Does
anyone actually remember exactly WHY we have Memorial Day? Do you hang
up your flag at least on this day? You can get them fairly cheap right
now as most stores have them on sale this week!
We are using
Amanda Bennett's Patriotic Holiday's Unit Study right now to teach all
of us the Why behind it and remind us of where our country has been. (www.unitstudy.com).
Did you know that it was originally called Decoration Day or that it
did not even become a national holiday until 1971 (although it was
already celebrated prior to that)?
A link for some neat videos:
http://wholesomechildhood.com/homeschoolvideos/
Origins:
http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/memday.asp
http://www.history.com/minisites/memorial/?page=history
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
Crafts for Memorial Day - show your patriotism:
www.enchantedlearning.com (well worth the $20 a year) - Section for Memorial Day on the Left side of the screen
http://www.homeandfamilynetwork.com/holidays/memorial.html
http://www.annieshomepage.com/memorialdaykids.html
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/memorial-day/index.html
Memorial
Day is near and dear to me - My husband, brother, cousin are all
Veteran's of Foreign Wars. My late FIL and my Uncle on my mom's side
(Green Beret) served our country in Vietnam. My grandpa was at Pearl Harbor
and I have 2 Great Great Grandfathers on my Dad's side that were in the
Civil War. My dad's brother served his country during the Korean War
(wait that was a conflict....). Apparently due to ages/timing, no one
on either side of my family served during WWI. Now to check with my
husband's side.
We attend the Memorial Day Parade in Sussex
that is put on each year by the local VFW. They usually have a
Memorial Service in front of the VFW hall. I am willing to bet many of
your small towns VFW chapters do the same. It is worth checking into. I
know last year it brought it home to my daughter.
We also like to go out to Oconomowoc and see the Baby Bison at Kumrow Farm! http://www.beefandbison.com/events.htm
Well, it is not exactly Patriotic, but our country's heritage had
Farming as the #2 occupation (being a housewife was #1 - and how many of
those women lived on working farms?? - a bunch, you can bet). So, we
go see the baby bison and the cows and have a tasty Bison burger!
Then, we go onto the church picnic. We cook out and have great fellowship with our church family.
We
remember that the Lord our God is in charge of all that goes on around
us. I hope all of you have a great Memorial Day. Don't forget to hang
up your flag!
May God Bless America!
