Saturday, June 13, 2009

Flag Day Craft Rocky Mountain Style

I found this idea for a Flag Day craft at http://www.enchantedlearning.com/. It's titled, "Patriotic Pebble", and it sounded perfect for us, as we are surrounded by rocks. The hills we live in weren't named the Rocky Mountains by mistake!

Basically, it's just your typical rock painting exercise:


  • Pick a flat sort of rock.

  • Wash it.

  • Let it dry.

  • Paint it (we used acrylic paints).

  • Let it dry.

Using the flag theme though, gave us a chance to focus in on a few of the details of each of the flags we chose to paint.

How many stripes does the America flag really have? 13 - one for each of the original colonies.

How many stars does it have? 50 - one for each state.

What do the colors stand for? Red - valor and hardiness, White - purity, Blue -vigilance, perseverance, and justice (on the Christian flag, it's red for the blood of Christ, white for purity, and blue for faithfulness).

The little one's enjoyed painting the solid colored backgrounds for the flags, allowing the older children to fill in the details. We cheated just a bit with our state flag by printing out the state emblem and gluing it on, instead of trying to paint it ourselves. Even so, it gave us a chance to observe it, and discuss the meaning behind the details.

For more information on the American flag, and the rules and regulations for handling it, check out www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html.

For information on the history and origin of the Christian flag, go to www.steve4u.com/christian/facts.htm.

Or, if you want to learn more about the Montana state flag see www.sos.mt.gov/About_Office/State_Flag.asp.

It's great to be a homeschooler!

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