Little George’s Adventures at Home
Follow our Facebook page and the Lives & Legacies blog to see what he gets into next.
You can print the image of Little George and show us his adventures at your home. Also, print the image of Little Betty so his sister, Betty Washington Lewis, can come along on his adventures too!
Or get creative and draw your own Little George and Little Betty! We will pick a winner for the best creations.
We are so excited to see what everyone comes up with! Tag George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore on Facebook or LivesandLegacies on Instagram with your drawings of Little George and Little Betty—and show us what they are doing!
Read about ten pivotal moments in George Washington’s boyhood.
Fredericksburg Fox Hunt
Fox hunting was one of George Washington’s favorite pastimes! Let’s make a fox hunt for the Fredericksburg community by drawing foxes and hanging them in our windows. Families out on walks can then search for the foxes. Post your fox drawing and tag George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore. If you’re not in Fredericksburg, you can still participate by posting your drawings! Here is an example of a fox drawing made by the daughter of one of our Archaeology staff members.
Stirrup cups were used to raise a toast to hunters on horseback before they rode off in pursuit of game in the eighteenth century. Kenmore’s example of a stirrup cup was made ca. 1775 in Staffordshire, England. In addition to being fashioned to look like the head of a fox, it is also decorated with the phrase “Talli: O” on its collar, in reference to the traditional cry shouted at the beginning of a hunt. Cuff links with the same inscription were found during the archaeological dig at Ferry Farm, and were dated to the Washington family era on the property.
Write your own letter to George Washington!
Make parchment paper and a quill pen using these directions, or print this parchment paper image [PDF]. Take a picture of your letter and tag George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore!
- Create aged paper so your letter looks like it came from the 18th century!
- Get plain paper that you plan to write your letter on.
- Get a flat pan that is big enough to fit your paper into (like a cake pan).
- Have an adult help you make strong coffee (or strong tea) and wait for it to cool to room temperature. Making it stronger with less water and more coffee/tea will make the paper come out with more color.
- Pour the coffee (or tea) into the pan.
- Put your paper into the pan with the coffee/tea.
- The longer you let the paper sit in the pan, the darker the color of the paper will be.
- Wet paper rips easily, so when you take it out of the pan, be careful!
- Set the paper out to dry on top of some paper towels or newspaper. Keep in mind coffee and tea can stain more than just paper!
- Create a quill like George Washington used to write your letter!
- If you have a feather, that’s great! You can use that to create your quill.
- If you don’t have a feather, use a straw!
- Take the feather or the straw and use scissors to cut the tip of the “writing end” at a sharp angle.
- If you used a straw, you can draw a feather on a piece of paper, cut it out, and glue it to the straw to make it look like a feather!
- Create ink to dip your quill in to write your letter!
- Add 1 tablespoon of water and 10 drops of your desired color of food coloring together in a small bowl or container and mix.
- If you want the color to be darker, add more food coloring.
- Write whatever you want to George Washington!
- Send photos of your letter to us on facebook.com/ferryfarmandkenmore or by emailing hosier@gwffoundation.org!
Build your own paper Washington house!
Print this Washington House Card Model [PDF] full size on 8.5 x 11 paper, and follow the directions. Please post a photo of your finished product and tag George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore on Facebook!
Young Washington and The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior Bookmark
Growing up at Ferry Farm, young George Washington copied out a list of good manners and behavior known as The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior. Washington strove to live by these rules for the rest of his life. These bookmarks imagine a young George at Ferry Farm about to attempt to throw a rock across the Rappahannock River on the front and features the first and last of the 110 Rules of Civility on the back.
Download the Rules of Civility Bookmark [PDF] and print on the front and back of an 8.5×11 sheet of cardstock paper. Then, carefully cut the bookmarks out and share with your friends and family.
Lives & Legacies 