Presidents Day

Did you know that both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington have a February birthday?  They each used to be national holidays, but today we celebrate them jointly as Presidents Day, along with honoring all of our presidents on this day.  A joint celebration didn't cut it for my mom though, so we always celebrated Abe's (Feb. 12) and George's (Feb. 22) birthdays on their respective dates.  

To honor Lincoln, my mom would always read to us the Gettysburg Address and some cute stories and cool facts about Honest Abe (see below). She had a set of Lincoln Logs we would play with too and after dinner we'd always have an ice-cream roll  cake or what we'd call a "Log Cake" (does anyone else remember these?!)  They're hard to find now but I know some people even make their own.  

For George Washington's Birthday we would make a cherry dessert and talk about the story (fable?) about him cutting down the Cherry tree. And then we would watch the short animated movie "President George Washington"  by Living History Animated Heroe Classics. 

I on the other hand was feeling a little less ambitious, so I decided to just go the way of the world and celebrate both of these great men on Presidents Day.  I hope what we did will give you some ideas for celebrating Presidents Day with your kids in the future. 

LEARN ABOUT PRESIDENT LINCOLN

Did you know Lincoln was the first president to have a beard? He didn't always have a beard though. Do you know why he decided to grow one? 

It was all thanks to a little girl named Grace Bedell. This is a darling TRUE story that my mom would tell us each year. She has a cute children's magazine article about it she has saved over the years.  While I was unable to find a copy of this article in print today,  I did find some other books and websites that essentially tell the same story. 

Read about it online here!

Or check out one of these books: 

Some other impressive facts about Lincoln: 

There are hundreds of documented examples of Lincoln's integrity and honesty. This is why he was given the nickname "Honest Abe."  Once example took place when he was the manager of a general store. While counting his earnings one night after work, he realized he had accidentally overcharged one of his customers by a few cents.  That night he walked a long distance to pay the man back those few pennies.

He was born in a log cabin. 

He loved to read.  


His mother died at age nine. He loved his stepmother though and called her his "Angel Mother."

He was 6' 4" tall. 

He married a woman named Mary Todd and together they had four boys, two who died at an early age. 


Before he became a president, he was a lawyer!

He became the 16th president of the United States in 1860 during the Civil War. 

He wrote the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery, and also wrote the famous Gettysburg Address. 

He was re-elected for a second term in 1864. 

He was assassinated at age 56 by John Wilkes Booth at the Ford Theater. 

 LINCOLN STOVE PIPE HATS 

 

I came up with the idea to make stove pipe hats, just like the one Lincoln wore, but made out of marshmallows and Girl Scout Thin Mints. I think they turned out pretty cute and were actually quite delicious :)  I just melted semi-sweet chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave and then dipped the marshmallows in it using a fondue skewer. Once covered I stuck them on Thin Mints (you can also use Keebler Grasshopper Cookies) and put them in the freezer for about 10 min. to harden. 

POPSICLE STICK LOG CABINS 

We also had fun making a log cabin using popsicle sticks. Most people know that Lincoln grew up in a log cabin (hence the toys Lincoln Logs)  so I thought this was a cute craft. While I put together the cabin, my little one-year old drew the "trees" on either side. I think he did a very nice job :)

And let's not forget GEORGE WASHINGTON!

TALK ABOUT GENERAL GEORGE

He was the FIRST President of the United States

Before that he was the Commander in Chief (General) of the American Army and fought courageously against the British. He is considered to be a military genius and did much to help the American Army. 

He was a religious man who believed in God and prayed often. 

He was 6' 2" tall (almost as tall as Lincoln!)

Washington D.C. is named after him.

He is the only president to have been elected unanimously and was known as the "father of his country."

He had false teeth!  Toothaches bothered him most of his life so he had all of his teeth pulled by the time he was president!


MAKE GEORGE WASHINGTONS

This was a fun easy craft that I found online. We made our own by coloring a little paper plate flesh tone, then glued on a blue hat, cotton balls for his powdered wig, and little tissue for his neckerchief. 

TELL THE FAMOUS "CHERRY TREE STORY"

Washington is also known for his honesty, specifically through the famous story of him cutting down his father's cherry tree. Even though the story, we know today, isn't true, this is a fun way to teach kids the importance of the telling the truth. 

   The story goes that when confronted about the tree, George told his father, "I cannot tell a lie."  We can ask ourselves, "Do I sometimes lie or even just bend the truth?" "Am I honest in all my dealings?"  On Presidents Day, commit to being more like Honest Abe and General George by always tell the truth. 

CHERRY SWEETHEART SHAKES

 Sonic this month has Chocolate Cherry Sweetheart Shakes for Valentines Day. They also have Cherry Creamslushes and Cherry Limeades always on the menu. I thought these would be a fun way to celebrate George Washington and his honorable character. We plan to go get one of these as a family this weekend when my husband is done with finals! (Yay!)

SOME STORIES YOUR KIDS MIGHT ALSO ENJOY: 

Thanks for reading!