We were needing a hands-on activity or two to add some fun to our Thanksgiving studies. Also, I was in need of a Thanksgiving themed “something” for our Wednesday night church group and our homeschool groups November family night. I asked my friend, Fran, if she had any Thanksgiving games. And this is the wonderful way she answered http://www.franw.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-turkey-games-and-activities.html
This site has been around for a while, but was new to me. They have resources for most any holiday studies as well as everyday studies http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Holidays/
This week we began our Thanksgiving unit studies with a couple of Pre-Thanksgiving activities. Below are some of the links we followed as we both reviewed and learned about the early American Settlements of Roanoke and Jamestown.
For the school days from now until Thanksgiving we we will be notebooking, crafting, cooking, reviewing, and researching who, what, when, where, and why – everything associated with the Plymouth Colony. We will keep journaling pages and bulletin boards of what we discover.
Below are the links we’ll be using for resources as we travel back in time to visit early America over the next few weeks.
Plimoth Plantation “Just for Kids” Activities – Coloring, Talk Like a Pilgrim, Virtual Field Trip, History Detective, and more! https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids
This being Halloween week, we have decided to study the Salem Witch Trials for our American history lessons. Our goals for this study go beyond learning history and adding pages to our notebooks . I hope that when this week is over we will have a better understanding about how dangerous rumors can be, and how easy it is to fall into the trap of contributing to the spread of false accusations.
As with all of our studies, this one started with a library trip. These are the selections we chose for our witch trial studies.
Below are the links to the online resources we are using.
Salem Witch Trial Interactive Game – “Can You Survive Salem’s Witchcraft Hysteria?” (This is not for younger children, it needs to be played/reviewed by the parent before giving the link to the teens)
According to the special days calendar, June 7 is “Daniel Boone Day”, though October 22 is his birthday (1734). This American pioneer/frontiersman/explorer, is an interesting guy to study any day. Below are some links for free Daniel Boone teaching resources.
September 17th (1787) is the anniversary of the United States Constitution and the start of Constitution Week. So often we hear or read about “Constitutional Rights” and freedoms being debated, taken away, or altered in various ways.
This week my kids will be reviewing, researching, and notebooking all things constitutional so it will be clear to them just what our constitutional rights are.
Below are some of the resources we will be incorporating into our Constitution Week homeschool studies.
This song is from my childhood (from Saturday morning cartoons) and it is how I’ve always remembered the preamble to the constitution. This is also how my older kids have learned it. Now it’s time to pass it down to the youngest two. School House Rock – The Constitution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EfnNUt_nwY&list=PLKt00sUUapAJAcxUs2rp75ymjPMki6noW
Mini posters of how a bill becomes a law, the Bill of Rights, and branches of government (you will need an account to get the downloads, but it isn’t complicated and it’s free) http://www.kidsdiscover.com/celebrate-constitution-day/
I doubt that anyone needs a special day calendar reminder that September 11, 2001 is the anniversary of a major historic event. As homeschoolers, we learn about important events. Usually it’s not stressful to teach history, even though some of the world’s past is tragic, we still learn about those times. But, teaching the history of 9-11 is the most difficult subject that I’ve ever attempted to teach. It was such a horrible and painful day and that horror and pain is still fresh for so many.
Home educating parents are asking, ” How much are we supposed to expose our children to about the events and aftermath of this day?” I’m asking that myself. Even the minimal historic account is overwhelming. However, I don’t think we should just continue with school as usual.
My older kids remember vividly watching the news and seeing the devastation. They have had this topic come up in their current event studies dozens of times throughout the years. However, that won’t make reviewing this day any easier for them. My J isn’t going to be able handle much of this topic, just the bare minimum facts and a coloring sheet. Z, at 8 years old is going to have questions that I don’t have answers to. And this time there is no link to follow for answers.
As I’ve researched for 9-11 study helps, I’ve found these links. I’ve reviewed them, and parts may be helpful, I’m not in complete agreement with any of them. I will not be recommending these or perhaps even using them in our 9-11 studies, but thought I’d share what I found. I do stress that as a parent you pre-view before just pressing the play button and leaving your kids to watch.
An animated documentary explaining the timeline of 9-11 events
According to my special days calendar, August 28th marks the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s speech “I Have A Dream” at the 1963 March On Washington.
Below are some wonderful free resources I found to create a one day mini unit study. These resources will cover the subjects of language arts, art, music, and history.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I have that same dream for my five (not so) little children.
“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” Leviticus 25:10
The Pennsylvania State House bell was rung to summon the people of Philadelphia to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776. Though the bell wouldn’t be called the Liberty Bell until years later, the bell’s message of liberty certainly rang that day.
The Liberty Bell and the mystery of it’s crack will be our homeschool/summer school lesson of the day. Below are the links we will follow for this brief study.
For starters we will take an up-close look at the Liberty Bell in this short virtual tour.
Even though today is a holiday, it is not going to be a day off from homeschool/summer school. The learning possibilities are too numerous to pass up by not having some lessons.
We will be starting here with a slide show of a trip across America on the Google home page. https://www.google.com/
I download the freebie, Why We Celebrate the 4th of July, from Simple School and Currclick yesterday for J and Z. We got started on it and I think it is very nice. It contains some historic information and copy work, It even has a couple of things the older kids can use, too. http://www.currclick.com/product/48874/Simple-Schooling-Why-We-Celebrate-the-4th-of-July?it=1 (You will need an account to get the free download. If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend you getting one and sign up for their e-mail newsletters and updates. This is my favorite resource site.)
Quiztree has an interactive art and history activity that we will take a look at. I think this is very cool. You hover the mouse over each person in Trumbull’s famous painting, The Declaration of Independence, and the name of the person appears at the top of the screen. http://www.quiz-tree.com/Declaration-of-Independence-Trumbull.html
Movies are are the planner for today also. E suggested we watch The Patriot, and she and B can, but that’s not suitable for my younger boys. We all can watch this episode of Liberty’s Kids though.
Finally, we’ll end up our studies in the kitchen. We’ll be making this simple angel food cake, blueberry, strawberry, and whipped cream layered dessert.
We even have a community service project tonight. We will be passing out mosquito repellant bracelets with our church at our city’s fireworks display.
According to my special days calendar, June 25 is Log Cabin Day, a day to appreciate the historic importance of log cabins. And it’s a day to remember what life was like a couple of hundred years ago when things weren’t so easy. Log cabins will be the topic of our homeschool/summer school lesson of the day.
E, B, and I will watch an episode of Frontier House, a PBS documentry from a few years ago. It featured modern families who agreed to try homesteading like the pioneers would have in the 1800’s. (Some of the dialog may not be appropriate for younger children, so I’m hoping to distract Z and J with their Lincoln Log set.)
Still Learning Something New 