reagan in 1982. T.S. Eliot asked, "Do I dare to eat a peach?" Plan a "Peach Party" that's "peachy keen." Use peach-colored napkins and plates.