Tag Archives: Teaching patriotism

Teaching Children to Respect “Old Glory”

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by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble; patlambchristianauthor.com

Train up a child…

Teaching Children to Respect “Old Glory”

         My late husband and I have been surprised on many occasions to note that many children do not know how to say the pledge of allegiance correctly.  I have noted children who do not know which hand to use.  Many young men do not know to remove their caps when the pledge is said.  I dare say that many probably do not know what the words “pledge” and “allegiance” truly mean.  Also, many children do not know what our national anthem is.  There are many adults, as well as children, who think “America, the Beautiful” is the national anthem. Children need to be taught these things.  It might help develop their respect for our flag if they knew the story of how our national anthem, the “Star Spangled Banner”, was written.

         Our national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key.  He was born in 1779 in western Maryland, just a few years after our Declaration of Independence was signed.  His family was very wealthy and owned an estate called “Terra Rubra”.  When he was ten years old, his parents sent him to a grammar school in Annapolis, Maryland, and he graduated at age 17. He then studied to be a lawyer.  He was a deeply religious man and was active in the Episcopal Church.  He was asked to help negotiate the release of a prisoner from the British during the war of 1812.  He was actually on a ship headed back for Maryland with the released prisoner when the British attacked Ft. McHenry.  The ship was stopped until the end of the attack on the fort and from the ship, the attack was observed.  It was from this ship that Francis Scott Key looked to see if our American flag was still standing after the British withdrew the attack.  He was happy to see the flag was still there and he took pen and paper and wrote the poem that became the words to the national anthem.

         The British had bombarded Ft. McHenry for 25 hours and finally decided they could not capture it and withdrew.  The poem written by Francis Scott Key was originally named “The Defense of Ft. McHenry”.  It was handed out as a handbill and the public fell in love with it.  It was renamed “The Star Spangled Banner” and became a song. It wasn’t until 1931 that it became the national anthem.

         After the war, Francis Scott Key continued to live a very religious life.  Because of his religion, he had been against the war of 1812, but he did serve in the war in the Georgetown artillery in 1813 because he loved his country so much.  On January 11, 1843, while visiting his daughter in Baltimore, he died of pleurisy.  There are monuments to him at Ft. McHenry, the Presidio in San Francisco, in Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland.

         If children can be helped to understand the love that Francis Scott Key had for our country and our flag, they will better love and respect them both.  There are many good books in public libraries that can be checked out to give more information about our flag and country.  It is worth the time and effort to use these with children.

Helping Children Become Good Citizens

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by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come: Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…)available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.patlambchristianauthor.com

Helping Children Become Good Citizens

Teachers in school simply cannot teach children all they need to become good citizens.  Not only do they not have the time to do so, but truthfully, no teacher can remain totally neutral in teaching children.  Eventually, personal opinions will show through in selection of material taught, tone of voice, facial expressions, and many other ways.  It is truly up to parents to teach their children when it comes to matters of patriotism and our country.

How can parents effectively teach citizenship?  First of all, good citizenship must be practiced by the parents.  Parents need to teach their children how our constitution came to be and even how our country was founded.  Finally, parents need to point out the propaganda that would destroy our country.

It is so easy for parents to say the wrong things in front of children.  Learning is often caught rather than taught.  The tone of voice parents use and comments such as “politicians are all crooks” must be guarded.  After all, if parents think government officials are crooks, why should children honor the laws they make?  On the other hand, if parents respect the law, children will be inclined to do so as well.

Unfortunately, it seems that much of our country’s true history is not being taught in many of our schools.  There is much information available in local libraries and the Internet that parents can use to make sure children get accurate information.  It is often difficult to sift out truth from opinion, but the ability to do so will be needed by children throughout their entire lives.  It is easy to get swept up in emotion and overlook facts. School teachers are human.  They can get swept up in emotion as easily as anyone else— often with good intentions.  

Of course, children will make up their own minds as they grow into adulthood.  Parents, however, need to make sure they have facts, set a good example, and help children discern the difference between truth and opinion.  


Ideas to Celebrate July 4

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by Pat Lamb (www.patlambchristianauthor.com) Check out “My Thinking Book” for children!

Train up a child…

Ideas to Celebrate July 4

         It is so important to create good memories for children and the 4thof July is a perfect opportunity to do just that.  There needs to be time in every child’s life to just simply have fun and enjoy the family. Of course, if we can teach something important at the same time, so much the better.

         Children need to know what they are celebrating.  They need to know that the 4thof July is also called Independence Day and that it is the anniversary of the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress, in 1776.

         John Adams, one of the founders of our new nation, said, “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.  It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.  It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.”  Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a legal public holiday.

         There are three websites on the Internet that give ideas for crafts, games, decorations, recipes, and more to help celebrate Independence Day.  They are:

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/fourth-of-july/about.html

         www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/july4/

           holidays.kaboose.com/july-4/

         There are several other good ones as well. When I checked these out, I found that they have simple craft ideas suitable for very young children as well as ideas for older children and even adults.  The ideas and some patterns are free.  There is even a flag for young children to color with the stars representing the original 13 colonies.

         Our former Vice-President’s wife, Lynn Cheney, has written three books to help children appreciate the founding of our country.  They are Fifty States,A Family Adventure across America;A Time for Freedom,What Happenedin America;andWhen Washington Crossed the Delaware.  All three of these books are available in the Kimberling Area Library.  

         Some folks like to do elaborate cookouts and that is great.  Here is a very simple recipe, however, for those who don’t like to go to so much effort.  Our family used this many times, not necessarily on the 4th. It is a recipe that children can help with. Each person has his/her own foil bundle to open and can fix it as desired, varying the amount of potatoes or meat and seasoning it to personal preference.  

Hamburger & Potatoes in Foil:

         Take a square piece of foil large enough for a hamburger patty and a potato.  Spray the foil with Pam.  Slice a potato and put 3 or 4 slices in the center of the foil.  Salt and pepper the potatoes. Lay an uncooked hamburger patty on the potatoes and put 3 or 4 more slices of potato on top of it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again. Bring the foil up and seal with a double fold.  Place on the grill and forget them while you play with the kids.  After a few minutes, check to see if they are done.  

         Fly your American flag high and enjoy Independence Day!