Independence Day
The 4th of July is such a fun and special time of year. Be sure to hold a celebration at your facility to celebrate our freedom! Watch a parade or maybe even participate in one. Or, hold your own parade right in your building or on the facility grounds! A BBQ or Picnic are fun ideas too.
THE HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE DAY
Independence Day, or the Fourth of July is the adoption by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, of the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the severance of the allegiance of the American colonies to Great Britain. It is the greatest secular holiday of the United States, observed in all the states, territories and dependencies.
Although it is assumed that the Continental Congress unanimously signed the document on the 4th of July, in fact not all delegates were present and there were no signers at all. Here is what really happened.
The congressional delegate from Virginia, Richard Henry Lee, introduced in the Continental Congress, on June 7, 1776, a resolution "that...body declare the United Colonies free and independent States, absolved from allegiance to or dependence on the Crown or Parliament of Great Britain..." On June 10 a committee of five, headed by Thomas Jefferson (the actual writer), was appointed to prepare a declaration suitable to the occasion in the event that the Virginia resolution was adopted. Jefferson's version was revised by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Jefferson himself before it went to the Congress where they did some editing of their own.
Congress approved the resolution July 2; the declaration composed by Jefferson and amended by his committee was adopted July 4 and was read in the yard of the state house July 8. New York did not even vote on it until July 9. The signing was even more gradual, and it is somewhat misleading to speak of the "fifty-six original signers of the Declaration of Independence". By August 6, most of those whose names are on the document had signed, but at least six signatures were attached later. One signer, Thomas McKean did not attach his name until 1781! Some of those who signed were not even in Congress when the Declaration was adopted, and some who voted for it in Congress never did get around to signing it. Robert R. Livingston was one of the committee of five; he helped to frame it; he voted for it; and he never signed it.
The first anniversary of the declaration was observed only in Philadelphia, Pa., by the adjournment of Congress, a ceremonial dinner, bonfires, the ringing of bells and fireworks. In 1788, after the requisite number of states had adopted the constitution, Philadelphia
celebrated July 4 by elaborate festivities, including a grand procession.
Boston, Mass., first observed the day in 1783, and thereafter this celebration replaced that of the Boston Massacre, March 5. The custom
spread to other cities and states, where the day was marked by parades, patriotic oratory, military displays and fireworks. In present time,
games and athletic contests, picnics, patriotic programs and pageants, and community fireworks of pyrotechnic expertise are characteristic of the 4th of July.
BULLETIN BOARD IDEA
Celebrate The Fourth of July with this version of Old Glory. Cover a bulletin board with white paper. Divide the board into 13 equal, horizontal rows. Beginning with the top row, cover every other row with cut-to-fit strips of red bulletin-board-paper. Mount a large, blue bulletin-board-paper rectangle in the upper left hand corner. Have each resident glue a photo of themselves to the center of a white construction-paper star; then mount all of the stars in the blue area.
​
GAMES
Pass the Map Game
Here's what you need:
20 small pieces of paper
A Map of the United States
Directions:
Write North on 5 cards, South on 5 cards, East on 5 cards, and West on 5 cards.
How to Play
Shuffle all 20 cards. The first player calls out a state. The player to his left draws one directional card and identifies a state bordering the called state, in that direction.
For example: Utah is called and south is the direction. The card holder names Arizona as a state bordering Utah on the south. Any bordering state to the south would be correct.
Check the map to make sure the answer is right.
Now, pass the map to the next player. Count one point for each correct answer. First person to earn 20 points wins.
JOKES & RIDDLES
What do you get when you cross a duck with a flame on the Fourth of July?
A fire quacker.
Why does Uncle Sam wear red, white, and blue suspenders?
To hold up his pants.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
A note excusing you from school.
What would you say if everyone in the U.S. sneezed at the same time?
"God bless America!"
What are the last 2 words of the national anthem?
"Play ball!"
TRIVIA
​
FLAG FACTS
Until the Executive Order of June 24, 1912,
neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag
was prescribed.
Consequently, flags dating before this period sometimes show
unusual arrangements of the stars and odd proportions, these
features being left to the discretion of the flag maker. In general,
however, straight rows of stars and proportions similar to those
later adopted officially were used. The principal acts affecting the
flag of the United States are the following:
Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777 - stated: "Resolved: that the flag
of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white; that the union be thirteen stars,
white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.
