Summer camp at home: Week 3 -- America, the Beautiful

There's a long holiday weekend ahead! Independence Day is next Monday. I know lots of folks will be traveling or barbecuing with friends and trying to stay cool. In my plan to keep my boys entertained and learning something for the 10 weeks of summer at home, we're going to keep things simple this week -- not too many activities, both to recoup from my baby's birthday party last week and also because his actual birthday is this week -- but more relaxing and just playing.

Whatever happened to just playing?

In addition to playing and going on playdates, we'll also be learning a little bit about our country for America, the Beautiful Week:

- Look at maps of America and our state. Start learning how to read a map.

- Make construction paper flags.

- Sing patriotic songs while doing crafts or playing.

- Use glitter glue to draw fireworks on paper.

- If you're interested in more Fourth of July crafts, check this out.

- Rent and watch DVDs "An American Tail," "This is America, Charlie Brown" and "All Aboard America."

- Read A Is For America; America: A Patriotic Primer; America Is; The Scrambled States of America; America the Beautiful; Good Night America or other books we find at the library about America that are age-appropriate.

And of course we'll watch fireworks next Monday when the actual holiday rolls around. Have a fun Fourth!

Sons in Service flag

Lately, my husband has been spending his free time trolling eBay for historic American flags. And when he lifts his head up from the netbook, he likes to tell me facts about our country's history and tidbits he has learned about the past while searching for flags. I like to tease him that he's getting quirky in his old age -- but really, searching for American flags is a hobby that just might help preserve history.

Within the past week -- just in time for Memorial Day -- my husband won an eBay auction for what's called a "sons in service" flag. I had never heard of this flag before, so he had to educate me. During the first and second world wars, families would hang these small flags in a window or other place where they could be seen from the street. Each blue star on the flag indicated how many sons in the family were in service. This flag my husband bought (with nine stars) was either from a large family or possibly used by a business to show how many employees were actively deployed, as some companies did. My husband is considering getting the flag framed, which we hope will help preserve it. You can see how the flag is tattered and has permanent creases from being stored folded.

When a soldier died in service, a gold star was sewn over the blue star. I'm glad this flag has only blue stars, because I like to think all of those sons, or employees, made it home to their families.

Memorial Day is about remembering those who were given gold stars on sons in service flags -- an in life.