February has been known as Black History Month in the US since 1976, when it was recognized nationally for the first time as part of the US Bicentennial. The contributions of African-Americans are often left out of history books, and this is one way to focus more attention on them.

Children can learn about Black History Month at their own level. Little kids might just want to color a picture of Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass, or listen to someone read The Sneeches by Dr. Seuss, while older ones would gain a lot by learning about Jackie Robinson or the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. There have been movies made about certain aspects that would be great for the right ages, including 42, the Jackie Robinson Story (it does have some swearing in it,) or The Help. Even Hairspray can be educational for older kids.

The great website Family Education, http://tinyurl.com/2s5eu4, has a page with all kinds of activities for families to do together to learn more about Black Americans and Black History Month.