Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lapbook for Kindergarten

I could not find a lapbook with all the elements I wanted to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I wanted to focus on Dr. King's hopes and dreams but also introduce the historic significance of those dreams. TS has friends of all colors so it was important for him to understand the history but also understand his reality is part of the dreams of Dr. King. To that end I wanted to focus on dreams and hopes.

TS "I have a dream…."

• That there will be eco friendly cars with roll cages.
  
• That there will be eco friendly computers.
  
• That everyone will learn to share.
  
• That there will be no poor people
  

Sources:

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King , by Jean Marzollo

The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane Derolf

Robin Hill School – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Nick Jr. Celebrate Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Day Lapbook

Martin Luther King Jr. Poem

Digital Resources:

I Have A Dream Speech

Happy Birthday (Tribute Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday)

As a mother of color I knew the day would come when we would have the discussion about race in America and this was the year. The questions started during the 2008 campaign and as we approach the historic events of Tuesday I wanted him to a sense of the big picture. Because of when and where we live he doesn't have the concept of what it all means. He can't really as a child, but I wanted him to begin that journey to understanding the African American experience in a positive light.

Having grown up in Mississippi in the 1970s I have always know about race, segregation and the history of hate. My earliest memories were playing on blankets at protest rallies and sit ins during the early 1970s. My grandmother was very active in the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi and we grandkids spent many a Saturday at NAACP functions. It wasn't until I was 13 that I realized Mr. Charles who visited our church was actually Charles Evers brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers. I remember being sick ( 1976) with the mumps and having to sit in the waiting room of the local doctor's office with others of color while Caucasian patients walked right in off the street and got seen ahead of us.

The heart break of feeling that kind of hate makes you want to protect your child at all cost. But as Grandma use to say "You got air out that sore, get some sunlight on it so it can heal. If we don't talk about it, wrap it up and keep it ourselves it is just gonna fester and rot the whole body."

It is important to us that TS has pride in his heritage and knowledge that hate exists but not to become consumed with it.