Items filtered by date: May 2011

The Pledge of Allegiance

Flag Day just wouldn't be complete without saying or learning about The Pledge of Allegiance.

If you'd like to teach your students how to sign The Pledge of Allegiance as well as say it, click on the link.

Francis Bellamy wrote the pledge in 1892 as a poem for children, but the vocabulary is NOT kid-friendly.

I think the vocabulary of the pledge is pretty much over most young students' heads.

I often find them saying "invisible" and thinking that as well, when they are saying the pledge, so I think it's important to define these words for your students and not just have them memorize something they don't understand. 

Click on the link to view/print my Pledge Definition Booklet

Making learning the Pledge Easier:

There's a wonderful book called The Pledge of Allegiance by Sampson and Martin that I read before I teach my students the pledge. This also comes in big book form.  You can get it used on Amazon for only $1.98 + $3.99 for shipping and handling.

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They break the poem down into easy-to-understand "kid-friendly" language.

"I pledge (A pledge is a promise) allegiance to (Allegiance is loyalty) the flag (A flag is a symbol that stands for a place, a thing, or an idea. Making a promise to a flag usually means the same thing as making a promise to whatever the flag stands for.)."

The book also covers some of the history behind the pledge and the flag. The illustrator, Raschka's patriotic red-white and blue collage work, does an excellent job depicting ideas like liberty and justice in a unique way with a deft stroke and a few scraps that children can easily understand.  i.e. for “Allegiance is loyalty." children see a dog wagging his tail.

After reading this simple, yet respectful book, students have a handle on the meaning of the words and the feelings they should have when saying them.

After I explain what the pledge means,  I  help my students learn the words, with the help of a story and pictures, by reading Scholastic's book The Pledge of Allegiance. This book also comes in a Spanish edition.

Click on the link to view/print The Pledge Of Allegiance writing skill sheet, a flag to color, flag slap bracelets and several other flag skill sheets.

For an I can say The Pledge certificate, click on the link.

I also have an easy reader entitled: My Flag.  It includes 12 skill sheets and has 3 different endings you can choose from. Click on the link to check out this fun cut and glue booklet.

Why not become a subscriber and be able to print everything at no additional cost for an entire year.

The Man Credited With Writing the Pledge:

Francis Bellamy:

When I was researching Francis Bellamy I found some interesting trivia as well. 

'I didn't know that there was controversy around the fact that some argued he was not the sole author of the pledge.

Some say that The Pledge of Allegiance never would have been written and promoted if The Youth's Companion had not existed in 1892.

Daniel Ford, the magazines owner and editor, are pretty much forgotten.  He was a successful businessman who knew how to interest both children and their parents in reading.

The Youth's Companion magazine from 1892 -1929 promoted the Pledge of Allegiance. They claimed that  James Bailey Upham, (Ford`s nephew) along with staff at the magazine helped write the Pledge.

Have you ever wondered why there’s a flag flying at all the public schools?  You can give credit for that to this same magazine’s ad campaigns for that as well.

One very successful ad urged students to write The Companion to receive 100 cards stating: "This Certificate entitles the holder thereof to one share in the patriotic influence of a Flag over the schoolhouse."

The cards, sold for only a dime, and brought in the ten dollars to buy a flag that was sold by the magazine. The Board of Education was asked to furnish the flagstaff.

This campaign resulted in about twenty-five thousand schools buying the American flag in the year 1891.

Later, flying the flag over schools became law.  To read more about this very interesting magazine and the history it played in The Pledge of Allegiance click on the link.

If you'd like to read more about Francis Bellamy click on the links. Bellamy 1 discusses the argument of who wrote the pledge. Bellamy 1

Bellamy 2 gives you his bio as well as an interesting excerpt in his own words of why he chose the words he did for The Pledge of Allegiance.

They also have a photo of children doing the "Bellamy salute."  The practice of this salute was later dropped by the instruction of then president Roosevelt, as this same salute was picked up by Nazi Germany.

That's why to this day we hold our right hand over our heart when we say the pledge! Amazing the things you can learn when researching to write a blog article!  I need to be on a game show or something.

