In Person Meet Up: Tuesday, July 13, 2:30-4:30
Founder's Park: 11675 Hazel Dell Parkway, Carmel 46033
Hello Friends,
If you are here in Central Indiana you may be noticing our special "Fall Friday" weather. Indiana is treating us to some very lovely days (although it may be too cool to go to the pool!). If you are looking for a very low-key but amazing sight, take an night drive into the country and watch the firefly light show.
Now that the Fourth of July is past, it's time to get ready for the fairs. We love our the county and state fairs in Indiana. This is the opportunity for our farmers to showcase their hard work.
This year we can safely enjoy getting together at outdoor concerts and street fairs and festivals. Check out Indiana or Festival Indiana for a comprehensive list of concerts and farmers' markets. Visit Indiana has even more events and places to go.
- Meet Me On Main July 10
- Art of Wine: Main Street, July 17 Carmel. Tickets for wine tasting $20 for those 21 and older
- Dayton Air Show: July 10-11. A little road trip to Dayton, OH will give you a great air show!
Fireworks Aren't Just For the Fourth
We often use fireworks to celebrate the end to outdoor concerts throughout the summer in Indiana. Fire risks in our state are very low. We had questions about fireworks could be fun for families (with parental oversight and close parental supervision). Fireworks for Kids is a good guide.
A Guide to Fireworks Safety has Seven Safety Tips to keep everyone safe. Key safety rules include
- A bucket of water should be kept near to douse spent fireworks (or misfires).
- Young children should not light fireworks. This should be left to adults and teens (if they are brave)
- People should stay 10 feet apart when using sparklers and stay 10 feet from fireworks that are going off.
- Driveway fireworks should be
Early Elementary
Very small, slow and low is the key here! Sparklers and snakes can be hot to touch, but they don't throw out hot sparks. Additionally, they don't move.
- Bangs or poppers such as Snap 'n' Pops
- Sparklers
- Snakes and smoke bombs are fun to watch during the day (these should be lit by adults).
Older Elementary Children
Fireworks that stay on the ground and do not fly into the air. In other words, kids can safely stay away from them.
- Fountains
- Race cars or tanks
- Ground bloom flowers
- Spinners
- Firecrackers
Teens and Adults
Anything that flies off the ground or shoots into the air. Be careful that fireworks do not fly towards people. Some fireworks can "bloom" or "bang". Be sure you have plenty of room when shooting these off.
- Roman Candles
- Bottle Rockets (although don't use a glass bottles so they don't explode glass)
- Missiles and Rockets
And more...
- This article describes 19 Fireworks and some things to look out for when using them.
- Dictionary.com gives a very nice list with pictures and videos of common fireworks to identify.
And speaking of rockets and fireworks...Not many people know all the verses to the Star Spangled Banner. We usually sing the first. Some people have raised controversy and object to the United States national song for the mention of a word not the context. Judge for yourself.
Hamilton County 4-H Fair July 15-19
The County Fairs are back! Be sure to take in the Hamilton County Fair and taste delicious food and learn about how to get involved in 4-H. 4-H is a great place for children to learn life skills and demonstrate their interests.
Indiana State Fair: July 30-August 22
It is good to be getting back to the fair. The dates have been extended to help spread out the crowds. One tip is to visit earlier in the day!
Take Down Your Bird Feeders
The DNR is asking people to take their bird feeders down and wash them and put them away. Songbirds are dying from an unknown disease. Since birds congregate at feeders, authorities are concerned that the disease will be passed along. Learn more.
COVID-19
COVID 19 vaccines are holding against variants as well as are looking like they provide years of protection is the result of current studies. Forbes
Grammar and Writing
The apostrophe continues to raise questions. You will notice that it is often misused. Apostrophes ARE NOT used when indicating plural so be very careful. Word substitute in apps and grammar checkers will suggest and apostrophe. As a rule, apostrophes are used to indicate possession or omission (that is omitting a letter or part of a word in a contraction).
How to Apostrophes in Fiction Writing: a beginner's guide is a very good summary for using this important punctuation mark.
American Sign Language: Monday, 5:30-6:30 PM EST, Zoom
We signed about our Fourth of July celebrations and "sang" the Star Spangled Banner. We talked about other situations where "public" signing for interpretation is helpful. Our class wanted to do another song since songs help to build vocabulary. We also included The Lord's Prayer as it is commonly prayed in group settings.
Oceans Videos:
This one is very ASL culturally.
This one is a tutorial that is more like Signed English
This one shows emotion in another way.
This helps you understand how you sign helps to convey emotion and meaning.
The Lord's Prayer:
A step by step tutorial
And here it is set to music:
Grammar Workshop: Thursday, 10:30-12:00 PM EST, Zoom
Join us July 13 as we continue our last three sessions of this workshop.
Kids' Conversation: Thursday, 4:00-4:00 PM EST
Join us as we share our home languages. Create the perfect amusement park ride and bring your drawing or model to Zoom. This week we will get to know each other better. Be ready to talk about things you like and things you like to do!
as a rule: usually
comprehensive: complete
congregate: gather in a group
douse: cover with water
into the country: into a rural area
light: ignite
raise questions: a problem or matter that needs explanation or consideration
spent: used
