The White House

Topics: Ages 3-6, Ages 6-9, Arts & Crafts, Early Learning

To do: Speak about who lives in the White House and draw your own house.
Time: 15 minutes
Materials: A picture of the White House, paper, and pen
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What does your family already know about the White House? Do you know who lives there? Do have an idea of why it’s called the White House? Here’s some information to answer these questions and more as a family!

Our first president, George Washington, chose the spot for the White House in 1791. The house wasn’t ready to live in until 1800, and John Adams was the first president to live there.
The White House had other names, like Presidential Palace and Executive Mansion.
The name “The White House” was what most people called the president’s house, but President Theodore Roosevelt decided to make it official in 1901.

Fun fact: The White House has 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms. How does that compare to your house?!

Now, let’s examine the architecture of the White House with a drawing activity.

Activity: Grab the ruler to do a bit of architectural drafting! A ruler is an awesome tool for your child to become comfortable with. They can practice numeracy by counting inches, develop fine motor skills by drawing carefully along the edge of the ruler, and it’s just plain fun to measure stuff!

The White House is a great building to recreate because it’s comprised of mostly straight lines. For reference, here’s a nice image.

Resource: whitehousehistory.org, History of the White House for Young Readers

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