Learn American history in a fun and engaging way! This list of picture books will provide memorable history lessons for your homeschool!
Free Early American History Curriculum - Columbus Through The Civil War - Welcome to the first post in the Free American History Curriculum ! If you've ...
This blog post outlines Native American activities to teach in the classroom. There are read alouds, technology activities, and more!
History is my passion; I love history! And yet, I really don't like textbooks. Here are 30+ ways to teach history without a textbook, from books to cooking, and more!
American History Work Book Ages 6 to 8 Free Printable Worksheets and Activities A full year of US History for kids in first grade. 36 weeks of activities, worksheets, and more! 2 Lap books, 2 timel…
Are you looking for living books for ancient history for your homeschool? Here's a huge list!
It's time for my annual post on our homeschool curriculum choices. This is for preschool, 5th grade and 3rd grade.
Learn about Lewis and Clark for kids with free worksheets, animal tracks game, DIY Moccasin activity, and more! Saddle up go back in time to 1783.
We’re dedicated living book fans. Life is too short to learn from textbooks. We like to choose to learn from books written by someone intimately familiar with the chosen historical period, perhaps from that period themself, and usually with beautiful illustrations to further ignite our imaginations. These are some of our favorite books we enjoyed last year when we studied early American history, the 1000’s through about the 1680’s. NATIVE AMERICANS Chapter Books Children of the Longhouse, Joseph Bruchac (1500s-1700s; New England area; Grades: 2-5)Burchac has been writing books about the indigenous heritage and culture for decades. His books are wonderful ways to see some of these societies that sadly don’t exist anymore. Picture Books Hiawatha and the Peacemaker, Robbie Robertson (1300s; Iroquois nations) The Legend of Sleeping Bear, Kathy-Jo Wargin (A legend told by the Ojibwe of Michigan) – be aware there is a sad ending. Very Last First Time, Jan AndrewsThis beautiful little book takes place in Inuit village on Ungava Vat in northern Canada. EARLY EXPLORERS AND FIRST SETTLERS (1005-1584) Historical Spines The Discovery of the Americas, Betsy Maestro (Prehistory through 1400s; North America) Exploration and Conquest: The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620, Betsy Maestro (1500-1620; North America) Chapter Books Viking Adventure, Clyde Bulla (1000s; Europe to Greenland) The Vikings, Elizabeth Janeway (1000s; Europe to Greenland) Picture Books Leif the Lucky, Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (100s; Europe to Greenland) The Mystery of the Lost Colony, Candice Ransom (1584; Virginia, Grades: 1-3) PILGRIMS, PURITANS, & SETTLERS (early 1600s) Historical Spines The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689, Betsy Maestro (1620-1689; American Colonies; Grades: 1-5 Chapter Books Anne Hutchinson’s Way, Jeannine Atkins (1600s; Massachusetts; Grades: 1-4) A Lion to Guard Us, Clyde Robert Bulla (1609; England to Virginia; Grades: 3-6) Pilgrim Stories, Margaret Pumphrey (1600s; England to American Colonies; Grades: 1-5) The Landing of the Pilgrims, James Daughtery (1620s; American Colonies; Grades: 3-7) Finding Providence: The Story of Roger Williams by Avi (1635; Massachusetts Bay Colony; Grades 1-3) Elin’s Amerika, Marguerite de Angeli (1648; Delaware River, New Jersey area; Grades: 1-6) Picture Books Our Colonial Year, Cheryl Harness (1600s; American Colonies; Grades: K-3) The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower or John Howland’s Good Fortune (1600s; American Colonies; Grades: 1-5) Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving, Joseph Bruchac (1620; New England colonies; Grades: 2-6) Three Young Pilgrims, Cheryl Harness (1620; England to American Colonies; Grades: K-4) You may also enjoy: Living Books on the Middle Ages 5 Relatable Parenting Books for Homeschoolers Before you please, please pin this image!
10 Westward Expansion Hands-on Homeschool History Activities
Christopher Colombus Lapbook and Notebook Study
Fun hands-on American History lesson for elementary children on the Andrew Jackson, Trail of Tears, & John Audubon in 45 minutes for Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd grade-level children - Notebook & lapbook pages & book suggestions - Use with your class, homeschool, after-school program, or co-op! US
Since we're having April showers and will soon get summer thunderstorms, it's a perfect time for these Weather Unit Studies: Thunderstorms!
