Patriot Day - 9/11 Remembrance

This teacher has a cold, so this post will be short and sweet, but I wanted to share how we observed Patriot Day today.

First thing this morning we added the stars to our flags (adapted from this site). Let me tell you, trying to get 50 stars on the flag was hard enough - trying to put them on in rows of 6 and 5 was impossible! We started out strong and then when I realized that most of my darlings didn't have the visual perception to be able to continue spacing the stars evenly, I settled for just getting 50 stars on the page! Actually, I should say "star-like blobs" because painting with q-tips does not lead to precision!

Still, they look super and the kids were very proud of themselves and that's what counts!

We also made our red, white and blue quilt! I had cut out red, white and blue rectangles and then punched out hearts, stars and United States shapes (I even used the paper left behind after the shapes were cut out!). I allowed each child to choose as much or as little as he/she wanted. I think they turned out beautifully and I displayed them in our cafeteria/auditorium for the whole school to enjoy!

Here is the whole quilt as it hangs on the wall:

 And here's a close up of the individual panels:

We also performed "Red, White and Blue" for the whole school! When I told my kiddos that the day had finally come, they were so excited, I even heard some squeals! They absolutely love the song and the sign language and were so proud of themselves to be performing on the stage! Our assembly was actually the 4th grade's program - they sang patriotic songs and recited poems. But, since  we really wanted to perform on September 11th I asked the music teacher if she could fit us in somewhere and she did! I am still trying to figure out the permission needed to post the video and how to upload it, but as soon as I do I will share - so darn proud of the kids and so happy that Debbie Clement created this song! We will keep it on our playlist for the rest of the year - it's perfect for Constitution Day, Memorial Day and pretty much any patriotic holiday!

Alright, my Nyquil is kicking in so I am off to bed - hopefully this cold is short-lived! We have 1/2 day tomorrow - at least for the kids. They get to go home at 12:30 but teachers stay until 4 :( Have a great night everyone, stay tuned for more patriotic crafts as the week goes by!