5 ways to Celebrate Veterans Day with your Student

Jo Marie Bolick is a middle school math teacher at Insight School of Kansas and Kansas Virtual Academy.

Holidays are the ultimate time to embrace traditions and celebrate with family. For our family, Veterans Day is no different. Here are some great ideas to prepare for and celebrate this holiday.

1. Visit your local library. Ask your librarian for age appropriate books on military service and historical events involving service members. The early bird gets the worm on this one! I try to grab some books 3 weeks before the holiday, to get the best selection

2. Enjoy a poem or reading about the holiday.  To you on Veterans Day is a great poem, and this website has several poems to choose from! Incorporating a poem a day for the week prior to the holiday really gets kids in the spirit!

3. Explore your area. Many cities have a monument or memorial celebrating the sacrifices of our service men. If you are unable to locate one nearby, share pictures online of some of the national memorials. Some ideas are: WWII memorial in Washington, DC, WWI monument in Kansas City, MO, Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, and the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC,

3. Share a story about poppies. Click on the photo below to find a great book about poppies and how they relate to Veterans Day. There are several crafts that can be done that incorporate poppies. I particularly like this coffee filter poppy as well as this poppy wreath.

5. Write an encouraging note to our service men and women! There are two wonderful organizations, Operation Gratitude and A Million Thanks that send letters to our servicemen. Please check out the websites for specifics on getting letters out. Bonus points: continue this tradition throughout the school year!