Labor Day, the first Monday in September (precisely halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving), marks the end of summer and the beginning of the school year, but that's not what it's about. Labor Day is about the contributions and achievements of working men and women. Labor Day has been celebrated in the U.S. and Canada since 1894.
As the U.S. Department of Labor states, Labor Day is "a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." In other words, Labor Day is a time to celebrate hard workers, as well as the labor organizations that speak up for and assist them.
How Can Kids Celebrate Labor Day?
- Help your children identify the hard workers they know and the contributions those men and women have made to your community and country.
- Visit workplaces to see the hard work in action.
- Watch the History Channel's The Fight to End Child Labor video (1:39).
- Wear white one last time and talk about the tradition of not wearing white after Labor Day.
- And, of course, attend a Labor Day parade.
Take Field Trips to See Workers in Action
In my family, for example, I like to point out the landscaper (grandpa), waste management (aunt), caregivers (grandma and uncle), engineers (dad), electricians (great-grandma, retired), and law enforcement officers (great-grandpa, retired) and the many ways they help our community.
I still remember the excitement of visiting my hard-hat-wearing grandma when she was working in a manhole downtown. My daughter recently went to work with her grandma who provides caregiver services to disabled adults and we've visited my sister at the garbage dump.
In addition, we've toured the local bank, post office, fire station, public works, and police station. Give your local service providers a call to ask about free tours.
Labor Day Printable Coloring Pages and Activity Sheets
- apples4theteacher.com has a whole section filled with Labor Day craft pages, including relevant coloring pages, worksheets, a reading list, and printable short stories that celebrate workers.
- The USA.gov Labor Day page includes a kids section on employment and careers, as well as minimum wage statistics and other labor facts.
- thecolor.com provides several Labor Day-themed coloring pages and they've even got an iPhone App.
Those are just a few of the many Labor Day printable coloring pages and activities you can find on the Web. Try a Google image search for "Labor Day coloring pages." You might take some of those coloring pages along on your field trips into the life of a modern day laborer.
Sources:
U.S. Dept. of Labor. "The History of Labor Day." dol.gov, Retrieved 16 Aug 2011.
TLC Family. "Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?" tlc.howstuffworks.com, Retrieved 16 Aug 2011.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
Join the Conversation