🇺🇸 WEEKLY AMERICAN HERITAGE: The National Mall & Memorial Parks

(Explore the history and landscape of the United States as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence. Get out your atlas and almanac and follow along!)

The U.S. Territories and Possessions are our homeschool ”state” of the week — the last one for the homeschool year! — so why not spend a few minutes today with your students learning about one of most important historical places in the whole nation: The National Mall in Washington D.C. and the nearby Memorial Parks.

“As ‘America’s Front Yard,’ the National Mall and Memorial Parks is home to many of our country’s most iconic memorials telling the story of people and events that shaped us as a nation. Each year, millions of people come to recreate, commemorate presidential legacies, honor our veterans, and make their voices heard.”

The National Mall and Memorial Parks (NAMA) is responsible for more than 1,000 acres of parkland containing many of the United States’ more significant natural and cultural resources. The sites of NAMA are cherished symbols of our nation, known worldwide and depicted on everything from currency to the nightly news. Located in the core of the Nation’s Capital, NAMA administers, interprets, maintains, and preserves the Washington Monument, George Mason Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, World War I Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, D.C. War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House, the National Mall, East and West Potomac Parks, Constitution Gardens, 60 statues, and numerous other historic sites, memorials, and parklands.

NAMA is responsible for significant maintenance and preservation support for the White House as well as the United States Navy Memorial. In addition, NAMA cares for numerous federal park reservations which serve as welcoming gateways for visitors entering the historic fabric of the original 1791 Federal City. Some of our reservations now provide homes for recent commemorative additions to the landscape of the Nation’s Capital. The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II and the Victims of Communism Memorial are but two of the many sites that help interpret the story of America’s integral involvement in world history. (nps.gov)

You can find a wealth of additional information about The National Mall’s history, landscape, location(s), and visitor facilities on the webpage for The National Mall & Memorial Parks from the National Park Service, and also on The Mall’s page on Wikipedia.

Explore America’s National Parks, National Historical Parks, National Historic Sites, National Monuments, and more via Wikipedia and via the U.S. National Park Service’s website today.

What American treasures are you and your students exploring in your homeschool this Hercules Term? 🇺🇸

❡ The great globe itself: This is one of our regular Homeschool Geography posts featuring important natural and historical sites in the United States. Print your own copy of our River Houses American Heritage Calendar and 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. 🌎

❡ We set to-day a votive stone: If you want a great long-term history and geography project for your homeschool, explore the Historical Marker Database online (hmdb.org) and make a plan to find all the markers that are listed in your local area. Add any new ones you know of that are missing, and add new photos or descriptions for the ones already included. Your students will gain a better appreciation for your local community and will learn a wealth of new information about history and geography. 🏛️

❡ Print this little lesson: Down at the bottom of this post you’ll find a special “Print” button that will let you create a neat and easy-to-read copy of this little lesson, and it will even let you edit and delete sections you don’t want or need (such as individual images or footnotes). Give it a try today! 🖨️

❡ Books in the running brooks: You can always turn to your River Houses atlas and almanac for more information about any of our homeschool states-of-the-week. The almanac has detailed profiles of all the U.S. states and territories, and the endpapers of the atlas are indexes that will show you where all of the individual national and regional maps may be found. 📚

❡ Homeschool calendars: We have a whole collection of free, printable, educational homeschool calendars and planners available on our main River Houses calendar page. They will help you create a light and easy structure for your homeschool year. Give them a try today! 🗓️

❡ Support our work: If you enjoy our educational materials, please support us by starting your regular Amazon shopping from our very own homeschool teaching supplies page. When you click through from our page, any purchase you make earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping us to keep going and growing! 🛒