I read more of the blogs posted in, thanks for the added information. I found out many comments were placed in spam because they were articles to sell. Grandma is going to check them out she may be able to use some things if people want to cooperate with her. I am sorry! Grandma cannot wait until she gets to tell you more on real estate and decorating. Some very simple messages. I really did like the one on the sofa fitting. Grandma has a hard time deciding to move her sofa forward closer to the fireplace, giving space behind where a table is usually put. My decorating is not fancy and many times I make due. I have learned many little tricks on a small budget and some very nice things to do. However, I must save everything till I can finish this goal first. Keep blogging, it makes my heart very strong.

Our next calendar day from Book (1) is August 11 with the following Birthdays:

August 11, 1778 Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, German teacher

who invented gymnastics, was born.

Book (1) has an activity for this it is called "Early phys ed-Tell your (children) that Friedrich Ludwig Jahn wrote books about the importance of physical education and developed rudimentary versions of today's gymnastics equipment. Are there any gymnasts in your (home)? Ask your (children) to list the kinds of physical activities they do. (My doctors say swimming is one of the best-especially for me, Grandma,  with Osteoarthritis in the knees and bending as well as walking has become a real problem.)"

August 11, 1865 Gifford Pinchot, American politician,

author, and conservationist, was born.

August 11, 1908 Don Freeman, children's author and creator of Corduroy,

was born.

Book (1) says in "Corduroy corner-To celebrate Don Freeman's birthday, gather copies of his works for a special book corner. Titles might include Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and Dandelion. You might also invite the children to bring (out their favorite stuffed bear-or other animal-- and tell why it means so much to them. (Grandma used to believe it would be fun to have the children make a little zoo or corner for all the different animals in our world.)"

August 11, 1921 Alex Haley, American author who wrote

Roots and coauthored The Autobiography of Malcolm X, was born.

August 11, 1941 Steven Kroll, children's author, was born.

August 11, 1944 Joanna Cole, children's author, was born.

August 11, 1953 Hulk Hogan, American wrestler, was born.

Now we will cover the Events for August 11:

August 11, 1841 Former slave Frederick Douglass spoke at his

first antislavery conference.

Book (1) tells us in "Civil War dialogue-During the Civil War, Frederick Douglass tried to rally blacks to fight against the South and helped organize two black regiments for this purpose. Douglass also met with President Lincoln several times to discuss the problems of slavery. Ask your (children) to work ...to conduct some background research about the life of Frederick Douglass, President Lincoln's stance on slavery, and conditions in the United States during the Civil War. Have the (children) speculate about some of the things Douglass and Lincoln might have spoken about. Then have (them use (their) research to create a dialogue that might have occurred between the two. (Have the children role play out the conversation between the two men.)"

August 11, 1877 The First Satellite of the Planet Mars was

discovered by Asaph Hall, director of the U.S. Naval Observatory.

August 11, 1972 The Last U.S. Combat Troops left Vietnam.

August 11, 1984 Carl Lewis Won His Forth Gold Medal at the

Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The Perseids Meteor Shower also Peaks on August 11.

Our Next day is August 12 with the Birthdays as follows:

August 12, 1774 Robert Southey, English poet who popularized

the fairy tale The Three Bears, was born.

Book (1) has an activity for Southey's birthday called "Telling different tales-In honor of Robert Southey's birthday, collect several different editions of The Three Bears. Read one edition aloud, then ...(have the children) read the other editions of this fairy tale, noting the similarities and differences among them. (The children) can then vote for the edition they think has the best illustrations, the best vocabulary, the best character delineation, or any other categories they decide on." (Considering we are falling into a lot about Bears with Theodore's Bear included, Grandma has decided when you get to the Fall lessons of the Settlers it would be a good time to gather all the different bears together out there and make  lessons including this one with that of Kings and Queens, Renaissance, forests, fairy tales, other animals and animals of the forest, Halloween, Day of the Dead, or Harvest stories (one such being is The Wizard of OZ), along the line of the Fall time, etc. Then tying it into Canada, Antarctica, Alaska and the winter season along with the explorers, the United States Revolution, etc. It almost becomes a year round study with everything and ends in February, March, or April when we move into the later 1900's. 

As you recall if you do Grandma blogged sometime back which you can find on her block search about Theodore Roosevelt not wanting to shoot a baby bear. Grandma looked it up tonight on the computer and one web said he was hunting with the Governor of Missouri in Missouri and the people in the party had tied up a bear for Theodore to shoot since he was known so well for his hunting skills and he thought it was inhumane and would not shoot the bear, which seems good to me. The papers wrote it up and someone developed the first "Teddy Bear"  naming it after Theodore Roosevelt.

