Medal Mettle

 

Medals serve as a way to recognize achievement: from school relay races to the Olympics. Get inspired to accomplish great things by doing the following activities. You can even make your own medal in the process.

  

CONNECT:

• Get the basic facts about medals at https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Medal
• Learn about the history of Olympic medals at https://kids.kiddle.co/Olympic_medal
• Discover the kinds of medals that U.S. military personnel can be honored with at https://homeofheroes.com/
• Then learn about the most prominent US civilian (non-military) medal: The Presidential Medal of Freedom: at https://easyscienceforkids.com/presidential-medal-of-freedom/

 

CREATE:

• Get some great ideas for making your own medals at https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/olympic-gold-medal-kids-crafts-4071407
• You can make your medal and eat it at https://toddlerapproved.com/edible-medals-activity-for-kids/
• Host your own Olympic-style event in your own backyard by following the tips at https://www.scholastic.com/parents/kids-activities-and-printables/activities-for-kids/outdoor-ideas/medal-winning-games.html

 

CARE:

• See more than 35 services project for kids to volunteer within their community at https://kidworldcitizen.org/35-service-projects-for-kids/ They could each include medals (see the “Create” section), which youth can make and bestow as a service project in itself.
• The Youth Community Service organization has several awards for youth service; see the details at https://youthcommunityservice.org/service-awards/
• The Lions Club has a Lions Young Leaders in Service Award to encourage you to serve the community; see the details at https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/youth-leaders-in-service-award

 

CAREERS:

Do you like bright shiny things such as medals. Of course, you can serve on organizations that give medals for achievement. You could also design and manufacture medals for a living.

• Watch how medals are produced at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D7d2Ynt7lU
• You could also work at a museum that collects medals: https://mohmuseum.org/
• You can even make medals for the US Mint: https://www.usmint.gov/about/careers

 

 

It’s May, It’s May!

The lovely month of May is full of holidays and seasonal connotations. Celebrate this month every day through the following activities.

CONNECT:

• Cinco de Mayo is more popular in the U.S. than in Mexico. Learn about its history and importance at http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Holidays/Cinco/
• May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Learn more about these communities and their contributions at http://www.afk.com/resources/apahm.tpl
• The month of May is named after the Greek goddess Maia. Find out about her at http://www.ourladyofsalt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150:the-goddess-of-may-maia&catid=42:newsletter&Itemid=43

CREATE:

• Try some of these ideas for May-inspired activities: http://www.kidactivities.net/post/Ideas-for-Kids-for-the-Month-of-May.aspx
• Create a May calendar with holidays and celebratory birthdays, adding images for each event. Use these websites to fill in your calendar. Then plan your own way to celebrate one of these days, such as International Nurses Day on May 12. http://www.ducksters.com/history/mayinhistory.php. (Note: May is national Burger month so you could celebrate every day…)
• Dance around the maypole – and make it as a family activity: http://www.modernmom.com/f725b57c-3b45-11e3-8407-bc764e04a41e.html. Get ideas about music and dance at http://www.maypoledance.com/index.html

CARE:

• There are lots of ways to say thanks to mothers: making cards, poems, songs,crafts. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/mothersday/ has several simple ideas.
• Did you know how the Mayflower plant is linked to the pilgrims? Root out the history at http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/trailing-arbutus/mayflower-trailing-arbutus.htm, and learn how to grow this historic flower.
• Memorial Day remembers the people who died in wars or in the service of their country. http://www.military.com/memorial-day/celebrating-memorial-day-with-children.html provides ideas for ways for youth to honor these military heroes.

CAREER:

Almost three-quarters of mothers in the U.S. are in the workforce. http://www.naccrra.org/sites/default/files/default_site_pages/2012/ccgb_mothers_workforce_jan2012.pdf has several important facts about them and their issues.

Flag It Down!

It’s getting close to several federal holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day (July 4). That means it’s flag time – although any day is a good day for flags. And you might be amazed at the variety of flags.

CONNECT:

• Find out the history of Flag Day at http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/flagday.pdf
• Who was Betsy Ross, and why did she sew the first U.S. flag? Check out the facts at http://www.ushistory.org/Betsy/.  On that website you can also learn how to cut a 5 pointed star in one snip.
• Did you know that native peoples have flags? See a sampler of tribal flags and their stories at http://www.tmealf.com/DH/
• Find out what each flag means in a car race at http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-auto.html

CREATE:

• Have you noticed that certain colors seem to dominate country flags? See images of every flag in the world at http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0201477.html, and do a color frequency analysis. How many flags use red? How many use pink? And so on. You can also analyze flags by their shape (check out Nepal!), symbols shown, directions of stripes, and other ways that you can think of.
• Find out about the history of the United States flag at http://www.usflag.org/toc.html. Try making a timeline of its changes by using http://www.softschools.com/teacher_resources/timeline_maker/
• See what your name looks like using signal flags: http://www.riseacadets.org/training/phoneticalphabet.html. You can also spell out your name using semaphore motions, which are on the same website. The flags are also code for messages, such as “you should stop, I have something important to communicate.”
• Make your own flag – or a family flag – using the cybertools at http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/game/tools/flag-maker

CARE:

• Good manners apply to flags; http://www.usa-flag-site.org/etiquette.shtml explains American flag etiquette.
• Practice how to fold the U.S. flag correctly by following the animation and directions at http://www.crwflags.com/folding.html
• The Girl Scouts have lots of information about flag ceremonies and other flag activities at http://www.getyourgirlpower.org/files/Flag_Protocol.pdf.
• Here are some good kid-friendly ways to commemorate Memorial Day respectfully: http://www.military.com/memorial-day/celebrating-memorial-day-with-children.html

CAREERS:

Lots of groups use flags: the military, governmental agencies, transportation, weather services, and entertainment (such as races and events).

Could you be another Betsy Ross and make flags? It’s actually an interesting industry: http://www.flagsofallnations.com.au/flags/the-flag-industry-today/