July Calendar 
9 th – National Baked Bean Month – Have members make a list of foods that go well with baked beans.
13 th – Tennis Month – Teach members some basic tennis terms – how to keep score (love, twenty, thirty, forty, deuce, game) what it means to ace a serve.
19 th – Susan Montgomery Williams blew a bubble gum bubble with a 23 inch diameter on this day in 1994. Blow up a balloon with a 23 inch diameter to show members the size of this record breaking bubble.
21 st – The National Women's Hall of Fame was founded on this day in 1979. Have members write or tell about woman they admire.
23 rd – National Hot Dog Month – Provide a hot dog lunch for members complete with chili, mustard, ketchup, cheese, etc.
27 th – Bugs Bunny made his debut on this day in 1940. Have members draw cartoon rabbits and share them with others.
31 st – National Barbecue Month – Bring in paper plates and art materials. Have members cut out construction paper shapes of their favorite barbecue dished, such as ribs, coleslaw, etc., to glue to the paper plates. Display on a wall . Encourage members to remember the food pyramid when planning their healthy picnic lunch.
Read in July!
Here are some books to share with your child to
enhance the enjoyment of reading in July.
One Hundred Hungry Ants 
by Elionor J. Pinczes
• When one hundred hungry ants decide to march toward a picnic, they divide into different groups to help them get there faster.
• After reading the story, ask your child to name some of the animals in the story and the picnic foods they took.
Bailey Goes Camping
by Kevin Henkes
• When Bailey cannot go on a camping trip because he is too young, his mother shows him how to camp where he is.
• Drape blankets or sheets over a table to create an indoor tent and pretend to camp out with your child.
Once upon a Picnic
by John Prater
• A little boy on a picnic notices different storybook characters all around him.
• Ask your child to name the storybook characters that appear in the book.
Watermelon Day
by Kathi Appelt
• Jesse waits patiently all summer for her watermelon to grow and is excited when it is finally ripe and ready to eat.
• Help your child plant and care for a watermelon seed.
A Trip to the Islands
There's more to islands than beaches and palm trees! An island is a land mass that is completely surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent. Islands form in one of the four ways: land separates from a continent, volcanoes erupt under the ocean, sediment deposits near a shore, or coral formations rise above sea level.
Did you Know?
• Although Australia is surrounded by water, it is considered a continent instead of an island because of its size.
• Some islands have never been inhabited by humans, while others, such as Hong Kong and Manhattan, have highly populated cities.
• Islands can sometimes appear or disappear overnight because of volcanic activity, sinking of the ocean floor, and the rise and fall of sea level.
Any Port in a Storm
Get your club into an island frame of mind! First, turn out the lights and play a tape of storm or ocean sounds while pretending to be on a ship during a storm. Turn on the lights and say “We're shipwrecked on a deserted island!” Make small groups responsible for providing a necessity for the whole group, such as shelter, food, clean water, etc. List all the resources available on the island, such as coconut trees, seashells, wood from the wreaked boat, etc. And challenge groups to creatively use their resources.
I'm Unique
For some animals, it's good to be left alone! Many species of plants and animals are found only on islands because they are isolated from predators and other dangers on the mainland. Divide the group into five groups and assign each group one of the following animals, each unique to its island home. Lemurs in Madagascar, giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands, flightless Kiwi birds in New Zealand, Tasmanian Devils on Tasmania and the Komodo Dragon in Indonesia. Draw a large picture of each animal, and then add written facts about the animal and its island.
Camp Lots-O-Fun
Pack your backpack, fill your canteens, and get ready to go on a camping adventure!
Did you Know?
• Campsites were commonly used by cowboys and explorers as a place to bed down while traveling.
• Native Americans were the first true campers in North America. They learned to hunt, fish, and live comfortably in the wilderness.
Guess What We Saw When We Went Hiking?
To find out, play a guessing game using handmade binoculars. Have each child attach two short cardboard tubes together with masking tape to resemble binoculars. Sponge paint the binoculars in camouflage greens and browns. To create a neck strap, punch a hole on the outside of each tube and thread one end of a long string into each hole. Tie a knot to secure the string. To use the binoculars, pretend to “hike” through the backyard and play a game of “I Spy”. The catch is, players must always “spy” through their binoculars.
Happy Trail
This tasty treat is sure to bring lots of smiles as your campers hike those miles. Use a clean, plastic container with a handle to hold your mix (quart size milk jugs and small syrup bottles work well). Use a measuring cup to measure ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup peanuts, and ½ cup granola. Pour each ingredient through a funnel into the bottle. Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients, replace the lid, and then loop a string through the handle to create a waist belt.
Tall Campfire Tales 
One of the best parts of camping is…scary campfire stories! Arrange rocks, small logs, and twigs to resemble a campfire. Cut orange and yellow flames from tissue paper. Gather around the fire and turn off the lights. Place marshmallows on craft ticks and “roast” them over the campfire. Start a story by saying, “It was a dark and stormy night. We had just gotten into our tent when…” Then, choose a child to add a sentence or two to the story. Continue around the circle adding sentences to the story. For added fun, tape the story and reply it to remind children of their camping adventures.
Making Tracks on the Wild Side
This activity will leave a lasting impression on your group! By identifying animal tracks, campers can find out what kinds of animals are in the area. Provide a reference book which shows different tracks. Give each child some modeling clay and have then make up a new animal, then design its track in the clay. Have children write sentences describing the animals, draw illustrations of them, and name the new creature they tracked and found.
