President's Day is a combined holiday as Lincoln and Washington were both born in February. Lincoln on February 12th and Washington on February 21st. President's Day is on the third Monday in February each year. In 2012, President's Day falls on February 20th.
While there is much information online about both presidents, did you know that the Birmingham area has a lot of learning opportunities for George Washington? For example, the largest collection of Mt. Vernon artifacts is located less than an hour from Birmingham in Shelby County. This President's Day, take advantage of the wonderful local learning opportunities to bring history to life as you teach your homeschool students about George Washington.
Birmingham Area George Washington Attractions/Events
- The American Village: The American Village, located at Montevallo, is a recreation of Mt. Vernon. Finely detailed recreations of Mt. Vernon buildings and skilled actors bring history to life for your students. Lesson plans are available for free download in PDF format as well. This year (2012), they are holding a special celebration on February 21st for George Washington's birthday as well.
- Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington: Located in Columbiana next to the Mildred B. Harrison Regional Library, this free to visit museum holds the largest collection of Mt. Vernon artifacts outside of Mt. Vernon. Martha Washington's prayer book, utensils used at Mr. Vernon, and hundreds of other items reside in this museum. In addition, art and artifacts from the colonial period through 1965 are housed in this museum. The museum's website hosts a virtual tour and photographs of some of the excellent exhibits.
- Virtual Field Trip to Mt. Vernon: Alabama Public Television is again offering the hugely popular virtual field trip to Mt. Vernon. February 15th, students in grades 4 through 8 will be able to watch the field trip as it is broadcast on APT or they can experience this event online and have a chance for their questions to be answered live. The field trip is held twice on February 15th. Once from 9AM to 10AM Central and once from Noon to 1PM Central. If you wish to take part in the online version of this virtual field trip you do need to pre-register online with APT. You can view a preview of the field trip online as well.
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