Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy 4th of July!

Here are some fun picture books that get our little ones into the spirit of the celebration!

George Washington's Teeth
A somewhat gruesome concept (that being the countdown of Washington losing his teeth one by one), but my goodness, what a fun book! My older kids still quote this one often! It's a great two-for-one, folks -- patriotism, and a dire warning for those little ones who balk at the idea of brushing their teeth on a regular basis!

The Star Spangled Banner
Not the Revolutionary War, obviously, but still works! This book is simply an illustrated book of our national anthem.

Red, White, and Blue
A good early reader book for preschool/kindergarten on the American flag.

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
Younger readers might lose interest on this one, but for second graders and up, this is a good introduction to who King George was.

Schoolhouse Rock
C'mon... you grew up with this! (and isn't it amazing how these songs stayed with us? Did ANYONE in my generation really have to work at memorizing the Preamble to the Constitution? I don't think so...)

My kids LOVED hearing the stories and then seeing them played out in these wonderful song/cartoons from the 1970s. It was encouraging for me to hear them shout out, "Mommy! There's Paul Revere!.... oooh! They mentioned Bunker Hill!... Look! There are the Redcoats!" These videos wouldn't work to teach history to anyone, of course, but they are a fun way to cap off a week of studying... and a way to make sure that the knowledge "sticks."

2 comments:

Charlotte (WaltzingM) said...

Happy Fourth to you and yours!

I am going to see if our library has that first one. I would add George Washington's Cows by David Small. Very cute!

Ladybug Mommy Maria said...

the one about the teeth sounds interesting!