Betsy Ross's five-pointed stars

I know Betsy Ross is one of those semi-apocryphal characters that books always feel inclined to give you caveats about ("of course we have no proof that Betsy Ross did indeed make the flag, or even knew George Washington" etc etc)—but come on, how can we leave out Betsy Ross and the flag from a study of the American Revolution? I love her story and have ever since I was little. And there were some great pictures books about her at the library.

Anyway, my favorite little detail (yes, yes, probably also apocryphal) is that George Washington wanted 6-pointed stars because he thought they'd be easier to sew. So little Betsy got out her scissors and showed him how she could cut out a five-pointed star with just one snip! Awesome, right?

Here are the instructions for how to do it yourself. Or this animation is good too.

I thought it was cute how pleased with themselves the children were after mastering this simple little thing. It IS pretty cool!