Presidents O’Plenty

“Are we there yet?” The twins asked the age-old question of road trips in unison from the back seat.  

Mom laughed and Dad tapped the visible GPS, “40 more minutes.” 

Because of the President’s Day holiday, Dad had secured a three-day weekend from work, and they took the opportunity to squeeze in a camping trip. The weather had been perfect, and the entire family was looking forward to a good bonfire, watching for shooting stars and enjoying some good old-fashioned smores.  

But the long drive was making Harley and Harper impatient as they were rapidly running out of activities to keep them busy.  

“Getting bored back there?” Mom asked over her shoulder.  

“Yes.” Again, they said in unison.  

“I have an idea! Didn’t I hear you say that you received U.S. President flashcards from your history teacher? You still have your school backpack with you, why don’t you grab those, and we can all learn something?” 

Harley shrugged, though a history lesson wasn’t exactly what he felt like doing now, it would pass the time.  

Learning about the Presidents had taken up much of their previous week of school. There were so many of them!  

Harley pulled the stack out of his backpack and handed them to Harper, “Here, you can pick one first: look at the fact sheet on the back and say out loud something that he did, and let’s see if any of us can guess who it is.” 

“Game on!” Mom and Dad encouraged as Harper picked the first card. 

Harper squinted to read the tiny print, “Okay, this one worked as a teacher at the New York Institute for the Blind in Manhattan before pursuing a legal career.”  

After a few moments of silent questioning, they gave up. 

“Grover Cleveland.” Harper gave the answer while reading more about him.  

“That was a tough one,” Mom furrowed her brow and reached for the cards, taking the next one, “This president’s father ran a successful inn and whose tavern serve as a hub of social activity for the town.” 

More stumped silence. 

“Martin Van Buren.” 

“My turn,” Harley took a card, “This president suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, resulting in using a wheelchair.” 

“Woodrow Wilson,” Dad said matter-of-factly. 

The family continued taking cards reading out loud their facts and were met with a majority of silence and giving up on guessing. The remaining time flew by and as they neared the campground, Harper shook her head, “There sure are a lot of presidents that I have never heard of…” 

“Well, Honey, you are still in Elementary school, you will learn more through the grades. I am surprised in myself with how many of these facts I had forgotten.” 

“Let’s not forget that there have been 47 presidents; that is a lot to remember and keep track of.” 

Harley was focused on the back of a particular card, “Oh wow, listen to this: this president was five foot four inches tall and weighed only 100 pounds…and was arrested with Thomas Jefferson for riding a carriage on Sunday! It was illegal to do so, apparently at that time.”  

“No way!?” Harper took the card, “James Madison, the fourth president…huh…” She continued reading.  

As Dad checked in at the front office, Mom stayed with the twins in the car, who were now fully invested in their fact-finding of U.S. Presidents. They hardly noticed when they pulled into their campsite.  

“Alright, you two, let’s put down the deck for now and set up camp.” 

“Wait, can we do one more card?” They asked in familiar unison. 

Mom and Dad smiled at each other and replied, “Okay, one more. Then, after we set up, we can continue learning around a bonfire, how does that sound?” 

They nodded in agreement and got out of the car. 

“I think it is pretty cool that we have a holiday to remember all the Presidents who have led the country.” 

“Yes, and it is a ‘pretty cool’ thing to learn more about each of them and what they did to contribute to the country.”  

“Did you know that one of the Presidents was a famous movie star?” Dad asked with a grin. 

“What?” Harley stopped before addressing his sister, “Harper, hurry let’s finish setting up; I want to find out who that was!” 

**Did your school do anything special to celebrate President’s Day? Do you have a favorite President, and why? Learning about our past leaders is an excellent way to honor their memory and work for the country. What can you do today to learn more about them?