By: Family Engagement Commission

It’s almost February! Get ready for a month full of important holidays and events including Black History Month, Presidents’ Day, Safer Internet Day and Valentine’s Day. Schools will be focused on these events in a variety of ways. Here are some things you can do as a family to learn more about these events and acknowledge them at home. 

• Black History Month- February 1-March 1, 2022. The theme this year is “Black Health and Wellness”
• • • Attend local events celebrating Black History Month — there are often concerts, parades, exhibits at museums, or book readings at your local library that highlight the contributions of African Americans.
    • Read books about important African Americans including Mae Jemison, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson. We can also read about important African Americans in the field of science and medicine like Dr. Patricia Bath an ophthalmologist who has done remarkable research around cataracts and blindness (The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath), learn more about biologist Ernest Everett Just (The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just), or read about George Washington Carver (there are loads of great children’s books about his fascinating life). 

• Safer Internet Day Celebrations – February 7-11, 2022

• • • National PTA is supporting the goals of Safer Internet Day by hosting an entire week of digital safety experiences to help PTAs and families create a safer, kinder, more inclusive online community together.

• Valentine’s Day- February 14, 2022

• • • Cut out a batch of paper hearts — 14 for each family member.  Each day of February leading up to Valentine’s Day write down one thing you love about each person in your family. You can either read these to each other at dinner or tape them to their bedroom door.  
    • Work together to create a family meal with heart-shaped foods. Cut your sandwiches into hearts, or make heart-shaped pizza or cookies. Not only will this be yummy, but cooking together is a great way to reinforce math skills.

• PTA Founders’ Day- February 17, 2022

• • • Participate in National PTA’s 125th Anniversary Virtual Party on February 17th!
    • Learn more about the accomplishments and work of California PTA members and find resources to celebrate locally.

• Presidents’ Day- February 21, 2022

• • • Write a letter to the President or send them a picture your child has drawn. You can find the address at WhiteHouse.gov and sometimes you will get a response.  Here are some tips for writing your letter. 
    • Begin to memorize the order of the presidents. There are lots of fun ways to do this — there are songs with the order, videos on YouTube, or mnemonic devices to help you learn different chunks of information about our presidential leaders. Not only is this important information for our civic education, but it can help you in trivia competitions. 

As always, you can find more activities to do at home by searching the California State PTA’s Resource Library. You can search by the age of your child, around a specific topic (including but not limited to: “Activities you can do at home”, “Early Childhood” or “Family Engagement”), or just use a keyword in the search bar.