Sunday: Entertainment Ideas—Presidents Day

I will be featuring two guest writers a month, our 1st contributor for February is the fantastic Lauren from Super Mom Central! She hosts fantastic giveaways and her site is a great resource for parents.

President’s Day Fun

As we strive to raise children that will want to make the world a better place, it’s important that they understand that the great men who’ve led our country were once children just like them.  Presidents Day is a wonderful opportunity to incorporate a little history into your family’s daily activities.  Even toddlers can participate in crafts and stories that introduce them to these American Heroes. 

Spark your little one’s enthusiasm by starting with stories from their childhood.  I love the “If You…” series that goes back in time to recreate what life was like during important periods of history.  For Presidents Day, I suggest “If You Grew Up With George Washington” (by Ruth Belov Gross) and “If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln” (by Ann Mcgovern). 


After my little ones and I read about Abraham Lincoln’s life in a log cabin, my son couldn’t wait to get out his Lincoln Logs and build his own!  And while he was hard at work, my 2 yr. old daughter and I made ourselves a yummier version by smearing pretzel sticks with peanut butter and “gluing” them onto an empty milk carton.  Her favorite part was the Rolo chimney!  (this fun idea was found at Kaboose) 

What I just love about doing Presidents Day projects are the subtle teaching moments provided as we play.  For instance, the famous tale of George Washington admitting to chopping down the cherry tree is a great opportunity to uphold the value of honesty.  It also leads into a fun little craft… 
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Our Hand/Finger Print cherry trees were super simple, and lots of fun!  After helping my little ones trace their tiny little handprints in green, we drew on a tree trunk and some leaves, then dotted our fingerprints all over in red paint to make cherries. 

However you spend Presidents Day, don’t let it go by without passing on to you children the inspiring stores of these great men. 
 
 
Thank you Lauren, I look forward to doing these crafts with the girls tomorrow on Presidents Day!

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