Monday, January 19th was Martin Luther King Junior Day. The kindergartners learned a lot about the holiday and its namesake this year. They completed several activities to learn about Dr. King, including their version of peace.

The kindergartners were given a piece of paper that said “peace means to me _______”, and in the blank they wrote what they thought that the world should look like. The answers were inspiring and insightful. Most of the answers dealt with the actions of the world, with various students writing that they wanted “people to be nice to everyone,” “help people to be safe,” “everybody to have food,” or “pick up trash.” Other students wrote about more personal experiences, such as doing things with their parents. Several kindergartners, when asked about their enjoyment of their various MLK day activities, answered with an emphatic yes.

To supplement their candle project, the students also worked on other activities dealing with Dr. King and his life. The Tuesday morning after MLK day, they began their day with a coloring project of Dr. King. They also read two books about him about his life and death.

The idea for a holiday remembering Martin Luther King Jr. began four days after Dr. King’s April 4, 1968 assassination, when a Congressman submitted a suggestion for a bill. While that bill didn’t pass, a different bill for a federal holiday in honor of the slain civil rights leader passed in 1983, and became effective in 1986.