Why do we celebrate Presidents Day on Monday?

Actually, we don’t. We celebrate Washington’s Birthday.

The name of this federal holiday has never been officially changed, but popular usage made the moniker stick. Even the White House refers to the holiday as Presidents Day. You might think because we don’t live in Washington, D.C., there’s no place presidential to visit and nothing to do. Not true!

We put together five things you can do to honor our forefathers on Presidents Day.

1. Take a Field Trip
Two local sites focus on President John F. Kennedy. The 35th president had a family compound on Palm Beach, which was sometimes called the Winter White House. The estate is at 1095 N. Ocean Blvd. It’s historic because Kennedy wrote a large part of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles In Courage there. You can’t see the home from the road, but you can drive past and talk about it on your way to visit the Kennedy Bunker on Peanut Island on Sunday. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the SeaBees built the bunker as a temporary command center if needed. Bunker tours are offered from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Thursday-Saturday. $12 adults, $10 for seniors and $6 students, plus the cost of water transportation.
Info: (561) 832-7428 for Currie Park or (561) 848-2960 for Peanut Island.

2. Presidential television
PBS will be debuting the first hour of American Experience: Clinton at 9 p.m. on WXEL and WPBT Sunday. This is the latest installment in a collection of presidential biographies. The Smithsonian Channel premieres a show about Clinton’s hero, Thomas Jefferson, with Jefferson’s Secret Bible on Sunday as well. Learn about Jefferson’s The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, which he wrote from careful study of the New Testament. (Available to AT&T Uverse and DirecTV, only.)
Watch it online at www.smithsonianchannel.com.

3. See U.S. Car #1
Everyone knows about Air Force One. But how did presidents travel before airplanes? By railcar, of course. You can see U.S. Car #1 at Miami’s Gold Coast Railroad Museum. The 1928 Pullman carriage that served from 1942 to 1954 is on display, but the interior is closed for renovation. You can also see the platform where President Harry S Truman held up the famous ‘Dewey Defeats Truman’ journalistic goof in 1948, which has been moved to Miami from St. Louis.
Info: gcrm.org or (305) 253-0063.

4. Visit a dog shelter
Presidential pups have been part of the family in about two-thirds of all presidential households. The last 19 presidents had a dog in the White House. Maybe presidents know the only truly loyal constituent they’ll ever have has four legs and a tail. Bring a box of treats or a small toy to donate.

5. Make a presidential craft
You know that saying “life is what happens when you’re making plans?” Conversation is what happens when you’re making crafts. Find a teachable moment using handmade finger puppets. Make Lincoln and recite the first few paragraphs of the Gettysburg Address. For crafts, including printable coloring pages, check out http://holidays.kaboose.com/presidents-day/presidents-day.html or http://www.ehow.com/list_6017172_president_s-day-crafts-kids.html
Or make a Lincoln penny pendant with instructions from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/pennypendant/