Monday, February 18, 2013

Happy President's Day

Here's sister and I, on our DC trip a few years back. The kids were so little and we were crazy to take them sooo young, but we did have fun!



It was drippy wet the whole time. They were troopers...
I had all kinds of ideas for Lincoln's Birthday and President's Day but sickness derailed our best intentions. We did read a lot of books. On Abe's birthday, brother read us the Gettysburg Address and we talked about its' significance. I don't remember all our discussion, but we covered what was happening at that time in history, the Civil War, and why Lincoln's words still matter today for our nation.

Until, they were not!
After the Lincoln Memorial, we walked to The Air and Space Museum. Arriving sopping wet, I locked the kids and I in the family restroom, undressed them and promptly blew dry all their clothing in the super sonic dryer. An attendant finally let herself in to check on us. I didn't care; we were finally dry! We then promptly paid $48 for four hamburgers, 4 fries and 4 cokes at the McDonald's in The Air and Space Museum. Never again. Yet, it felt like money well spent at the time!

The Gettyburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. ~ President Abraham Lincoln
Classical Conversations Fun
 The kids have been working hard on the President's song this year. I had to prompt them at Garfield, but otherwise they did it on their own!  However, I cannot figure out how to get Blogger to find the Youtube we created, so here's a link:

Sister has also been enjoying a great unit on Oregon Government at school. We will revisit the topic of our government and leaders this summer in the weeks leading up to the 4th of July.

I am looking forward to picking up these two products for summer work at home. I love how this copy work includes essential information and art.




George Washington's Church, and I think pew at Christ Church, Alexandria, VA
Happy President's Day to you!

No comments:

Post a Comment