Martha Washington: America’s First First Lady

Posted on February 22, 2013 by viviankirkfield

Happy George Washington’s Birthday, Perfect Picture Book Friday (over at Susanna Leonard Hill) and The Beauty of a Woman Blogfest II (over at August McLaughlin)

Luckily, I found a book that applies to ALL THREE.

Martha Washington: America’s First First Lady

Written by Jean Brown Wagoner

Publisher: Aladdin (1986)

Ages: 7 and up

Themes:

Believe in oneself, be yourself, strong girls and women, follow your dreams

Opening Lines:

“The Dandridges had company. There was nothing unusual about that. They often had company, but this was someone special. Mr. Dandridges’ sister, Mary, had come from England. She had sailed across the ocean to visit her brothers in Virginia. In 1738, that was a great adventure.”

Synopsis:

This story gives us a picture of the childhood of Martha Washington, America’s original First Lady. It also gives us a picture of life in the early 18^th Century…Martha’s family were wealthy colonists in the New World.

Why I like this book:

This is a chapter book from the 1980’s. Kids learn about the men who have been president of this country…but not much is taught about their wives. This book gives a wonderful picture of the strong young girl who grew up to be First Lady. Martha Washington was a gracious hostess and, although she objected to the rigid life as wife of the president, she had been raised to fulfill her responsibilities and she stood by his side. She stayed with her husband during the harsh winter at Valley Forge and was credited with keeping up the soldier’s spirits.

The line drawings depict the life of a wealthy family in the colonies…Indian scouts interrupt dinner to relay reports and black slaves keep the plantation running smoothly.

How a parent can use this book:

We need to encourage girls to dream and set goals…whichever ones they wish. These days, girls can set their sights on any job in any sector…they can even think about living in the White House…not as a First Lady, but as the President. The book can also be used to compare life now and then…parent and child can make a list of how things were done then and note how things are different these days.

Related Activities:

MARTHA WASHINGTON COOKIES

What a simple recipe…kids will love to help prepare these yummy cookies!

Recipe and photo from: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Martha-Washington-Cookies-Allrecipes

You will need: 2 eggs whites, 1 cup pecan halves, 1½ tsp vanilla extract, 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, ½ tsp salt, electric mixer, greased cookie sheet.

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
Beat egg whites and salt until foamy; gradually add brown sugar and vanilla.
Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in pecan halves.
Drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour.

More Martha Washington recipes: http://www.yummly.com/recipes/martha-washington

Some information about Martha Washington: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Washington

More information about Martha Washington: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/1stladywashing/p/biography.htm

For more quick and easy recipes and other activities that kids love to do, please check out my book. Click this link to purchase a copy

I also wanted to mention that Marilou, over at Spanish Pinay, did a special post, honoring several mommies with the Positive Parental Participation Blogger’s Award:http://spanishpinaynanay.blogspot.com/2013/02/parenting-blog-award-positive-parental.html

49 thoughts on “Martha Washington: America’s First First Lady”

Jarm Del Boccio on February 22, 2013 at 7:24 am said:

I love historic children’s books…especially about the childhood of famous women. I’ll be looking this one up!

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:38 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Jarm! I think you will enjoy the book.:)
  
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Wendy Greenley on February 22, 2013 at 7:59 am said:

Strong women have shaped history. Glad to learn about another good read.

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 6:38 pm said:
  
  I agree, Wendy. It’s important for us to offer kids books with strong and successful female characters. I didn’t know that Martha had spent time at Valley Forge with her husband and served as an inspiration to the soldiers.
  
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Joanna on February 22, 2013 at 9:51 am said:

What a great biography, and I love the cookie recipe.

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:39 pm said:
  
  I do too, Joanna! What I love most is the limited ingredients and the simplicity of the recipe.:)
  
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Patricia Tilton on February 22, 2013 at 9:52 am said:

Perfect choice for Presdient’s Day this week. There is very little written about Martha Washington for children, but I’ve read a lot in adult books. She was an important person in history and I’m glad children can read about her.

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:41 pm said:
  
  I know that I never learned about her when I was in school…and it would have been such a valuable lesson to learn that this tomboy of a girl grew up to be a woman who had the courage to inspire the troops at Valley Forge. That was certainly not in the textbooks.:)
  
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Amy D on February 22, 2013 at 10:15 am said:

We were just having a discussion about first ladies with our kids. This book will be a perfect follow-up. Thanks, Vivian!

