Five Ways to Celebrate Constitution Week With Students
The Fourth of July is not the only time to celebrate this great country of ours! In a few short weeks, Americans will celebrate the anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in a weeklong celebration known as Constitution Week. Founded by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1955, Constitution Week’s goal is threefold: to encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America’s great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens’ responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution.
At Higdon Learning Solutions, we love that the U.S. Constitution preserves the right of parents to educate their children as they see fit! We are also proudly American and enjoy any excuse to celebrate the Land that we love!
Participate in a Ceremonial Bell Ringing.
At 4 PM Eastern Time, churches in Philadelphia celebrated the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 by ringing bells across the city. Today Americans commemorate the event by ringing bells at that time on September 17. Keep it simple by using some jingle bells with your family, or contact your local churches and government offices to see if they’d ring bells at 4PM Eastern Time too! Remember to consider your time zone!
Dress in Red, White and Blue
Celebrate Constitution Day or the whole week with patriotic attire.
Make a Colonial-Era Dish
As a family, create a dish that our Founding Fathers would have perhaps enjoyed! THIS list from Geroge Washington’s home of Mount Vernon provides some fantastic ideas.
Memorize and Recite the Preamble to the Constitution
Need a refresher? Here it is:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Discuss the importance of the Bill of Rights
Should someone who says something that hurts your feelings be put in jail? Why is it a bad thing for a church to be forced to close? These are all important questions to ask to incite some interesting discussions. If you’d like to go even more in-depth with the Bill of Rights, THIS is a fantastic resource!
The U.S. Constitution is one of the most important documents ever written and it’s worth celebrating! We hope this inspires to at least discuss the Constitution with your children and students!
