Presidents' Day Fun with George & Abe!

If you're on the hunt for some last minute Presidents' Day inspiration, Jodi over at Fun in First Grade has some super fun and simple lesson ideas that won't take too much prep work!

Focusing on two of the greats - George Washington and Abraham Lincoln - Jodi combines literature, writing, and crafting to get her kiddos excited and engaged...

Learning About George Washington

To begin, Jodi 'introduces' our nation's first president with several reading selections.

After reading the stories, Jodi and her students discuss and organize their learning with an anchor chart.

Then, using this anchor chart as an aid, Jodi's kiddos complete a super cute writing craftivity. First, they write several sentences about George Washington and then they craft their own George Washington with construction paper, cotton balls, and coffee filters. The finished crafts make for a fun and colorful display!

Learning About Abraham Lincoln

As with Washington, Jodi introduces our 16th president using the same process; first reading about Lincoln and then creating a fact chart as a class. And, once again, students are invited to demonstrate their learning with a cute writing craftivity. Don't you just love the top hat booklets!?

In addition to the booklets, Jodi and her kiddos discuss what they think it might be like to live in a log cabin like Abraham Lincoln did. She shows them pictures of Lincoln's boyhood home and then invites them to design their own log cabin using pretzel sticks! These also make for a fun display!

As a wrap-up to their Presidents' Day lessons, Jodi and her kiddos compare and contrast what they've learned about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

LOTS of fabulous ideas! We love the lessons that Jodi puts together and highly recommend her site, Fun in First Grade, so be sure to head over there and check it out!