I love election season.  Let me clarify, I love teaching during election season.

​It's Friday and I often use the day to put done stamps on projects or do fun stand alone projects.  I am tucking election/presidential pieces in all over the place right now.

I love the new series of Fly Guy books by Tedd Arnold.  They have a great storyline, while at the same time, tucking in all kinds of crazy facts that the kids just eat up.  We were using the fire station one earlier this week.

I purchased the White House books for all of my kids so that we could access the presidential timeline within the book.  The math involved with the presidential terms is too good to pass up!  We made it through part of the book, discussing along the way and then looking at the timeline.

I decided to wrap up our day with one of my favorite Kid President videos where he get to go to the White House to meet President Obama.  It's a classic!  What surprised me was the amount of kids in my classroom that had never seen Kid President.  WHAT?  Never seen Kid President?  Clearly, I know what I will be showing during snack time today.  The message Obama shared with him was even rather timely for some kindness issues.

As I shared the video, I stopped along the way to show the images of White House photographer Pete Sousa.  I am honored to have both a family photo with the President, as well as an individual photo, taken by Pete.  They both hang in my classroom.  As I discussed Pete's job with my class, they began to wonder if his photographs of the President are some of the ones highlighted in Fly Guy Presents The White House.  What a great question!  I don't know the answer, but it was an incredibly fun lesson.  

If for some reason you have not seen Kid President or the new Fly Guy book, I encourage you to check them out.  Also, take the time to look at some of Pete's photographs.  The are magnificent!

To learn more about the portrait and the story of Dolley, take the time to explore the links below or read the book that can be found on Amazon.

On this day, June 22, 1784, a resolution by the Virginia House of Delegates is made to have a GW statue created.

In honor of Father's Day, I thought I would share with you some of the research and work of my students while we studied George Washington and Mount Vernon.  

I either tie my studies to our geographic studies of the states or to our timeline studies when I am planning.  This extended study on George took place while we were studying VA (the week was                                              packed as there is SO much to look                                            at).

Moffat's friend, Zerah, gave him some royal treatment earlier in the winter and my kids truly enjoyed the photographs.  Mount Vernon continues to expand the visual choices for the virtual tour.  As it is impossible to actually take my students there, this offered a rather amazing substitute. They enjoyed having the ability to investigate rooms, rotate to see various angles and have more information available about the artifacts in the room.

Since I use an interdisciplinary approach in my classroom, drawing Mount Vernon using shapes seemed like such a natural crossover into math (we had been studying decomposing shapes in our math unit).  I am always amazed at what students can do if you have them follow you step by step.  All of the Mount Vernons had their own distinct look, but one could definitely tell which historic landmark had been drawn.  

I really enjoyed combining our books and research with Mount Vernon's online resources with our classroom art.  The students were completely engaged and my only regret was that I wanted more time!

If you have not seen the amazing Mount Vernon virtual tour, click the link below to see more!

Moffat has been truly adopted by Lennox and his family.  He is very fortunate as his mom LOVES history and he and his family enjoy regular travel adventures to destinations of all kinds.  The photograph above is taken while exploring the Old Sheldon Church Ruins in South Carolina. When not traveling, Moffat enjoys hanging out with an Angry Bird, the Shelf Elf and Gonzo or playing with Legos. Thanks Lennox for all the fun!

This past week, our fifth grade students were fortunate enough to spend the afternoon with Mike and Sharon Guli of Guli Productions.  Mike and Sharon are experts on period clothing and are captivating in the classroom with students presenting period dress and etiquette.  

I thought it would be fitting to start off National Park week with photos from the National Mall and Memorials in Washington DC.  These two photos were taken at the Jefferson Memorial.  The photo above is taken from the steps looking north across Tidal Basin towards the Washington Monument. As always, I enjoy meeting the rangers that are on duty during our visit.  They are always very helpful and informative.  One of my treats for my classroom is the Junior Ranger Badge.

I have no memory of going to a National Park as a child.  Now, it is something I treasure.  The NPS's Junior Ranger program is an engaging way to encourage learning during an adventure.  Please take the time to expose your young children to the amazingly rich sites our country has to offer!