January is a great time to learn about Benjamin Franklin. He was born on January 17, 1706 and was one of the most influential of our Founding Fathers.
You could spend a year studying his amazing life and not do him justice.
He loved to learn, work, create, and serve. He developed an ingenious system for self improvement that he said was the secret of his success.
Here's a one minute overview of his life, with other resources listed below. There's so much to learn from this great patriot!
For Adults and Older Kids
- Biography of Benjamin Franklin
- Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
- Founders Fridays: Benjamin Franklin (39:40)
- Benjamin Franklin Quotes
For Younger Kids
- Benjamin Franklin For Kids
- Ben and Me (21:05)
- The Animated Hero Classics: Benjamin Franklin, Scientist and Inventor (2:28)
For All
- Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World (Great bio and wonderful activities)
- The Miracle in Philadelphia (3:52)
Possible Activities
- Ben learned to read at a very young age and loved reading! Read together.
- As a boy, Ben worked in his dad's candle shop. Make a candle or read a story by candle light.
- Ben loved to swim and created his own fins. Go swimming. Use fins if you have them.
- Ben kept a personal journal all his life. Keep a journal.
- Ben helped publish a newspaper. Publish a family newsletter.
- Ben set goals for self improvement. Set a goal for self improvement and work to accomplish it.
- Ben made kites to perform his experiments. Make a kite and fly it when the weather permits. (Don't use your kite to experiment with electricity. It can be dangerous.)
- Ben created the first lending library in America. Visit a public library.
- Ben made inventions that solved problems. Create something that solves a problem.
- Ben wrote his autobiography and epitaph. Write your autobiography or epitaph.
“If to be venerated for benevolence, if to be admired for talents, if to be esteemed for patriotism, if to be loved for philanthropy, can gratify the human mind, you must have the pleasing consolation that you have not lived in vain.” ~George Washington to Benjamin Franklin
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