Author Archives: Barb

Resources for Celebrating President Washington’s Birthday

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Back when most Americans saw themselves as citizens first and consumers second, February was known not only for Valentine’s Day, but also for the celebration of the births of two very important men in our country’s history: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

You wouldn’t know this to look around America today. Stores have been trimmed in red, pink and white hearts since five minutes after the Christmas clearance sales ended. But at one time, honoring two of our presidents on their February birthdays was a big priority for Americans.

In recent years, their birthdays have been combined into one shopping event called Presidents’ Day, but we can still celebrate their actual birthdays by teaching our children about George Washington, our first president, and Abraham Lincoln, the president who held the union together. As homeschooling parents, we have the time and opportunity to do this.

To get you started, here’s a list of helpful resources. Most are online, while others can be found in your public library (if necessary, via interlibrary loans). The ages of your children will determine what you choose to use. Keep in mind that even preschoolers can be taught something about these fine men, while teens could surely do with a review. I’ve only listed one good book for each president, as you should be able to find many others at your public library without too much effort.

George Washington (born February 22, 1732)

Official biography at White House Web site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gw1.html

Silhouette to print, color and cut out:
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/presidents-day/george-washington-silhouette.html

Drawing to print and color:
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/presidents-day/george-washington-sketch.html
(see left side of Web page for several other Washington activities listed under “George Washington Activities & Games”)

Interactive George Washington sites:

PBS’ George Washington Timeline (first of four pages)
http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/timeline/index.html
Virtual tour of Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home:
http://www.mountvernon.org/mansion

Interactive study of famous painting of George Washington:
http://georgewashington.si.edu

Movies to watch:

“The Life of George Washington”
http://www.earlyamerica.com/gwlifemovie2.htm
(free online movie, 35 minutes in three parts)

“George Washington” (1984 mini-series)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086720

Beautiful read-aloud book:
http://www.amazon.com/George-Washington-Ingri-dAulaire/dp/0964380315

Resources for Celebrating President Lincoln’s Birthday

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Back when most Americans saw themselves as citizens first and consumers second, February was known not only for Valentine’s Day, but also for the celebration of the births of two very important men in our country’s history: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

You wouldn’t know this to look around America today. Stores have been trimmed in red, pink and white hearts since five minutes after the Christmas clearance sales ended. But at one time, honoring two of our presidents on their February birthdays was a big priority for Americans.

In recent years, their birthdays have been combined into one shopping event called Presidents’ Day, but we can still celebrate their actual birthdays by teaching our children about George Washington, our first president, and Abraham Lincoln, the president who held the union together. As homeschooling parents, we have the time and opportunity to do this.

To get you started, here’s a list of helpful resources. Most are online, while others can be found in your public library (if necessary, via interlibrary loans). The ages of your children will determine what you choose to use. Keep in mind that even preschoolers can be taught something about these fine men, while teens could surely do with a review. I’ve only listed one good book for each president, as you should be able to find many others at your public library without too much effort.

Today’s links are for President Lincoln; President Washington’s will be posted next week.

Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809)

Official biography at White House Web site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html

Silhouette to print, color and cut out:
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/presidents-day/abraham-lincoln-silhouette.html

Drawing to print and color:
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/presidents-day/abraham-lincoln-portrait.html
(see left side of Web page for several other Lincoln activities listed under “Abraham Lincoln Activities & Games”)

Interactive Abraham Lincoln sites:
http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln (time line)
http://www.mrnussbaum.com/abrahamlincoln.htm

http://www.nps.gov/liho
(Lincoln’s homes)

http://www.abrahamlincolnartgallery.com/archivephoto.htm
(photos of Lincoln)

Movies to watch:

“Abe Lincoln in Illinois” (made in 1940, starring Raymond Massey)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032181

“Young Mr. Lincoln” (made in 1939, starring Henry Fonda)
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0032155

Beautiful read-aloud book:
http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Ingri-dAulaire/dp/1893103234/ref=pd_sim_b_title_3

Your Time Will Come

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 If you’re a mom in the homeschool trenches, you may often wonder (when you get a moment to yourself) when you’ll ever have time to do the things you used to enjoy doing. I used to feel that way a lot.

Now my kids are grown and I have more time to myself. I can finally do things just for fun. Here are a few of my recent projects. I pieced the bed quilt and began hand-quilting it in the 1980s. Tried machine quilting some of it in the 1990s but burned out the pedal on my vintage sewing machine. Recently I bought a new machine intended for free-motion quilting and decided to turn the bed quilt into my practice piece. What fun!

I bought the smaller quilt as a kit at a quilt show last year. It was fun to make, too.

What do I like best about these quilts? That I was finally able to finish them! 🙂

 

Has Facebook Stolen Childhood?

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I used to think that it was up to parents to prevent young kids from using cell phones and older kids from using Facebook, and that by doing so, they’d be able to keep their kids from getting sucked into these time wasters.

Of course, my kids are grown, so what did I know? It wasn’t until I learned that my little nephew was being left out of play dates and birthday parties because he didn’t have a phone to receive group texts on (apparently parents don’t “do” printed or phoned party invitations anymore) that I realized just how pervasive texting has become.

Then there’s Facebook. Supposedly off limits to children under 13, it’s a huge source of bullying among the preteen and young teen set. Some kids have been driven to suicide by online bullying; how tragic!

One might think the key to preventing trouble on Facebook is to limit your kids’ time on the Internet. I was able to do that with my crew, who only had access to a desktop computer in our main living area for years. But today’s kids, who have phones to text with so they won’t be left out of the social scene, can also access the Internet and therefore Facebook on those same phones.

Parents can’t possibly supervise kids on their phones 24/7. I suppose they could make their kids check their phones at the door when they come home, but I’m getting the impression that today it would be considered child abuse to do so. Besides, some moms are too busy on Twitter and Facebook themselves to monitor their children’s phone usage anyways.

Do I sound like a curmudgeon? I feel like one. I’m with the writer who recently said that Facebook has stolen childhood. I’m not sure how parents can recapture childhood for their kids once they’ve given them phones (and unlimited use of them), but it would be worth a try.

I spent much of my childhood playing and reading books. My kids did the same. Will they be the last generation to have done so?