Recommended Website:
National Park Service: Presidential Log Cabins
Age Range: 10-14 (Grades 6-8. Frankly, I think high school students will enjoy this site too. Younger children and non-readers may enjoy portions of the site with a little help from mom or dad.)
Today is George Washington’s Birthday. To commemorate the occasion, I thought you might like to take a virtual field trip to Valley Forge where Washington, as the Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, spent the winter of 1777 with his troops in a “log cabin city” that they built themselves.
In addition to taking a virtual tour of Valley Forge, you can also tour log cabins made famous by these U.S. Presidents:
- Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant — Take a virtual tour of the of the log cabin where Grant and Lincoln planned the final battles of the Civil War.
- Theodore Roosevelt — Take a virtual tour of his log cabin located in the “badlands” of the Dakota territory.
When you get to the site, click on “Virtual Tours” on the menu on the left side of your screen. A new page opens with a menu that provides the choice to tour the location and/or the archaeological dig site nearby. Click on the tour and then wait as the video loads (it may take several minutes). The tour isn’t narrated, however, there is a lot of historical content that you can read by exploring “History” on the menu.
Not only that, you’ll find discussion guides and classroom activities that can be tweaked for home use under “For Teachers” on the menu.
Don’t miss the “For Students” section where you’ll find interactive games that include a virtual archaeological dig.
NOTE! This website is a little quirky. For example, the “Home” button on the menu didn’t work properly when I visited the website, so I had to use the back button a lot. (Or you can just click on the working home page link featured in this review.) Sometimes you’ll click on a link, and it looks like you’re going to get an error message – when suddenly the page loads and everything works fine. Be patient, it’s worth the minor inconvenience. :)
