JULY 2007

• Listen to some patriotic music. Talk with your group about the origin and history of "God Bless America," written by Irving Berlin, but destined to be associated with popular singer Kate Smith. Listen to Kate's rendition, first sung on her radio broadcast in 1938. (Song available on "Best of Kate Smith" CD.)
• Organize an old-fashioned ice cream social for your group, complete with sundaes, floats, and shakes.
• Reminisce about listening to or watching baseball games, America's national pastime. Ask: Did you have a favorite Major League team? Did your family gather around the kitchen table to listen to play-by-play accounts on the radio? How did the game change for you when you were able to watch a live game on your newly acquired television? How often did you drive to the ballpark for a family outing? Did you ever make a trip to the movie theater to see sports highlights on newsreel? Take a "seventh- inning stretch" and sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
• Share memories of summer camping adventures. Talk about the different types of camping experiences, including YMCA, Scouts, 4-H camp, or church camp. Sing some camp songs in the round, e.g., "Bingo" or "Yankee Doodle." Make s'mores with the group.
• Show photographs of a favorite American icon, the drive-in movie theater. Share recollections about the experience of watching a movie in your car. Watch a favorite family classic like The Shaggy Dog or Pollyanna.
• Ask participants to name their favorite books for summer reading. Ask: Where was your favorite place to relax with a good book? Share recollections of borrowing books from the summer bookmobile or the main library. Enjoy some light reading with your group. Suggestion: Art Linkletter's book, Kids Say the Darndest Things! (TV show available on DVD.)
• Encourage group members to share summer berry-picking adventures. Bring in an old pail filled with fresh berries. Taste jellies and jams made with summer fruits.
• Share memories of a favorite summer activity for bargain hunters: attending flea markets. Ask: Can one person's trash be another person's treasure? Bring in items you would find at a flea market and ask participants to price them. Examples: old records, old toys, glass, magazines, jewelry.
• Organize an intergenerational garden tea party (indoors). Decorate with fresh summer flowers. Ask the ladies to wear big-brimmed hats. Older ladies can teach younger girls about tea etiquette.
• Share family stories about visiting the county fair. Sample typical fair foods, like corn dogs and funnel cakes. Play a ring toss game.
• Examine sunflower art by Vincent Van Gogh. Paint a cheerful bouquet of sunflowers. Eat some sunflower seeds.
• Share nostalgic memories of sitting on the front porch with extended family and neighbors on a hot summer night. Ask: Did your family have a rocking chair or swing on the front porch? Did you gossip, give advice, share family stories, or watch children catch fireflies? Serve a favorite summer drink, such as iced tea, lemonade, or a root beer float.
• Enjoy some songs related to the season: "Summertime," "Those Lazy-Hazy- Crazy Days of Summer," or "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree." Ask: What are some activities you enjoy during the summer months?
• Show clothing advertisements of 1950s-era summer fashions, including Bermuda shorts, surfer shorts, tank tops, clam diggers, pedal pushers, bikinis, and RayBans. (Available on Everyday Fashions of the 1950s.) Ask participants to describe a favorite summer outfit.
• Display an old fishing rod. Encourage the men to share some funny fishing stories. Ask: Did you ever hook a really big one? Ask participants to list words associated with the sport of fishing, e.g., reel, rod, bait, tackle, lure.