February Resources: Black History, Valentines, and More

Smile! It’s Dental Month! No need to hide in your hole like the Groundhog this year. Kick off February with Punxsutawney Phil and all things Groundhog. Then brush up your pearly whites during Dental Month. Black History Month is a focus in February with lessons that can be used throughout the year. Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to get fun and festive mid-month with friendship and love. Wrap up the month studying famous Presidents for Presidents’ Day.

Dental Month

Students are excited about anything dealing with the human body, and teeth are no exception. From losing their own teeth to examining animal teeth, they get excited. Capture that excitement with lessons about teeth all month long.

Black History Month

Black History Month is celebrated annually in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The first coordinated efforts for a time to celebrate accomplishments and history of black Americans began in the 1920s. Kent State began the first full month of observation in 1970, and the movement was officially recognized by the United States government in 1976. Black History Month was first celebrated in Canada in 1986 and the United Kingdom in 1995.

Valentine’s Day

The Feast of Saint Valentine is celebrated in the United States every February 14, even though it is not a recognized public holiday. What started as a commemoration of saints named Valentine combined with folktales from various countries. Poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to combine the ideas of “Valentines” and love. The first mass-produced valentines in the United States were sold in the mid-1800s. Today it is estimated that around 800 million cards are exchanged in schools alone each year!

Presidents’ Day

Take time this Presidents’ Day to celebrate all the presidents in history, not just George Washington’s birth on which day it lands. For added interest this year, find out about presidents around the world. Do you still have election materials from this fall? Use the red, white, and blue leftovers to decorate the classroom and revisit election-themed vocabulary for a mid-winter brush-up.

February is a time to learn from the past and celebrate the love we have today.

What do you do to celebrate February?