Table Of ContentHISTORY/ACTIVITY AGES 9 & UP
e loved jokes and dancing, but had a fierce Kids can:
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temper. He received little formal schooling,
Play Quoits, a ring-toss game e George Washington
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popular with colonists r
H but was an innovative farmer, a tinkerer, and
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a problem solver. He fought for liberty and independence,
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Write a letter with a quill pen a
yet owned slaves. He defeated a king, and when the new
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republic looked for a leader, George Washington, by personal i
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example, set the standard for a limited civilian presidency Tie a cravat like a proper
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gentleman o
based on the consent of the governed. n
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George Washington for Kids weaves a rich tapestry of a F
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unique, complex man who his fellow citizens turned to again Cut a silhouette R
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and again, to lead them through eight long years of war, to
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guide them as they wrote a new constitution, and to act as Make a commander-in-chief S
flag
the new nation’s first president. It includes 21 hands-on
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projects based on Washington’s experiences and the exciting
Roll a beeswax candle
times in which he lived.
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Brandon Marie Miller is a historian of the colonial era and the author of Declaring
Independence, Growing Up in Revolution and the New Nation, and Good Women of a Identify wild animal tracks M His Life and Times
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Well-Blessed Land. L
L 2 1 A C T I V I T I E S
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And much more
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B R A N D O N M A R I E M I L L E R
George Washington
F O R K I D S
George Washington
F O R K I D S
His Life and Times
2 1 A C T I V I T I E S
B R A N D O N M A R I E M I L L E R
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Brandon Marie.
George Washington for kids : his life and times with 21 activities / Brandon Marie
Miller.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55652-655-8
ISBN-10: 1-55652-655-5
1. Washington, George, 1732-1799—Juvenile literature. 2.
Presidents—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 3.
Generals—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 4. Creative activities and seat
work. I. Title.
E312.66.M545 2007
To my parents, who long ago first took me to Mount 973.4’1092—dc22
Vernon, Yorktown, Valley Forge, Williamsburg . . . [B]
2006031674
Cover design: Joan Sommers
Coverimages:
“Portrait of George Washington on American one dollar note”
©Photolibrary/Alamy
“Young George Washington working as a surveyor in Virginia Colony”
©North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy
“George Washington at Princeton”
©Visual Arts Library (London)/Alamy
“Mount Vernon in Virginia” engraving by Francis Jukes
Library of Congress
Feather quill pen with ink
©Brand X Pictures/Alamy
Interior design:Scott Rattray
©2007 by Brandon Marie Miller
All rights reserved
First edition
Publishedby Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago,Illinois 60610
ISBN-10: 1-55652-655-5
ISBN-13: 978-1-55652-655-8
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments vii | Time Line viii | Note to Readers x | Preface: A Young Virginian Sets the World on Fire xi
1 • 4 •
“Began My Journey” “The Momentous Duty”
Play a Game of Quoits 4 Make Washington’s Commander in Chief Flag 61
A Book of Good Manners 11 Design a Recruiting Poster 65
Dance the Minuet 13 Roll a Beeswax Candle 74
Make a Compass 16 Write with a Quill Pen 77
A General’s Epaulets 79
2 •
“I Heard the Bullets Whistle” 5 •
Follow the Tracks 24 “Summoned by My Country”
Advertise Like a Colonist 35 Design a Room 87
Tie a Cravat 38 Make a Plaster Decoration in Sand 88
Cast a Plaster Life Mask 91
3 • Build a Weather Vane 94
A Virginia Gentleman Host a Tea Party 99
Sew a Lady’s Cap 45
Plant a Garden 48 6 •
Play a Game of Whist 51 First in Their Hearts
Design a Bookplate 54 Cut a Silhouette 111
Make Nelly’s Hoecakes 120
Create a Commemorative Sword 122
Glossary 126 | Places to Visit and Web Resources 126 | Resource Books for Kids 128
Selected Additional Resources 128 | Index 129
Acknowledgments
aterial from The Papers of George Wash-
ington are reprinted with permission of the
University of Virginia Press.
My thanks to the staff and historic interpreters at
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gar-
dens. Thanks to Paul Miller for his encouragement
and computer expertise and to the Chael family and
Peg Schlenker for their help in testing activities. And
to Neal and Justine Hendy for listening to many
George Washington stories over the past few years.
vii
Time Line
1732 George Washington is born February 22, in Virginia
1743 Washington’s father, Augustine, dies
1748 Washington makes his first trip west, as part of a surveying mission
1752 Washington’s brother Lawrence dies
1753 21-year-old Washington sent to warn the French out of the Ohio country
1754 Washington fights a skirmish with the French that begins the French and Indian
War; surrenders Fort Necessity to the French
1755 Washington serves under British general Edward Braddock during the Battle of
Monongahela; appointed head of Virginia forces assigned to protect the frontier
1758 Washington serves in the Forbes campaign against Fort Duquesne; elected to
Virginia’s House of Burgesses
1759 Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis and settles at
Mount Vernon
1765 Britain pays down war debt by taxing the colonies; the Stamp
Act is passed spurring riots in the colonies
1767 Townshend Acts ignite protests and boycotts of British goods
1773 Washington’s stepdaughter, Patsy Custis, dies; Boston citizens
dump taxed tea into Boston Harbor
1774 Washington promotes a boycott of British goods; serves as a Virginia delegate to
the First Continental Congress
