Valley Forge

Hello there. My name is George Washington, and I was the leader of a very special team. My team was made up of brave soldiers. We were working together to help our country, America, become brand new and free. It was getting very, very cold, and the wind blew chilly air all around us. Snowflakes started to dance from the sky. On December 19th, 1777, I told my soldiers, 'We need a safe, warm place to rest.' So we marched with our boots going crunch, crunch, crunch in the snow. We marched all the way to a quiet place called Valley Forge. It was time to build our winter home together.

Brrr, it was so chilly at Valley Forge. White snow covered everything like a big, soft blanket. But my soldiers were so brave. They worked together like a big family to stay warm. Chop, chop, chop went their axes on the tall trees. They used the wood to build little log cabins. Inside, they could huddle together and tell stories. Sometimes, our tummies would rumble because we didn't have much yummy food to eat. Our toes got cold in our boots. But we were a team. We shared every piece of bread and every warm blanket. We always helped each other, because that's what friends do.

After a long, cold winter, guess what happened? The warm sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Drip, drop, drip went the melting snow. Spring was here. A kind friend came to visit our camp and helped my soldiers practice. They learned to march with their feet all in a line—left, right, left, right. When it was time to leave Valley Forge on June 19th, 1778, my soldiers were not just cold and tired anymore. They were a strong, proud team, ready for anything. We learned that even when things are hard, working together makes you stronger.