About Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month began as a smaller “Women’s History Week” on March 7, 1982, and was later petitioned by the National Women’s History Project to become a month-long celebration. The month of March officially became Women’s History Month in 1987 and gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the historical contributions of women in the United States.
This month is an opportunity to learn about our great leaders, activists and pioneers who have worked hard to ensure women are recognized and that future generations will learn (with accuracy) the contributions women throughout the world have made.
What Can You Do to Celebrate This Month?
- Read books about women
- Research women-owned businesses in your community
- Explore the quilts of American Amish womenhttps://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/pattern-and-paradox
- Learn about the women of five warshttps://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/serving-our-voices/diverse-experiences-in-service/women-of-five-wars/persian-gulf-iraq-and-afghanistan/?st=gallery
- Introduce a new famous women daily https://www.weareteachers.com/famous-women-in-history/
- Learn about Famous black women that everyone should know. https://www.weareteachers.com/famous-black-women/
- Read a book from a female illustrator or author.https://www.weareteachers.com/female-illustrators-classroom/
- Memorize or just choose an inspirational quote from a woman. https://www.weareteachers.com/famous-quotes-by-women/
Curriculum and Lesson Plans
Women’s History Month lesson plans
https://www.educationworld.com/a_special/women_history_lesson_plan.shtml#google_vignette
Women in History worksheets
https://www.education.com/resources/?occasion=womens-history-month
10 Women’s History Month Activities for Students
iCivics lesson plans
https://l.icivics.org/womens-history-month/
8 Activities to Celebrate
Podcasts
What Makes Us Stronger:
https://www.womenforwomen.org/what-makes-us-stronger-podcast
The History Chicks:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-history-chicks-a-womens-history-podcast/id415983183
Women’s History Month for Kids:
How the National Parks Celebrate Women’s History Month
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/womens-history-month.htm
Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls (Grades K-6) Fairy tale audio adventures about real-life women throughout history
YouTube
Groundbreaking Black Women in History Videos (Grades K-6) Animated music video.
Women’s History Month Craft with Miss Diana
Museums & Centers
National Women’s History Museum
https://www.womenshistory.org/
Great resources for women’s history. Click on public programs for storytime programs.
National First Ladies Library
International Women Air and Space Museum
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Women’s Museum of California
Sasha Basha Martin
Women’s History Month Ambassador
In celebration of Women’s History Month, I was asked to share a little about myself with our homeschooling community.
My name is Sasha Basha Martin, I joined The United States Coast Guard in 2007 and served for just shy of ten years. I met my spouse while active duty and stationed in Kodiak, AK. While we were stationed in Alameda, CA we welcomed our first child and I transitioned from Active duty to the reserves. I finished up my bachelors in Human Services with a minor in Psychology and Sociology, then made the decision to fully transition to being a civilian and military spouse so I applied to graduate school. I was accepted into a graduate program at The University of San Francisco for the Counseling Psychology program with marriage and family therapist and professional clinical counselor track. Shorty before graduating we welcomed our 3rd child and shorty after graduating we began homeschooling our oldest. In 2022 we relocated to El Dorado county after my spouse was medically retired from active duty military service.
This was when our family joined the Cottonwood family. We now have 3 of our 5 children enrolled and attending The Cottonwood School. My spouse is the primary homeschooling family though when I am not working as a therapist gaining hours toward licensure I love to help support with the homeschooling. We have Brewster (9) in 3rd grade, Jasmine (7) in 1st grade and Ragnar (5) in TK this year. Magnum (3) and Dahlia (1) are our teachers assistants. Part of what we love about homeschooling the ability to foster within our children that they are a capable, compassionate, loving children with great potential for success. We work to guide them through school with the belief that they will succeed. We find it important to provide them a space with caring and positive reinforcement. We give our children the gifts of time and patience to develop both academically and socially. We want to provide a safe space for them to become a successful and enthusiastic learners and develop the attitude that learning is an adventure so that they never stop learning.
In my spare time when not working or homeschooling I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, painting, Yoga, meditation, time outdoors with nature, birdwatching and family walks.
Here are some quick stats on women in the service:
• Historical Service: Women have been serving in the U.S. Coast Guard since 1918.
• Active Duty Representation: As of 2023, women comprise approximately 17.5% of active-duty service members, reflecting a steady increase over the years.
• Reserve Component: Women make up about 21.6% of service members in the Reserve and National Guard. (Defense.gov).
• Coast Guard: In 2023, there were 6,790 women serving on active duty in the Coast Guard, accounting for 15.7% of its personnel. (Defense.gov).
• Female Veterans: The population of female veterans has grown to over 2 million, making them the fastest-growing group within the veteran community. (Womenshealth.va.gov).
These figures reflect the ongoing contributions and growing presence of women in the U.S. military.
The infographic below can be found at: https://www.womenshealth.va.gov/materials-and-resources/facts-and-statistics.asp