A last little note here, is that this kind of teaching is called web learning where a teacher starts with a subject as Bears in an oval on a piece of paper and forms other bubbles or ovals around that it connects to and then those bubbles are connected together. It all goes into a unit. Grandma has a Bear Unit in Book (57) she just remembers that she will give to you later in another blog. This is just the way Grandma's mind Naturally works. Grandma would so much like to have a school here to share her materials as the books with. Grandma saves all kinds of recycled  items to do things with. She just has not figured out a way to get people here.Her family does not understand at all.) 

August 12, 1781 Robert Mills, American architect and 

designer of the Washington Monument, was born.

August 12, 1859 Katherine Lee Bates, American author 

who wrote the words to "America the Beautiful", was born.

August 12, 1880 Christy Mathewson, baseball star who

 became one of the first five players inducted into the 

Hall of Fame, was born.

August 12, 1955 Ann Martin, children's author and 

creator of the Baby-sitters Club series, was born.

Book (1) says in "Book ideas-Tell your (children) that Ann Martin, author of the Baby-sitters Club books, draws on her own childhood experiences in many of her books. Martin says she remembers what it felt like being a kid, and she tries to put those feelings into her books. Ask your (children) to recall a happy, sad, frightening, confusing, or thought-provoking experience they've had during the previous year, and to write a paragraph about it. Send these paragraphs to the author as suggestions for future Baby-sitters Club books."

(Grandma noticed one day how her mother wrote little notepad book she keeps all the time. When she fills one up she gets another. It is a good way to keep record of phone calls made, things that happened that day, bills to pay, and remember things. It keeps it all in one little record. A lot of people do it on a calendar. Grandma's days sometimes have just been so busy having to handle things, run in the car, and various other items in which I may not have recorded as well as reaching the true feelings about them. I did find one notebook I had business cards and other things I kept record of. I am getting ready to do a story or autobiography with my pictures-the sons have stated they have no interest in such things but maybe some of the grandchildren, or great-grandchildren will appreciate it. Grandma is learning to reach into her feeling bag of expression a little better. Maybe it will all come together soon enough. The use of your Family books, Yearbooks, and Newspapers keeps some record for you also.)

Grandma is moving on into the Events of August 12:

August 12, 1658 The First Police Force in America was 

established in New Amsterdam, now New York City.

Book (1) talks about it in "Community protectors-To mark the establishment of the first American police force, have a (family) discussion about how police, firefighters, and paramedics help protect us. Then write a ...thank-you letter to local units of each of these groups." (This is a good lesson to tie to the beginnings of the year on our safety learning and also the happening of 9-11, which is absolutely a puzzle.)

August 12, 1676 Metacomet (Philip), chief of the Wampanoag 

Indians, was killed, effectively ending King Philip's War, a bitter 

conflict between New England settlers and the Wampanoag tribe.

August 12, 1851 Isaac Singer began production of his Sewing Machine.

August 12, 1877 Thomas Edison invented the Phonograph.

August 12, 1936 Marjorie Gestring, age 13, became the 

Youngest Person to Win an Olympic Gold Medal in 

springboard diving.

Next is August 13th with the following birthdays:

August 13, 1818 Lucy Stone, American women's rights leader, was born.

August 13, 1860 Annie Oakley, American markswoman, was born.

Book (1) writes "Sharpest shooter-As a young girl, Annie Oakley showed a tremendous talent for marksmanship, beating a national rifle champion in a shooting match. She could hit a coin thrown into the air or the thin edge of a playing card at 30 paces. Her skill earned her the nickname "Little Sure Shot." Have your (children) think about their special talents. What nicknames might they give themselves? Have them use these nicknames as the basis of a self-portrait."

August 13, 1895 Bert Lanr, American actor who played the

 Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of OZ, was born.

Book (1) writes "Of cowards and courage-Your (children) are probably familiar with Bert Lahr's portrayal of the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.Ask the children to discuss what it means to be a coward. Why is it strange to see a lion act cowardly? Can they think of ways to help someone feel less afraid?Have the kids each write a paragraph telling what they do to feel less afraid in difficult situations."

August 13, 1899 Alfred Hitchcock, English filmmaker, was born.

August 13, 1927 Fidel Castro, premier of Cuba, was born.

Now we move onto the Events:

August 13, 1521 Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez 

captured the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, the site of 

present-day Mexico City.

