Labor Day Activities for Elementary Students
The last holiday of the summer, Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894. Celebrated on the first Monday in September, Labor Day inspires memories of camping trips, swimming and barbecues. It is a well-deserved holiday dedicated to the achievements of the American worker. With most schools starting in early September, it is a perfect opportunity to introduce elementary students to the contributions of the working class citizens of America.
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Career Day
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Hosting a career day gives students the opportunity to learn about various careers. Although the students may be too young to choose a career path for themselves, the experience can be inspirational. A career day activity may be planned in a variety of ways. The teacher may invite several members of the community to speak to the class about their careers. Students may invite their parents to describe their jobs to the class or field trips to various community businesses might be planned. Regardless of the method chosen, it is important to offer a diverse selection of occupations, stressing that every worker contributes to the community.
Volunteering
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With a few exceptions, elementary school-aged children are too young to be employed for pay. Volunteering affords the opportunity for the student to experience the responsibility and commitment required to have a job. Volunteer activities may be arranged as a class project such as picking up litter in a park or assisting with a recreational activity in a long-term care facility. Students may also commit to volunteering at home or in their neighborhood. Possible projects may include: household chores, walking dogs, yard work or helping a neighbor. Encourage students to chronicle their volunteer experience in a journal and describe what they learned from the experience.
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Start a Business
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Small business is one of the cornerstones of the American labor force. By starting their own small business, students will experience some of the challenges faced by small business owners. Choose a simple enterprise such as a lemonade stand or bake sale. Through planning and participating in the process, students will develop a basic understanding of start-up costs, advertisement, customer service and money management. The class can choose a charity to donate the proceeds from the sale.
Role Playing
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Role playing offers the student the opportunity to "test drive" an occupation. Begin by choosing professions that can be adapted to the classroom. For example: students can become a famous architect and design their own building on graph paper. Budding journalists can write a newspaper article about their school or community. Teach basic first-aid to future members of the medical profession. The possibilities are endless. Who knows, by learning about the skills required for various professions, students may even appreciate school more.
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References
- Photo Credit construction laborer image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
