DLTK's Crafts for Kids
International Picnic Day - June 18th
Photograph by Evangelina Silina on Unsplash.com
International Picnic Day is celebrated annually on June 18th. The word picnic is suspected to derive from the French words “piquer” meaning to pick and “nique” meaning a small amount. Picnics have evolved throughout history and look incredibly different from how they originally did. Picnics were a popular past time in the 1700s among the French aristocracy, but they were very extravagant infoor affairs where guests brought food, drink, or a monetary contribution and all of the guests engaged in lots of conversation. Sometimes there would even be music and dancing, so picnics in the 18th century looked more like balls than the chill outdoor gatherings they are today.
Picnics changed after the French Revolution because the French aristocracy fled to other countries and their picnics while still extravagant were less dignified. Everyone still brought something for the meal and afterwards there were lots of activities like plays, singing, and dancing. Especially once these picnics arrived in London, England, this new form of gathering really grew in popularity. And one group of previous aristocrats even formed the Pic Nic Society.
At the same time as the picnics hosted by the French arisocracy grew popular in England, the middle class also took up the tradition and began to host these gatherings outside. With this, picnics became less extravagant and were simple but lovely opportunities to gather with loved ones in the lovely countryside! This same outdoor-gathering tradition was soon taken up in the United States.
Nowadays picnics are still very popular, with people heading to the outdoors with picnic baskets and friends and family! Of course, the best way to celebrate International Picnic Day is to take to the outdoors, spread out a blanket, eat some tasty and refreshing food, and chat with family and friends. We've included some picnic-worthy recipes and picnic related crafts that can help children celebrate this fun holiday!
Picnic-Worthy Recipes: |
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Food Crafts: |
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Watermelon Notebook |
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Summer Crafts: |
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Teddy Bear Picnic: |
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Other Holidays You May Be Interested In:
- National Nutrition Month - March
- First Day of Summer - June 20th or 21st
- Teddy Bear's Picnic Day - July 10th