After not seeing a whole lot of sales in January, you may be pleased to finally have access to some great bargains over the President’s Day weekend. Of course, the idea of a three-day weekend might be even more exciting to you. However, if you’re on a tight budget then keeping yourself or a family entertained can be a major problem. Luckily, there’s a whole lot of action going on during the long weekend, so you won’t have to look far to find something to do that won’t leave you strapped for cash. With these ten President’s Day worthy ideas, you may find your well-deserved long break is more relaxing than ever while still honoring the Presidents of the past, present and future.
1. Visit a National Park
President’s Day is a great time to get in touch with the country and celebrate some of the amazing natural beauty that the country has to offer. This is why the National Park system is offering free entry to many of the parks in country, which will help you find something amazing to do during the long weekend. Most parks have plenty of activities for all ages, but you might have to base your plans on the weather in your area. This can be a great time to learn more about the country though, especially if the park is dedicated to one of the presidents or has national monuments connected to it. It’s also nice to finally get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air since the weather is finally clearing up a little. You may even want to pack up the camping gear and spend the whole weekend enjoying the National Park in your region. You never know what you might learn there and it may become a new place to enjoy frequently, especially if you want to show your appreciation for environment protection.
2. Teach Children Presidential Duties
A lot of people begin their early education believing that the president calls all of the shots, which isn’t exactly the truth. This is why you might want to take the President Day’s holiday to actually teach your children what it entails to be the president. This can help children understand more about the way our political system works, so if they see something frightening on the news it may be a little less stressful for them. Not to mention, understanding the role of the president can help your child respect the position of the job as well as the voting process. There’s lots of great online resources to help you explain the president’s job to children of all ages. You can even find games that will make learning on a school vacation fun.
3. Learn Presidential Facts
More often than not, we don’t learn a whole lot about the presidents of yesteryear. Apart from a few tid bits from the more famous presidents, a lot of information gets overlooked because there is simply too much information to cover in history classes. It doesn’t matter if you’re just beginning to learn about the presidents or you’re in college studying them, there’s always something new to learn. So, this President’s Day you might want to check out some fun factsabout the presidents of past. You may be surprised by what you learn about some of the less famous presidents, which may make you want to investigate more into the achievements the president made during his time in office. You can even turn the new facts into a trivia game that will make learning fun. If you don’t want to spend hours searching a data base full of facts, then simply have the kids choose one president and look up fun facts from there. You can celebrate a new president each year, which will really teach a lot.
4. Study the Constitution
The constitution is the basis of our government, so there’s no doubt that it should be looked at when we honor our presidents. After all, it is their job to uphold the rights provided in the constitution. Many people, however, never actually take a look at the Constitution, which can be a real problem if you’re looking at your rights and want to know what is protected. Thus, you may want to go over this document with the family, so they can gain a better understanding of everything they are allowed in the country. This can also ensure that the presidents uphold their rights as they will always know what they have to write their president, congressmen and other government workers about. You don’t have to go straight to studying the document though. Add a few games to the mix to make learning fun. You’ll be surprised as to how much your children pick up during their day off school.
5. Attend Community Event
You may not know it, but there’s a whole lot you can do on President’s Day in your community. Many local colleges or community centers will host lectures or exhibitions on presidents, which could be a learning experience that you don’t want to miss out on. Although it might not be suitable for the whole family, many of these classes should be free so you might not want to pass them up if you don’t have kids or you have free time without them. Some locations will even host a parade to help the community enjoy the big day. These can be exciting to see, especially if there are contestants dressed as presidents. Apart from these obvious events, there many even be a small fair or community gathering to bring people together. These can be filled with music, food and other exciting activities and games that the kids will be excited to enjoy.
6. Take a Field Trip
Field trips are a great way to enjoy an extra weekend day, especially when it’s a patriotic holiday you’re celebrating. Luckily, there’s lots of great things you can see and do all over the country that will make the holiday meaningful. One great option is to check out a Presidential monument if you have you one nearby. If not, then you may want to check out what you can find at a historical museum in your area. Most of the locations will at least set out information on some presidents if they have it on hand during the holiday. It may surprise you, but an art museum might be a fun trip too. Many art museums will even work up amazing exhibits based around the presidents, which can bring history to life for you. Some museums will even make their exhibits fun for kids, which will be a win-win for everyone. Of course, if you live near Washington D.C. then you have a world of amazing things to check out on the holiday, so you may want to plan out the entire weekend to enjoy it all.
7. Be Active
One of the best things about President’s Day is the fact that there’s so many activities going on, so you should use your time to have a little fun exercising. One of the most common things you’ll find to do is marathons and walkathons, especially those for a good cause. This will allow you to show off all of the hard work you’ve done during the year. There are even more intense races to choose from like the Spartan themed races, so if you’re feeling tough then this might be something worth looking into. Of course, there are other things to keep you active during this President’s Day weekend. This year has seen a lot of different protests from many view points, so get out there and let your voice be heard. This is a great way to exercise your rights that past presidents have preserved for you.
8. Get Crafty
Add some fun to the holiday by bringing out some crafts for the kids. You may not believe it, but there’s actually a whole lot of fun things you can find for the kids to enjoy that involve presidents. A quick look online will find you a wide variety of color sheets, which are pretty much perfect if you’re hitting the road with little ones or simply want a quick and quiet activity that’s suitable for many ages. If you have some time to spend then you might consider making presidential puppets. You can do this with brown bags, socks, printables and popsicle sticks, and so on. Older children may even want to put on a production with their chosen president. Another ambitious idea is to recreate the White House or another monument using sugar cubes, popsicle sticks and so on. There’s lots of other great ideas, so make sure you find something that suits your needs.
9. Rent a Movie
When it comes to presidents, there’s been tons of movies made about them or the movements that they governed through. This may be a great time catch up on some movies that portray some major movements in history so you can learn even more about the men that have lead this country. They have movies based around all ages as well, so you may want to consider looking into some presidential cartoons for the younger children. Most libraries will have plenty of these movies on hand, so you won’t even have to spend a penny to rent them. Of course, most of these are about famous presidents, but they’ll be packed with morals that will help your children learn and grow. For adults, there’s even more options, so you may want to consider looking into a lesser known president to see if he has ever been featured in a movie.
10. Hit the Sales
Of course, it may be hard to avoid the amazing sales that pop up on President’s Day weekend. It might not seem frugal to go shopping, but if you do hit these sales you could end up saving a whole lot of money. For instance, if you’re in need of a big ticket item like furniture or a mattress, then these weekend sales are the perfect time to look around. You should especially look online as there are already rumors of many offers that will blow you away. President’s Day is notorious for having early bird specials too, so if you’re looking for items like clothes or things that aren’t as expensive then you should get up early and explore these great deals. Before you know it, you’ll have stocked up on some great items that your household needs to function properly.
President’s Day weekend is a great time to enjoy the world and learn more about your presidents. With these ten tips, you should find something to keep you busy that won’t force you to spend a small fortune on items or travel. So, now you can enjoy your extra vacation and the money you save on it.
