Happy Birthday Martin Luther King JR!
Though MLK day is next Monday, along with his day of service in honoring the holiday, his actual birthday is this Friday, January 15th. I decided to have a fun party in his honor for students, and this is how we celebrated!
- Learning Dr. King facts-We discovered that Martin was a father, an activist for peace, and that he was mad about inequality, but he learned to make a difference through peaceful actions. Wow, what an important piece of information especially for young children who are trying to regulate their emotions! Don't be surprised if your child tells you that Martin Luther King Jr was mad. He was! It's okay to be angry--how we deal with our anger is an entirely different story. The kids also learned about Dr. King as a minister, and that his birthday was Friday. We also spoke of his Nobel Peace Prize.
- We sang songs about peace, such as "Peace in my Fingers" and "Freedom, Let it Ring". We also sang happy birthday, of course!
- We had a fun dance party with a neat Bluetooth speaker (this was a highlight for the children, they loved the "musical fountain" effect of the colored water from my small wireless speaker), took party necklaces home and enjoyed Smartie treats while we reviewed some MLK knowledge.
- Made a beautiful fingerprint "peace dove" together. Look for the informational poster (shown below in an image) in the hallway so that you can review music class with your child on your way home tonight!
Questions to Ask Your child
1) What does peace mean to you?
2) Do you remember who Dr. King was?