Tradition Thursday - July Traditions

For those of you still checking in, just a reminder that I'm now posting to the new blog Lily&Thistle.  I am, however, still posting monthly traditions throughout this year here.  So here is what I have to share for July:


Independence Day Parade: Decorate kids’ bikes and wagons in red, white, and blue crepe paper and invite neighbors to do the same.  Have all of the kids invite their families to stand outside and watch the parade.

Stars of Appreciation BBQ: As a family make stars in red, white and blue.  When guests come for the BBQ, as a group, each person takes a star and writes what being an American means to them.  After everyone is done, each person reads what they wrote and is given a piece of tape to hang their star as a decoration.  After the BBQ is over, bring out a big birthday cake with sparklers celebrating our nation’s birthday.  Instead of singing “Happy Birthday”, sing a favorite song about America.  Take a picture each year and make a collage of the stars with each year’s picture.

Fourth of July Mural: Invite neighbor children over to create a Fourth of July sidewalk mural.  On the day of the event supply every artist with colored chalk and set them loose on the driveway or sidewalk in front of your house.  Have them work as a team to create a giant flag or colorful fireworks.  The older kids can sketch the outlines, while the younger ones fill in with color.  Take pictures of each artist by his/her work of art.

Courage:  Because this is the month we celebrate those who have gone on before us in Courage to make our Nation great, it is the perfect time to overcome some of our own fears.  Near the beginning of the month, have each family member write down anything they are afraid of or would like to do if they weren’t afraid.  Older family members can help younger ones.  Everyone picks out one fear to try to conquer for the month and shares it with the rest of the family.  Be careful not to laugh at or criticize each other’s fears.  Listen, validate and be supportive.  Help each family member think of ways they can overcome their fear, instead of suggesting your own, and simply ask how you can help.  At the end of the month, talk about what each member has done and ceremoniously dispose of the slips of paper the fear was written on. 

National Ice Cream Day: July 15^th is National Ice Cream Day.  Celebrate by either making homemade ice cream or buy enough ice cream to make a HUGE family sized sundae and share it!

Pioneer Day: July 24^th is Pioneer Day.  Have a bread and milk supper with fruit, cheese, and onions (old pioneer favorites).  Tell pioneer stories and share excerpts from journals.  Sing pioneer songs and maybe even have an old fashioned square dance with family and friends. 

Tradition Tuesday - June Traditions

Hello to all of you that still check this blog.  Just a reminder that I am now posting at my new blog Lily&Thistle.  I will keep doing the monthly traditions ideas here until the end of the year so here's what I have for June:

Flag Day: 
Point out the American Flag every time you see one with your children.  Explain that the flag stand for our country and that it’s one way to tell the whole world who we are.  It also show’s that we’re connected to each other as Americans.  Because our flag is symbolic of many things, we treat it with respect.  At home, study the flag more closely and display it.  Explain to your children each part of the flag and its meaning.  The 50 stars stand for the 50 states, etc.

Celebration of Summer: 
     Plan a family campout (either in the mountains or even in your own backyard).  Have a family meeting to plan a wonderful summer.  Plan family activities, jobs and fun.

Seven Days of Dad: 
Show Dad how much you love him by celebrating Father’s Day all week long.  As a family decide what you will do each day of the week.  Each child can take a day and rotate or you can all plan something together on each day.  You can give him small notes, meaningful gifts, do his chores etc.  On Father’s Day honor him with a special dinner.  Dad will feel honored and loved after his seven days of attention.

Father’s Day Hand in Hand Photo: 
   Hands symbolize so much.  Each Father’s Day, take a photo of Dad’s hands with each child’s hands resting in his palm.  Over the years these photo’s will be a special record the Dad will cherish forever. 

The ABC Book:  
A perfect way to let Dad know you love him is to create an ABC Book.  This is a perfect activity to do with small children learning their ABC’s.  Make a small book with 26 pages and a cover of cardstock weight paper.  An easy way to do this is to punch three to five holes on the left side of each sheet of paper, stack them together, then lace ribbon through the holes and tie it on top.  Ask your children to think of things they love about Dad that correspond to each letter of the alphabet.  Have children draw a picture on each page showing what they have described.

Dates with Dad (and Mom): 
  Buy a journal/book and offer it to each child wrapped like a gift.  Include a short note on the first page about how much that child means to you and that you would like to spend time together, just the two of you.  Plan an activity once a month you both enjoy and make a date (on the calendar).  The journal is used to record those “Dates” with photos, memorabilia (a ticket stub, napkin, etc.) and a quick description of what took place and how much you enjoyed your time together (older children can keep their own journal or share it with parents i.e. child writes a little note and then the parent writes thoughts, memories as well and gives it back to the child for the next date).