I hope you learned some things as well and that you enjoy learning as much with your students as I do with mine!  Have a wonderful time celebrating the Red White And Blue.

As always, if there's an idea that you do with your students, I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com

Patriotic Projects

If you're still counting down the days 'til school ends, or if you're a busy mom home schooling or just looking for something to do with your little ones, I hope these activities provide you with some fun under the sun.

If you're not celebrating Flag Day, tuck them away for the 4th of July, next year's Memorial Day or for when you want to do something when you're teaching The Pledge of Allegiance! 

These art projects are fun, quick and easy and will brighten up your home or classroom for the summer!  I hope you enjoy them.

Flag Art Projects:

Popsicle stick flags:

Give students 8 Popsicle sticks to paint red and white.  These will need two coats of paint.  

Use non-painted sticks or you may need more coats. I only had the colored ones at home and even the yellow ones took 4 coats of white because the dye bled through.

 When they have dried, have them glue their sticks to a white sheet of 5x7 construction paper.  Because the paper is bigger, you won't have glue all over the place and you can trim the flag later when it is dry.

I use Elmer's wood glue because It is a bit thicker and it adheres to the sticks better, but regular works too. I find that little ones apply liquid glue so much better with a Q-tip dipped in a dollop that's in a small paper plate than squirting from a bottle.

When students are done, have them raise their hands so you can use another Popsicle stick to butt up against their rows to make sure they are even.  Let dry and then trim paper around the edges.

Children can now paint a blue rectangle in the upper left hand corner. When that dries they can add white dots with a Q-tip.

These make a cute magnet if you want to add a dollop of glue and a nickel-size magnet to the middle, or varnish them and use for a summer coaster. 

 

Keepsake Flag Handprints: Paint student's hand red, white and blue and press on a sheet of yellow construction paper.

Instead of stars, have them add some dots or X's  of white with a Q-tip. 13 looks nice, but I find my Y5's get carried away and forget to count and they have LOTS of dots! 

I use the flag print for the July handprint page in the Keepsake Handprint Calendar Book if I make one to give as an end-of-the year gift. 

I'm not big on triple painting little ones hands.  It's pretty difficult to manage 3 brushes and colors before the paint dries on an impatient 5-year-old. 

I can barely do one color on my grandson who is one, and it's hard to keep his hand open; forget more than one color with him! 

I made X's for the stars. I only have 12 which really doesn't make any sense historically, but when I thought of adding 13 it just wasn't going to look that good artistically.  You may opt to have your little ones just make dots as making an x with a Q tip was even difficult for me.

The other thing you need to remember is that you have to paint their RIGHT hand.  I'm whipping this together over the weekend so that I could take a picture for the blog, and because I'm right handed, of course I'm painting my left hand, and then when I pressed it down, the flag was backwards. Sigh...

Click on the link for a cute poem I wrote.  To make this into a card, fold a sheet of construction paper in half, glue the student's handprint to the front and the poem inside. Have children sign it at the bottom.  Flag handprint poem.

 

Rip & Tear Flag: Have students rip and tear strips of red, and blue construction paper to a sheet of white construction paper.  You can opt to give students 13 star stickers for the 13 original colonies like one of the first flags, if you want to teach a bit of history, but if you have a lot of kids, that's a lot of stickers, and if they are young, that's a lot of sticking. 

On the photo I used a medium star punch and had them glue 6 stars onto the blue canton.  I told them that was how old they were going to be on their next birthday. 

You could also arrange 5 stars in a circle like the Betsy Ross flag and then have the children count by 10's to 50 (the number of stars on today's flag) to get the point across. Basically, my students knew that there were stars and stripes on the flag and that the flag was red, white and blue.

Run my template off on white construction paper. 

Click to view/print the rip and tear US flag art project template.

When you print my master you'll have to trim off the edges.  Cut 1- inch strips of blue construction paper, and 1/2 - inch strips of red construction paper.  The 1/2 - inch strips will fit perfectly on the master; I purposely designed it this way so that it would be easy for a little one to fill a stripe. 

A small glue stick also runs perfectly along this stripe so that they can rub glue on only the stripe that they need to. 

