Roosevelt shortly after leaving office, October 1910
{photo by the American Press Association via the Library of Congress / Public Domain}
Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
~ Theodore Roosevelt
“I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life; I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt
The list of inspiring quotes from this noteworthy leader could go on and on! This week we take a look at our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt. This fascinating man led an extraordinarily full life, and significantly influenced our nation as a statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, conservationist, and reformer. Here are a few links and fun activities to learn more about him:
VIDEOS:
Theodore Roosevelt | 60-Second Presidents – Here’s another president video from this PBS collection:
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History | Theodore Roosevelt's Personality – Here’s a quick, fascinating look at this “larger than life” president. This clip is from a PBS documentary series by Ken Burns (which isn’t available to stream for free, unfortunately!):
Theodore Roosevelt the Young Naturalist – From the American Museum of Natural History:
Theodore Roosevelt – This is a 15-minute excerpt from a History Channel series on the Presidents:
Scenes of Theodore Roosevelt at Sagamore Hill, 1912 – From the Library of Congress, here’s the first film footage (silent) of Teddy Roosevelt at his home, Sagamore Hill:
There are more videos of him on The Library of Congress YouTube channel.
Theodore Roosevelt Inspires the Teddy Bear – You’ve probably heard the story, but here’s a quick explanation of how this toy became popular:
Teddy Roosevelt’s Ranch – CBS takes us on a visit to what was once the site of Roosevelt’s ranch in North Dakota:
PBS Previews: National Parks – This is an extended preview from another Ken Burn’s documentary series called “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea:”
Theodore Roosevelt National Park – This is one of many videos from a National Parks YouTube channel. This channel features tons of videos about the national parks, if you want to learn more about these spectacular areas that Teddy Roosevelt first protected. Here’s a video about the park named for him:
Animals of Theodore Roosevelt National Park – Here’s a short clip for animal lovers, from the series “Best Parks Ever” on the Travel Channel:
WEBSITES:
Mount Rushmore
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Quotations from the speeches and other works of Theodore Roosevelt
Speeches of Theodore Roosevelt – Read and/or listen to reproductions of his speeches.
Photographs of Theodore Roosevelt
America’s Story: Theodore Roosevelt – a website for kids from the Library of Congress
Time Zone X: Theodore Roosevelt – a timeline game from Brain POP (click on the question mark in the upper right for instructions)
President Theodore Roosevelt Games and Printable Activities
Theodore Roosevelt printable Word Search
Theodore Roosevelt Crossword Puzzle
A Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt – a “News for Kids, by Kids” article form Scholastic
Making Mount Rushmore – from Time for Kids