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 6:34 pm said:
  
  I was surprised to find such a fun and interesting book about Martha Washington…especially because it begins with her childhood. From 1986, it’s one of the old-fashioned ‘chapter’ books. And there are plenty of illustrations that help give the sense of what thinks actually looked like. Glad you liked it, Amy!
  
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Beth Stilborn on February 22, 2013 at 12:56 pm said:

So good to see a book about Martha Washington — there is such a plethora of books about George. Thanks, Vivian!

(P.S. Did you get my message on Facebook?)

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:43 pm said:
  
  Glad you liked the book…there is a whole series from this publisher about many of the First Ladies…some may be out of print, but you might be able to locate them in libraries or used book stores. No, Beth, I didn’t get a FB message…I checked earlier and didn’t see anything. You can email me at vivian@positiveparentalparticipation.com
  
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julie rowan zoch on February 22, 2013 at 1:25 pm said:

Cookies AND history? Thanks, Martha AND Vivian.

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:44 pm said:
  
  Cookies and history…yes, it is a great combo.:) And the cookies are yummy!
  
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  - julie rowan zoch on February 22, 2013 at 9:17 pm said:
    
    They look like they’d melt in your mouth, so light!
    
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    - viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 9:55 pm said:
      
      I make a yummy gluten-free cookie for my husband that has only 4 ingredients and is a snap to make…and I love ANY type of cookie.:)
      
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      - julie rowan zoch on February 22, 2013 at 11:13 pm said:
        
        What do I need to do to get the recipe?
        
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        viviankirkfield on February 23, 2013 at 10:47 pm said:
        
        Here it is, Julie: :https://viviankirkfield.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/the-best-and-easiest-cookie-recipe-ever/
        Sometimes the raisins get a little too well-done…so watch the 5 minute mark and make sure you turn the oven off…even though they are called overnight cookies, I usually take them out after 15 minutes in the cooling oven. Depends on the oven, I guess.:)
        
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thiskidreviewsbooks on February 22, 2013 at 3:46 pm said:

Martha Washington was a GREAT First Lady!

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:46 pm said:
  
  Yes, she was.:) I love finding out interesting things about famous historical figures…especially about their childhood, Erik. It helps me see them as real people.
  
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Pingback: The Beauty of a Woman BlogFest II! | August McLaughlin's Blog
Catherine Johnson on February 22, 2013 at 5:37 pm said:

Perfect Friday combination Vivian. What a great message and I’m going to make those cookies!

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- viviankirkfield on February 23, 2013 at 10:38 pm said:
  
  This looks like a really popular recipe, Catherine…maybe because it has so few ingredients…I’m glad I included it.:)
  
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Pingback: Beauty of A Woman BlogFest: Lessons from Grandma H | Kourtney Heintz's Journal
Pingback: Beauty of A Woman BlogFest: Lessons from Grandma H | Kourtney Heintz's Journal
Perfecting Motherhood on February 22, 2013 at 6:36 pm said:

This is a great book idea for kids of both sexes. I read books about girls and women with my boys and they don’t seem to mind, as long as it’s not ridiculously cheesy and girly (there are a lot of books like that, unfortunately).

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:53 pm said:
  
  Yup Milka..it’s important to give kids great examples of strong and courageous boys AND girls. 🙂 I had fun learning about Martha’s childhood.
  
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August McLaughlin on February 22, 2013 at 6:45 pm said:

Thanks for this creative take on the BOAW, and for participating in the fest! What a fun way to learn about history, and potentially eat some tasty cookies, too. 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 7:31 pm said:
  
  I’m glad you liked it, August! My blogging mission is to always try to connect my posts with parent/child issues and concerns…and ‘The Beauty of a Woman BlogFest II’ seemed like a perfect opportunity to offer a book for kids about a strong and courageous young girl.:)
  
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Tracy Campbell on February 22, 2013 at 7:31 pm said:

Wonderful post, Vivian 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 8:47 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, Tracy…it was fun putting it together.:)
  
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readingwithrhythm on February 22, 2013 at 8:57 pm said:

I don’t know anything about Mrs Washington. This looks like a good way to fix that! And cookies to go along with! Thanks for sharing!

