PRESIDENT’S DAY
  

ART ACTIVITIES
CHILDREN’S HEAD PORTRAITS
Show your children copies of the President’s silhouettes.
 Then explain to them that you are going to make similar kinds of profile pictures of them.
For each child, attach a piece of white paper to a wall and shine a bright light on it.

Have the child sit between the light and the wall so that his or her profile casts a shadow on the paper.
As the child does so, draw around his or her shadow with a black fine-point marker.
Repeat the process with other children.

Extension: 

Let the children use marking pens to color their portraits.
Or use the paper silhouette as a pattern and cut each child’s profile out of black paper.
Let children frame their pictures.
 
WASHINGTON CHERRY PICTURE
Use a crayon to draw a branch on white or light blue paper.

Let your child use a hole puncher to punch circles out of red paper.

Then have him brush glue over the crayon branch and sprinkle the circle “cherries” on top of the glue.
 
LINCOLN LOG-CABIN PICTURE
On a piece of white or light blue paper, draw a simple house shape, using a brown crayon.
Give your child strips of brown papr cut to fit inside the house shape.
Then help him glue the strips onto the house shape for logs.
 
COOPERATION LOG CABIN PROJECT
Give your children brown 9” x 12” pieces of construction paper.
Show them how to place glue down one long side of their paper, then roll their paper into a cylinder (log).
Take all the logs and create a log cabin on a bulletin board.
 
PRESIDENTS’ DAY COIN ART
Using double-stick tape, attach new Lincoln pennies and Washington quarters, face up, on a tabletop. Then try the activities below.
Cover the coins with a sheet of thin white paper. Have your child color over the coins with the side of a crayon to create rubbings of Lincoln and Washington.
Or – Place a thin piece of white paper on top of the coins and color over them with a white crayon, pressing down hard. Let your child brush slightly thinned poster paint over the paper to make the president faces appear “like magic”.
LEARNING GAMES

PRESIDENTS’ DAY COUNTING CARDS
Number five index cards from 1 to 5.
Read the numerals on each card and trace around a penny laid on the card, to make that many circles.
Set out 15 pennies.
As you sit with your child, ask her to name the numerals on the cards and then count as she places matching numbers of Lincoln pennies on top of the circles.

Alternative: Follow the same directions to make Washington quarter counting cards.
 

PENNY COUNTERS
You will need six large craft sticks plus 21 Lincoln pennies for this activity.
Place the sticks on a table horizontally.

On the left-hand end of the first stick, glue one penny and write the numeral 1 on the right-hand end.

One the left-hand end of the second stick, glue two pennies and write the numeral 2 on the right-hand end of the stick.
Continue in the same manner, gluing pennies and writing corresponding numerals on the remaining sticks, up to 6.
When the glue hardens, mix up the sticks and place them in a box on a table.
Let your children take turns removing the sticks and arranging them on the table one above the other from 1 to 6, or one below the other from 6 to 1.
 
PRESIDENTS’ DAY MONEY SORT
Select several each of one dollar and five dollar bills.
Point out the picture of George Washington on the one dollar bills and Abraham Lincoln on the five dollar bills.
Mix up the bills and place them in a box.
Then ask your child to remove the bills and sort them into piles of Washington ones and Lincoln fives.
Alternative: If you do not like using real money, make copies of the bills and cut them out to make your sorting game.
 
PRESIDENTS’ DAY TREASURE HUNT
Here is a fun movement game for your children.
Put a few Lincoln pennies and Washington quarters into a small bag and hide the bag in a room where your child can easily reach it.
Attach one end of an extra-long piece of yarn to the bag and carry the other end into an adjoining room, letting the yarn fall behind chairs, on top of floor pillows, under tables, and so forth.
Then give your child the loose yarn end and invite him to follow the yarn to find the treasure.
LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT STORIES
Read stories to your children about famous presidents.
Ask your children what each person did in their life to make them qualified to be president.
 
PRESIDENT FOR A DAY
Let your children take turns telling what they would do if they were president for a day.
Limit the things they would do to one or two things.
 
PATRIOTIC WRITINGS
Set out pieces of red, white and blue chalk.
Let your children use the chalk to practice writing their names on a chalkboard, a sidewalk, or on gray construction paper.
SCIENCE
PRESIDENTS’ DAY COIN CLEANING
Provide several dull Lincoln pennies and Washington quarters for your child to make shine like new.
Penny Polish – Squirt some lemon juice into a small glass bowl and mix in a drop or two of water. Add pennies. Wait about 5 minutes, then remove the pennies and rinse them, then polish them dry with cotton balls.
Quarter Shine – Make a paste of baking soda and water. Rub the coins with the paste, using cotton balls. Rinse, then use cotton balls to dry and polish the coins.
 
POTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
Explain to your children that one of the president’s important jobs is making sure that all public land is protected along with the animals that live there.
Have the children brainstorm ways that the president could protect our forest, wild animals, beaches and sea life.
Encourage them to talk about how to keep our water, air, beaches and forests clean.
 
SNACKS
PRESIDENTS’ DAY SNACKS
Try one of the ideas below for snacktime.
Serve stick pretzels for Abraham Lincoln logs and offer cherry yogurt to honor George Washington.
Or, together make a birthday cake for Abe and George. Decorate it with white frosting and red and blue sprinkles. Add a few candles and sing “Happy Birthday” to George and Abraham.
MUSIC

 
IT’S PRESIDENT’S DAY TODAY
Tune:  “The Bear Went Over The Mountain”

Let’s sing a song for Abe Lincoln,
Let’s sing a song for Abe Lincoln.
Let’s sing a song for Abe Lincoln –
It’s President’s Day today.

It’s President’s Day today,
It’s President’s Day today.

Let’s sing a song for Abe Lincoln,
Let’s sing a song for Abe Lincoln.
Let’s sing a song for Abe Lincoln –
It’s President’s Day today.
                        Heather McPhail

Continue with a second verse:  “Let’s sing a song for George Washington.”  Follow up with additional songs about other presidents, if you wish.
 

ADDITIONAL PRESIDENT’S DAY SONGS
Additional President’s Day Songs can be found at the Music Station under Winter Songs.

 

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