🏕️ Trail Life USA
Heritage Branch · Step #7 — National Symbols
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Trail Life USA · Heritage Branch Step #7

🇺🇸 America's
National Symbols

Let's discover the symbols that make our country special!
🦊 Fox Patrol
🦅 Hawk Patrol
Let's Start Here

What Is a Symbol? 🤔

  • A symbol is a picture or thing that stands for something else
  • 🚦 A red light means STOP — it's just a light, but we know what it means!
  • ❤️ A heart is a symbol of love
  • America has special symbols that remind us of who we are and what we believe
  • God also uses symbols — like the 🌈 rainbow He gave Noah! (Genesis 9)
🚦
❤️
🌈

🧠 Time to GUESS!

I'm going to show you some American symbols.
Shout out what you think it is!

Then we'll click to reveal the answer and learn some cool facts! 🎉
❓🎉❓
🤔 Can you name this symbol?
US Flag
🇺🇸 The American Flag!
⭐ 50 stars = 50 states  ·  13 stripes = 13 original colonies
🔴 Red = Bravery  ·  ⚪ White = Purity  ·  🔵 Blue = Justice
🤔 Can you name this animal?
Bald Eagle
🦅 The Bald Eagle!
Our National Bird and National Animal!
Chosen to represent strength, freedom, and beauty.
🤔 What big animal is this?
Bison
🦬 The American Bison!
Our National Mammal since 2016!
Symbol of toughness and unity — they travel in herds together!
🤔 Do you know this famous landmark?
Statue of Liberty
🗽 Statue of Liberty!
Located in New York City harbor
A gift from France in 1886 — stands for freedom and welcome!
🤔 Who are the four faces on this mountain?
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore! 🏔️
Washington · Jefferson · Theodore Roosevelt · Lincoln
Carved into granite mountains in South Dakota!
🦅 🦬

Our National Animals

Let's dig deeper into what makes these animals SO COOL!
Bald Eagle
National Bird & Animal

🦅 The Bald Eagle

  • Can fly up to 10,000 feet high!
  • Eyesight is 8× better than humans
  • Lives in all US states except Hawaii
  • It is illegal to hurt a bald eagle — we protect it!
  • Chosen because soldiers heard eagles cry out during the Revolution — "They are shrieking for freedom!"
  • On the Great Seal since 1782
American Bison
National Mammal

🦬 American Bison

  • Roamed America before the explorers arrived
  • Nearly went extinct — almost all were gone!
  • President Teddy Roosevelt helped save them
  • Travel in groups called herds — a symbol of unity!
  • Can weigh over 2,000 pounds — huge!
  • Named national mammal in 2016

More National Symbols!

🌹
National Flower
The Rose
🌳
National Tree
The Oak Tree
🎵
National Anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
by Francis Scott Key
🏛️
National Motto
"E Pluribus Unum"
Out of Many, One
💵 🪙

Money Has Symbols Too!

Check your pockets — you might have some national symbols with you right now!
💵 Who is on the $1 Dollar Bill?
$1 Bill
George Washington! 🎩
Our 1st President! Led the army in the Revolutionary War, helped write the Constitution.
A symbol of unity and trust for our country.
💵 Who is on the $5 Dollar Bill?
$5 Bill
Abraham Lincoln! 🎩
Our 16th President! Saved the United States during the Civil War.
Helped free enslaved people through the Emancipation Proclamation.
🪙 Who is on the Quarter (25¢)?
Quarter
George Washington! 🎩
Washington first appeared on the quarter in 1932
That was 200 years after his birthday!
🪙 Who is on the Penny (1¢)?
Penny
Abraham Lincoln! 🎩
Lincoln was the first president ever on US money!
It happened in 1909 — exactly 100 years after his birthday!

What does this mean? 🤔

"In God We Trust"

The Great Seal

Great Seal
America's official logo — found on the $1 bill and official documents!
Every single piece has a special meaning.

Great Seal — Front (Obverse) 🦅

Great Seal Front
🦅 Bald EagleCourage, strength, and nobility — wings up = protection
🫒 Olive Branch (left claw)13 olives + 13 leaves = peace with 13 colonies
🏹 13 Arrows (right claw)Readiness to defend our country
⭐ 13 Stars above headThe 13 original colonies forming a new nation
🛡️ Shield on eagle's chestThe united nation — red & white stripes + blue bar for Congress
Banner in beak: "E Pluribus Unum""Out of Many, One"

Great Seal — Back (Reverse) 👁️

Great Seal Back
🔺 Unfinished Pyramid13 rows of bricks = 13 colonies. Unfinished = America is still growing!
👁️ Eye of ProvidenceGod watching over and protecting the new nation
MDCCLXXVI at the baseRoman numerals for 1776 — the year America was born!
"Annuit Coeptis" (top)"God has favored our undertakings"
"Novus Ordo Seclorum" (bottom)"A new order of the ages" — a brand new kind of nation!

A Special Motto 🇺🇸

E Pluribus Unum
"Out of Many, ONE"
✝️ Faith Moment

On Wings Like Eagles

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

— Isaiah 40:31

⚡ FINAL QUIZ TIME! ⚡

5 quick questions — let's see what you learned!
Shout out your answers!
🧠
QUESTION 1 OF 5
What is America's National Bird? 🤔
❓
🦅 The Bald Eagle!
Chosen because it represents strength, freedom, and beauty!
QUESTION 2 OF 5
What phrase is found on ALL US coins and dollar bills? 🪙
❓
"In God We Trust"!
It's on every single coin and every dollar bill in America!
QUESTION 3 OF 5
How many original colonies were there? 🏛️
❓
13 Colonies! 🌟
That's why we see 13 stars, 13 stripes, and 13 arrows on the Great Seal!
QUESTION 4 OF 5
Who is on the $1 bill AND the quarter? 💵
❓
George Washington! 🎩
Our first President — a symbol of unity and trust!
QUESTION 5 OF 5
What does "E Pluribus Unum" mean? 🏛️
❓
"Out of Many, ONE!" 🇺🇸
Many colonies, many people — all coming together to form ONE great nation!
🏅

Great Job, Trailmen!

You've earned the
Heritage Step #7: National Symbols
on your Forest Award! 🌲
🦊 Fox Patrol ✅
🦅 Hawk Patrol ✅
"They will soar on wings like eagles..." — Isaiah 40:31