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 9:54 pm said:
  
  I didn’t either…perhaps history in school would be more interesting if they taught us about stuff like this.:) Hope you try the cookies.:)
  
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Kim Jorgensen Gane on February 22, 2013 at 10:14 pm said:

And the cookies are gluten free! 😀 I’m aka @GlutenNaziMom, so your recipe made an impression. I love that you said girls can aspire to be president, and think that’s definitely something we could see with the next election. I have an essay being published in the upcoming book, 51%: Women and the Future of Politics, and the tag line is WWWD–What Would Women Do? Or What WILL Women Do? Be totally awesome, that’s what I think!

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- viviankirkfield on February 22, 2013 at 10:20 pm said:
  
  Oh my goodness…I’m running over to connect with you! Thank you so much…glad you liked the recipe…I have another gluten-free cookie recipe that I make EVERY week for my husband…you’ll find the post here:https://viviankirkfield.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/the-best-and-easiest-cookie-recipe-ever/
  You essay sounds wonderful…THANK YOU for being an advocate of girls and women.:)
  
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renée a. schuls-jacobson on February 23, 2013 at 7:58 am said:

You are right. Girls still don’t really dream of bring the president. And that’s a damn shame. It’s also why we need to ratify an Equal Rights Ammendnent, once and for all.

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- viviankirkfield on February 23, 2013 at 10:49 pm said:
  
  Hi Renee,
  Thanks for stopping by and adding your impassioned plea…it is sad…as parents and teachers, we need to encourage girls and engage with them in meaningful conversations. The media has a big negative influence as well.
  
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Susanna Leonard Hill on February 23, 2013 at 12:44 pm said:

How clever of you to find a book that covered all your bases at once, and with such a great theme! This looks terrific. AND THOSE COOKIES!!! YUM! GOing to have to try those out ASAP!

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- viviankirkfield on February 23, 2013 at 10:42 pm said:
  
  I’m sure you try to do the same, Susanna, with all you have on your plate…and maybe, if you make the recipe, you will have to add cookies to that plate.:) Are you guys getting more snow tomorrow…we are supposed to…I hope there’s not too much…I’m supposed to go to a really interesting talk on The Woman as Hero (like Joseph Campbell’s Hero/Mythology studies), but examining the role of women as the hero in books.
  
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nrhatch on February 23, 2013 at 8:11 pm said:

I always enjoyed reading the biographies of historic figures . . . giving a glimpse of the past.

The cookies look good. 😀

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- viviankirkfield on February 23, 2013 at 10:44 pm said:
  
  And I think it is really helpful for kids to read about the childhood of major figures in history…it makes them more real.
  Hope you try the cookies.:)
  
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marylin warner on February 24, 2013 at 3:53 pm said:

Wonderful cookie recipe, Vivian! We have a good friend in Colorado Springs–a former history teacher who is 6’4″ and looks and dresses up like George Washington for school and professional performances –and he can’t have gluten. He’ll love the Martha Washington recipes!

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- viviankirkfield on February 24, 2013 at 3:55 pm said:
  
  I think more and more people are finding that doing without wheat products makes their bodies happier.:) Glad you liked the recipe, Marylin!
  
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Jess Witkins on February 25, 2013 at 12:58 pm said:

I love what you chose to do for this BOAW blog fest! As a child, my favorite books were history ones about women: Elizabeth Blackwell, Helen Keller, and of course all the Dear America series. We need role models throughout our years to show us what’s possible!

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- viviankirkfield on February 25, 2013 at 9:47 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Jess! It is so important for kids to have great role models. I love this book series because it enables girls to see what amazing people the First Ladies of our country have been. Maybe, one day in the future, we will have books about the First Gentlemen. 🙂
  
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Penny Klostermann on February 25, 2013 at 3:23 pm said:

Sounds like a great book, Vivian. I do have to say I was distracted by those cookies, though! Yum!

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- viviankirkfield on February 25, 2013 at 5:54 pm said:
  
  Distracted by cookies? Not I, said myself, as I climbed and reached high to the cookie jar shelf.:)
  Thanks for coming by, Penny!
  
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Ellen M. Gregg on February 25, 2013 at 6:06 pm said:

You deserve some kind of award for combining all three elements so effectively into the one post, Vivian. Thank you for sharing. 🙂

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- viviankirkfield on February 25, 2013 at 9:45 pm said:
  
  I really appreciate your kind words, Ellen! Sometimes it just works out…I’m glad you enjoyed it.:)
  
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