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)
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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 18th 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
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 