Black History Month activities have slowly begun in our household. There was a bit of a set back last week but we are off and running this week.
Last month, I tried to figure out a way to talk to Doll Face about President Obama. I wanted to kick off our Black history month adventures with a conversation about the President and the pivotal role that he has played in our country's history.
I did a little researching and found that President Obama had published a Children's book in 2010. It is a letter to his daughters in the form of a children's book. I thought it would be fun to purchase the book and add it to our library. I love books, so any excuse to purchase more is always very much welcomed.
Doll Face knows President Obama's face and name well since this Momma is a political junkie and we may or may not watch a lot of news in our home. This makes speaking to her about the President an easy fleet.
So I began with a short conversation about President Obama. Explaining to Doll Face that President Obama was the first President of The United States of African American descent. I explained that he was the very first to accomplish this honor, and that it was important for her to know this since she was born at a very important time in history.
We colored a President Obama coloring sheet that we found over on the Crayola website.
Afterwards we read "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter To My Daughters'' by President Obama.
President Obama speaks of famous Americans who have had a profound impact on our society. He tells their stories and does a great job of interweaving their legacies. In total, there are thirteen groundbreaking Americans. Our favorites: Jackie Robinson, Sitting Bull, Cesar Chavez and Helen Keller.
Doll Face was mesmerized by the beautiful illustrations done by Loren Long. She especially loved all the detail that each page held. Doll Face specifically pointed out the angry faces in the baseball stands as Jackie Robinson played ball. I explained to her that Jackie Robinson was the first African American man to play baseball in the MLB. An honor that was not received well by everyone.
I was very surprised that Doll Face had picked up on the spectators' reactions in the illustrations. Actually, it caught me off guard. I had pre-read the book and I had not noticed the angry faces that the spectators displayed. So it was a quick learning experience for the both of us. I had to think quickly about what was age appropriate for a 3 year old, and try to keep my response positive and informative.
The book is beautiful and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with small children. The illustrations are amazingly drawn with care to detail. The illustrations inspire with their bright and cheery colors.
Doll Face and I enjoyed our lesson on President Obama and will be revisiting our new book often. This lesson also demonstrated to me that Doll Face is old enough to start thinking critically about information that is present to her. It is both a scary and amazing development to witness.
How are you celebrating Black History Month? Are there any fun activities that you are doing with loved ones that you would like to share?
Sounds great! I'm going to have to get this book for my son :)
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