It's the Fourth of July! Time to hit the pool with friends and fire up the BBQ, it's a great time to spend with family and friends. But let's not forget the real reason we celebrate.
Our independence is a precious gift that many have fought for. So for this Fourth of July I wanted to share a little about this amazing country we call home. So we chose two books this week
America the Beautiful and Pledge of Allegiance
America the Beautiful and Pledge of Allegiance
America the Beautiful is a beautiful book that features the lyrics of America. It pairs beautiful scenery pictures with the patriotic lyrics. Likewise the Pledge of Allegiance book matches up patriotic images to give meaning to the pledge of allegiance.
As a teacher I feel that it is important to teach children about our country's history and the meaning behind our traditions and customs, and it's never too early to start. You wouldn't believe how many children in my first grade classroom would recite the pledge every morning and say, "and into Publix which has stands" they simply repeated what they thought they heard. These two books were always on the top of my read aloud list each year as school started. My students quickly learned the correct words to the pledge and what those words stood for.
Adding these books into your nighttime reading routine will encourage your child to learn the pledge the correct way, listen carefully to the words as they say them and clear up any misconceptions before they become habits.
After reading the two books we talked about our nation's symbols, specifically the flag and the meaning behind it. I asked my daughter to point out the patterns she saw in the flag. We talked about the meaning of the stripes how they represent the original 13 colonies, and how the 50 stars represent all 50 states.
We decided to create our own edible flag using marshmallows, blueberries and strawberries.
My little one focused hard on getting the patterns just right. This is a great skill to start practicing. Not only does it require fine motor manipulation to thread the small items onto the wooden skewer but it also requires concentration to continue the pattern... for her little brother he thought it was a fruit free for all. He pulled a chair up to our little table and sat there and ate his weight in blueberries and strawberries. Which was why we didn't have enough to make our flag a little bit longer...oh well what can you do.
Once we were done the kids got to eat their hard work, as Kaitlyn ate hers we reviewed the names of the fruit, the colors and the meaning behind the stripes and stars.
As a teacher, I am a firm believer that you introduce higher order skills to expose little minds to new concepts , ideas and experiences. The next time she sees a flag or hears the song America the Beautiful, she will be able to recall our activities and have a foundation she can draw from.
For a little Fourth of July fun we finished our lil sprouts book club by decorating some yummy star cookies. Callen thought he would just eat the icing and dip his hands into the sprinkles...Kaitlyn was a little more particular with how she decorated hers.
We decided to create our own edible flag using marshmallows, blueberries and strawberries.
My little one focused hard on getting the patterns just right. This is a great skill to start practicing. Not only does it require fine motor manipulation to thread the small items onto the wooden skewer but it also requires concentration to continue the pattern... for her little brother he thought it was a fruit free for all. He pulled a chair up to our little table and sat there and ate his weight in blueberries and strawberries. Which was why we didn't have enough to make our flag a little bit longer...oh well what can you do.
As a teacher, I am a firm believer that you introduce higher order skills to expose little minds to new concepts , ideas and experiences. The next time she sees a flag or hears the song America the Beautiful, she will be able to recall our activities and have a foundation she can draw from.
For a little Fourth of July fun we finished our lil sprouts book club by decorating some yummy star cookies. Callen thought he would just eat the icing and dip his hands into the sprinkles...Kaitlyn was a little more particular with how she decorated hers.
We hope you have a great day celebrating the Fourth of July with your little ones. We encourage you to start a new tradition and teach your children about some old ones.
be sure to check out our newest sponsor at Simply Sprout
HootyCutie Designs
Niki is a chemistry/biology teacher turned stay-at-home mom. She started HootyCutie Designs in March of 2011 as a side project after the birth of her daughter spurred the birth of a crafting addiction. She has always had the love for crafty things, but has a real passion for creating for kids. Since leaving teaching shortly after the shop opened, HootyCutie has become not only her hobby but her “job”. Niki opened the shop selling owl pillows and a few crochet items. But HootyCutie had a mind of its own and the one pillowcase dress she made for my daughter turned into a shop full of children clothing. You can find HootyCutie outfits for you little ones at her online Etsy shop. She offers clothing items for girls and boys from newborn to size 8. You can also find all kinds of accessories like hair bows and headbands for girls and ties and suspenders for boys and crochet hats for everyone. She loves custom orders and would love to create that special outfit that is perfect for your special occasion. To keep up-to-date on the happenings at HootyCutie and be the first to see new designs, check out the her blog, and don’t forget to follow HootyCutie on Facebook and Twitter .
