@MissSusanCastro

Elias Howe loved machines. Born in Massachusetts on July 9, 1819, even as a kid, he was fascinated by the way mechanical parts moved together.

James Abbot McNeill Whistler’s (Whew, what a name!) was born in Massachusetts on July 10, 1834, but spent most of his life in London. He was a great painter and a colorful personality. He’s best known for the pictured called “Whistler’s Mother”, which is actually tittled Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1: The Artist’s Mother.

(We should really be celebrating Long Name Day!)

Have fun with “Whistler’s Mother.”

Here is a cartoon of Whistler’s famous Arrangement. Finish the picture anyway you like.

Make today full of surprises.  Surprise parties are a lot of fun. Have you been in one lately? Here's a way to send someone a "surprise birthday party" by mail: In a large envelope, enclose a balloon, some confetti, a birthday candle, a flat favor (such as a pack of bubble gum cards or a sticker booklet), and a card that says "SURPRISE! Happy Birthday!" Sign your name or just "guess who". Use two first-class stamps on the envelope and write "Please cancel by hand" next to them. Send your surprise two or three days before your friend's birthday so she can be on time. 

Marc Chagall is one of the most popular artists of the twentieth century. His paintings, prints, drawings, and ceramics often show fiddlers, flowers, acrobats, lovers and scenes from the little Russian-Jewish town where he was born in 1887.

People and animals fly through the brilliant skies of his paintings and houses stand on their heads.

Chagall also made 12 stained-glass windows for a synagogue in Jerusalen.

They are considered some of his masterpeices and have been compared to jewels in a crown.

You've probably seen stained-glass windows in churches, temples, and other public buildings. Did you ever think of the people who made them? Next time you see one of those windows take a close look.

Imagine all the love and hard word that went into making it all by hand.

Make a Stand Glass Window

This is one way to get the glowing effect of light through stained glass.

START with a piece of brown paper cut to fit the window where you'll hang it.

DRAW a frame, then make a picture or design lightly in black crayon. The black lines must connect to the frame or each other.

COLOR in between the lines with bright colored crayons. The go back and DARKEN the black lines.

When your design is complete, moisten a cotton ball with mineral oil and rub lightly over the brilliantly colored shapes: The paper will become TRANSLUCENT.

Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Mr. Jeremy Fisher- these are just some of the many characters created by Beatrix Potter, born in London in 1866. Beatrix always loved animals. Her first pet was a mouse named Hunca Munca. Later she kept rabbits, kittens, a hedgehog and even a whole family of snails. Peter Rabbit was the first story Beatrix wrote and illustrated.

Originally it was part of a letter she sent to a sick friend, a little boy named Noel. Noel and his family loved the story, and years later Beatrix Potter published The Tale of Peter Rabbit and then many other picture books that have become classics.

Etienne de Silhouette, born July 5, 1709, was French finance minister whose hobby was cutting shadow portraits, an inexpensive past time. His name became identified with his art form as a joke - à la silhouette came to mean something done cheaply. Perhaps because of the humor, the name stuck and such pictures are still called silhouettes.

One of the most popular kinds of silhouette is the portrait profile. One person’s shadow is projected by a lamp onto a piece of paper. Another person traces the outline of the shadow, then cuts it out. It is then glued to a contrasting colored paper (for example, black on white).

Make Silhouette cutouts.

Use black paper. Cut out animals, people, plants, buildings, etc.

Put the cutouts together to form scenes.

Glue the pictures carefully to white paper using white glue. If you like you can add tiny details witch a black pen after gluing.

Happy birthday, America! The Fourth of July is the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776 and is the most important American National holiday.

Today all over the country people are going on picnics. Watermelon has become the traditional food of the day. Add fresh blueberries on vanilla ice cream to the menu and you’ll have a red, white and blue feast. 

Various sports events, swim meets, Little League games, Soap Box Derbies - and many parades will be held. And tonight there’ll be fireworks displays in cities and towns from Maine to California.