How we got the Star Spangled Banner

I have two jokes I tell about the War of 1812. First, I joke it’s the forgotten American war, because we don’t really talk about it. Then I joke how it’s the second war for independence. It’s actually, a common name for the War of 1812, and it’s doesn’t really change all that much, other than launching the political career of a few dozen soldiers, and giving us two important battles*. So, let’s settle in for the Battle of Baltimore lesson and learn where we got the Star Spangled Banner, and add this into our pile of history lessons.

Goodness, I need to update this, I’m getting it started now, but will finish later.

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Supplies for Battle of Baltimore lesson

poster paint, copy paper, glue stick, paintbrushes, scissors, Maryland printable (on the subscriber page,  join my newsletter to gain access)

Battle of Baltimore lesson

So, while we work on this project we listened to the Adventures in Odyssey It’s Another Fine Day episode about “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which is a really good one and gets you to thinking about stuff.  If you don’t have that available, “By Dawn’s Early Light” also covers the history behind our anthem, but I thought listening to this would be a fun change of pace.

It’s a fun dramatic retelling of the Battle of Baltimore and how Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner.

I gave each of the kids a half sheet of paper.  Then I gave them each 2 ships and a fort to glue on.  They happily did and spent a merry few minutes explaining who was good guys and who was bad guys……….

Then they painted their ocean blue.  I was rather insistent on this, and didn’t give them any other paint except blue.  I’m so mean……

After they’d painted their ocean I gave them a stiff brush and a little, red, yellow and orange.  I showed them how to dip their brush in the paint and then flick it at the paper with their finger.  Which Princess was not happy about because it got her fingers messy.
Then after awhile they just wanted to paint whatever.  So, the boys painted numerous “John Avery Whittacker” and Princess just had fun.

Superman’s final project.  As you can see, he used a lot of glue for the fort.  And there were not a lot of explosions going on.

This is more what I thought it’d look like.  Still, not quite the dramatic explosions and stuff I was hoping for.  Maybe if we had watercolors and could have blown them with our mouths……

Don’t you just love the variety?

*Oh, and the White House getting burned…. That’s gotten a few jokes now. Notable, when George W. Bush’s portrait was unveiled at the White House, he joked to Michelle Obama, “If the White House gets burned again, you know which George you should save,” referencing Abigail Adams saving George Washington’s portrait.

More American Revolution

Future Ticia 2020 here, I’m just about to teach this to my kids, and I included the War of 1812 as part of our American Revolution study because it makes a great bookend.

• Kids write their own Declaration of Independence
• American Revolution Movies for the Whole Family
• Nathaniel Greene, forgotten member of the American Revolution
• Steps to the American Revolution
• How the Protestant Reformation caused the American Revolution