Veterans Day Observance in Elementary School

VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCE and PERFORMANCE

Humbling. Amazing. Incredible. Powerful. Grateful. 

Last week was truly beyond description. I was in a total of five schools over the course of five days. The week concluded with my making my author-illustrator visits to three very rural schools in eastern Ohio. Think buildings set amide rolling hills and hollers. A consortium of school districts had written a grant to the state for Early Literacy. We had been planning my participation for seasons. At last the days had arrived. I was so excited! 

How amazing to walk into an 'old-school' gymnasium and find myself SURROUNDED on all sides by those dozens and dozens of American flags pictured above. There were also flags for each branch of the service: Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force -- all represented. You've just got to appreciate small town Americana and the effort demonstrated in that musty gym. I was choked up just walking in the door.

The school hallways were filled with familial memorabilia from Veterans who'd served across the years and around the world. It turns out that each of these schools primary grade students were hosting Veterans Day programs and singing my song, "Red, White and Blue" as part of their observance. The school's music teacher had been hard at work for weeks leading the students before my arrival -- to prepare them for their performances before the assembled Vets. 

All week I was treated to that 'DIVA' feeling. After all, I was the one who'd written the song and book that they'd been studying! Hugs and adoration galore. It is so hard to convey the feelings in my heart when an entire gym full of students is singing my "Red, White and Blue." The kindergartners are exuberant in their enthusiasm and the big kids in first and second are so proud. Humbling is the only word in the ballpark. And I mean humbling in the very BEST sense of that term. 

The halls were also awash with patriotic projects...... from preschool hearts 

to kindergarten anchor charts. 

At this moment, I'm arrived safely back in our newly adopted state of FL..... 

in our new-to-us 'pip' of a home. 

Vero Beach has a Veterans Memorial Sanctuary Island. 

These next images are from that very special place. 

Early last week the kinder-kids in Worthington had created a Debbie Clement ABC anchor chart! 

That's a first -- that I know of, anyhow. 

Read closely, because there are a few true Kinder invented spelling ideas included! 

LUV LUV LUV it! 

This next quilt is from last spring and a visit to mature second graders in IN. 

These quilt squares were fairly small in scale, maybe about 5 or 6 inches. 

The old art teacher in me is over-the-moon at these types of responses to my work. 

I LUV LUV LUV when teachers send me photos of their kiddos performing my song.

Here's a look at the first two pages of my picture book version of my song, 

"Re, White and Blue." 

Yes. I made all the illustrations from fabric as small quilts. 

My song is now in a digital zipped file and available for immediate download at our 

Early Education Emporium and Teachers Pay Teachers.