Labor Day Activities for Kids

Labor Day in the United States is generally just thought of as the last big summer holiday before we dive into back to school activities (though plenty of kids are back to school already) but there’s an important meaning behind the holiday that’s especially important this year with lots of labor unions striking or threatening to strike.

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.

The holiday originated in the late 19th century as a way to commemorate the contributions of workers to the American economy. It was first celebrated in New York City in 1882. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday recognized as Labor Day.

If you want some Labor Day printables and activities for the classroom, check out the Labor Day page at TeacherVision. It includes collections of activities about various jobs, information about child labor, a word search and other activities.

At home or in the classroom you can talk about future careers the kids might like to have and have them write, draw or collage about their chosen job. Or come up with a list of jobs and have kids learn more about them. Bonus points for careers that have union representation such as actors, factory workers and teachers. They can also draw different careers like on the Labor Day cube shown above, which is an activity from Crayola.

Older kids can learn about key moments in labor history and make a timeline like these from We Are Teachers (a detailed timeline can be found at Libcom, or you can search for local labor movements or those related to a particular industry). Or have kids research an important labor leader such as Cezar Chavez, Mother Jones or Frances Perkins (check out the list at the AFL-CIO website for more).

[Photo: Crayola]

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Celebrating Arab American Heritage Month

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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