President's Day Games & Activities

A quick and easy center for your students on President’s Day is to make an Itty Bitty Alphabet or Counting booklet.

Students trace the upper and lowercase letters, cut them out and sequence them.

My Y5’s always enjoyed taking these “just the right-size” booklets home to share with their families, which helped reinforce the lessons that they learned.

They also liked collecting all of the different little booklets each month.

Make extra sets for in class.  Run the uppercase letters off on a DIFFERENT color from the lowercase ones and laminate them so that you can play Memory Match games.

I find that if you differentiate the sets via color, you make it less frustrating for little ones to play memory games and they don’t take an inordinate amount of time either.

You can also distribute the cards an play “I Have…Who Has?”

Click on the link to view/download the President’s Day Alphabet cards.

Besides these traceable word cards, I help my students learn letters by making up Bingo songs.

The Bingo song is a great way to review the concept of subtraction and a clapping pattern as well + students LOVE singing.

What better way to review who the President and Vice President are of the United States than with this little song.

Print off the OBAMA and BIDEN bingo cards. Put magnet strip on the back and put them on your white board. Use them to sing the Bingo song.

Here are the words:

Obama is the president.

He is our Nation’s leader

O-B-A-M-A   O-B-A-M-A

O-B-A-M-A

He is the President.

Biden is the VP

He helps the President

B-I-D-E-N   B-I-D-E-N

B-I-D-E-N

Joe helps the president.

Click on the link to view/print the Obama Bingo Cards and song.

Click on the link to view/download my other Bingo Song Cards

If you teach a song each month you will have reviewed all of the letters of the alphabet except X.

Besides the alphabet, I made sets of numbers for counting by 1’s with pennies, by 5’s with nickels, by 10’s with dimes to reinforce not only skip counting, but recognizing these particular coins and their value.

There’s also a set for counting by 2’s and 3’s.  All have covers so that the students can make individual Itty Bitty Booklets as well.

Finish up the counting activities by getting the wiggles out and have students count backwards from 20 or 10.

Once they’ve jumped into the air they can bounce out to their lockers and take their booklets with them.

Click on the link to view/download the President’s Day Counting Cards.

Whatever you’re doing on President’s Day I hope it’s letter perfect!

You are "Cent-sational"!

This patriotic necklace is perfect for President’s Day.

Make them up ahead of time as a sweet surprise for your students and have them lying on their desk, or let them have the fun of making them as a quick and easy center activity.

This is a nice review of small-medium and large as well as a patriotic color pattern plus the heart and star shapes.

Click on the link to view/download the You Are “Cent-sational”! star necklace patterns.

For another President’s Day activity scroll down to check out A Penny For Your Thoughts!

Show Me The Money! Manipulatives That Motivate.

I find that students learn so much better with manipulatives, all the more if they make their own, because they are reinforcing concepts as they put their project together.

Not only will children enjoy making these coin Popsicle stick puppets, they will have fun playing the "What Am I?" game that follows perfect for a President's Day activity.

Here's how to make the Coin Sticks:

Run off the masters. Students cut out their coins and color them the appropriate colors.

Children cut and glue the penny and nickel back-to-back and the dime and quarter back-to-back. This way they will only have 2 “puppet” sticks to manipulate for the game.

I've pictured the fronts and backs of the coin sticks in the photo as I made 2 pair.

Students trace the coin words with a crayon, cut them out and glue them to the matching coin stick.

Older children can simply write the name of the coin on the stick with a marker.

To make the papers a little more durable, I glued mine to a scrap of construction paper.

Using a hot glue gun, or glue dots, teachers glues REAL coins to their Popsicle sticks.

Students sit on the floor in front of the teacher. Teacher reads one clue at a time for a coin.

Children can raise their Popsicle stick coin puppet anytime they know the answer, but may change it only once after the teacher reads: What am I?

The teacher holds up a real coin stick and asks: "Is this the correct coin?"  This can be the correct one, to which the children reply “Yes!” or an incorrect one. The teacher then chooses another stick, ‘til (s)he gets it right.

This is a great way to whole-group assess, and a fun way to have students learn the different facts about the coins.

Have students keep their coin sticks in their desks/cubbies so you can play the game daily/weekly. When the novelty has worn off, or when students can identify the coins they can take them home.

You can also use these coin sticks to help students with spatial directions.  i.e. Hold the penny stick in your left hand. Show me the quarter stick in your right hand. Put the dime beside the nickel etc.

Likewise, you can review body parts and have children put the penny on their thigh, the nickel on their wrist, the dime on their hip etc.

Your students will enjoy these “Simon Says” type games. They are quick reviews, and you can whole group assess in a matter of a few minutes.

Click on the link to view/download the Coin Popsicle Stick Puppets  To hang up some coin posters with poems click on the link. Coin Poster Poems

To reward students with a certificate of praise click on the link. Coin Certificates

Because President's Day is tomorrow I wrote 2 more articles for you. Scroll down for a "You're Cent-sational!" Star Student neckace.  Perfect for President's Day. 

Do you have something you'd like to share?  I'd enjoy hearing from you: diane@teachwithme.com OR...feel free to leave a comment, especially if you use an idea.  Thanks in advance!

Get In Shape On President's Day!

