Thanksgiving is only three days away! Children could contribute to the celebration by making a special tablecloth. Give children a paper tablecloth and some festive markers. Place scrap paper under the tablecloth to protect underlying surfaces. Children could draw Thanksgiving foods, symbols, or family likenesses. They could also write messages about giving thanks. Children could read A Turkey for Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting or learn more from the Plimoth Plantation website at: Thanksgiving.
Monaco celebrates its national holiday. Prince Albert II was enthroned on November 19, 2005. Monaco’s government is that of a constitutional monarchy. Located between France and the Mediterranean Sea, it has only 1.21 square miles of area. It is the second smallest country in the world. More than 30,000 people live in Monaco. It has high literacy rates and life expectancy rates, but it has a negative population growth rate. Most of the country’s revenue comes from tourism and gambling.
Gettysburg Address was delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The Civil War battlefield was being dedicated as a national cemetery. While keynote speaker Edward Everett spoke for more than two hours, Lincoln’s speech lasted just two minutes. However, the speech stands today as one of the best pieces of oration ever written. The Library of Congress stores the actual written speeches. Children can read the words of the Gettysburg Address at: Gettysburg Address.
Zion National Park was created in Utah in 1919. Many bats live in niches along Zion Canyon. Children could research bats and Zion National Park. Then they could make an “I am batty about Zion National Park” commercial. The park website hosts some great images and an amazing ehike: Zion National Park.
Roy Campanella (born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1921; died Woodland Hills, California, June 26, 1993) was a great baseball player. One of the first African American major leaguers, he was the National League MVP in 1951, 1953, and 1955. He was paralyzed in a car accident in 1958. He became even more famous as a spokesperson for the handicapped. He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
George Rogers Clark (born Albemarle County, Virginia, 1752; died Louisville, Kentucky, February 13, 1818) was a frontiersman. He was also a hero during the Revolutionary War.
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (born Allahabad, India, 1917; died New Delhi, India, October 31, 1984) was the first female prime minister of India. The only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, she served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.
James Abram Garfield (born near Orange, Ohio, 1831; died Elberon, New Jersey, September 19, 1881) was the twentieth president (1881) of the United States. Born in a log cabin, he grew up to be a lawyer and a professor. At age thirty he was the youngest general of the Civil War. He was elected to Congress and became the darkhorse candidate for the presidency. Garfield won by one-tenth of one percent of the votes. He was assassinated in office by Charles J. Guiteau, an unhappy person who had sought a job appointment from Garfield. Children could visit a website at: James Garfield. They could find out if the Secret Service was around during Garfield’s time. How is the president protected today?
Jack Schaefer (born Cleveland, Ohio, 1907; died Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 24, 1991) was an author. He wrote Shane. He also wrote Old Ramon; the book was given the 1961 Newbery Honor Award. Children could visit a website at: Jack Schaefer.