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Share your ideas too. E-mail me at stormie@preschoolbystormie.com

MINI-HISTORY: Washington/Lincoln Famous Black Americans

Washington: In focusing on George Washington, I include the showing of his picture, I share mini-facts with the children about him, and I show the children his likeness on a quarter. I have lots of "George Washington" activities in my "Valentine's Day" booklet.

Lincoln: In focusing on Abraham Lincoln, I include the showing of his picture, I share mini-facts with the children about him, and I show the children his likeness on a penny. I have lots of "Abraham Lincoln" activities in my "Valentine's Day" booklet, but I've added a few more things below that come to mind:

*Pouring Skill: During your unit on Lincoln, let children enjoy "pouring" (fine motor) from one of those Log Cabin Syrup bottles. The bottles have texture to them with a picture of a log cabin on the front and they're kinda' shaped like a cabin.

*Don't forget to put out those Lincoln Logs for Free Choice Play!

*Pennies: The introduction of pennies fits right in with the themes "Presidents (Lincoln)," "the letter P," and/or "Learning About Money." Activities you can do with pennies include:

Playing With Pennies: (I like doing this for the Letter P): Place 20 pennies on a table. Show the children how to move them around to create a design (snake, flower, sun, cloud, tree, etc). Cover the design with paper, taping down the edges. Children then do a crayon rubbing across the top of the paper allowing the design to come through. I like to demonstrate how to do this first because if children rub too hard, the pennies get moved around underneath the paper, yet, they must rub hard enough for the design to show up, so it can be tricky. Still, I've found that most kids love doing this activity.

Related humor from Donna King: "Monday, during our discussion of Presidents, one of the little boys in my class told me of an "Amos Ham" Lincoln. I never know what I'm going to learn next!"

Please share your ideas too by e-mailing me at: stormie@preschoolbystormie.com

From Stephanie Joseph, Marietta, Georgia:
Stormie, We always do a unit on "Money" along with the theme of "Presidents" in February. I am sending a couple ideas I thought you would like:
1. Bulletin Board: Buy large paper money (bills) and cut the picture of the presidents out from the middle. Replace them with pictures of your students. Laminate them. Add the caption "Future Presidents" or "We Look Like A Million Bucks."
2. Rhyming Money Game: To teach the concept that money is used to buy things, I like to use this rhyming game:
Ten Honey Buns
Ten honey buns in the baker's shop
Sugary sweet with honey on top.
Along came (child's name) with a penny to pay,
She/He picked one up and took it away!
Before playing this game, have a discussion by giving the children real pennies, showing them a picture of Abraham Lincoln and talking about who he was, and introducing the value of a penny (one cent). Then, using ten blocks (or other objects) to represent the honey buns, repeat the rhyme, naming a child each time to come and take away a honey bun until they are gone.

Famous Black Americans

From Stormie:

You might not agree with me (and that's ok) but I personally feel that the children retain more information about famous Black Americans if I tie it in with other units throughout the year rather than try to tell them about too many people all at once in a single "Black History" unit. (I've listed just a few names and ideas below, but I hope to add more eventually.)

Room Decor:
1. Post a picture of a famous Black American on your classroom wall when the person's accomplishments fit your theme. Leave the picture there for the remainder of the year for review of who the person was/is.
2. Or, create a special place for hanging/posting pictures of all the famous people you learn about throughout the year. For example, hang them on strings suspended from the ceiling, or make hanger moblies with 3-4 pictures on each. (Laminated magazine and calendar pictures will work great or even reproducibles you've colored in, or printed off the internet). Also, remember to get supplemental pictures and books from the library.

During the community helper unit of "Doctor," introduce Dr. Irene Duhart Long, a medical doctor. One of her jobs has been at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, making sure that people who work on the space shuttle are healthy and that they breathe clean air while working. (One of Dr. Long's hobbies: collecting dolls, antique glassware, and furniture)

During your "space" unit, introduce Mae C. Jemison who was the first Black female astronaut.

Provide a special day of sports activities and introduce Dominique Dawes, the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, Arthur Ashe, the great tennis player, and Michael Jordan, considered the greatest basketball player of all time.

Have a special "Song & Dance" day and introduce Sammy Davis, Jr. Tell the children how he began singing when he was only 3 years old. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, explaining that her singing was so wonderful that she won a very special award called "Grammy."

During a unit on "Community Helpers," introduce Willa Brown, the first Black female pilot, and Benjamin Banneker, who made the first clock in Ameica. During a "Transportation" unit, introduce Garrett A. Morgan who invented the 3-way traffic light.

Note: Don't forget to define the words "famous" and "invented" to the children

My Favorite Teaching Guide: Famous Black Americans, by Curtis M. Graves and Jane A. Hodges I want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Jane Hodges for being the one who, more than anyone else, has encouraged me to create Multi-Cultural units for my curriculums, and her dedication to the field of Early Childhood has made me see how very important multicultural education is for preschoolers -- a time when children are the most easily influenced and will soak up their environment like little sponges. I met her at the Kennedy Space Center here in Florida when I attended a NASA workshop for teachers. She has been not only a friend but a real inspiration to me! Dr. Hodges is also author of the book "Children Around the World (A Multicultural Journey)." Although the activities are geared toward children who are a little older, they can be adapted for use with the younger ones. I like the book for what it taught me about other cultures.

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