Free Resources for Parents, Kids, and Teachers
In celebration of Labor Day, we want to honor all of our fellow citizens whose hard work makes our country run -- here today and decades ago. We're excited to share some resources on why today is so important and how your kids can learn more. Click below for kid-friendly, educational links to videos, places to visit, and booklist to use in your homeschool, classroom, or family discussions.
The roots of some holidays seem so long ago to children. But Labor Day is not just about long ago history. It is civics in action! This is especially true today, as we've emerged from a pandemic that upended business as usual and disproportionately affected low wage, hourly and service workers, BIPOC families, women, those with health issues and disabilities, farmworkers, and more.
In our U.S. history book and curriculum for elementary grades, History Quest: United States, we tell the story of the labor movement in the chapter "Gilded Age and the Progressive Era."
Like in all of our History Quest books, readers can take a "History Hop" back in time to meet those that lived through the chapter's era. In History Quest: United States, you walk up the creaky narrow stairs of a N.Y.C. tenement home in 1909 to meet Rachel, a young Jewish factory worker, as she rushes off to work before the Sabbath.
You will then zip through time to a cotton mill in Louisiana where you will meet a photographer who helped bring the dangers of child labor to light. Download the chapter for FREE in our History Quest: United States "Try Before You Buy" sample.
Some other Labor Day resources from the web:
PBS: Workers Rights Activists and the History of Labor Day. This page offers several short videos covering history of the holiday, key historical figures, incidents like the Triangle Shirt Waist Company fire, and why the minimum wage and 40 hour workweek exist. It also includes videos on Black activists and the labor movement's intersection with civil rights and the farmworkers' movement (including a video in Spanish).
The Tenement Museum: Want to walk through an actual tenement building and meet "real" people who once lived there? If you are in New York City, visit the Tenement Museum for living history tours in real historical homes showcasing the experiences of Irish, Italian, Jewish, Puerto Rican, and other immigrants as well as information on the Black Experience. Can't travel? They have lesson plans and online resources.
Book Lists: Check out these literature lists on Labor Day from the Chicago Public Library and Social Justice Books.
