Patriotic Activities for Kids

By Melissa Droegemueller | May 16, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

Here in the United States, summer unofficially arrives on Memorial Day weekend. Now that my girls are older (9 and 6), we will spend part of the weekend talking about the true meaning behind Memorial Day (no, not barbecues and pool openings). Like most countries, America has experienced a lot of loss — from the Revolutionary War to current conflicts. We will probably travel to see the latest version of the Freedom Rock and make a list of patriotic activities to get ready for our Independence Day celebrations.

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If you have young kids, you can start with the basics, The Pledge of Allegiance and The Star Spangled Banner! You can also teach them classic patriotic songs like America the Beautiful, My Country Tis of Thee, and This Land is Your Land.

Our favorite resources for learning about American history and geography:

(Just a reminder that Rolling Prairie Readers uses affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here.)

School House Rock: America

Stack the States (app)

Liberty Kids

You can also fill your home with fun patriotic books, such as America the Beautiful or Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution!

Click here for our entire list of recommended patriotic books for kids!

If you like to do crafts with your kids, there are lots of choices for Memorial Day and Independence Day. Last year, we made wreaths using red, white, and blue fabric with some senior adults at the local retirement community! You can see our ever-growing collection of patriotic craft ideas on my Pinterest board here.

Patriotic Activities for Kids | Celebrate Memorial Day and Independence day with these patriotic songs and resources, fireworks crafts, patriotic sensory bin, and more!

Our girls love sensory play, so be sure to consider a patriotic sensory bin. We like red and blue dyed rice (mixed in with undyed white rice), along with 4th of July “table scatter” found at the craft shop. My girls also enjoyed adding pom poms to the mix along with their favorite sensory bin accessories.

Want 35 more patriotic activities for kids?

Click here for our Patriotic Family Activity Guide.

Sensational Summer: Activity Ideas for Kids

By Melissa Droegemueller | May 21, 2017 | Comments 3 comments

Recently on our Facebook page, I asked, “How are you feeling about summer?” Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the activities on your calendar? Or are your kids feeling bored with all their free time?

Today’s post is for the parents wondering how to fill all the down time during the school break!

Click here to grab our FREE Summer Boredom Busters download or scroll down to the bottom of this post for our FREE Flexible Family Schedule Guide.

Preschoolers and school-age children who have spent the last nine months on a schedule may need a time of adjustment to re-learn how to play freely and even be bored at home.

(Note: I’m not saying a family schedule is bad, but my advice–as a mom and a teacher–is to make sure to include some”down time” for all family members to recover from a busy school year. And then, after a time of “de-schooling,” families may want to start easing back into a routine.)

Here is a sample summer routine that works well in our family:

Morning chores: get dressed, make bed, personal hygiene
Breakfast (children help set the table, prepare the food, and clear the table–as able)
Morning time: music, religious studies, memory work, read-aloud time
Free time!
Lessons (we will be doing some math fact review and writing during the summer–no more than an hour on weekdays!)
Lunch
Outside time/pool/playdates (we will alternate ‘at-home’ time with ‘away from home’ time)
Rest (when needed)
Screen time if it gets too hot outside
Dinner
Family time
Bedtime

*As the weather starts getting hotter, we will likely do outside time in the morning.*

Since we homeschool, our girls are really experienced when it comes to using their free time (although they do everything so s-l-o-w-l-y). We do use our activity “menu” on the days when it seems like all they really want to do is watch T.V.

The activity menu has 20 different summer activity ideas, such as art, board games, playdates, puzzles, and more. It’s part of our Flexible Family Schedule Guide, and it’s FREE!

You can access the full guide by entering your name and e-mail address in the box below:

Spring Break Ideas for Families

By Melissa Droegemueller | February 20, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

Spring is coming, and with it, a school holiday. We all know that spending time with family is a wonderful gift, but it can also be a challenge to take a break from our regular routines. This year, I am going to present my two girls with a menu of things to do on spring break, and I am sharing that list of 20 ideas with you!

But first, a joke:

Q: What season is best to go on a trampoline?

A: Spring!

If your kids are anything like mine, you may feel like spring break is NOT a break for YOU. Some children will miss the regular structure of school and prefer to have lots of activities available. Other kids will be thrilled to have hours of uninterrupted free play. In our family, I typically schedule a few days with activities for my own kids and save the rest of the week for down time.

This year, I’m printing off our list of 20 spring break activities, and we’ll make a plan each morning, based on our moods and the weather outside. (It’s still cold and snowy this year, so we’ll be doing a lot of indoor activities!)

Check out the first five spring break family activity ideas on our Facebook page here:

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