Mark Meredith reports live from the Great American State Fair on the National Mall
Mark Meredith provides live coverage from the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, highlighting ‘MAHA Monday’ focused on American health. The fair showcases the unique aspects of each state, including pancake eating competitions, fueling a sense of patriotism among attendees. Dr. Mehmet Oz will lead a discussion on brain wellness.
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As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, a religious organization is urging parents to make the most of Independence Day by reconnecting with their children and taking time to teach them about the country’s founding ideals.
Ahead of July 4, Communio, a faith-based organization focused on strengthening families, released its “Great American Family Fun Kit,” complete with activity ideas, recipes for patriotic dishes, and a prayer for the nation. Some activities include using 18th century dialect, making gratitude jars, making a family flag, and organizing an Independence Day-themed scavenger hunt.
“When you think about all of our holidays as a country, the Fourth of July, Independence Day Of our non-religious holidays – it’s right up there with Thanksgiving as the most important family celebration for us as a country,” Communio founder and president JP De Gans told Fox News Digital.
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Communio, a faith-based organization, has introduced a kit to encourage families to connect this 4th of July. (Getty Images)
Communio is using its partnership that covers 17,000 churches across the US to reach out to families and encourage them to celebrate Independence Day through neighborhood gatherings, block parties and activities to build their communities.
De Gans said, “The most basic building block of a society is not the individual, but the family.”
De Gans told Fox News Digital that Communio’s Great American Family Fun Kit reflects the organization’s belief that strong families are the foundation of strong communities.
“I think there’s a lot of recent polling data that shows that love of country, good old-fashioned patriotism, has declined among many people in our country. And the goal here is to connect people to the ideals of our founding and to do that at the local level in a really grassroots, organic way,” De Gans said of Communio’s Great American Family Fun Kit.
Surveys have shown that patriotism has declined in the United States in recent years. (Getty Images)
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While the kit’s activities are centered around America’s 250th birthday, De Gans said their broader aim is to encourage families to spend more meaningful time together away from screens. The founder and president of Communio emphasized that even simple activities can create opportunities for parents and children to connect.
“One of the things we know about family life is that parents and children who communicate regularly are those children who have warmer and better relationships with mom and dad,” de Gans told Fox News Digital. He said children who have good relationships with their parents have better long-term outcomes and are more likely to see faith as an important part of their lives.
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While at first glance, the kit appears to be geared toward families with young children, it also includes activities aimed at teen participation. De Gans suggested that the scavenger hunt activity could be used to motivate children of different ages to do something together.
De Gans also pointed to the rising rates of loneliness and sadness among American teenagers and argued that spending time with family may be important in dealing with these issues.
“I think if we were honest with ourselves… there probably wouldn’t be a very high number of kids who would report spending consistent time with their families and siblings and having fun and entertainment together, right?” He said. “Because when that happens, they’re more likely to report having a good relationship with their mom and dad, and they’re less likely to report being lonely and isolated.”
According to JP de Gans, one way to combat loneliness in young people is to encourage spending time with family. (Getty Images)
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As he looks to America’s future, De Gans wants to see a revival of healthy marriages and family life throughout the country. He said he hopes young people are more focused on finding purpose in “permanent things” like faith, marriage and family.
“The path to making sure that we celebrate the US 300 and the US 350 and the US 400 really runs through the family,” he said.
