Kentucky Derby Day

Our Auxiliar de Conversación, Sara, is from Kentucky, USA. In order to share with the children a bit more about her culture, we put together a series of activities about Kentucky for all ages in primary.

First, Sara presented a presentation on some basic characteristics of Kentucky, especially sharing about horse racing, which is an important part of Kentucky culture. The children learned about the Kentucky Derby, a world-famous annual horse race hosted in Louisville, Kentucky, in the month of May. They also learned the anthem song of Kentucky, called "My Old Kentucky Home."

Next, the 6th graders spent time researching and putting together their own presentation about Kentucky, including more information like history, food, famous people, and natural features of Kentucky. They then shared their research in a presentation to the younger students in school.

Lastly, the students of all ages participated in a special Derby Day reenactment activity. Each class had its own Derby Day horse race, where students dressed up in hand-made costumes and acted out the roles of the horses, jockeys, and spectators of the race. It is typical at Derby Day to wear big, crazy hats, so students brought home-made decorated hats to wear to the celebration, and then made a hat parade to show them off!

The students had a great time learning about Kentucky and acting out the celebration of Derby Day.