The Summer Months Are A Great Time For Celebrating
Jennifer J. Wheeler, Manager — WHYY's Children's Service
The summer months are a great time for celebrating; picnics, barbeques, and birthdays. Summer holidays should be embraced by the young and old alike. It is especially important in times like these when so many troops are still defending freedom abroad. The unofficial beginning of summer, Memorial Day, is a somber remembrance of what we as a nation have sacrificed for our freedom. This July 4th, our great nation celebrates 231 years of freedom. It is important to take these holidays and make them opportunities to teach our children. Explain what the symbols, songs, emblems, and sentiments mean to Americans. You can never start too soon to model patriotism and respect for our great nation to your children.
VIEW
Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman airs daily on PBS Kids. Part game show, part reality TV, and part spoof, Fetch! features real kids, real challenges, real science, and an unreal host named Ruff Ruffman. He's an animated dog. Fetch! mixes live-action with animation and breaks the mold with its educational and comical take on America's newest television genre. Targeting six to ten-year olds, it is spontaneous, unscripted, and full of twists. In the two part episode, "Mush if by Land, Mush Mush if by Sea", the contestants retrace the ride of Paul Revere and its historical relevance.
DO
Wave an American Flag - Your family can hang a flag at your home. Take time to explain to your kids the significance of the colors, stripes, and stars. As your children age, share with them the protocol and etiquette for displaying a flag.
Visit Historic Landmarks - We are fortunate to be so close to so many historically relevant places in our area. Aside from Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, and other landmarks in Philadelphia, there are other important sites such as the Battlefields in Valley Forge and Brandywine. You can also take a day trip to Washington D.C., Boston Harbor, or Fort McHenry outside of Baltimore. Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner here. You can teach children our National Anthem and other American ballads such as "America, the Beautiful."
Go Check out the Parades - Memorial Day and 4th Of July parades are a great way of honoring the troops and also instilling patriotism. Have the kids wear red, white, and blue colors to the parade and explain why. Place flags and flowers at memorials for troops. Send a care package and letters to troops abroad, or adopt a family in your community that has an absentee parent due to the war. Plan a play date or prepare a meal for them. By reaching out to these families, you model to your own children a sense of sharing and community.
Discuss Important Documents - With older children; discuss the relevance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Some of the amendments and debates are great conversation pieces for the dinner table.
READ
Here are some books you can share together to learn more about our great country.
Children's Encyclopedia of American History by David C. King
The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence by Judith St. George
The Declaration of Independence by R. Conrad Stein
Betsy Ross by Susan Sales Harkins
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