Columbus Day Celebrations

We are looking forward to Columbus Day on Monday. Here are a few things we did to celebrate last year:

Books: We read the books In Fourteen Ninety-Two by Jean Marzollo and Animals Christopher Columbus Saw: An Adventure in the New World (Explorers (Chronicle Books)) by Sandra Markle. The first book was short and sweet--perfect for my younger son. The second was longer, telling the story of Columbus along with facts about animals he may have encountered at each stage of his journey. My older son and I loved all of the fun facts we learned in that book.

Snack: We ate apple slice "boats" with mozzarella cheese "sails" stuck on with toothpicks.

Crafts and Pretend Play: We made "spyglasses" from paper roll tubes which we covered with black and tan construction paper. We also drew our own old-fashioned "maps" on the backs of old brown paper grocery bags. I pulled out our blow-up world globe to show my children where Columbus sailed, and then we set off on our own pretend voyage.

Video: We watched this classic cartoon that tells the story of Columbus in a way that is easy for preschoolers to understand:


I have also gathered more ideas for this year on my Columbus Day Pinterest Board. I hope you have as much fun as we do celebrating this holiday! -->