Supporting Veterans Day

 

Tomorrow most of the country will have the day off  because of Veterans Day. Last night at dinner, my father-in-law who is a Vietnam Veteran, told me that Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was created and officially announced a National Holiday on November 11th because at the end of World World I ended on November 11, 1918 on the 11th hour.   In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.'” As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.  It wasn’t until after World War II and the Korean War that they changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars. (Source: Wikipedia).

 

United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on Aug. 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov. 11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as “National Veterans Awareness Week.” The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.  I think it is so important to teach children about our countries veterans and what they did to keep our country safe.  (Source: Military.com).

Sometimes Veterans Day is confused with Memorial Day.  The difference is that on Memorial Day, we honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime. (Source: Military.com).

 

 

So on this day of rest or fun, let’s remember the men and women who have fought for our country with thanks and gratitude!  Below are some crafts you can do with the kids to honor all our Veterans and men and women protecting our country today!

 

 

Packages from Home:

Packages from Home was created by Kathleen Lewis.  Her son Christian, a soldier with the Army’s 1st Infantry Division. Christian was deployed to Iraq in March 2004.  She began sending care packages to him on a regular basis. When she received a phone call from him thanking her for all of the comfort items from home,  she found out that her son was the only soldier in his squad receiving any packages from home.  So Kathleen and some friends decided to adopt his squad, and began shipping packages to the men in his unit. This is the point where “Packages From Home” was born. Packages from Home is one of the organizations listed and recognized by the Department of Defense to send care packages in support of our troops. We have been featured on many Military related websites, such as The Military Report and America Supports You.  To read how you can support our troops with a Package from Home go here.  They also provide Letter Writing Guidelines here.

 

 Crafts for the Kids:

 

 

A Poppy Wreath

This cute idea comes from blogger at Mama Papa Bubba.  Traditionally, wearing poppies is to honor servicemen and women who died and usually done on Memorial Day according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.  The practice of wearing of poppies takes its origin from the poem In Flanders Fields, written in 1915 by John McCrae.  To read how to make this go to MamaPapaBubba site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Solider:

This cute idea comes from Fun-in-First and would be a great craft to send to Packages from Home!  To read how to make your own solider go here.

 

 

Old Glory Flag Pennant:

This looks pretty easy to make and a great way to talk to your kids about the American Flag and what all it represents!  To read how to make this go to Spoonful.com site.

 

Photo courtesy of Flickr:

Photo of flag courtesy of Flickr:

 

 How are you planning on spending Veterans Day?

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