When we visited the National Historic site in Ohio for the First Ladies, when we got to the top floor there was a special room set up for young visitors. They could participate in a variety of activities and become what was called, “A Junior Ranger”. (They have a Junior Ranger program set up at many of the National Park locations with activities that are of interest to youngsters while they learn about the National Historic Site they are visiting.
I picked up one of the Jr. Ranger activity booklets and found it quite interesting. What was in it was a good review for anyone of any age.
Activity #1 asked, “What is a First Lady”? The first lady is a partner to the president. Most have been their wives but some have been daughters and sisters. All have been women. They have many different responsibilities including serving as a host for social events, act as an advisor to the president and listening to their concerns and be an activist to create positive change or they can be a symbol admired for their fashion, personality or work.
Since this was a program about First Ladies, several of the quotes given by previous First Ladies were shared. Some of those quotes were as follows: Betty Ford - “I have an independent streak. You know, it’s kind of hard to tell an independent woman what to do.” Abigail, Adams wife of our second president John Adams was one of his closest advisors. She said, “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”
Lady Bird Johnson said, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” She cared about nature and included flowers in the white house china she had designed. Laura Bush said, “There is no magic like the magic of the written word.”. As a former teacher she valued education and the value of books.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Great Minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events and small minds discuss people.”
These are only a very few of the former first ladies highlighted. There were many more. First ladies are watched all the time. They have been frequently criticized for their appearance and actions. Being a First Lady means being host of the United States’ most famous house. Kids who participated in this special program learned many things about several First Ladies.