If you want to stay true to the 13 stripes and use this as a factual-learning art project, then you'll need to cover the last "My Rip & Tear Flag" stripe.  I didn't do that in the photo. 

Younger children get tired so you may want to opt for one less stripe as well.

Each child will need 2 blue strips and 4 & 1/2 red ones.  I have my students work on a sheet of scratch paper.

Remind little ones to skip every other stripe so they have an ABAB (red-white-red-white) flag pattern.  Sometimes they get carried away with the glue stick and put glue on the white stripes. 

I tell my Y5's to rip up their strips first and make 2 colored piles of their torn pieces.  When they have completed that, then they can rub glue on a stripe and press their torn "square" of paper on the glue.

Remind them to rub glue on the paper, not on the "square".  Some children will try to do the latter and they will get their fingers all sticky; this is also more difficult and time consuming.

Make sure they press hard or their paper squares won't be stuck when they lift up their flag.  Remind students that they should fill in a stripe completely.

When they are working on the rectangular portion of their flag I tell them it's OK to go off the paper if they need to and that they can trim off the edges with a scissors when they are done. 

Remind students that they can overlap the pieces.  Make sure you make a sample so that you have a finished project to show them. 

I do "rip & tears" all year because they are such a great way to practice and strengthen their fine motor skills, but if you haven't torn strips, you actually need to demonstrate this to little ones or they will have a hard time knowing how to rip.

When they are ripping up their strips of paper, remind them that they should look like little squares.  Some students will want to glue down an entire "stripe". 

I give my students red and blue markers and have them write their name on the bottom in an ABAB (red-blue-red-blue) pattern.  They think this is pretty cool.

 

My Flag: You can send this home with parents to do with their child, or you can do it in class with them. 

Children design their own personal flag and write in information about themselves on the white stripes. 

How many stars on the flag equals how old they are.  This is sort of like a glyph.  Children's school photo goes inside the rectangle, along with the stars. 

The rectangle instead of being the regular blue is their favorite color.  The stripes are white + one of your school colors.  Click on the link to view/print directions and a note home. My Flag Art & Writing Project

 

Red-White & Blue Triple Stars:

 These can be run off and made as a sort of award where the "I know my flag facts!" is seen in the center star. 

You can also flip that small star over so the printing doesn't show and glue a student's picture there or write their name on them, and use these for another purpose. 

Punch a hole in the point, pull a piece of yarn through and let students lace red, white and blue pieces of cut straws on for a patriotic necklace. 

You could also alternate the straws with pony beads.  There are 6 color combinations. 

Run the master off on red, white and blue construction paper and give students a choice of what pattern star they want to put together.

Click on the link to view/print a copy of the master. Patriotic Triple Stars

 

Patriotic Windsock:

There's a patriotic windsock posted in the Arts-Crafts and Activities section for the month. Click on the link to check it out.

Patriotic Pinwheels:

I LOVE making pinwheels with children! They are super easy and come out fantastic. 

They are thrilled with the results; you can do them for any holiday and the supplies are inexpensive; + they spin when you blow on them which is an added bonus!

You can get scrapbook paper at all kinds of stores, so finding a patriotic print was no problem. 

I looked for one that was printed on both sides (it's a bit more expensive), but I couldn't find any that I liked, so I simply cut a smaller square of solid red copy paper and glued it to the back. 

The result was a wonderful contrast that made my pinwheel even sturdier. 

For extra pizzazz you can glue a bright red or blue rhinestone over the brass brad using a thick glue dot. 

I like to poke holes in a straw with a protractor and insert the brad backs because straws are a lot less expensive than wooden dowels and I don't have to worry about children poking themselves. 

They work just as well as dowels, if you want to poke your pinwheel into a potted plant.  Just hold on to the bottom, so you don't bend the straw. 

If you want to put it in the ground, make a hole with a stick first. Use my masters to make an easy pinwheel.  Click on the link to view/print them. Patriotic Pinwheel

If you're done with school and out and about, I hope you're having a nice time relaxing and can tuck these ideas away for the fall when your students are learning The Pledge of Allegiance,  whatever you're doing, I wish you all a wonderful Flag Day!