August 13, 1870 Before starting down the Colorado River

 into the Grand Canyon, explorer John Wesley Powell wrote,

 "We are now ready to start on our way down the Great Unknown...."

August 13, 1889 William Gray patented the Pay Telephone.

August 13, 1961 East Germany Closed the Border Between

 East and West Berlin.

August 13, 1969 President Richard Nixon bestowed the

 Medal of Freedom on Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, 

Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins after their historic landing on the moon.

August 13 is also International Left-Handers Day in which Book (1) writes "Looking at lefties-On International Left-Handers Day, survey your (children) to see how many of them are southpaws. Have these (children) share the benefits and drawbacks of being left-handed with (you). Then encourage (those children) who are right-handed to use their left hands to perform some everyday tasks--sharpening their pencils, writing, turning a light switch off and on, opening a jar, and so on. Have lefties try these tasks with their right hands." 

August 14th begins with the following birthdays:

August 14, 1777 Hans Christian Oersted, danish chemist 

and physicist who discovered the principle of electromagnetism, was born.

Book(1) writes "Magnetic attraction-Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Oersted discovered that an electrical current produces a magnetic field. On his birthday, demonstrate this principle to your (children). You'll need the following materials: a 2-foot-long piece of insulated wire with the ends stripped; a 2-inch nail; a D cell battery; and some metal paper clips. Spread the paper clips on a table. Ask your (children) to test whether the battery, the nail, or the wire by themselves will attract the paper clips. (They won't.) Next, coil the wire tightly around the nail, leaving 2 inches of wire free at each end. Then press the stripped ends of the wire against the top and bottom of the battery. Now have your (children) test whether the paper clips will be attracted. (They will.) Tell your students that they've just created an electromagnet."

August 14, 1918 Alice Provensen, children's author, was born.

August 14, 1959 Earvin "Magic" Johnson, American basketball

 player, was born.

Next will be given the Events for August 14:

August 14, 1511 Michelangelo's Paintings On the Sistine 

Chapel Ceiling were first exhibited.

August 14, 1784 The First Russian Colony in Alaska was 

founded at Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island.

August 14, 1894 Angry at being fired, Jerry Murphy, the 

city jailer at Leavenworth, Kan., unlocked the prison 

doors and Released all the Prisoners.

August 14, 1919 A U.S Aeromarine flying boat dropped a 

bag of mail on the deck of the liner Adriatic. 

This was the First Airmail Delivery at Sea.

August 14, 1935 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the 

Social Security Act, creating the nation's first system of 

retirement income.

August 14, 1945 Japan Surrendered, ending World War II.

August 14, 1976 To raise money for the Monticello, N.Y., 

Community General Hospital, two teams began a 

Marathon Softball Game.

An activity given in Book (1) is called "Can you spell "fund-raiser"?-The softball marathon played in Monticello, N.Y., in 1976 lasted from 10:00 a.m. on Aug. 14 to 4 p.m. the following day. The 365-inning game, which ended in a score of 492-467, raised $4,000 for a local hospital. Why not organize a fund-raiser for your (church or something in your community.) Your (children) can solicit pledges for a marathon spelling test. Sponsors can donate a penny per word. Have the children decide how to use the money--.... Include words from all of your (children's) textbooks on the test. Start in the morning and continue until lunch (if feasible). ... . The (children) could earn one penny for each correctly spelled word."

August 14, 1985 Japan launched Spacecraft-Planet A on a 

Mission to Halley's Comet.

Our next day to dip into is August 15 starting with the Birthdays:

August 15, 1769 Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of the French, was born.

August 15, 1915 Turkle Brinton, children's author, was born.

August 15, 1922 Leonard Baskin, children's illustrator, was born.

The Events for this day are as follows:

August 15, 1057 Macbeth, the king of Scotland, was murdered 

by Malcolm III, the son of King Duncan.

August 15, 1914 The SS Ancon became the First Ship to Travel 

Through the Panama Canal.

August 15, 1943 Sergeant Edward Dzuba received the Legion of 

Merit for his Recipes for Using Leftovers.

Book (1) says in "Lots of leftovers-Challenge your (children) to come up with zany uses for common leftovers. For instance, leftover mashed potatoes could be used to patch roads, Leftover pudding might make great finger paint. Compile (the children's) suggestions in a ...book titled "Fresh Uses for Leftovers."

August 15, 1947 Great Britain granted independence to India.

August 15, 1948 The Republic of Korea was proclaimed.

