Patriotic Gen

Quarter Zone

Posted on May 12, 2020May 15, 2020 by ourvirtualholiday

Change in our Country? You bet! Send your kids on a treasure hunt through your drawers, piggy banks and car seats to find the quarters from each of the 50 states.

This activity provides exploration and discovery as they continue the hunt…change from the drive-thru? CHECK THE QUARTERS! Dad empties his pockets at the end of the day? CHECK THE QUARTERS! They can even ask relatives and friends for the missing coins, creating connections and interactions with loved ones that will spark conversations and laughter.

Each quarter’s representation of the state can facilitate fun-learning, as well. While many of the state designs make perfect sense, others leave us scratching our heads and turning to Google for answers (we’re looking at you, Vermont). There’s a piece of American history on the back of every quarter and discovering them, talking about the designs, researching what each of them mean and filling up a map, is an activity that every kid will enjoy (just writing this makes me want to start searching!).

Map Display Boards can be easily purchased and make a treasured keepsake. If you want to make sure of your child’s success, complete sets are available (we won’t tell). Even if you purchase the sets ahead of time you can spread them out to be discovered and save a few for a special occasion or reward.

Bonus activity: there are also quarters for 56 National Parks and Sites. They’ve been released 5 per year since 2010. Numbers 51-55 are being released throughout 2020 with the 56th released in 2021. Once you have all 50 state quarters….start on the parks! Full sets are available for these too.

ps: pay attention to all of the mentions of “Crossroads” on the designs. Evidently “crossroads” was a big buzzword in the state-slogan-development process!

Eagle Maniac

Posted on May 12, 2020May 15, 2020 by ourvirtualholiday

Do you know how the Bald Eagle became the national symbol for the United States? We didn’t either. Which makes it a great project to share with your kids!

Some questions to get started:

Why and When was the Bald Eagle chosen as the national symbol for the United States?
Where do Bald Eagle’s usually live?
What do they eat?
How many Bald Eagles are left in the world?

You’ll be able to uncover so much information from there, the conversations about the beauty and power of eagles will be natural!

It’s also a great opportunity to start bird watching and learning about other species. There are really cool and inexpensive monoculars available that hold your smart phone to allow you to take great photos from far away.

Patriotic Gen

ME the People

Posted on May 12, 2020May 15, 2020 by ourvirtualholiday

Ask 100 people what being an American means to them and you’ll likely get 100 different answers. Therein lies what it truly means to be an American: we have the freedom to believe whatever we want!

But when you break it down, you’ll find underlying themes that we can all agree on: being American means that we work hard and we value our freedom. The details of those two vary greatly from person to person but showing each other mutual respect and ultimately working together (and sometimes that means staying out of each other’s ways) is what truly makes this country great.

Discuss with your family what Civic Pride means and how each looks at their responsibility to their communities and working to make your town and country stronger. What can you do on a local level to make a difference?

Remind yourself and your family about the fundamental belief in freedom and inclusion that sets America apart. Our country was built by the persecuted and rejected and they insisted on making a better life and a better system for themselves. Instead of focusing on our differences, let’s focus on what we values we all share.

Patriotic Gen

This is My Flag

Posted on May 12, 2020May 23, 2020 by ourvirtualholiday

There is nothing that feels more patriotic than driving through a neighborhood decorated with the red, white and blue.

Rather than just placing a flag on the mailbox why not make a family project out of the construction of a flagpole in your yard? While that may seem a bit much, imagine your kids raising and lowering the flag on a daily basis. This simple act will instill patriotism, responsibility and respect for our flag and our nation.

A house-mounted flag is no less patriotic but certainly less work. You can maximize the time spent mounting the flag holder by talking about the history of our flag and what being an American means to you.

Patriotic Gen

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Stars & Stripes

Posted on May 12, 2020May 15, 2020 by ourvirtualholiday

The list of fun and decorative projects that kids can do for Veterans Day, 4th of July and Memorial Day are only limited by your imagination. We have identified a few to give you a launching off point.

Patriotic Windsocks make an awesome yard decoration.

1. Start by making a short tube of blue construction paper about the size of a roll of toilet paper.

2. Cut 18 inch long, half inch wide strips of white and red construction paper and glue them to the bottom edge of the blue tube.

3. Cut out white stars and glue them on to the blue tube.

4. To finish it off, attach a 2 or 3 foot string to opposing edges of the top of the blue tube and a hang it from a tree.

You can also attach it to a stick so your kids can wave it like a flag. The materials used can be as simple or fancy as your imagination dictates.

Patriotic pinwheels can easily be made from paper plates. The pinwheel can be attached to a wooden dowel or in a pinch can be pinned on to the end of a ruler or pencil.

1. Create 8 sections on the plate, like pie pieces and have the kids color each section, alternating red, white and blue.

2. Cut a straight line down each section, stopping about 1/2 inch from the center

3. Fold one corner from each of the sections to the center

4. Use a pushpin to connect each corner to a wooden dowel, ruler or pencil and watch your pinwheel spin!

Popsicle sticks are arguably the most versatile of all craft supplies. Color them red, white and blue and make popsicle stick flags, deocrations, photo frames or trivets to make holiday food presentations more fun (one of us at OVH had to look up what a “trivet” is….for those of us born in the south, it’s a pot holder).

Marble Stars: It’ll take finesse and concentration to win at this game! All you need is a large piece of cardboard or poster board, some markers, crayons or colored pencils, tape and marbles.

1. Start with a 24 inch x 18 inch piece of poster board, have the kids decorate it like the American Flag.

2. Bend the edges 1 inch all the way around it to make a tray.

3. Tape the corners for stability.

4. Punch 50 holes just smaller than a marble into each of the 50 stars.

To play, the kids take turns rolling one marble at a time to land them in the holes. Alternate play: put all 50 marbles on the tray and time each player to see how long it takes them to roll the marbles around until all the holes are filled.

Looking for new games for the kiddos? Check out some of our favorites:

Patriotic Gen

My American Story

Posted on May 12, 2020May 15, 2020 by ourvirtualholiday

Certain days of the year we Americans tend to feel extra patriotic but we don’t always put those feelings into words.

Holidays like Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day present a perfect opportunity to share with your kids what you love about being an American citizen.

Not only can you share stories about the opportunities that America has to offer but also personal accounts of the things you’ve done and seen that are particularly American.

Classic American values to kick off the conversation can include:

Perseverance
Helping your neighbor
Independence
Diversity
Inclusion
Liberty
Unity

Many of these are core American values that text books teach kids led to the early patriots to build our country. Do you notice the trend of both individualism and community unity? We did and it gave us all the feels. We can be independent and together…it’s actually quite American!

Don’t be afraid to dive deep and think about the ways you live your life and how it reflects the drive of our forefathers who sacrificed to build this great country.

Video presents a great way for friends and family to contribute with their own unique tales. Your child might enjoy drawing a picture to each story they’ve heard or documenting the highlights in a personalized patriotic journal.

Cart

Login

Register