National Ice Cream Month and 1984 Timeline

July is National Ice Cream Month! Did you know that in 1984, President Reagan issued an official proclamation honoring one of the nation’s favorite foods? He said, “Ice cream is a nutritious and wholesome food, enjoyed by over ninety percent of the people in the United States. It enjoys a reputation as the perfect dessert and snack food. Over eight hundred and eighty-seven million gallons of ice cream were consumed in the United States in 1983.” He went on to direct the nation to, “observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” I for one intend to do my part! To celebrate National Ice Cream Month, we have a list of free ice-cream printables ready for you and your family to enjoy! So grab a bowl of this tasty snack, warm up your printer, and let’s have some fun!

Ice Cream Copywork and Puzzle Packet

Ice Cream Roundup

Ice Cream Parlor-Alphabetical Flavors Printable Manipulative

Ice Cream Flavor Scramble

Take a fun interactive tour of Turkey Hill to see how ice cream is made.

Discovering this tidbit from 1984 made me curious what else was happening that year. Do you know what I discovered? In that same year, Donald Duck celebrated his 50th birthday, an ancient Mayan tomb was discovered, the Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, Brunei gained its independence, and the renowned photographer Ansel Adams passed away. I rounded up some ways you can explore these events and have fun while you bring 1984 to life!

Donald Duck celebrates his 50th birthday! Have a competition to see who can make a list of the most cartoon/animated characters. For added fun, have the kids team up with a parent so Mom and Dad can compete to see who can remember the most cartoon character names from their childhood.

An ancient Mayan tomb is discovered in Petan, Guatemala. Take a look at samples of Mayan writing or explore Mayan history with a free lapbook.

Study the 1984 Summer Olympics or enjoy this free Summer Olympics unit study anytime. The unit study includes instructions on how to use it to study any prior Summer Olympic Games or to study the next ones as they are being held.

Discover the island nation of Brunei and practice math skills with How Small is Brunei? Country Comparison Worksheet.

There are lots of resources for studying the life and photography of Ansel Adams. Here is an Ansel Adams biography from the National Park Service, ideas on how to do an Ansel Adams picture study, and more ways for kids to explore photography with Ansel Adams.

1984 was also the year words such as ATM and compact disc were added to the dictionary. Come have fun with a worksheet about the Changing Vocabulary of Technology.