Presidents' Day Exploration

Presidents' Day Exploration

 I don't remember ever doing anything at school for Presidents' Day.  Maybe we did a coloring page.  Maybe we listened to a short lecture about either the life of a president or the executive branch of government.  I don't remember.  All I remember from my childhood about Presidents' Day is that my mom-- once she became a U.S. Postal employee-- got the day off work.  

Standing in front of the Carter Presidential Museum.
And No, That is not a tiny hat on Spencer's head;
it's just poor planning by the photographer!

But I'm lucky.  My boys have taught me that history is Super FUN.  You just have to close the textbooks and go exploring.  So for the last five years, that is what we have done.  And Presidents' Day this year was no exception.

For the past several weeks, we have been reading, thinking, and talking about our first president, George Washington.  There is a presidential election this year.  Denver and Spencer have both been reading biographies and asking questions about what a president can and cannot do.  

Presidents' Day was a wonderful opportunity to visit The Carter Center in Atlanta and learn about Georgia's only homegrown president, Jimmy Carter.  None of us had ever been there.

Inside the replica of the Oval Office.

The Carter Center Museum is full of interesting photographs, paintings, and facts about the life of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter. We all learned new things.  Spencer seemed particularly fascinated with Carter's humanitarian work and the Carter Center's invention of a water filter that looks like a straw. Denver loved learning that Jimmy Carter served on a submarine in the Navy.  I loved seeing photos of Carter's early life and reading about his childhood.

Lunch out with two of my favorite guys.

We read, looked, talked, and got our fill of information in a relatively short amount of time.  There was much more to learn; but when the head is full, the learning stops.  Don't try to cram more in!  

And we ALL learned something.  What did we learn?  Some facts about Jimmy Carter and his life; exploring history is FUN; and being with your family is GREAT. That is enough for me.

An incredible painting.
Look very closely and you'll see more!