The Frozen Niagara, inside Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave National Park was created in 1941. Located in central Kentucky, the park encompasses almost 53,000 acres. Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world. More than 400 miles of cave trails have been mapped. Children could visit the park’s website at: http://www.nps.gov/maca.
National Postal Worker Day honors all postal employees. Currently over 500,000 people are employed by the post office.
Princess Diana (born Sandringham, Norfolk, England, 1961; died Paris, France, August 31, 1997) was the former wife of Prince Charles. She was a favorite of many people worldwide.
Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith (born Peoria, Illinois, 1950) has written at least 20 books for children. She specializes in nonfiction books about holidays and cultures. Her books include Totem Pole and Cinco de Mayo: Celebrating the Traditions of Mexico.
Emily Arnold McCully (born Galesburg, Illinois, 1939) has written and illustrated at least 70 books for children. She received the 1993 Caldecott Medal for Mirette on the High Wire. Other books include Caroline’s Comets and Dreaming Code: Ada Byron Lovelace. Children can visit her website at: Emily Arnold McCully.
Jessica Meir (born Caribou, Maine, 1977) is an astronaut, physiologist, and marine biologist. She has participated in three space missions. She and Christina Koch provided the first all-woman space walk on October 18, 2019, when they repaired a broken power controller, an over seven-hour procedure, on the International Space Station. They followed up with two more space walks, one on January 15, 2020, and another on January 20, 2020. Children can learn more at: Jessica Meir.
Cecil John Rhodes (born Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, England, 1853; died Cape Town, South Africa, March 26, 1902) made a fortune from South Africa’s diamond mines. He founded the Rhodes Scholarships for students attending Oxford University.
Declaration of Independence resolution was passed in 1776 by the Continental Congress. This step allowed for the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
United States Constitution became the law in 1788. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, and plans were put into
action to have the document become the law of the land. Children can learn more at: Constitution.
Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan
Amelia Earhart, Fred Noonan, and their airplane disappeared somewhere in the Pacific in 1937. They had left Miami, Florida, on June 1, 1937, with the goal of flying around the world. On June 29, they had reached Papua New Guinea, and they had around 7,000 more miles to go. Then they failed to report. The government looked for their airplane for weeks, but no evidence was ever found. People continue to look for their remains. Children can learn more at: Earhart Disappearance.
Susan B. Anthony dollars were first issued in 1979. They were introduced into the economy from 1979 to 1981 and again in 1999.
Jack Gantos (born Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, 1951) writes books for children and young adults. His book Joey Pigza Loses Control received a 2001 Newbery Honor Award. His autobiography Hole in My Life earned both a 2003 Sibert Award and a 2003 Printz Award. Part autobiography, part novel, Dead End in Norvelt gained both the 2012 Newbery Medal and the 2012 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Children can visit his website at: Jack Gantos.
Jean Craighead George (born Washington, DC, 1919; died Valhalla, New York, May 15, 2012) wrote and illustrated at least 100 books for children. Her My Side of the Mountain earned a Newbery Honor Award in 1960. Julie of the Wolves received the 1973 Newbery Medal. Children could visit a website devoted to her at: Jean Craighead George.
Cynthia Kadohata (born Chicago, Illinois, 1956) has written at least twelve books for children. Her book Kira-Kira received the 2005 Newbery Medal. Other works include Checked and A Place to Belong. Children can learn more at: Cynthia Kadohata.
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall (born Baltimore, Maryland, 1908; died Washington, DC, January 24, 1993) was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. For more than twenty years he directed the legal portion of the NAACP. He was victorious in the case of Brown v Board of Education, ending “separate but equal” public schools. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson, and he was an associate justice for 24 years. Children could learn more at: Thurgood Marshall.
Darren Shan (born London, England, 1972) writes horror and fantasy books for young adults. His books include the Demonata series and The Saga of Darren Shan series. Young adults can visit his website at: Darren Shan.
Independence Day is tomorrow! Today would be a good day to organize some activities. Children could make a red, white, and blue dessert by layering strawberries, blueberries, and yogurt in plastic glasses. They could practice singing patriotic songs, and they could organize parades. They could find some great coloring pages at: Crayola Fourth of July.. They could also read The Night before the Fourth of July, written by Natasha Wing and illustrated by Amy Wummer.
Flag of Belarus
Belarus celebrates Independence Day. The country remembers the 1944 liberation of its capital Minsk from the Nazis. This land-locked country is slightly smaller than the state of Kansas. The land is flat and is significantly covered with marshland. Almost ten million people live in this eastern European country that exports chemicals and machinery.