Women’s History Month is held each March to reflect on the contributions of women to United States history. What you may not know is that Women’s History Month grew out of a week-long celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. The local Women’s History Week activities met with enthusiastic response, and dozens of schools planned special programs for Women’s History Week. A parade was even held in downtown Santa Rosa.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration.
Six years later Congress expanded the event to the entire month of March. A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women.
Women’s History Month is observed in the US, UK and Australia in March, and in October in Canada.
Here are seven ways you can celebrate Women’s History Month with your kids.
1. Read your children a book or three.
Here is a list of book recommendations for children that show girls as creative, confident leaders.
- Rosie Revere Engineer By Andrea Beaty
- The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett & Gary Rubinstein
- Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History…And Our Future! by Kate Schatz
- Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909by Michelle Markel
2. Make a “Women Power” playlist and listen to it often during March.
Here are a few songs to get you started:
- Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
- Rise Up by Andra Day
- Video by India Arie
- Firework by Katy Perry
- Brave by Sara Barielles
- Fight Song by Rachel Platten
3. Donate your time, talent or money to an organization that supports girls.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Girls Who Code
- The Malala Fund
- Girls for a Change
- Equality Now
- Global Fund for Women
- Girls Write Now
- Girls On The Run
- She Should Run
- Google any of the listed organizations to get additional information on how you can support the group.
4. Attend a virtual museum exhibition.
The National Women’s History Museum offers a variety of free online exhibitions. Featured exhibitions include:
- Breaking In: Women In Stem
- Timeline: Women’s Suffrage
- Inventive Women
- Parading for Progress
- Standing Up for Change
Log onto www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/online-exhibits to view the exhibits.
5. Get a subscription to Kazoo Magazine for your daughters.
Kazoo is a quarterly magazine for girls ages 5 to 12 that helps them learn how to celebrate themselves. It’s topics include art, nature, science, tinkering and tech, cooking, travel, sports, emotions, writing, citizenship and critical thinking. Subscriptions are $39.99 per year. Get more information at: kazoomagazine.com.
6. Thank an influential woman.
Nothing beats a good old written thank you note. Pick out an influential woman in your life and write them a heartfelt note thanking them for their inspiration. You don’t need to mail the letter and it could be to a historical figure. This is a great exercise for both kids and parents.
7. Get coloring.
Download a few coloring sheets from the Classroom Doodles website and give your kids a short history lesson while they color the pages. You’ll find Rosa Parks, Dorothea Dix, Harriet Tubman and more. While they are coloring read a few exceprts from Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women by Cheryl Harness.
Leave a Reply