Surfing the Net with Kids: American Flag » Newsletters

Surfing the Net with Kids: Dinosaurs

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June 4, 2000

Dear Readers,

Welcome back. Today’s American Flag Day topic is accompanied
by a bushel full of games, which are listed below as usual.
But first I want to introduce two new pages at the Surfnetkids
Web site:

Surfnetkids Games — all the games listed by type and topic
Surfnetkids Jokes — all the jokes organized by subject.

Now, for today’s American Flag games:

Flag Jigsaw
Flag Concentration
Flag Scrambler
Flag Word Search

Today’s newsletter is made possible by:

TeacherVision.com is the teacher community dedicated to
children’s learning. This on-line community provides resources
designed for teachers, by teachers. At TeacherVision.com you
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– Organized Lesson Plans linked by curriculum area
– A FREE and EASY way to build a Class Website
– What Works for teachers – or share what works for you
– Trusted Internet Resources for educators.
Visit us today!
Even though you can’t be with your children all the time, you still
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materials? Cyber Patrol. By using the world’s most trusted
Internet filtering software, you decide what your children
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If you are responsible for your organization’s Web site, you know
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Click here

The American Flag

https://www.surfnetkids.com/flag.htm

Each year on June 14th, our country celebrates the history and symbolism of our flag on National Flag Day. With Independence Day just around the corner, it seems that all the picnics, parades, flags and fireworks just sort of blend into one big American summertime celebration. To add to your festivities, here are my site recommendations.

American Flag Page

http://userpages.aug.com/haywire/flag.html

“The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America’s birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’.” Over the next sixty years, the celebration of Flag Day grew in popularity, but it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

Betsy Ross Home Page

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/

Betsy Ross would often tell her children, grandchildren and friends of the fateful day in May, 1776 when a secret committee from the Continental Congress asked her to sew the first flag. Today the historical accuracy of her story is debated point-counterpoint on her very own web site. Also included in this fun site is how to cut a five-pointed star with a single scissor snip, flag trivia, flag etiquette, and the opportunity to contribute your own thoughts about the American flag.

Flag of the United States

http://www.usflag.org/

“Until the Executive Order of June 24, 1912, neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag was prescribed. Consequently, flags dating before this period sometimes show unusual arrangements of the stars and odd proportions, these features being left to the discretion of the flag maker.” It was President Taft who signed the first Executive Order establishing proportions for the flag (a width of 1.0 and length of 1.9) and detailed the arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, with a single point of each star to be pointing upward.

Learn2 Fold an American Flag

http://www.learn2.com/09/0903/0903.php3

“Flag-folding does take some practice, but the task isn’t exactly rocket science. As long as you’ve got an awareness of flag etiquette (a few simple rules) and a friend to help you out, mastering the art of getting the flag in that neat little triangle will have you looking like the best girl scout or marine in town.” This five-step illustrated flag folding lesson is just one of hundreds of short tutorials you’ll find at Learn2.com. The instructions can be followed online, or printed out for ease of reference. You’ll find the link to a printable version at the end of the last step.

Star Spangled Banner Project

http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/

“The Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project is saving an American treasure — the flag that inspired our national anthem. At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, we are engaged in a significant effort to preserve this icon, which has been endangered by time, and exposure to pollution and the elements. In this Web site, you may learn the Star-Spangled Banner’s origins and history, consider the flag’s symbolism, track the conservation team’s
progress, and explore our educational offerings.”