Be sure to read the next article on other activities you can do to celebrate our flag. 

Until next time, I salute all of you who are true to the red, white and blue!

37 pages A wonderful way to learn about the flag. Can be used as an introduction to The Pledge of Allegiance or a review. 3 different endings makes this booklet very versatile.

Proudly Flying the Stars and Stripes. 

I wanted to whip together some things for Flag Day.  Some schools will be out before the 14th, but others go longer because of snow day make up, or they are year round,  some are already starting their summer school programs, or perhaps you home school and simply want to teach your little ones about the flag. 

I remember after 911 factories couldn't keep up with the demand for flags,they were being flown everywhere; it was truly amazing.  

Who Designed The Flag?

I always surf the net for background and history to get ideas.

I found a tremendous amount of interesting information about our flag, everything from the controversies and debate about who designed it: Betsy Ross or Francis Hopkinson to the numerous designs that were actually flown throughout the years.

I love folklore, so I like to think that Betsy was truly asked by George Washington to sew the flag with the circle of 13 stars, but later it was Hopkinson who designed another flag that was adopted by The Continental Congress. 

There seems to be enough proof for both arguments, especially Hopkinson who had to submit all sorts of things to get paid.

According to popular legend, the Philadelphia seamstress who made flags for the navy, was acquainted with George Washington.

As you know he was the leader of the Continental Army.  The story goes, that in May of 1776, Washington and two representatives from the Continental Congress visited Ross at her upholstery shop and showed her a rough design of the flag.

Although Washington initially favored using a star with six points, Ross advocated for a five-pointed star. They were skeptical, but the gentlemen were won over, when she quickly folded a scrap of fabric and with one quick snip of her scissors produced a perfect 5-pointed star.

Thus we have a five-pointed star on the flag... or so the legend goes.  Click on the link to view/print Betsy Ross's 5-pointed star magic trick!

For a Betsy Ross page you can color online as a nice independent computer center, click on the link. Online Betsy Ross Coloring Page

For a regular Betsy Ross coloring page click on the link.

For a coloring page for a Betsy Ross Flag + other flags through 1960 click on the link.

The Betsy Ross star circle flag and the 13-star Hopkinson flag clipart is courtesy of the University of Oklahoma site.

They also have all of the state flags if you’re looking for a project. They give permission for teachers to use their clipart for educational purposes, provided you link back to them.

To color an original 1776 flag click on the link.

Unfortunately, historians have never truly been able to verify these charming events.  The story of Washington's visit to the flag maker became popular about the time of the country's first centennial, after William Canby, a grandson of Ross, told about her role in shaping U.S. history in a speech given at the Philadelphia Historical Society in March 1870.

What is known is that the first unofficial national flag, called the Grand Union Flag or the Continental Colors, was raised at the request of General Washington near his headquarters outside Boston, on Jan. 1, 1776.

This flag had 13 alternating red and white horizontal stripes and the British Union Flag (a predecessor of the Union Jack) in the canton. (Blue part of the flag.)

The Continental Congress approved the first official national flag, also known as the Stars and Stripes, on June 14, 1777. The blue canton contained 13 stars, representing the original 13 colonies, but the layout varied.

Although nobody knows for sure who designed the flag, many believe it may have been Continental Congress member Francis Hopkinson. He was a lawyer, and Congressman from New Jersey, who also signed the Declaration of Independence.

I thought it would be fun to have students read about Betsy Ross and Francis Hopkinson and decide for themselves which story they believe. 

Have a discussion and then graph the results.  You can also do a Venn diagram of the two flags, either Betsy's or Hopkinson's or a 1700's flag to the current flag. Click on the University of OK site and choose your flags.  Click on the link to view/print the Betsy Ross/Francis Hopkinson graph and Venn diagram of their two flags.

I spent several days researching many sites to find what I felt to be kid-friendly and informative.  To read more interesting history about the flag, Betsy Ross and Hopkinson click on the links.    Hopkinson Site,  Betsy Ross Site,  Flag Site,    US Flag Site,  United States Flag Site   

Be sure to read part 2 of this article to continue learning about our flag!