August 15, 1963 A total of 2,600 books were selected as 

the nucleus for an official White House Library.

Book (1) says in "Personal library plans-If your (children) could select 10 books for their own libraries, which titles would they pick? Have them each make a list, then group the books into genres. What's the most popular genre among your (children)? Combine (their) lists and post as a reading reference for the kids. Have (them) design bookplates for books that are added to the (your) library."

August 15, 1969 The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair opened in 

upstate New York.

August 15, 1970 Pat Palinkas of the Orlando Panthers became the 

First Woman to Play in a Professional Football Game.

August 15, 1985 South African President P.W. Botha publicly 

rejected Western pleas to abolish apartheid.

August 15 is also National Relaxation Day so Book (1) says in "Just relax-Ask your (children) to describe what they like to do for relaxation. Their responses might include sedentary activities, such as reading or watching television, as well as more active pursuits, such as playing a sport or taking a walk. Afterward, discuss why it isn't always necessary to "take it easy" in order to relax."

The next day is August 16 with the following Birthdays:

August 16, 1845 Gabriel Lippman, French physicist and 

inventor of color photography, was born.

August 16, 1917 Matt Christopher, children's author, was born

Book (1) writes "Favorite games-Most of Matt Christopher's books for children are on sports topics. When Christopher was growing up, his favorite sport was baseball. Despite a lack of equipment, he and his friends played the game in his backyard, which was cement. The boys used broken broom handles and tennis balls instead of bats and baseballs. They used flat rocks to mark the bases. Ask your (children) if they've ever improvised in order to play a favorite game. Then have them interview their parents about favorite games they played as children. Have the kids share their information with the class."

Next are the Events for August 16:

August 16, 1858 Queen Victoria of England and President 

James Buchanan of the United States exchanged greetings 

by means of the New Transatlantic Cable.

August 16, 1861 The federal government Prohibited Trade 

between the States of the Union and the Confederacy.

August 16, 1916 The United States and Canada signed 

a Treaty to Protect Migratory Birds.

Book (1) says in "Birds of a feather-Tell Your (children) that the Arctic tern is the champion migratory bird. This bird travels from one pole to the other, making a round-trip flight of over 20,000 miles. Divide the class into teams, and have each team learn about the migratory pattern of a different bird, such as ducks, geese, and swallows. Compare the number of miles traveled by each species on a class chart."

August 16, 1920 Baseball player Roy Chapman was hit 

in the Head by a Pitched Ball and died the following day.

 He was the only professional ballplayer to die in that manner.

Book (1) points out for Safety Lessens "Sports safety-Do your (children) think sports are safer today than in 1920, when Roy Chapman was fatally injured in a baseball game? List several sports--baseball, football, hockey, soccer--on... . For each sport, have (the children) identify the equipment and rules that help protect players from injury. (There has been some specials on TV concerning the injuries children are getting from playing ball games and if they helmets should be redone.) Have any of your (children) ever been injured playing sports? Ask them to share their experiences. Then ask (them) to suggest a type of equipment, rule change, or other strategy that might have prevented the injury. Afterward, invite a team coach or physical education instructor to discuss sports safety with your (children)."

August 16, 1977 Rock-and roll idol Elvis Presley Died.

The next day of study is August 17 with the following Birthdays:

August 17, 1786 Davy Crockett, American frontiersman, 

soldier, and politician, was born.

Book (1) writes about it in "American folk hero-Frontiersman, scout, soldier, and politician, Davy Crockett was among the more colorful figures of his day. Have your (children) conduct background research about Crockett's life, then prepare a time line showing his varied adventures. What important events in U.S history occurred during Crockett's lifetime? Have students list these events on the time line. (You could either make a raccoon hat or a log cabin or both on a poster or cut them out to paste little papers on. Else list them on a study paper or note cards if space is limited. You can even add them in with your other line papers to hang up.)"

August 17, 1926 Myra Cohn Livingston, children's poet, was born.

Book (1) writes about it in "Enlightening poetry-Read aloud to your (children) from Myra Cohn Livingston's Light and Shadow. Ask the kids to list the places Livingston finds light--a toll bridge, the waves, a sign in a store window. Where does she discover shadows? (In the forest, leaning against a door, across stone walls.) Have (the children) work...to list other places or where they'd find light and shadow. Have them write their own poems about light and shadow on sheets of white construction paper, then mount the sheets on black construction paper. Display their work... ." (Grandma has always felt there should be lessons about shadows, and it can also be tied to studies and experiments about the sun and the moon. Grandma has a game the children can play in which they hide behind a sheet curtain with a light shone on it in a dark room and do different things with their hands and selves for others to guess what or who they are. Another thing they do with children is to shine a light on a dark wall with the shape of their faces showing on a piece of paper taped on it to show their profiles to be drawn out and placed on background paper. You may see if you can do anything in this direction."

