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I am George Washington (Ordinary People Change the World) I am Abraham Lincoln (Ordinary People Change the World) 
Over the past month we’ve been reading and talking about President’s Day. We have pulled out our very loved books on the subject and were also introduced to a few new ones as well. Along with reading the books, we did fun crafts and activities. Here’s some of the fun we’ve had…
If I Were President
Age: 4-8 Years
Author: Catherine Stier
Who Was George Washington
Age:8-12 Years
Author:Roberta Edwards
Synopsis:In 1789, George Washington became the first president of the United States. He has been called the father of our country for leading America through its early years. Washington also served in two major wars during his lifetime: the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. With over 100 black-and-white illustrations, Washington's fascinating story comes to life - revealing the real man, not just the face on the dollar bill!
I am George Washington
Age:5-8 Years
Author:Brad Meltzer
Synopsis:George Washington was one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. He was never afraid to be the first to try something, from exploring the woods around his childhood home to founding a brand new nation, the United States of America. With his faith in the American people and tremendous bravery, he helped win the Revolutionary War and became the country’s first president.
Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
Age:8-12 Years
Author:Janet B. Pascal
Synopsis:Born to a family of farmers, Lincoln stood out from an early age—literally! (He was six feet four inches tall.) As sixteenth President of the United States, he guided the nation through the Civil War and saw the abolition of slavery. But Lincoln was tragically shot one night at Ford’s Theater—the first President to be assassinated. Over 100 black-and-white illustrations and maps are included.
I am Abraham Lincoln
Age:5-8 Years
Author:Brad Meltzer
Synopsis:“Kids always search for heroes, so we might as well have a say in it,” Brad Meltzer realized, and so he envisioned this friendly, fun approach to biography – for his own kids, and for yours. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in an entertaining, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, those who aren’t quite ready for the Who Was series. Each book focuses on a particular character trait that made that role model heroic. For example, Abraham Lincoln always spoke up about fairness, and thus he led the country to abolish slavery. This book follows him from childhood to the presidency, including the Civil War and his legendary Gettysburg Address.
Who Was Thomas Jefferson
Age:8-12 Years
Author:Dennis Brindell Fradin
Synopsis:Did you know that John Adams had to coax Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence? It's true. The shy Virginia statesman refused at first, but then went on to author one of our nation's most important and inspiring documents. The third U.S. president, Jefferson was also an architect, inventor, musician, farmer, and-what is certainly the most troubling aspect of his life-a slave owner. Finally, here's a biography for kids that unveils the many facets of this founding father's remarkable and complicated life.
Activities:
Along with all these amazing books, we included a few activities. Can you tell the boys really love doing Abraham Lincoln crafts? We will be sharing more George Washington stuff as we get closer to his birthday. We have also been doing a lapbook from Homeschool In The Woods. HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections. This has been an amazing addition to our studies by teaching them what all is involved when it comes to being elected for President. The review for that will be coming in a few days, so stay tuned! 
We used milk cartons, peanut butter and pretzels to create a log cabin since Abraham Lincoln was born in a small one room cabin in Kentucky. We hot glue gunned the milk cartons shut and used a thin layer of peanut butter to get the pretzels to stick. For the chimney, we used a Rolo mini that we happen to have left over from the holidays.
Reenacted the Civil War
However, we did run into a little problem with that one. Since they know the outcome of the war, no one wanted to be the South. Everyone wanted to win. In the end though, they had a blast and walked away with added knowledge. We got our Civil War set here.
Civil War Army Men Action Figures – Big Bucket of Civil War Soldiers – Over 100 Piece Set
Abraham Lincoln Hat
As most people know, Abraham Lincoln wore a top hat. In that hat, he was known to keep important papers. We made our own hat. We talked about the things that the each of the boys would keep in their hats. My five-year old is following Lincoln. He said he would keep all his school work in his. My eight-year old said he would keep pens. I suppose one can never have too many pens. : )
Supplies:
Oatmeal Containers
Paper Plates
Construction Paper
Glue
Acrylic Paint (if you would rather paint your lids)
Assemble
We cut our construction paper to the size we needed it.
Normally we use glue sticks, but we decided to use regular glue for this project. I’m pretty sure my eight-year old was having way too much fun with this part.
While that was drying, we cut the sides off black paper plates (we had black left over from our Minecraft party)
Once we finished with that, we glued the oatmeal container to the plate.
Last but not least, we decided to paint our lids (top of hat) instead of covering them.
That’s it! Easy, Peasy.
Along with the activities, we also watched these videos:
Biography of Abraham Lincoln for Kids: Meet the American President for Kids
>>>>FREE President’s Day Printable<<<<
>>>>FREE Abraham Lincoln Printable<<<<
