Folktales, Fathers and Fun - Celebrate the Men In Your Life

A Letter From His Father
by Claude Andrew Bail

    


"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!"
                                     ~ Lydia M. Child

Father's Day is June 19 this year, a day when we honor and celebrate the men in our lives who sit through parent conferences, attend dance recitals, volunteer as baseball coaches, and walk us down the aisle. But others, who may not be our birth fathers, deserve to be celebrated as well; uncles, godfathers, father-in-laws, any man who makes a positive difference in our lives through leading by example and supporting our goals.

It is almost six years since my own father passed away. While the special men in your life are still with you take a moment to honor them and say "thank you."

  

  

• Some history states that the holiday originated with Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, whose father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth.Father's Day. 
• Other history states it was first observed in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, who wanted to celebrate the lives of the 210 fathers who had been lost in the Monongah Mining disaster several months earlier in Monongah, West Virginia, on December 6, 1907.

• US President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation.

• In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers.  In 1972 the day was made a permanent national holiday.
• Some observe the custom of wearing a red rose to indicate that one's father is living or a white rose to indicate that he is deceased.
  
  Information courtesy of:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Maria_Child
  https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/fathers-day 

STORIES

Father Frost - Russia
http://russian-crafts.com/russian-folk-tales/father-frost-tale.html 

Father Grumbler – Andrew Lang/Brown Fairy Tale Book
https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/139/the-brown-fairy-book/4297/father-grumbler/

The Foster Father – Ukraine 
http://freebooksforkids.net/foster-father.html  (This immediately reminded me of the folktale, The Best Wish, found here: https://www.worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Jugoslav_Folktale_11.html#gsc.tab=0 )

The Father of the Family - Norway

http://oaks.nvg.org/ntales63.html#old-father

Juan Wearing a Monkey Skin – Philippines 

http://tinyurl.com/68qjdh5

The Miller, His Son and Their Donkey 
http://www.taleswithmorals.com/aesop-fable-the-man-the-boy-and-the-donkey.htm

One Man and His Precious Cow – Africa
http://allfolktales.com/wafrica/precious_cow.php

The Princess Who Loved Her Father Like Salt 

http://tinyurl.com/3courp5

The Seventh Father of the House - Norway
https://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/2018/06/asbjornsen-seventh-father-of-house.html

The Strange Creature – Zimbabwe

https://spiritoftrees.org/the-strange-creature 

The Ungrateful Child and the Father Who Went to School Again
https://www.worldoftales.com/European_folktales/Ukrainian_folktale_22.html#gsc.tab=0

The White Tiger – Korea
https://storiestogrowby.org/story/white-tiger/  

 

CURRICULUM

5 Father’s Day Ideas for Elementary Children
https://www.hmhco.com/blog/5-classroom-activities-for-fathers-day

Education World – Lesson plans, books, songs, and activities for your students.
https://www.educationworld.com/holidays/archives/fathers_day.shtml

Preschool Father’s Day Theme – Lots of creative ideas here.
https://www.prekprintablefun.com/fathers-day.html

CRAFTS 

Country Living.com – 31 East Father’s Day Crafts the Kids Can Make for Dad 
https://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/g32676534/fathers-day-crafts-kids/

DLTK.COM - Lots of things to make that special man smile on Father’s Day: Crafts, poems, printables, recipes and songs!
http://tinyurl.com/nrssk

Enchanted Learning
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/fathersday/


RECIPES

Father’s Day Cooking Project for Kids
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/fathers-day-projects-kids

In the Kid’s Kitchen – Father’s Day Recipes Kids Can Make
https://www.inthekidskitchen.com/fathers-day-recipes-kids-can-make/ 

SOMETHING EXTRA

A Father’s Day Story - If you would like to read a short, humorous story about my father, you will find it here.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-father-always-took-great-pride-in.html

C is for Caring Fathers – A blog from the fabulous folktale researcher, Csenge.
https://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2016/04/c-is-for-caring-fathers.html

Mother’s Day and Memories - My blog post for Mother’s Day filled with stories and more.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/05/mothers-day-and-memories.html

 

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2011 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.