🇺🇸 HOMESCHOOL HOLIDAYS: Happy Flag Day!

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 and discuss this week:

• ➢ Flag Day History & Resources from the Library of Congress (loc.gov)

And did you know that U.S. citizens can request a flag that has flown over the Capitol building in Washington? It’s true! The Capitol Flag Program is run by the office of the Architect of the Capitol and requests may be submitted through your Senator or Representative. Get all the details right here and order one for your homeschool today! 🇺🇸

What other holidays and historical anniversaries will you and your students 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 regular posts about Homeschool Holidays & History. Add your name to our weekly River Houses mailing list to get more great homeschool history lessons delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 📫

❡ 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! 🗓

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❡ Join us! The aim of the River Houses project is to create a network of friendly local homeschool support groups — local chapters that we call “Houses.” Our first at-large chapter, Headwaters House, is now forming and is open to homeschoolers everywhere. Find out how to become one of our founding members on the Headwaters House membership page. 🏡