Tuesday of this week (June 14th) is Flag Day! Flag Day commemorates the date in 1777 when Congress established the Stars & Stripes as the national flag of the new United States:
Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. (Journals of the Continental Congress)
Flag Day was first recognized nationally by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 through a presidential proclamation, and Wilson’s proclamation was later extended by legislation that was signed by President Harry Truman in 1949.
The Library of Congress has a complete rundown on the history of Flag Day and a wide range of educational resources that you and your students can explore this week:
What other holidays and historical anniversaries will you be marking in your homeschool this Hercules Term? 😊
❡ The emblem of the land I love: Flags are wonderful subjects for students to investigate, and your recommended homeschool almanac and world atlas both have many pages of flag illustrations. Why not open them up today and explore! 🇦🇫 🇦🇱 🇩🇿 🇦🇸 🇦🇩 🇦🇴 🇦🇮 🇦🇬 🇦🇷 🇦🇲 🇦🇼 🇦🇺 🇦🇹 🇦🇿 🇺🇸
❡ Hoist and fly, oh my: Do your students know the basic parts of a flag? The hoist is the edge that is next to the flagpole, and the fly is the opposite edge that blows free. The field is the overall background (red and white stripes in the case of the U.S. flag) and the canton or union is the rectangle in the upper left that displays a special design (white stars on a blue field for the U.S. flag). Not all flags feature a canton, but many do; look through your atlas or almanac to find some more examples. 🇬🇷 🇳🇿 🇼🇸 🇹🇬 🇹🇼 🇲🇾
❡ Here, said the year: This is one of our occasional posts on Homeschool Holidays & Anniversaries. Print your own copy of our River Houses calendar of educational events to follow along with us, and add your name to our weekly mailing list to get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 🗞
