On June 20, 1782, the bald eagle was officially declared the national emblem of the United States. Decades later, June 20 was declared American Eagle Day. This day is a celebration of our national emblem. It is a day designed to raise awareness and educate individuals about this magnificent creature. No matter the age of your children, you, too, can celebrate this beautiful bird and its symbolic meaning to our nation. Below are a few ways to celebrate American Eagle Day with your children.
1. Go on a scavenger hunt
The bald eagle can be found on more than a dozen official seals for many government branches and departments. If you have older children, create a scavenger hunt to find as many official seals that display the bald eagle as you can. Create a challenge and see who can find the most images first or complete the challenge together. This can be an excellent educational experience, especially during the summer months.
2. Venture to the great outdoors
If you live in an area inhabited with these beautiful creatures, find a place nearby where you can take your children to view a bald eagle. By doing a local search online, you may find several options for your surrounding area. However, if you do not live near bald eagles, you can find several documentaries that provide an excellent learning experience. Spend an afternoon cuddled on the couch with your young ones and learn about bald eagles and how they live.
Or, if your children desire, there are several online cameras where you can view bald eagles in their natural habitat. You can discover their mannerisms, their beauty and their way of life right from your own computer screen.
3. Create a bald eagle puppet
If you have young children who love to express their creativity, create a bald eagle puppet out of a brown paper bag. Using the paper bag, white paint, scissors, glue and a few pieces of paper and crayons, you can complete a fun craft project.
To create your puppet, lay the paper bag flat with the flap laying forward. This is the front of your bird and the flap is the bird's head. Then, paint the flap white. Using the extra paper, design and cut out feathers and wings. Glue the feathers on the top of the bird's head and the wings to the side of the paper bag so it looks like the bird is flying. You can let the kids create a face, add feet and more to the bald eagle using crayons or by cutting out the objects on the extra pieces of paper.
As you create your puppets, show your children pictures of bald eagles and talk about these birds. Discuss where this bird lives, what it eats and how it survives. Make this craft an excellent learning experience.
4. Find online activities
There are dozens of activities available online that are designed to educate children about bald eagles. You can find templates for jigsaw puzzles or coloring pages. You can also find games for children to play or activity sheets they can complete. By doing a simple search, you can find activities that will interest each individual child and will teach him all about our national emblem.
American Eagle Day is a day to celebrate the beauty and strength of our national emblem. You can make this day an educational experience, no matter the age of your children. There are dozens of activities you can do with your kids to teach them about our nation and these animals. They will learn something and you probably will too.
