National Gummi Worm Day is today! Also called Gummy Worms, the candy was first produced by the Trolli company around 1981 in Germany. The candy migrated across the Atlantic and is now a popular American treat. The candy is made from gelatin, syrup, corn syrup, colorings, and flavorings. Idea: Children could add Gummi Worms to a variety of foods, including dirt cake or chocolate pudding or fruit salad.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone was found in 1799. Great Britain and France were at war, and one of their battle locations was in Egypt. The French found the stone when they were trying to improve their fortifications. The French lost the battle, and the British confiscated the Rosetta Stone. A pharaoh’s proclamation is written in three different languages on the stone. Jean Francois Champollion deciphered the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic text by working back through the other two languages. The British Museum now houses the Rosetta Stone. Children can learn more at: Rosetta Stone.
Artist’s Rendition of Apollo 18 and Soyuz 19 Meeting
Apollo-Soyuz mission was successful in 1975. Three American astronauts, Thomas P. Stafford, Vance D. Brand, and Donald K. Slayton, from Apollo 18 docked and worked with two Soviet cosmonauts, Alexey Leonov and Valeri Kubasov, on the Soyuz 19 craft. The purpose of the mission was to show that the space race was over and that different countries could work together to forward space exploration. The mission concluded on July 21, 1975. Children can learn more at: Apollo-Soyuz.
Thomas Bulfinch (born Newton, Massachusetts, 1798; died Boston, Massachusetts, May 27, 1867) was a mythologist. He wrote Bulfinch’s Mythology. Idea: Children could create some plays about some of the myths after they read Bulfinch’s Mythology at: Project Gutenberg.
Walter D. Edmonds (born Boonville, New York, 1903; died Concord, Massachusetts, January 24, 1998) wrote books for both children and adults. He received the 1942 Newbery Medal for The Matchlock Gun.
Marcia Thornton Jones (born Joliet, Illinois, 1958) has written over 135 books for children. Her books include The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series and Ratfink. Children can visit her website, particularly the Activities and Fun Stuff link, at: Marcia T. Jones.
Clement Clarke Moore (born New York, New York, 1779; died Newport, Rhode Island, July 10, 1863) wrote A Visit from Saint Nicholas. It was published without his permission in a newspaper on December 23, 1823. Idea: Children could celebrate a little Christmas in July and read A Visit from Saint Nicholas at: Project Gutenberg.
Yuko Shimizu (born Tokyo, Japan, 1965) is an illustrator. Her illustrations in The Cat Man of Aleppo, written by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, earned her a 2021 Caldecott Honor Award.
Rembrandt Van Rijn (born Leiden, Netherlands, 1606; died Amsterdam, Netherlands, October 4, 1669) was a painter. He was a prolific artist. About 600 paintings and 1,400 drawings have survived. He created about 100 self-portraits, giving us a great deal of information about himself. Children could visit a website at: Rembrandt Van Rijn.