August 17,  1943 Robert DeNiro, American actor, was born.

Now for the Events of that day, August 17:

August 17, 1788 The town of Cincinnati (originally named 

Losantville) was founded.

Book (1) gives this activity of "City mapping-Have your (children) find Cincinnati on a map of Ohio. In what part of the state is it located? Which geographic features might have influenced the city's location?"

August 17, 1807 Robert Fulton's steamboat, the Clermont, 

made its first run up the Hudson River from New York to Albany.

August 17, 1877 American astronomer Asaph Hall sighted 

the second satellite of the planet Mars, naming it Phobos.

August 17, 1896 George Carmack Discovered Gold in 

Klondike Creek in the Yukon Territory of Canada. 

August 17, 1933 New York Yankee Lou Gehrig Broke the

 Record for Most Consecutive Baseball Games Played

 when he appeared in his 1,308th straight game. Gehrig

 eventually stretched his record to 2,130 games.

Book (1) presents "Record setters-How many times in a row can your (children) do something? Have the kids each keep track of the number of consecutive days they complete their homework. Who's the record setter in your (home)?

August 17, 1978 Three American balloonists completed the First Successful Transatlantic Balloon Flight, landing their craft, the Double Eagle, near Paris. They also set an endurance record of 138 hours, 6 minutes in the air.

The next day to use from Book (1) is August 18 with the following Birthdays:

August 18, 1587 Virginia Dare, the first English child born 

in America, was born.

August 18, 1774 Meriwether Lewis, American explorer and 

coleader of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was born.

August 18, 1934 Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican baseball player, was born.

Book (1) says in "One of baseball's best-In honor of Roberto Clemente's birthday, invite your (children) to bring in their baseball cards. Does anyone have a Roberto Clemente card? If so, have that child share Clemente's statistics with (you). If not, encourage (the children) to use a sports almanac to find out about Clemente's career accomplishments. Then let the kids make a postersized Roberto Clemente baseball card."

August 18, 1937 Robert Redford, American actor, was born. 

August 18, 1944 Paula Danziger, children's author, was born.

August 18, 1954 Patrick Swayze, American actor, was born.

That is it for the birthdays now we will look at the Events for August 18:

August 18, 1856 Gail Borden patented the First Successful 

Milk-Condensing Process.

August 18, 1873 John Lucas, Charles Begole, and A.H.

 Johnson became the First Climbers to Reach the Top of 

Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States.

Book (1) writes in "Mountains of information-To commemorate the first successful climb of California's highest peak, divide the rest of the states among your (children). Have the kids find out the highest points in their states, their elevations, and if applicaable, when they were first scaled and by whom, then write this information on slips of paper. Make sure the children sign their names on the slips they do. Collect the slips and hold a ..."mountain bee" by reading aloud the information and having the kids guess which sate the high point is in. Afterward, have your (children) record their facts on mountain-shaped sheets of construction paper scaled according to height. Arrange their work on (a wall or poster board) to resemble a mountain range, then label the display "Mountains of Information." (If you do not have a big enough basement or somekind of a wall or have a bulletin board because a poster board I do not feel will be big enough; Grandma feels you could collect them together to form a book or put in a folder (for a book would be the nicest))."

August 18, 1902 Major League Baseball's First Unassisted 

Triple Play was made by Henry O'Hagen.

August 18, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson issued his 

"Proclamation of Neutrality," aimed at keeping the 

United States out of World War I.

August 18, 1919 The Anti-Cigarette League of America was organized.

Book (1) writes "Thumbs down for cigarettes-To mark the anniversary of the founding of the Anti-Cigarette League,have each (child) choose one of the many good reasons not to smoke, think of an appropriate slogan, and create a poster."

August 18, Gerald Ford was Nominated for President on 

the first ballot at the Republican National Convention in 

Kansas City, Mo.

Next day is August 19 with the following Birthdays in the beginning:

August 19, 1646 John Flamsteed, English astronomer, was born.

Book (1) writes about him in "Star man-John Flamsteed, who served as England's first Astronomer Royal, cataloged about 3,000 stars. Challenge (your children) to list as many stars as they can think of --along with the constellations the stars are in, if the (children) know--in 5 minutes. Award one point for each correct star and one point for each correct constellation. ...(Award them with their hard work.)"