A quick and easy little booklet your students will have fun making on President’s Day, is The Dollar Shapes Up.

It’s a nice review of the 6 basic shapes.

Students cut out the shapes and glue them to the matching dollar bills.

To make it more of a keepsake, print off a copy of your class composite, cut your student’s pix into ovals and have them glue their photo to the cover of the booklet.

For an interesting discussion and math extension, inform students that President Washington is on the dollar bill as well as the quarter.

Ask them how many quarters does it take to make a dollar, how many pennies, nickels and dimes?

Click on the link to view/download The Dollar Shapes Up booklet.

Be sure and pop back tomorrow for 3 more cute President's Day ideas!

Making Washington's Tricorn Hat and Lincoln's Stovepipe Hat On President's Day

For a fun center, on President’s Day, set up a hat-making table.  Students can choose to make a Washington tricorn hat or a Lincoln stovepipe top hat.

Lincoln’s hat is a perfect example of a cylinder and will make a nice review of that 3-D shape.  Washington’s hat is 3-cornered like a triangle.

George Washington's tricorn hat was the fashionable hat for his time period, as it was the thing to wear during the American Revolution.

American Patriots, including the Minutemen, wore a three-cornered, or tricorn hat.

The hat was made of wool. Men who considered themselves to be wealthy and fashionable would wear tricorn hats decorated with lace, feathers, and would often have silver or gold accents and buckles on them.

Even pirates enjoyed wearing these hats.  Your students might have seen the Disney character, Jack Sparrow, sporting one in the Pirate’s of the Caribbean movies.

Similarly, the top hat was very popular during the Civil War period when Lincoln was President.  History relates stories that Abraham often kept important papers and notes tucked under his hat  for safe keeping as  he hurried off somewhere.

For  directions of how to make a tricorn hat out of a paper bag click on the link. Washington's Tricorn Paper Bag Hat

For directions of how to make Washington’s hat out of black construction paper click on this link.

Washington's Construction Paper Tricorn Hat

YouTube has a short step-by-step tutorial of  how to make Lincoln’s stovepipe hat. 

This would be perfect for a Seuss hat during March is Reading month as well. To view the video click on the link.

How to make Lincoln's or Dr. Seuss's stovepipe hat.

This is a photograph of the hat that Lincoln wore the night he was shot while watching a play at the Ford theatre. It is on display at the Smithsonian institute.

Click on the link to read about the details. 

This is a photo of one of Lincoln’s favorite beaver hats. His fingertips wore marks on the brim where he continuously put his fingers to tip his hat.

Click on the link to see other Lincoln memorabilia.

To print out this article and pix click on the link. How to Make a Washington Tricorn and Lincoln Stovepipe Hat.

Hats off to you for being a wonderful teacher! I hope your students enjoy President’s Day and wearing a hat!

Pop back tomorrow for The Dollar Shapes Up! A fun way to review shapes, study money, and do a fun center for President's Day, all rolled into one booklet!

Scroll down for more President’s Day ideas.

Making Class Books For President's Day!

President’s Day is coming soon, Monday the 20^th.  I have some fun activities chock full of standards for you.

Students will enjoy writing so much more if they know their page will become part of a class book.  I think they take a little more pride in their work.

After you laminate and collate their pages into a class book, read it to the class by having each student share their page. Let them know ahead of time that you will be doing this.

Work on books in class, or send them home as a home-school connection for parents to work on with their child.

My Washington and Lincoln Fact Book is a quick and interesting way to learn a few things about both presidents in a side-by-side comparison method.

Students trace the sentence, write the main word, cut and glue the matching picture and then read the booklet via the picture clues.

There is a math graphing extension included.

Click on the link to view/download the Washington and Lincoln Fact Book.

Share with your students the responsibilities of the President of the United States and then have them complete the writing prompt:

If I Were President... Children illustrate their page and teachers collate them into a class book.  Adding student school pictures makes the books even more personal. 

There are 2 graphing extensions to this book as well. 

Click on the link to view/download If I Were President class book.

Washington or Lincoln Comparison Class Book allows students to decide which president they liked best and then write why. There’s a graphing opportunity here as well.

Click on the link to view/download Washington or Lincoln Comparison Class Book.

Facts About US Presidents is a nice mini research-computer lesson where students find three facts about the president of their choice and list them along with a picture and at least 2 sources. 

Teachers compile these into a class book as well.  A list of all the Presidents and the terms that they served are included.

Click on the link to view/download Facts About US Presidents.

Finally, I made a packet of 12 “Just for fun” skill sheets, including 2 similarities and differences worksheets.

(It’s a report card standard to recognize similarities and differences and so hard to find worksheets to assess this, so I’ve included them in all of my units.) 

Plus a complete the pattern worksheet (also a standard that’s hard to find practice sheets for.)

There’s a cute “Happy President’s Day” paperclip bookmark, that makes a cute gift from the teacher, included in this packet as well.

It could also be a quick center activity.

Click on the link to view/download Washington & Lincoln's Skill Sheets & Activities

I got the idea for them from these paperclips from Sherry’s Blog Altered To Perfection. 

Click on the link to see her creative things.

For a fun center activity, pop back on Friday to see how to make Lincoln and Washington’s hats!

Scroll down for yesterday's President's Day mobiles and past PD articles!