Columbus

                    Tomorrow is Columbus Day, the day we remember the voyage of Columbus and his discovery of America.  Whenever I think about Columbus I remember two lines of a poem I learned as a child:  "In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue."   I found a couple of poems that start with these words or similar ones as well as some ways to help children learn about Columbus.

                    The first poem is a lot longer than the second one.  This site  has some ideas on how to teach about Columbus and poetry using this poem entitled "In 1492".  

                    In fourteen hundred ninety-two

                    Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

                    He had three ships and left from Spain;

                    He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

                   

                    He sailed by night; he sailed by day;

                    He used the stars to find his way.

                    A compass also helped him know

                    How to find the way to go.

                    Ninety sailors were on board;

                    Some men worked while others snored.

                    Then the workers went to sleep;

                    And others watched the ocean deep.

                    Day after day they looked for land;

                    They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

                    October 12 their dream came true,

                    You never saw a happier crew!

                    "Indians!  Indians!"  Columbus cried;

                    His heart was filled with joyful pride.

                    But "India" the land was not;

                    It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

                    The Arakawa natives were very nice;

                    They gave the sailors food and spice.

                    Columbus sailed on to find some gold

                    To bring back home, as he'd been told.

                   

                    He made the trip again and again,

                    Trading gold to bring to Spain.

                    The first American?  No, not quite.

                    But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

                    The second poem was found at this site with more information about Christopher Columbus and some activities, games, and even a quiz.

                    In fourteen hundred and ninety-two,

                    Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

                    He took three ships with him, too,

                    And called aboard his faithful crew.

                    Mighty, strong and brave was he

                    As he sailed across the open sea.

                    Some people still thought the world was flat!

                    Can you even imagine that?

                    However you choose to teach your children about Christopher Columbus, please teach them that he was a good man who was lead by the Holy Ghost to find the American continents.  Approximately six hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, an ancient American prophet saw Columbus in vision and described him as follows.

                    "And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land."  (See Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 1 Nephi 13:12.)