After learning about American symbols, we began a unit on the Mt. Rushmore Presidents. We started with George Washington – the first president of the United States. We read several books about his life and made tri-corner hats that included three facts about him. We read George Washington’s Teeth, which tells about the struggle George had with rotten teeth. When he became president, he only had two teeth left. He wore false teeth made from a combination of human teeth, animal teeth, and ivory. The kindergartners wrote number sentences guessing how many he had when he was inaugurated.
Next, we learned about America’s third president – Thomas Jefferson. He was an avid reader and donated thousands of books to the Library of Congress. He was a brilliant man who designed his own house and invented a number of things, including a swivel chair and dumb waiter. He was the writer of the Declaration of Independence. The kindergartners used quill pens and “ink” to trace over some of the famous words for this important document. Jefferson spent five years in France and returned home to introduce several new foods to America – French fries, macaroni and cheese, tomatoes, and ice cream. We had our own Jefferson feast!
Abraham Lincoln was the next president that we learned about. He was born in a log cabin and helped his dad build one as well. He loved to read and would walk several miles to borrow books. He was known for his honesty, which earned him the nickname Honest Abe. He wore a tall, black hat where he put important letters and papers. We also read the book, Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers, which is the story of a young girl who wrote to President Lincoln suggesting that he grow whiskers. In the book are copies of her letter to him and his response to her. The kindergartners crafted Lincoln’s face and added paper-torn whiskers. They added a tall, black hat with a letter inside.
Theodore Roosevelt was the final president we discussed. During the Spanish-American war, he organized a volunteer calvary called the Rough Riders. He was also instrumental in making National Parks around the country. The kindergartners used colored pencils and watercolor paints to complete a picture of Roosevelt as a Rough Rider. Then to remind us of his role in setting aside land, they painted forest scenes using paint brushes and their fingertips.
We also learned that the teddy bear was named after Teddy Roosevelt. To celebrate that fact we had an indoor teddy bear picnic. The kindergartners brought teddy bears to school and we ate bear shaped sandwiches, a forest of vegetables, pretzel sticks, “bear”ies, and ice cream made to look like a bear’s face.
The kindergartners researched one of the four presidents and wrote about his life. They presented the reports in the class and then made paper dolls to go with them.
