AN EDUCATIONAL CUP OF TEA

It’s Presidents’ Day! During my morning drive to work, I listened to my favorite morning radio show play a trivia game about U.S. Presidents. I enjoyed a few laughs and learned some new things. The trivia reminded me of a podcast series I love called Presidential. In this post, I’ll discuss this podcast and share a couple of other resources for anyone in the mood to learn a little more about the past leaders of this country.

The Washington Post released Presidential leading up to the 2016 election. Each week the podcast focused on a president starting with George Washington. They went all the way through Trump and added a Biden episode in 2020. While the overall idea for the podcast was to uncover what it means to be “presidential,” I found myself interested in the public’s view of a president in a particular time period versus what we think when looking back. Additionally, I felt I got to know the past presidents as people more so than just names in a textbook.

Another podcast I enjoy is The History Chicks. The content covers women throughout history. I highly recommend listening to the Presidential John Adams episode followed by the History Chicks Abigail Adams one. Same with James Madison and Dolley Madison.

Another cool resource for Presidents’ Day is the Nearpod holiday lesson that discusses why we celebrate this day.* They have a K-2 and a 3-5 version adjusting as necessary for the age group. Also, if you are a Nearpod user and type “Presidents Day” into the search bar of the Nearpod Library, a variety of activities, videos, and lessons appear that cover the job of the President as well as particular presidents throughout history.

You can also explore presidential libraries and landmarks virtually. Check out this technotes post by TCEA: “Virtual Field Trips for Presidents Day” and this post from The History Mom that lists virtual and video tours. This adds a dimension when bringing past presidents to life for students.

Finally, my friend Dr. John Gram put together a blog entitled Telegrams: Dispatches from the Past, the Present, and Other Roads We Travel. He shared his post “Reading George Washington’s Farewell Address: A President’s Day Tradition” today. His observations on how relevant Washington’s farewell still is today are interesting.

I know Presidents’ Day will come and go, but many of these resources are great for curious minds. Enjoy!

*Results can vary based on the type of Nearpod account.