Jackie Robinson Biography Research Paper

Black history is probably one of my favorite to learn about, so it is no surprise that I would take such joy and excitement of teaching it to children.

I 've done this fun, crafty, and educational activity with my three and four-year old at one daycare that I taught at and they absolutely loved it. I 'm very much a history buff as well as a sports fanatic (thanks to my Dad) and I choose the great Jackie Robinson who was essentially the first African-American man to break the color line in major league baseball (MLB) in 1947. Mr. Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers as a second-base man and was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, which was well-deserved.

Fun Fact: He was first signed by a white man named Branch Rickey. Rickey is a fellow Ohioan. He was born in Stockdale, Ohio. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Rickey also signed the

Then we began our activity!

First, I just gathered white t-shirts that would belong to each child in my class. I then got some fabric paint, some sponge letters and the fun began. I had each child dip the sponge letters into the fabric paint as they printed each letter of their last name onto the the white t-shirt. I then aided the children with printed the number forty-two (42) on the back of the t-shirt as well. I did this with all the t-shirts because Robinson 's number playing for the Dodgers was forty-two. On the front, we printed "Brooklyn Dodgers" in blue fabric paint. It took only one day for all the t-shirts to dry and the children were so eager to wear them. In fact, they wore them all through the school day as their parents came to pick them up.

To go just another mile, I thought of a new idea I could carry on with me for my next class to incorporate this activity in. I could have the children wear their new Dodger Baseball shirts and I could take a video of the children singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame!" This would be such a great idea as a keepsake and just a fun activity