Patriotic Update

The countdown chains are getting shorter and we are having fun! The kids have loved doing fun patriotic things every day. Here is a rundown of what we have done for the past few days (just in case anyone is participating in my 4th of July brainwashing!)



One day, we looked online at the history of the American Flag and talked about Betsy Ross. The kids thought that was cool. (There are some fabulous websites out there on this subject, by the way! I wish we could have read them all!) Then when we were finished talking about the symbolism in the flag and looked at all of the different flags throughout history, I had the girls make a flag of their own - like Betsy Ross. It was a simple project, but they loved it and they are so proud of their creations.

Lana got a little carried away with the stars and didn't color the stripes just right, but hey, she is four! She did a fabulous job! And then they put craft sticks (or a straw if you are Lana) on them so they can wave them and do parades!

Then, yesterday, we talked about all four branches of the military. Again, I used the Internet and we found a really cool video on YouTube about the Navy. The girls loved seeing the ships and the planes. Pretty cool. Then we looked at other websites for the other three branches and talked about them.

Then I turned on my patriotic Mormon Tab's CD and we listened to the songs for all four branches of the military and danced to them. This is where it gets crazy: (some may think I am a horrible mom!) While we were dancing to the Air Force song (my favorite -something about jets - ohhhh, love it!) we were doing circles around the family room and had our arms out like we were flying planes. Yes, I looked ridiculous, but the more you get your kids moving the more they remember things. So I played along. I was the leader and they just started "flying" behind me and following me (closely) so every time that there was this one certain spot in the song, I would stop and they would run into my bum. They would go flying and laugh and laugh. (I think that if I was looking to make a memory with them, I have succeeded. Who could forget running into my big fat rump and then bouncing off onto the floor?) But we laughed and had lots of fun. Something must have worked because Rylee can name all four branches of the military no problem! Yay you, Rylee!

And the activity for today: We took sidewalk chalk outside with the girls' friends and drew flags, stars, and fireworks on the driveway. They loved it!

We are definitely getting in the 4th of July spirit here, as you can tell with the new blog background. EVERYTHING is patriotic around here!