Today both of my boys are home from school. My oldest son is in third grade and has learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over the years. His four year old brother is still too young to really understand. Of course, in the back of my head, I know that NHL is aware of who Dr. King Jr. is, but does he understand just how he helped to change life for so many in our country? I am not sure he does since he is only eight and only knows life where he and his friends see no difference in skin color. Something so simple in that statement makes me know that my kiddo is learning so much.
In honor of this day, I wanted to share some great projects that would be fun to do with children today or in February in honor of Black History Month. When I was teaching, I had a lot of great projects that we did for this day and to celebrate the month of February, but I wanted to check what others were doing. Of course, I went to Pinterest and searched for the holiday.
Yes, I have a board just for MLK Jr. Day, but I thought I would share a few of the items here. I could just imagine these wreaths being made in a classroom, homeschool, or at home with kids. They would be great to display and remember the person behind the holiday.
Source: littlegiraffes.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest
These freedom bells look perfect to do with younger children.
Source: funfamilycrafts.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest
When I went to the website that hosted the original idea, it also had a song called Freedom, Freedom, Let it Ring that you sing to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and I think my oldest son may have heard this years ago.
Freedom, Freedom, let it ring,
"Let it ring, " said Dr King.
Let us live in harmony,
Peace and love for you and me.
Freedom, freedom, let it ring,
"Let it ring," said Dr King.
For older children, I love the idea of taking a trade book and mixing it up with the holiday theme. The Crayon Box That Talked is about a group of crayons that do not like each other because the colors do not like each other. They learn a valuable lesson that worked nicely into a classroom crayon box of tolerance and accepting different crayons from a group.
Source: mrsbrownart.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest
So how do you celebrate this day with your family? I know that we are hoping to go out and make a difference today within our community. My kids will see that today is not just a day off from school, but a day to remember the importance of a man who changed the world.
