We had some old STAR families over for President’s Day! We don’t have a full STAR Homeschool Community program in Lynchburg this year, just a program for a handful of teens. It is going well, but I really miss doing crafts with the younger kids. I decided to invite some over and do some crafts together. I don’t have the super long table or the crafts set up like we had in the project room we used to have, but our dining room was sufficient for a small group!
My teen girls and I set out the little buckets of crayons, glue and scissors again–just like we did every Wednesday for the last two years. Friends showed up, and we made the following crafts:
President Coloring Pages
I made a couple of coloring pages on Canva, and then I cut them into six pieces each. I handed them out to the kids & had them color a small portion of a a picture. Then, we placed them all together and saw what our collective pictures looked like. Fun! This is what ours ended up like:
Here’s the pdf of the coloring pages I made:
White House Pictures
We used scissors, glue sticks, and cardstock to make these White House pictures:
Here are some samples of the kids’ work:
Stories about Presidents & the White House
While kids took time to cut out columns and windows for their White House pictures, I read a story aloud:
Madeline at the White House by John Belamans Marciano
The book was okay. It’s rhyme-y and fun, but it isn’t quite as good as the original Madeline story, and it didn’t really teach the kids much about the White House. There are lots of other options of books to read. Here are some examples:
- Woodrow, the White House Mouse by Peter W. Barnes
- My Little Golden Book About the White House by Jen Arena
- Weird But True! Know-It-All U.S. Presidents by Brianna DuMont
- A Kid’s Guide to U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts About Each President, Updated Through 2020 Election by Dylanna Press
- Eyewitness Presidents by DK
- A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler
- George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz
- George Washington: First President by Mike Venezia
- A Picture Book of John and Abigail Adams by David A. Adler
- John Adams: Second President by Mike Venezia
- A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson by David A. Adler
- Thomas Jefferson: Third President by Mike Venezia
- A Picture Book of Dolley and James Madison by David A. Adler
- James Madison: Fourth President by Mike Venezia
- James Monroe: Fifth President by Mike Venezia
- John Quincy Adams: Sixth President by Mike Venezia
- Andrew Jackson: Seventh President by Mike Venezia
- Martin Van Buren: Eighth President by Mike Venezia
- William Henry Harrison: Ninth President by Mike Venezia
- John Tyler: Tenth President by Mike Venezia
- James K. Polk: Eleventh President by Mike Venezia
- Zachary Taylor: Twelfth President by Mike Venezia
- Millard Fillmore: Thirteenth President by Mike Venezia
- Franklin Pierce: Fourteenth President by Mike Venezia
- James Buchanan: Fifteenth President by Mike Venezia
- A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln by David A. Adler
- Abraham Lincoln: Sixteenth President by Mike Venezia
- Andrew Johnson: Seventeenth President by Mike Venezia
- Ulysses S. Grant: Eighteenth President by Mike Venezia
- Rutherford B. Hayes: Nineteenth President by Mike Venezia
- James A. Garfield: Twentieth President by Mike Venezia
- Chester A. Arthur: Twenty-First President by Mike Venezia
- Grover Cleveland: Twenty-Second and Twenty-Fourth President by Mike Venezia
- Benjamin Harrison: Twenty-Third President by Mike Venezia
- William McKinley: Twenty-Fifth President by Mike Venezia
- Theodore Roosevelt: Twenty-Sixth President by Mike Venezia
- William Howard Taft: Twenty-Seventh President by Mike Venezia
- Woodrow Wilson: Twenty-Eighth President by Mike Venezia
- Warren B. Harding: Twenty-Ninth President by Mike Venezia
- Calvin Coolidge: Thirtieth President by Mike Venezia
- Herbert Hoover: Thirty-First President by Mike Venezia
- Franklin D. Roosevelt: Thirty-Second President by Mike Venezia
- Harry S. Truman: Thirty-Third President by Mike Venezia
- A Picture Book of Dwight David Eisenhower by David A. Adler
- Dwight D. Eisenhower: Thirty-Fourth President by Mike Venezia
- A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy by David A. Adler
- John F. Kennedy: Thirty-Fifth President by Mike Venezia
- Lyndon B. Johnson: Thirty-Sixth President by Mike Venezia
- William Howard Taft: Thirty-Seventh President by Mike Venezia
- Gerald R. Ford: Thirty-Eighth President by Mike Venezia
- Jimmy Carter: Thirty-Ninth President by Mike Venezia
- Ronald Reagan: Fortieth President by Mike Venezia
- George Bush: Forty-First President by Mike Venezia
- Bill Clinton: Forty-Second President by Mike Venezia
- George W. Bush: Forty-Third President by Mike Venezia
Popsicle Stick Log Cabins
We also made the following project to celebrate Abraham Lincoln: Popsicle Stick Log Cabin Craft.
I forgot to take photos of the kids’ pictures! Here is the sample that I made for them:
Pretzel Log Cabins
For a snack, I gave the kids some pretzels and a small chunk of cream cheese to use as “glue” to make their own little log cabins. This is what they looked like:
Another mom also brought fruit. Our youngest daughter, in particular, was super happy about the seemingly endless supply of pretzels and fruit. I think it was a perfect day for her, because it included crafts + snacks! Haha!
More Craft Ideas
I’ve saved several ideas over on my Pinterest Board for President’s Day. Check it out!
Other Fun Ideas & Activities
Mad Libs
We didn’t do any Mad Libs, but maybe next year! Here are some ideas:
- Presidential Mad Libs
- Mad Libs for President!
- Free: If I Were President Mad Lib
- Free: President’s Day Ad Libs
Placemat
You could make your own placemats with a laminator, or you can purchase one like this:
Activity Books
Games
President’s Day Movies
We considered watching a movie with our teen and young adult children, after our youngest went to bed. We didn’t end up doing this, but here are some ideas we may watch next year:
(Note, we have ClearPlay & therefore, we can watch some movies that I wouldn’t recommend otherwise…Please check reviews to see if a movie is suitable for your family!)
For Younger Children
- Animated Hero Stories: George Washington (Nest Family Entertainment)
- Animated Hero Stories: Abraham Lincoln (Nest Family Entertainment)
For Teens & Up (with ClearPlay or other filtering system)
Other Links
- There are several educational videos about President’s Day on this post at We Are Teachers.
- PBS has 60-second President Videos
Note, links on this page are affiliate links, in which I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the work I do!
If you have book suggestions or comments about these books, please share! 🙂