Even though the Vikings beat him to it, and Amerigo got namesake, America honors Columbus (even more so, the discovery of this country - the blessing that brought us here today) this coming Monday with our national holiday entitled "Columbus Day". Since the mid eighteen hundreds, Italian Americans have been celebrating this event. After President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the 400th anniversary since Columbus' landing, back in 1892, Colorado became the first state to officially observe Columbus day. Below are some links for teachers and homeschool teachers that I have been rounding up in my quest to prepare for our lessons this Monday. By the way, to all of our neighbors in Canada, "Happy Canadian Thanksgiving" this coming Monday as well! God bless you up there. COLUMBUS DAY EDUCATIONAL LINKS:   Sprittibee's "Sailing the Atlantic With Columbus" (photos included) Awesome Columbus Day Worksheets / Printables (PDF) Great Columbus Day Craft Ideas Columbus Day Lesson Plan Ideas Everything You Wanted to Know About Columbus plus TONS of IDEAS Crafts, Worksheets, Printables, Lesson Plans and More History of Columbus' First Voyage with Translated Journal Entries and Timeline Full History of Columbus' Voyages - very DETAILED and INTERESTING An excerpt from the latter link: CLIP FROM FIRST VOYAGE: "The weather continued favorable. The sea was so light that everything on board the Santa Maria was removed safely. Then it was that Columbus, tempted by the beauty of the place, by the friendship of the natives, and by the evident wishes of his men, determined to leave a colony, which should be supported by the stores of the Santa Maria, until the rest of the party could go back to Spain and bring or send reinforcements. The king was well pleased with this suggestion, and promised all assistance for the plan. A vault was dug and built, in which the stores could be placed, and on this a house was built for the home of the colonists, so far as they cared to live within doors. The chief sent a canoe in search of Martin Pinzon and the Pinta, to tell them of the disaster. But the messengers returned without finding them. At the camp, which was to be a city, all was industriously pressed, with the assistance of the friendly natives. Columbus, having no vessel but the little Nina left, determined to return to Europe with the news of his discovery, and to leave nearly forty men ashore. It would appear that the men, themselves, were eager to stay. The luxury of the climate and the friendly overtures of the people delighted them, They had no need to build substantial houses. So far as houses were needed, those of the natives were sufficient. All the preparations which Columbus thought necessary were made in the week between the twenty-sixth of December and the second of January. On that day he expected to sail eastward, but unfavorable winds prevented." CLIPS FROM SECOND VOYAGE: "From this time forward this is to be but a sad history, and the sadness, nay, the cruelty of the story, results largely from the composition of the body of men whom Columbus took with him on this occasion. It is no longer coopers and blacksmiths and boatswains and sailmakers who surround him. These were officers of court, whose titles even cannot be translated into modern language, so artificial were their habits and so conventional the duties to which they had been accustomed. Such men it was, who made poor Columbus endless trouble. Such men it was, who, at the last, dragged him down from his noble position, so that he died unhonored, dispirited and poor." ... ... "These men frankly admitted that the "Christians" were all dead. The Spaniards had been told so the night before by their Indian interpreter, but they had refused to believe him. They were now told that the King of Canoaboa* and the King Mayreni had killed them and burned the village." ... ... "When they returned to the site of La Navidad they found many Indians, who had become bold enough to come to barter gold. They had shown the place where the bodies of eleven Spaniards lay "covered already by the grass which had grown over them." They all "with one voice" said that Canoaboa and Mayreni had killed them. But as, at the same time, they complained that some of the Christians had taken three Indian wives, and some four, it seemed likely that a just resentment on the part of the islanders had had something to do with their death." There are interesting bits of canibal encounters as well in this second voyage. Hope you enjoy it! I have stayed up way past my bedtime reading it. All credit for the above narrative goes to: Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909 . The life of Christopher Columbus: from his own letters and journals and other documents of his time. @ the Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library    Thank the Lord for bringing us to this good land that Columbus voyaged to... and for the freedom we have been blessed with for all the years thereafter.  May that freedom ring out across our whole world for all mankind.  Amen!   This post is a re-post from my blog that I wrote last year.  I edited it some and added the top link (a link to my own fun unit study for this topic).  Enjoy!       Technorati Tags: history, religion, education, Home School, teaching, homeschool, holidays, Columbus, education