From Log House to U.S. President

crayola supplies

Pointed Tip Scissors
Model Magic® Fusion™

household supplies

recycled milk cartons

Why?

Several U.S. presidents were born in or lived in log homes, including Abraham Lincoln. Make a replica of one or their homes to make history come alive.

Steps

1. Research information about the homes where U.S. presidents were born and lived. Choose one president whose heritage included a log home. Find out about its size and shape before constructing a replica.
2. Use an armature on which to build the log home, such as a small milk carton. Roll out enough Earthtone Crayola Model Magic® Fusion™ logs to cover the outside of your structure. Make sure they are all the right length to fit.
3. Press logs on the sides of the carton, alternating them with thin layers of mortar. Mortar is used in between logs to hold them together and fill in any cracks. Furry White Fusion looks like mortar.
4. Add a front door and windows to the building. Just roll out and cut squares or rectangles of compound. Press them in place.
5. For the roof, add shingles, such as these that look like weathered wood. Flatten Fusion and cut it into small squares. Overlap the shingles until the roof is covered.
6. Lincoln’s home had a fireplace or squirrel-tail oven attached to one end. The chimney was made of bricks. The oven stone was covered with logs on the outside. This was used for cooking. Build your oven with logs and mortar on the bottom and bricks and mortar on the top. Make small bricks by rolling and cutting squares. Attach bricks with mortar to the side of the house.
7. Add some authentic scenery if you like, such as a fence around the house, a tall tree to play in, or a field of wheat. Fusion compound air-dries to the touch overnight and is completely dry in about 3 days.
8. Share information about the log home you built, and its famous occupant, with your classmates.

adaptations

Find out more about the log-home building process, yesterday and today. What type and size of logs were/are used? How were/are they prepared? With what was/is mortar made? How were/are windows added? Of what were early windows made? Discover different types of fireplaces and other cooking methods.

Famous people often live in interesting homes. Research different houses and how they were made, such as the White House, Versailles, and Monticello. What materials were used? When were they constructed? In a small group, build a model of one of these houses. Find out about the architects who designed some of these famous buildings.

Discuss building materials and where they originate. Develop a spelling list of some of these items. Locate the areas on a map.

Write a story about your dream house, what it would look like, where you would build it, and of what materials it would be made.

Assessment: Students accurately identify a U.S. President who lived in a log cabin. Students build an authentic replica of that log home. Students orally present correct information about the log home to classmates.

benefits

Students use their research skills to identify how and where early U.S. Presidents lived.

Students construct a detailed, realistic, authentic replica of a log home lived in by one U.S. president.

Students orally describe the location and details of their presidential homes.

grades

Grades 7 to 12
Grades 4 to 6

subjects

Social Studies
Visual Arts

time

30 to 60 minutes
Multiple Sessions

curriculum standards links

US: Research U.S. Standards
UK: Research UK Standards
Canada: Research Canada Standards

safety guidelines

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—

Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.