Thirty days passed and April slipped right into a new month. The May flowers are certainly blooming and decorating the landscape, ushering in a wealth of springtime beauty. Find ways to enjoy the month with family celebrations and activities to create lasting memories with those you love. Try out some of the wacky, but real, celebrations below and make it a remarkable May.
➤ Mystery Month — Celebrate the chills and thrills of a good mystery with books checked out from the library. Find age appropriate mysteries to read aloud together as a family. Find copies of the classic Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series of books and read throughout the entire month and into summer days. For another classic, check out the book "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler." Read the A to Z Mystery series from letter A to Z with younger kids and try to solve the mystery before you get to the end of each book. Solve small-town crimes with the much-beloved Encyclopedia Brown or solve a San Francisco mystery in a more contemporary kid's book, "Book Scavenger." Sometime during the month, throw in a fun family game of Clue.
➤ National Vinegar Month — Well, this is an odd holiday, for sure, but celebrate nonetheless with a yummy sweet and sour green bean recipe. Bake four strips of bacon in the oven until crispy. Move the bacon strips to a paper towel to drain, but reserve the bacon drippings. Pour the drippings into a small saucepan and place on top of the stove. Add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Cook over medium heat, just until the sugar dissolves. Drain a 28-ounce can of French-cut green beans thoroughly, then pour the beans into the sugar and vinegar mixture. Cook on medium until the beans appear glazed. Drain the excess liquid and pour the beans into a serving dish. Enjoy!
➤ Drinking Water Week — Go for a family hike on a beautiful day and have each person don backpacks with hiking necessities like Bandaids or hand wipes. Let each person carry a favorite snack bar or trail mix package. Stop halfway through the hike and have a picnic with energy snacks and cool water. Refresh with glasses of iced water when you return home, too. Let the day’s celebration remind you to be grateful for safe, clean drinking water available in this country!
➤ National Wildflower Week — Create a fun flower craft to celebrate the holiday. For each flower, cut 16 strips of construction paper in a variety of colors. Each strip needs to be 1/2 inch in width and 8 inches in length. Loop each strip lengthwise and put a dab of glue to hold the ends together. Set aside the 16 looped flower petals briefly while the glue dries. Cut two circles with an approximate diameter of 1.5 inches. Glue the “petals” around the edge of one of the circles, then top with the other circle and seal closed with glue. Glue the flower blossom onto the top of a green-colored pencil. Then place each family member’s flower in a small vase to form a wildflower bouquet.
➤ Dance Like a Chicken Day — Another silly holiday, but one worth celebrating! Gather the family in the den or the backyard, turn on some music, and dance like a chicken! Flap your arms, cluck loudly and wiggle and move like a dance-contest winning chicken! Make sure your moves are eggs-traordinary, because May is also National Egg Month!!
Celebrate a superb May with those you love. Celebrate the end of another school year and the impending months of summer. Enjoy the colorful array of springtime flowers. Watch a game of baseball. Run barefooted in the new grass. Visit the farmers market and try out some new veggie recipes. Don’t miss a minute of fun in May and see you next month!
Statesboro native Julie Bland Lavender is married to David Lavender and enjoys celebrating with children Jeremy, Jenifer, Jeb Daniel and Jessica.