Act of April 4, 1818 - provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state,
to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following
the admission of each new state.
Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established
proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of
the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single
point of each star to be upward.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959 -
provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of
seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically.
Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959 -
provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of
stars staggered horizon tally and eleven rows of stars staggered
vertically.
​
​
4TH OF JULY POETRY
242 years ago...on July 4th, 1776
This great nation, the United States of America,
In a struggle for what was right and free,
Was proudly born...
May we celebrate that precious freedom
For which our forbears fought so bravely...
The freedom that is inherent
In the Stars and Stripes, our revered flag...
Celebrate Freedom
This Fourth of July!
I Hear America Singing
By Walt Whitman
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
​
RECIPES
EASY FLAG CAKE
2 pints of strawberries, 1 box of your favorite white or yellow cake mix, 1 1/3 C of blueberries and 1 tub of whipped topping
Serves 12
Mix up and bake your favorite cake mix. Let cool. Slice 1 cup of strawberries, set aside. Halve remaining strawberries, set aside. Top cake (in pan) with 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 cup blueberries and all of the whipped topping. Arrange remaining strawberry halves and blueberries on whipped topping to create a flag design. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
AMERICAN FLAG VEGGIE PLATE
Here is what you will need:
1 cookie sheet
1 shallow, square container
1 piece of poster board
Blueberries
Cherry tomatoes
Cauliflower stalks
Have the residents help you wash the cherry tomatoes, cauliflower stalks, and blueberries.
Put the blueberries in the shallow container. Place it on the cookie sheet in the upper left hand corner.
Cut the poster board so it goes from the edge of the shallow container to the edge of the cookie sheet. You will also need several pieces of poster board that spans the entire length of the cookie sheet.
Place one of the pieces of poster board about two inches down from the top of the cookie sheet and have the residents fill the space with tomatoes.
Take another piece of poster board and place it two inches down and fill the space with cauliflower. Keep alternating tomatoes and cauliflower until you get to the end of the cookie sheet.
Now, you have a yummy American flag!
FOURTH OF JULY FRUIT SALAD
You will need: bananas, strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream. Wash fruit and cut into slices (can use plastic knives). Mix it all together in a large bowl and spoon it into individual paper plates. Eat with a spoonful of whipped cream on top!
HICKORY SMOKED HAMBURGERS
To one pound of lean ground beef add:
1 tsp worcestershire sauce or more to taste
a good sprinkling of salt and pepper
about 4 Tbsp of minced onion
a sprinkle of garlic powder
​
CRAFTS
MAGNETIC FLAG FRAME
You Need:
· Magnetic Frame
· 4" x 5" Photo
· Vinyl Tape
· Scissors
· Star Paper Punch
· White Paper and Glue
Instructions:
Lay down strips of blue vinyl on the top left side of the frame to make the blue field of the flag. Lay down red vinyl stripes. Punch stars out of label stock, peel backing press down on blue field. Add your favorite photo and stick to any magnetic surface.
PATRIOTIC JARS
You need medium or large baby food jars, red, white and blue tempera paint and sticker stars. You then can use old sponges or paint brushes to paint the inside of a baby jar red or blue. Next you need to put the sticker stars on the outside of the jar. These can be in any order or design. Just don't cover the whole thing. At this point put the white tempera paint over the top of the baby jar, stars included. This might need to be done twice. Set aside to dry. When dry peel the stickers off. The color on the inside should be revealed in the shape of a star. Put votive candles on the inside of the baby jars.
UNCLE SAM CENTERPIECES
Materials:
red, white, and blue construction paper
red, white, and blue tempera paint
markers or crayons
glue
cotton
paper cup
Directions:
1. Turn a paper cup upside down. On the bottom half of the cup, draw Uncle Sam's face. Use cotton to make a beard; glue onto face. You may also use the cotton to make hair and eyebrows.
2. Using a six-inch square of white construction paper, cut out a circle. Cut out a circle in the middle of the larger circle, big enough to fit around the paper cup just above Uncle Sam's face-this is the brim of the hat, the remaining top half of the cup is the hat itself.
3. Color the brim of the hat red, white and blue.
4. Paint the hat portion red, white and blue. or you may cut red, white and blue stripes from the construction paper to glue around the cup.