George Washington Preschool Lesson

When the kids arrived, I had them all gather at the table and start sorting coins. I have a big jar of coins that I dumped in a bowl and had them stack according to size/kind. Then they counted the coins they had in their stacks.

After circle time I asked them if they knew who is the current president of the United States. Several piped up with President Monson!!! At least their Church knowledge is strong :)

After I explained that I was asking about the president of the country or land we live in, they all gave me blank stares. They had no idea (not that I expected them to at this age). So, we went over to the U.S. map and talked about where we live (VA), and how all the states together is called the U.S.A., and that there's a president, named Pres. Obama, over this country. Then we proceeded to talk about the FIRST president - George Washington. They were happy to hear he was from our same state. I realized that I take for granted that they know more than they do (my son definitely included). When I was explaining that Washington was in the Army, none of them knew what the Army was or what it did. Gavin said that his dad is in the Army :)

So, it was a good learning experience for all of us. They were really good and paid close attention. I showed them a number of pictures on the internet of Colonial times and G.W. Crossing the Delaware, etc. After talking about the Colonial days, we thought we'd better have a treat - Corn Cakes!

Everyone got a chance to put in one of the ingredients for the corn cakes, and then mix it in. They're all very good helpers.
Gavin was very dismayed at the egg he cracked on the table by accident. He was trying to open up the crack in the egg, but put a bit too much pressure on the shell and it smashed in his hand - along with the egg. He wasn't too happy about me taking the picture, but he recovered quickly.
More mixing...
It was hard to wait turns, but they all waited very patiently.
I'm not sure how the batter stayed in the bowl when it was Daniel's turn, but it did!

Next we talked about ways we honor G. Washington (we looked up pictures on the internet and in a book called "Our Washington D.C.") - the Washington Monument, which they all recognized, Washington D.C., his picture on the dollar bill and quarter, Mount Rushmore, etc.

Then we all felt the need to wear cool hats like George did when he was in the Army (sort of like the hat in "George Washington Crossing the Delaware").
They started cutting stars - or the circle shape around the star - and it was too frustrating for Dan. He put his head down in defeat. His preconceived picture in his head of how perfect the circle should be didn't match the reality of how well he could cut it.
Busy cutters...
If you don't yet have a three-cornered hat, you should at least have a tiara.
The glitter mess at the end was truly amazing. Who knew two small jars of glitter could spread so fast? The kids still sometimes call them "germs". Everyone did a great job and worked very hard on their hats.

Some of the kids asked Simone how she got her circles so "round". She explained that you have to go very slowly and carefully. Good advice!

The favorite part of the day! They're always chomping at the bit to get to lunch - even after we ate corn cakes with honey butter!

Here are the kids with their George Washington hats...

Maylie wasn't so sure about getting in the shot, so I snapped one as she made a sneaky exit.