Patriotic Poem

What You Need:

• Construction paper
• Multi-colored markers
• Glue stick, glitter, stickers (optional)

What You Do:

1. In order to find out what your child already knows about the 4th of July, have a brief conversation about why we celebrate this national holiday. Ask your child how her life would be different if the United States was not a free country. Could she play outside anytime she wanted? Could she go to school?
2. Tell your second grader that she is going to create an Independence Day keepsake. She will make her name into a work of art: each letter of her name will form a word that tells about her personal freedoms, and she has the “freedom” to decorate it however she chooses.
3. Ask your child to brainstorm a list of personal freedoms she enjoys, such as talking on the phone, playing outside, and dressing as she chooses.
4. Now, show your child how to design her name by forming the letters out of the words in her list. From far away, it will look like her name. But as you get closer, her name will be revealed as lots of meaningful words put together.
5. When her project is finished, offer lots of praise and display the piece in a prominent spot. Offer her a red, white and blue treat for creating such a memorable keepsake!