Remembering 9/11 in our Homeschool
When the events of September 11, 2001 occurred, I was home packing a suitcase. I had recently retired from my 9-5 job, eagerly anticipating my new career as a stay at home mom. We were scheduled to fly from Detroit to Russia on September 20th to complete the adoption of our first child.
Like everyone else, I was glued to the television watching the events unfold. Not only did we not know what this meant for our country, we were frantically worried about what this meant for our adoption. Of course, looking back, our concerns about grounded flights and delayed travel visas were pretty inconsequential in comparison to the loss of life and other destruction of that day, but at the time that was our reality.
Regardless of how one may feel about the actions of our government in the days following, there is no denial that for a brief period in our history our country was united. Never before, in most of our lifetimes, had we experienced an attack of this magnitude on U.S. soil.
As homeschoolers, as U.S. Citizens, we need to be making a concerted effort to make sure our children know the significance of Patriot Day. Our children need to know the stories of bravery and sacrifice, two of the many traits that make our country and the people who live here remarkable.
9/11 was our generations “where were you?” moment. Most of us have very personal events that we can share with our children, unlike a majority of events in history, we were actually alive for this event. We can describe how we felt when we heard the news and watched story after heartbreaking story of loss, kindness, and perseverance.
I often find it easy to introduce new subjects through the use of well-written picture books. Here are some books that might be helpful to use with children:
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey
The Survivor Tree: Inspired by a True Story
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Some other ideas for marking the day:
Here is a great resource for making a U.S. Flag Lapbook
Here are several easy flag crafts, here and here.
and we always enjoy incorporating a snack into whatever we are learning about. Enjoy a flag cake, or for something a bit healthier but just as tasty, a fruity flag.
Spend some time memorizing the Pledge of Alligiance
Listen to and learn the words to the Star Spangled Banner
Other Posts that You Might Enjoy:
- What Can I Do to Foster Patriotism in My Home?
- Patriotic Printables Packet
- Learn about Patriotic Music
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What wonderful ideas for remembering such an important day in history. While many of my kids were not born at that time I did have some of them and I think it’s important for all of them to understand the significance that day had in all our lives. Thank you for sharing such wonderful ideas!
Thanks for your kind comments Michelle. I hope you find the ideas useful!
I was just thinking about how to handle this today. Thanks for the book suggestions, I placed an order on Amazon already! I also found a good coloring book on CurrClick today. It was called “September 11 Coloring Book” and was only $0.50. It is perfect for the younger kiddos.
Shannon, thanks for your comment, I hope you enjoy the books. I will have to check out the coloring book!
I was driving to work when the news came across the radio. Work was very somber that day as we all watched tv and listened to radio all day as we attempted to do our work.
This year they have chosen to celebrate my grandson’s birthday on the 11th. His birthday is tomorrow. I can’t help but wonder if she chose the 11th on purpose. He will be 10 years old, so he was born just a few day before it happened.
Marsha, I hope your grandson has a happy birthday! Thanks for the comment. It must have been a very interesting day to be at work, as no one would have been able to concentrate and get anything accomplished.