Okay, some of you may be jealous of the title, because not everyone gets Martin Luther King Jr. Day off. My Hubby doesn’t and it would be nice to have him around tomorrow as the kids are off school. Between the holidays and the snow, I feel like there is no such thing as a school week :)
I admit that I am not the best at talking about the meaning of holidays (except Christmas) and doing activities with the kids. I used to do well, but then life just kept getting busier. I am feeling convicted to do something tomorrow though with the girls. Martin Luther King, Jr. has always had a special place in my heart, way before I ever knew that I would have two daughters with brown skin who would face prejudice.
In the sixth grade our church did a musical. It was around the Fourth of July and it had an American theme to it. My lines were the following lines from MLK’s most famous speech:
“Rosa sat so that Martin could walk, Martin walked so the Obama could run.”
I like to think of it as Rosa sat so that Martin could walk so that Mita and Enu would have a home, a country and a chance to become who they were meant to be. A little long for a tee shirt, but in mind mind it works!
So today we will spend some time talking Martin Luther King Jr. Watch a clip from his famous speech, make bookmarks and just in general remember the life of a man who changed the world.
Here are some links to a few MLK activities:
Feel free to let me know how you are spending the day and of any activities that would be fun to pass on.
Our community has an annual art and writing contest. In December, Syl came home excited to submit an entry. Not knowing what MLK’s dream was, she read books from the library and wrote an essay on how she lives the dream. She used your same quote in her paper and presented it at the community breakfast this morning. She was 6 turning 7 and I am amazed at her initiative (wanting to write an essay, asking to go to the library, getting the entry form, remembering to turn it in by the deadline) and her poise in presenting it to a gym full of strangers.