Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May each year. This is a day that America sets aside to honor the men and women who died in war to defend our country. Celebrations and ceremonies are held throughout America on this very special day, and many families take this time to remember people in their own families who have fought in wars. Europe also honors American men and women on this day by placing flags on the graves of fallen soldiers buried overseas.
To make this holiday more memorable and more meaningful, try some of the fun suggestions below with your child.
Finger Paint Flag Craft
Materials:
- Mural paper
- Red, white, and blue paint
- Paper towels
Directions:
- Take a large piece of mural paper and paint a blue square in the upper left corner.
- Paint white stars on the blue square.
- Use hand prints to paint red stripes across the rest of the flag.
- When dry, hang up your flag and show it off!
Memorial Day Parfait Recipe
Ingredients:
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Whipped cream
- Clear glass
Directions: Help your child to cut and prepare the fruit. Layer the fruit in the glass with a few spoonfuls of whipped cream in-between. You can substitute yogurt for the cream. Top off the snack with a slice of strawberry on the edge of the glass.
Facts about Memorial Day
- Flowers and flags are the two most popular items people use to remember soldiers.
- It was declared a Federal holiday in 1971.
- "Taps" is often played at ceremonies on Memorial Day.
- Memorial Day was first called "Decoration Day" because of the practice of decorating soldier's graves with flowers.
- On the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 3rd U.S. Infantry has been placing small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones in the Arlington National Cemetery since the late 1950s.
Patriotic Symbols
Below are three patriotic coloring pages showing some of the symbols that America recognizes. Just click the image you want, right click when it opens in a new window, and print!
American Flag - The first American Flag was raised by George Washington on January 1, 1776.
Bald Eagle - Represents strength and freedom, exactly what America stands for.
Poppies - Small red flowers worn to remember the blood shed of those dying to protect our country. Moina Michael wrote this poem from The Flander's Field:
- We cherish too, the Poppy red
- That grows on fields where valor led,
- It seems to signal to the skies
- That blood of heroes never dies.
The Star-Spangled Banner - This song was written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812. It became America's national anthem in 1931.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial - The Vietnam War costed the lives of nearly 60,000 Americans. The memorial was dedicated to those who gave their lives in this war in 1982.
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