Memorial Day is the day in which we honor the ultimate sacrifice that many of our soldiers have made for our country.
Memorial Day has been an official national holiday since 1868 when Army General John Logan suggested an annual day of remembrance for Americans to “strew with flowers or otherwise decorat (e) the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion….”. Of course, the “late rebellion” he referred to was the Civil War in which over 600,000 men lost their lives.
In 1971, during the midst of the Vietnam war, the US Congress declared that Memorial Day should be celebrated on the last Monday of May.
If you would like to incorporate Memorial Day into your curriculum, the following links have information, printables, craft ideas, etc:
http://curriculalessons.suite101.com/article.cfm/memorial_day_history_lesson#ixzz0lm4G36NC
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/memorial-day/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/memorialday/
http://fun.familyeducation.com/memorial-day/holidays/33548.html
After you honor our soldiers, enjoy your hot dogs!
Ann Simpson
