June 1

International Children's Day ~ On June 1, International Children's Day, children's rights are promoted and achievements celebrated. In China, where most families have one child, children have the day off from school.

Oscar The Grouch's Birthday (Sesame Street) ~ Did you know that you can watch Sesame Street in Taiwan? They show the same 50 episodes over and over but our little ones don't care. Hallmark Chanel at 7 am and repeats at 11 am.

June 2

Italian National Day - You can celebrate the Italian in your life by eating some pasta and teaching your baby or toddler a few words in Italian. Studies show that if you expose your baby to many languages before they are one year old they will develop more verbal skills later in life. Here's a great link to visit!

June 3

Old Maid Day ~ Play a hand of Old Maid! The game of Old Maid is at least 100 years old, and has been played in most parts of the world. It's a game used to teach children how to match up numbers or images into pairs. You can use a standard deck of cards by removing one queen, leaving 51 cards with the Queen of Spades as the Old Maid. Deal out all of the cards, remove your pairs, draw from your neighbors hand - and continue making pairs until just one card is left. Whoever holds the last card is the Old Maid!

June 4

Aesop's birthday ~ Take a few minutes and tell your children one of Aesop's fables. They are great opportunities to learn some of the great stories all with a great moral attached. Here are some of the fables online as well as some basic information about who Aesop was and more about his background.

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Queen Elizabeth II celebrates the 50th anniversary of her coronation as Queen of England on June 4, 1953, with a special church service and bank holiday in England.

June 5

Richard Scarry's Birthday ~ The world's best-selling children's author and illustrator, Richard Scarry was born on June 5, 1919, in Boston. His books, featuring colorful pictures of animal characters, have been translated into many languages. You can find copies of Richard Scarry's books here in Taiwan at the Eslite Children's book store. Here's a fun coloring project.

June 6

The first drive-in movie theater in the U.S. opened on June 6, 1933, in Camden, New Jersey. Why not send the kids to bed early tonight and pop in a video for you and your spouse! When is the last time you had couple time?

June 7

Chocolate Ice Cream Day - There are many places to get good iceccream in Taiwan, but why not go for a splurge and go to the Haggen Daz on DunHwa and Chung Hsiao.

June 8

Adopt a cat month ~ The number of stray and unwanted pets in Taiwan is heartbreaking. If you know that you will be living in Taiwan for a few years and will be heading back to the US why not consider adopting a stray cat. Often at the JianGuo Flower Market on weekends they have an animal shelter that has stray cats and dogs available for adoption. PLEASE do not buy one from one the hawkers there, the animal shelter people are approved and are helping to get rid of the strays. The Hawkers are puppy mill operations. More importantly, if you chose to adopt, take your pet back with you when you go home. Did you know you can import your pet back to the US without any qurantine? If you can't adopt a real cat, here is one for you to make.

June 9

Donald Duck's Birthday ~ Disney cartoon character Donald Duck was 'born' on June 9, 1934, the day he made his debut in the Silly Symphony cartoon The Wise Little Hen. Today you can make a fun little Donald Duck toy, with a toilet paper tube, some glue and a color printer (or black and white if you want to do the coloring yourself!)

June 10

Maurcie Sendak's Birthday ~ Happy birthday to one of the most beloved artists and illustrators of children's books, Maurice Sendak, born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 10, 1928. Follow the wild things in your imagination to celebrate.

Race Unity Day

June 11

King Kamehameha Day King Kamehameha I was Hawaii's first king. He unified the islands in 1810, then ruled in peace until his death in 1819. Admired for his physical strength, brilliant mind and compassion, islanders believed he possessed mana, the spiritual power from the gods. Hawaii was a monarchy until 1893 when it became a US territory. Today, the birthday of King Kamehameha the Great is celebrated each year as a state holiday to honor Hawaiian history- Why not make some grass skirts with green crepe paper and dance the Hula around your house.

June 14

Flag Day ~ U.S. John Adams introduced the stars and stripes on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia. The Betsy Ross House in that Pennsylvania city holds a special program to honor the U.S. flag. Pause for the Pledge is an official part of National Flag Day ceremonies.

Rice-Planting Festival ~ A rice paddy in Osaka, Japan, is the site of the ceremonial transplanting of rice seedlings on June 14. Make a Japanese Torii for fun.

June 15

Dragon Boat Festival ~ Learn more here

June 16, 2002

Father's Day ~ June 16 is Father's Day in the U.S., Great Britain, and Japan. The U.S. holiday for dads was first requested in 1910, and officially proclaimed by the president in 1966. After World War II, observance of thanks for fathers' love and hard work spread to Japan.

June 19

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery on June 19, 1865 by U.S. presidential proclamation. Today, the event emphasizes African American education and achievement. The holiday is celebrated worldwide.

June 20

World Juggling Day Toss and catch 'em at local festivals to celebrate Juggling Day on June 20. Although juggling has a modern meaning of doing many things at once, the ancient art of continuously throwing and catching at least three objects in the air is fun and great for dexterity. If you can't juggle here is a website that will teach you how. Or just color one.

June 21

Summer Solstice ~ Summer arrives on June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. Likewise, in the Southern Hemisphere, winter begins today. Tonight, if it is not raining, why don't you head outside and enjoy the longest day of the year. Take your kids to the park for an evening stroll!

June 24th

Midsummer Day - St. John's Day ~ Celebrated throughout Europe, this day celebrated both the birth of St. John the Baptist and the start of summer. Some countries like Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Iceland have Midsummer Fires. Others say this is the only day of the year that Fairies can be seen. Why not leave some Fairy Food out and see if they appear.

Macau Day ~ Macau celebrates a national holiday on June 24, when in 1622 Dutch invaders were defeated. Macau is a former Portuguese colony that is now part of China.

June 28

Paul Bunyon Day ~ The legend of Paul Bunyan started with stories told by men in lumber camps. He was supposed to be a giant lumberjack who performed incredible feats - such as scooping out the Great Lakes to get water for his blue ox, Babe. The stories probably date back to the 1800's. They appeared in newspapers in the early 1900's and turned Paul into part of American folklore.

June 30

Britain Cedes Claim to Hong Kong ~ China officially became sovereign over Hong Kong on June 30, 1997, when the British lease on land surrounding the city ended. Click for more