Happy Friday everyone!!!
For many American families, a Memorial Day celebration includes a three-day weekend packed with picnics, a trip to the lake, backyard grilling sessions, and a red, white, and blue Memorial Day dessert to top it all off. This year's activities might be smaller in scale, but it's still important to keep in mind the history of Memorial Day. This national holiday isn’t about sales at your favorite stores or online or an extra day off from work. It’s about remembering and honoring those who have made the greatest sacrifice for our country’s freedom and lost their lives serving in the U.S. military.
With the country slowly opening up, celebrating this year might look a little different. We still need to be safe and cautious during this time, but there are lots of ways to get your kids involved and make it a teachable moment to honor those that we celebrate. Here are some of my favorite ways you can get the family involved this weekend.
Red, White and Blue Decorations:
Show some American pride by decorating the inside and out with red, white, and blue. This is a great way for the kids to get involved and show some pride for their county. Make some posters or have the kids paint signs of appreciation. Whatever it is , make it red, white and blue. Here's a great link for some crafts that would be fun for the whole family.
https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1036755/memorial-day-crafts-for-kids/
Homemade Patriotic Shirt:
There is nothing more fun than making your own t-shirt. This year have fun with the kids and make your own Patriotic shirt. There's lots of ways that you can do it. My favorite way would be to tie-dye red and blue on a white shirt. You could use a sponge and cut out star shapes and let the kids paint their shirts with patriotic colors. The best part about these shirts is you could save them for the fourth of July. Here's a link to give you some fun ideas for your shirts.
https://nontoygifts.com/diy-patriotic-shirts-for-kids/
Sweet Treats:
One of my favorite things to do during Memorial Day is to eat with family. There's nothing better than gathering together to break bread and celebrate with each other. There are some fun ways you can turn your everyday desserts into a festive dessert. Strawberries and blue berries go great with some whip cream or turned into delicious pie. You can add some food coloring to some white chocolate and dip pretzels into a fun patriotic snack. Here are some desserts that everyone in your family will love.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/memorial-day-desserts/?trkid=soc-TOH-Pinterest
Letters of Gratitude:
It's important that we tell those that have sacrificed so much for us Thank You during this time. This is a great way to teach your kids about freedom and the sacrifices that our made for it. To tell those thank you and to honor those that lives were lost. Write thank you cards to family or friends who have served. You can even mail cards to service men and women that are currently serving. There are lots of different links online that lets you pick where you can send letters to a solider thats currently serving. Here is one that looks amazing.
https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks/write-letters/?gclid=CjwKCAjw8J32BRBCEiwApQEKgeL-nltAcDIhgqFWptFC_BBWOoQYEOLS69H560cCdqgMsDAiaEH3yRoCKDkQAvD_BwE
However you decided to celebrate this weekend make sure you have fun and stay safe. We are all still in this together and need to be cautious as things slowly get back to normal. Make sure you thank someone who has served and honor those who have fought for your freedom. Let's have a great time celebrating Memorial Day together!! Have a fantastic weekend everyone!!!
Tiffany
Program Supervisor