I love to hear stories about my parents when they were younger. There is something about thinking of them as young kids that just makes me smile and know that they really were young once! I love to see my daughter’s eyes when she hears stories about “Gee” (what she calls my mom) riding a pony or going to school. Some of my favorite stories were the ones my mom would tell me about the great conversations she would have with the patrons of her Grandma’s Café in a small town in Texas where she is from. She tells of these amazingly hard-working people that were so nice to her and would make her laugh and tell her stories to make the lunch breaks something she looked forward to everyday. These memories were not made out in the dining area where you might be picturing them though. You see, because of the color of their skin, these wonderful men and women weren’t allowed to eat with everyone else and because my mom was a family member, she wasn’t allowed to dine there either… only white paying customers had the “privilege” of dining in the real dining room! Now my great-grandma wasn’t unique in her convictions, this was just accepted practice in a small town in the South in the 1950’s! My how things have changed in 2012! I would never imagine someone not being able to eat at a restaurant because of the color of their skin and I’m sure it would never cross my daughter’s mind to judge someone by the color of their skin. I know we still have ground to cover in this area but we also need to focus on how far we have come! Historians credit much of these strides to people like Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 16th marks the day we celebrate his legacy. I love that this has become a day of action instead of just reflection. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" What a great thing to teach our children!
http://mlkday.gov/index.php web site details a plan of action and ideas to celebrate this day of service with your children and be a wonderful example to every one of the difference just one person can make. It is also vital that we teach our kids about service and about the history of where our country has come from. I’m listing below some fun projects and resources to help start the conversation in your households!
Quiz: How much do you really know about Martin Luther King, JR. http://holidays.quiz.kaboose.com/50-how-much-do-you-know-about-the-young-martin-luther-king-jr
Craft: http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/martinlutherking.html
Coloring Sheets and Activities: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/martin-luther-king-jr/teacher-resources/6643.html
Additional Resources: http://holidays.kaboose.com/martin-luther-king-celebrate.html
