Did you know that several presidents of the United States were homeschooled?
Abraham Lincoln was one of those homeschooled presidents. He began his life on a farm in Kentucky. His family depended on him to work to help support the family, so formal schooling was not a priority. He learned from books and experiences as a homeschooled child in Indiana.
Yet Abraham Lincoln taught himself to do more than just read or write. As a young man, he studied law books and passed the bar examination without going to law school.
When he moved to Illinois in 1830, he earned the nickname “Honest Abe” while working as a store clerk. He became interested in local politics, spoke out against slavery, and had great ideas of what the future of the United States could be. He was elected to be the 16th president of the United States in 1860.
President Lincoln worked to keep our nation together during a very difficult time. He is regarded by many historians as one of the greatest presidents in United States history.
In our homeschooling, we enjoy studying biographies of people who worked to make a difference in the world. Evan-Moor has numerous resources for honoring President Abraham Lincoln that work nicely with homeschooling kids of all ages.
Free Activity: Paper Portrait of Abraham Lincoln
To honor homeschooler Honest Abe, Evan-Moor is offering this free activity. With 6 simple steps, children can create a paper portrait of Abraham Lincoln.
Evan-Moor units available for purchase:
Theme Pockets: Presidents’ Day, Grades 1–3
This resource provides five pocket projects help your class celebrate George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The engaging creative writing and art projects are a great way to enrich your social studies curriculum.
Pocket Book for Two Great Presidents
If History Pockets or lapbooking are popular in your homeschooling, Evan-Moor has a History Pocket dedicated entirely to Abraham Lincoln. The complete unit also features George Washington.
Printable Lincoln Mini-book
Even younger students can learn about Abraham Lincoln in this printable mini-book!
Comparing Washington and Lincoln
In our homeschooling, the conversations we have are quite valuable. This activity invites children to write a compare-and-contrast paragraph about the lives of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It is an insightful and quick way to get writing in your homeschooling while learning about our presidents!
Access all of these Presidents’ Day activities and more with TeacherFileBox.
If you want the most bang for your buck, become a TeacherFileBox subscriber and get access to over 1,800 cross-curricular lessons and activities for grades PreK–6 for $12.99 a month. Learn more about using TeacherFileBox for your entire homeschooling curriculum here.
How are you honoring Honest Abe this year?
Let me know in the comments!
Amy Michaels is a certified teacher with 11 years of elementary classroom experience who is actively homeschooling her own children. Her mission is share the best teaching methods and resources with all homeschoolers. Amy supports parents through her podcasts, webinars, and online training for homeschoolers on her website www.thrivehomeschooling.com.