Teaching love of country happens mostly by example, including with stories and songs!
My first grade memories of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing a patriotic anthem while one of us held the American flag high at the beginning of the school day happily soared in my heart for years.
In future school years we only recited the pledge, but never sang. Reciting the pledge is good, but singing added a special layer of meaning.
Never again did I enjoy patriotic anthems after the pledge, until I student taught third grade. And that year I learned something new, the Texas pledge.
Each morning of our homeschool, I brought my favorite patriotic experiences to my kids.
While each of my kids held a flag high, one the American flag high and the other the Texan, we’d place our right hand on our heart to recite the pledges.
Pledge of Allegiance History
We opened each day with the American Pledge of Allegiance. First adopted in 1892 the words, under God, were added on Flag Day 1954. The mere simplicity of two words conveys all the meaning for our homeschool, family, community, and nation.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Texas Pledge of Allegiance History
Then we recited the Texan Pledge of Allegiance, which was adopted in 1933. Again, the words one state under God were added on Flag Day of 2007.
Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.
Patriotic Songs for each Day
After the pledges, we sang a patriotic song in an easy range and fun lilt for kids, played on the piano, one for each day of the week:
Monday-My Country ’tis of Thee
Tuesday-America the Beautiful
Wednesday-It’s a Grand Old Flag
Thursday-Stars and Stripes Forever
Friday-The Star-Spangled Banner
Epilogue 2024
Wherever we went, if my kids heard one of these songs played, they could easily jump in and sing.
Nearly every Independence Day we’d watch Yankee Doodle Dandy, the life story of turn of the century music man George M. Cohan…and we learned the story behind It’s a Grand Old Flag.
In 1940 President Roosevelt awarded Cohan with the Congressional Medal of Honor for two of his songs: It’s a Grand Old Flag and Over There.
And so nearly every year on patriotic holidays we’d hear an orchestra play a symphonic tribute to George M. Cohan with a medley of all his music. We couldn’t resist joining along to sing the many tunes and tap our toes, including singing It’s a Grand Old Flag.
When we took a trip to Colorado in 2001, we stood at the top of Pikes Peak looking over purple mountain majesties and fruited plains we couldn’t help but sing America, the Beautiful.
When we visited Fort McHenry in 2012 we stood and sang The Star Spangled Banner after the movie about the history of the fort while everyone else began to disperse.
By our example of a few voices, a few in the crowd noticed and joined us, which caused others to pause their steps to add their voices to ours in singing America’s beautiful anthem in its most historic setting.
