August AUGUST

August is sometimes considered a transition month, signaling the end of summer and looking forward to the school year. No U.S. national holidays occur in August. But August is full of meaning and events; it is truly august (check out its meaning at http://www.dictionary.com).  And after doing the activities here, you might develop a parallel set of activities for other months.

CONNECT:

• Read about the history of the month of August: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/history-of-august.html
• The Soap Box Derby is a youth racing program which has run nationally since 1934.World Championship finals are held each August at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio: http://www.aasbd.org/
• On August 6, 1945,  was the bombing of Hiroshima. Read the story of a survivor at: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwii/hiroshima/index.htm

CREATE:

• August is known as the best month for looking at meteor showers. Here are some tips: http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/asteroids/best-meteor-showers/#.U91YzWPQo2R
• Here are 14 offbeat holidays you can celebrate in August: http://mentalfloss.com/article/58173/14-offbeat-holidays-you-can-celebrate-august
• Research some of the famous events and birthdays that occurred in August: http://www.historyplace.com/specials/calendar/august.htm

CARE:

• Celebrate your family as the Japanese do: during their Bon (or Obon) Festival. See if there is a festival in your area by checking at http://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/japanese-city-events-locations-summer-obon-odori-taiko-line-dancing-dango-drums-games-food.php.
• Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day, which was established August 14, 1947. India’s Independence Day started this next day. You can send a friend an independence day card at http://search.123greetings.com. Just search by the keywords of “independence day.”
• Each month has an associated birthstone. Learn about the history of birthstones, and find out about August’s TWO birthstones: peridot and sardonyx at  http://www.americangemsociety.org/birthstones. Some people think these stones have healing properties: http://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/

CAREER:

Want an august career? Probably the most obvious theme of the activities above is sociology: how people behave in groups.

• Here is a good list of sociology-related jobs: http://sociology.nd.edu/undergraduate-program/careers-for-sociology-majors/ 
• Look at some of the links provided at http://www.bhsu.edu/academics/programsmajors/behavioralsciences/sociology/careers/tabid/4810/default.aspx