July 3:  Fireworks at Compo Beach!

July 4: Independence Day was first celebrated on July 8, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was read to the public. By the 1880’s, the Fourth of July had become the most significant patriotic occasion in the United States. The holiday is presently celebrated with parades, fireworks, picnics, sporting events, and music. Children can have fun making paintings of fireworks: Use a large piece of paper. Let children drop small amounts of paint (different colors works well, or just use blue and red for a patriotic look. If you can, get black paper and use red, white and blue for fireworks in the night sky). Have the children swirl the paint out with a spoon, let them keep swirling from the center, in all directions around the drop of paint. Some of them may overlap, and that is fine, too. When it is finished it looks like fireworks bursting in the sky. Or give the child a straw and have them blow into the pools of paint to make their own free form painting of fireworks.

July 9 The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is the holiest month of the year. During Ramadan many Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from food and drink. The fast is for self-purification and renewal

July 14:  Bastille Day:  On July 14th the French celebrate Bastille Day. This day marks the end of monarchy and the beginning of the French Revolution. A favorite way to celebrate in France is with a picnic. You can plan a picnic with the children – it’s a simple adventure to eat outside on a blanket. Or try the Picnic Memory Game. A player names something they will pack for the picnic, then the next player names what he is bringing and what the other person is bringing. This continues with everyone taking a turn until the list is too long to remember or everyone is laughing too hard to play!

July 16-19:  Library Book Sale

July 20: Westport’s annual Point to Point Swim at Compo Beach.  Event open to ages 10 and up

July 20-21:  Outdoor Art Show along the sidewalks of Parker Harding Plaza in downtown Westport