August 19, 1871 Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer

 and (coinventer) of the airplane, was born.

August 19, 1902 Ogden Nash, American poet known for

 his humorous verse, was born.

Book (1) writes in "Animal poetry-Celebrate Ogden Nash's birthday by reading aloud his portraits of animals--for example, "The Sea Gull" or "the Turtle." Then have your (children) develop comic-strip versions of the poems or follow Nash's rhyme schemes to develop their own humorous animal poems."

August 19, 1931 Willie Shoemaker, American jockey, was born.

August 19, 1938 Vicki Cobb, children's author, was born.

August 19, Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, was born.

Now for August 19th Events:

August 19, 1692 Six residents of Salem, Mass., were executed 

after being Accused of Practicing Witchcraft.

August 19, 1775 A Horde of Earwigs infested houses and 

gardens in Stroud, England. Residents fled to the surrounding 

countryside.

Book (1) writies "Insect invasion-Show your (children) illustrations or photographs of earwigs. These insects have short, borny forewings, a pair of forceps at the end of the abdomen, and biting mouthparts. Then ask the kids to work ...to develop a horror play titled "Invasion of the Earwigs" or a mock front page for a Stroud newspaper story on the insect invasion."

August 19, 1812 The U.S. frigate Constitution won the nickname 

"Old Ironsides" by defeating the British frigate Guerriere in a War 

of 1812 battle.

August 19, 1971 The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest 

Service announced plans to save the 50 to 60 California 

Condors left in the wild.

August 19, 1991 A group of Communist hardliners led by the 

vice president, defense minister, interior minister, and head 

of the KGB attempted a Coup in the Soviet Union, detaining 

President Mikhail Gorbachev in his dacha in the Crimea and 

dispatching tanks to secure the streets of Moscow.

August 19 is also known as National Aviation Day.

Now for the beginning of August 20th with the Birthdays:

August 20, 1785 Oliver Hazard Perry, U.S. naval officer 

and hero of the War of 1812, was born.

August 20, 1946 Connie Chung, American TV reporter 

and anchor, was born.

Now for the Events of August 20th:

August 20, 1741 Alaska was Discovered by the Danish 

explorer Vitus Bering.

Book (1) writes "Close continents-Vitus Bering was commissioned by Russia to find out whether Asia and North America were connected. When he sailed through the Bering Straight on his first voyage, dense fog obscured his view, and Bering didn't realize how close he was to the North American continent. On his second voyage, in 1741, he spotted Alaska. Have your students locate the Bering Strait on a map and use the map scale to determine the distance separating Asia and North America at the closest point."

August 20, 1857 After being harpooned by the crew of the 

whaling ship Ann Alexander, a Whale Attacked and 

destroyed the vessel.

Book (1) writes about these "Whaling woes-Tell your (children) that during the period the Ann Alexander sailed, whales were hunted primarily for their blubber (a thick layer of fat beneath the skin), which was used to make oil. The oil was used as lamp fuel before the invention of kerosene. List several whale species ... .--for example, blue, finback, right, humpback, and sperm. Have (the children) each investigate the status of one of these species. (All the whales listed above are endangered.) Ask (the children) to draw and color a picture of (different) whales, then attach a paragraph describing (their) size, ... feeding habits, and where (they) can be found."

August 20, 1912 The Plant Quarantine Act went into effect, 

placing restrictions on the entry of plants into the United States.

August 20, 1934 The Comic Strip"Li'l Abner" first appeared.

August 20, 1940 Winston Churchill paid Tribute to the 

Royal Air Force by saying, "Never in the field of Human 

conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

August 20, 1968 James McAdam, Jr., snagged the 

Largest Sea Bass on Record--563 pounds.

Book (1) says in "A large mass of bass-Can your (children) imagine how huge a 563-pound fish is? To help them visualize this big bass, ask each child how much he or she weighs. Add the weights together until the total reaches (around) 563 pounds. How many children is that?"

August 20, 1977 The unmanned spacecraft Voyager 2 

was launched. Its destinations were Jupiter, Saturn, 

Uranus, and Neptune.

August 20, 1985 The original Xerox Copy Machine was donated to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Book (1) writes "Museum-quality pieces?-Ask your (children) whether they think the first Xerox copy machine deserves a place in the Smithsonian. Why or why not? What kinds of items do they think will be in the Smithsonian 100 years from now? Make a ... list."

(Grandma will finish the rest of August Calendar History very soon.)