{photo source: The U.S. Dept. of Defense via Wikimedia Commons}
Today we celebrate Memorial Day – a holiday set aside to remember and honor those who died in active military service to our country. We hope our SLOCA parents were able to download the Memorial Day Holiday Resource packet that was in the past two weekly updates (go back and find it if you haven’t yet!). In addition to learning about the origins of this holiday and how it’s traditionally observed, the packet includes an excellent list of “mix-ins,” really: poetry, books, movies, and links that you can use at home with your kids to explore the rich history, traditions, and importance of this national holiday.
To entice you further, today we are going to give you a teaser of what’s in the packet, which will hopefully encourage SLOCA parents to download and utilize this resource. This packet, as well as all the previous holiday resource guides we've made available (and future guides to come), can be found on our password-protected parent page, and can absolutely be used for E&E, or just for your own family's learning and enjoyment. Perhaps you’ve noticed that this past year we’ve been creating resource guides for the American holidays, to go along with our American History year! Watch for them from time to time in the weekly updates – if you download them all as they become available, you’ll be accumulating a valuable collection you can use year after year!
Here’s a peek at the what you’ll find in the Memorial Day Holiday Resource packet:
- Memorial Day began as a Civil War holiday called Decoration Day, honoring and remembering the 750,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who laid down their lives fighting in the Civil War, by decorating their graves with flowers, wreaths and flags. There’s much more to the story though! Read about the transformation of this holiday over time, and find a timeline in the packet.
When did poppies become associated with Memorial Day? It all has to do with a famous poem written during WWI, and the vision of a female war volunteer/college professor…- Did you know there’s now a National Moment of Remembrance? Americans are asked to set aside 3 pm local time on Memorial Day to “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps.”
- Which war caused the greatest number of U.S. fatalities? You probably know that one (the Civil War!), but see how many Americans gave their lives in other wars and conflicts throughout history.
And of course we’ve provided a selection of books, movies, and links that relate to this holiday. Here are just two of many relevant links – download the packet for more!:
History of Memorial Day – A brief look at the history of this holiday, from the History Channel:
Memorial Day Puzzles, Coloring Pages, and Worksheets
However you honor and celebrate this holiday – most likely with friends, family, barbecues, and enjoying the outdoors – we hope you’ll take a moment of silent reflection at 3 pm to remember those who have fallen defending our country. And cherish those who are near and dear to you, and the freedoms we all enjoy!
