February 21, 2022 is President's Day! President's Day is one of those holidays that some kids just look at as a day off. While this is true, it’s good to pass along a few fun facts about the holiday and the Presidents it is created to celebrate.
General Facts
- Presidents Day was established in 1885 to honor George Washington whose birthday was February 22nd.
- The holiday moved to the 3rd Monday in February as part of the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act which was established to create more three-day weekends for workers.
- According to the Federal Governments official name is still “Washington’s Birthday”
- Since 1888, on February 22nd each year, Washington’s farewell address is still read in the United States Senate.
- President Rutherford B Hays signed the bill making February 22nd a federal holiday in 1879
- Three universities and the capital of the United States, Washington DC are named after George Washington, as is Washington State.
- The likeness of George Washington is on the quarter-dollar coin and the one-dollar bill.
- Cherries are very popular when making desserts for celebrating George Washington's birthday. The reason for the popularity of cherries relates directly to a story about George Washington. When asked if he'd cut down a cherry tree, George Washington said he could not tell a lie.
- In the 1980’s retailers began to celebrate Presidents day by selling off old stock.
- There were four presidents born in February including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, William Harrison, and Ronald Reagan. Most celebrate Presidents' Day in honor of George Washington and some include Abraham Lincoln too.
- Some celebrate all the Presidents on Presidents Day.
Who is George Washington?
- He led the American Continental Army in the defeat of the British in 1783.
- He was the first President of the United States and served from April 30 1789 to March 4th, 1797.
- He is the only President in national history to have been unanimously elected by the Electoral College.
- He established the two-term precedent for presidents after declining to serve a third term before he retired to his Virginia home, Mount Vernon.
- He began school at six and left at the age of 15 to become a surveyor because his Mother couldn’t afford to send him to college.
- He never had children of his own. At the age of 26, he married Martha Dandridge Curtis. She had 2 children of her own.
Who is Abraham Lincoln?
- He was the 16th President of the United States and served from March 4th, 1861 to April 15, 1865.
- He was largely self-educated and he taught himself law.
- He is the only President to hold a patent that would free steamboats if they ran aground.
- He delivered one of the most famous presidential speeches. The Gettysburg Address was on November 19th, 1863. It only lasted about two minutes long.
- Lincoln’s birthday is not a national holiday but falls close to Washington’s birthday and in some cases celebrated on President's day with George Washington.
- Lincoln helped keep the country that Washington built together. He led the country in the 1860s, and when the U.S. Civil War broke out, he insisted on keeping the South and the North in the Union. During the bloody war, Lincoln freed the slaves in the South with the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th.
DIY Log Cabin
Presidents’ Day is a great time to teach kids about how our forefathers grew up in log cabins and worked the land with their own two hands. This pretzel log cabin is a fun and edible history lesson in the making!
What you'll need:
- Small empty milk carton
- Pretzel sticks
- Chocolate frosting or peanut butter
- 1 Rolo or other tubular shaped candy
- 1 square cracker
- Scissors
- Hot glue or tape
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How to make it:
- Cut the top flap of the milk carton off and tape or hot glue it closed to form the roof.
- Spread chocolate frosting or peanut butter on one side of milk carton then cover with pretzels. Repeat this step all over the milk carton until log cabin is complete. You may need to break the tips off of some of the pretzels to make then fit up the sides.
- Break a square cracker in half, then break one of the halves in half. Spread some frosting or peanut butter on the back of the first half. “Glue” it to the front of the cabin as the door. Repeat this step with a smaller broken piece for the window.
- Spread some frosting or peanut butter to the bottom of Rolo and stick to the roof.
Tips:
- You can make this a larger project using any box and large pretzel logs.
- This is an edible craft project, just be sure you check for allergies, especially if using peanut butter as your glue.
- Ask children to save their milk carton from their school lunch and wash them out thoroughly before using.