Homeschool high school American History frugal curriculum and resources that we loved. We even found some U.S. History videos for FREE. #homeschoolhighschool #ushistory #homeschoolhighschoolcurriculum
I attempted to do a wall timeline with Caroline a number of years ago. For a variety of reasons, it did not work for her. I think part of it was her age, part of it was her learning challenges, and part of it was the layout. However, I believe a timeline can be a
Free Early American History Curriculum - Columbus Through The Civil War - Welcome to the first post in the Free American History Curriculum ! If you've ...
4th graders just finished a lesson about totem poles. Students learned about the significance of totem poles and that they were (and still are) made by native tribes who lived in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The big word for this project was stylize. We learned that some artists stylize their work by changing shapes, colors, etc. in order to give their work their own personal touch. Each student created one stylized animal in the style of a real totem pole. (There are some great resources on totem pole parts online here. Unfortunately, I didn't find this until we were almost done with the project!) In the past, I had kids paint the finished product, but I decided to try collage this year after seeing an example from another blog last year. I really like how clean the collage is. More importantly, the students were more successful using collage. My lesson plan can be found here. My keynote for this lesson is here. A PDF version of my keynote can be downloaded here. Feel free to use or modify for your own room!
History literature for early American life, covering daily life, westward expansion, Native Americans, slavery, and more. Living history texts in picture book, chapter book, and audiobook form with a few bonuses.
Learn about early American settlers in Colonial America for Kids lesson with hands-on activities and free printable worksheets for elementary
Use this vetted list to help teach Early American History with movies to your high school homeschoolers: Colonial Times, Revolutionary War, Early Frontier Life, and Westward Expansion
Why History Matters Interactive Bulletin Board This resource includes 35 interactive cards to be used in a bulletin board display focusing on "Why History Matters." Topics included are: Why history matters? What skills do we learn when we study history? What does it mean to think like a historian? How are historians like detectives? What is historiography? What is a primary source? What is a secondary source? Why is sourcing important? What is oral history? What is historical inquiry? What is continuity and change? And more! A title, "Why History Matters" is included. This resource also includes two bonus visually appealing note pages that may be used in conjunction with the bulletin board or may be used alone. (Students may use the bulletin board as a reference when completing the notes pages.) A completed notes page is also included. (I provide the completed notes page to my students who struggle with note-taking. I have my students highlight important information on the completed notes page.) Topics included in the notes pages are: Why study history? Tools of a historian. Thinking like a historian, and more! QR Codes are included. NOTE: An answer key is NOT included with the notes pages. Answers will vary on both notes pages depending on the student and depending on how the notes pages are used. The notes pages are included in this resource as a BONUS. Feel free to use them or discard them if you wish. A bonus "Why History Matters" station activity is also included in this resource. This activity includes 5 stations (primary and secondary source sorting activity, quote analysis activity, and more! Bulletin board templates and station card templates are included if you choose to add your own bulletin board cards and/or stations.
Use this vetted list to help teach Early American History with movies to your high school homeschoolers: Colonial Times, Revolutionary War, Early Frontier Life, and Westward Expansion
9 Meaningful Native American Crafts for Kids as told by a Native Person. Fun Crafts, Books & Resources to explore Native Culture without cultural appropriation
Free American History Timeline figures printables to use with any history homeschool curriculum. See more free timeline figures in my blog
It's finally here and I'm super excited to share today's post!! For the last couple of years, we've been using A Visual American History Timeline of Books. Recently, I teamed up with the author, veteran homeschooling mom Bonnie Anderson, to bring them to you! I met Bonnie a few years back at a homeschool conference and I totally fell in love with her used book collection. She's been instrumental in my love of living books and inspirational in the vision of our personal home library. We've traveled to her home, three hours away, on several occasions to view her personal library and purchase books as we built our collection. Here's her story.... During the years I was home schooling my sons, I began collecting history books. I have a personal passion for American history, having traveled with my family throughout the United States where we visited many historical sights. I enjoy collecting used and out of print books and learning about history from them. So instead of a textbook approach, we began loving to read history from “living books”. Thus our library began. It is set up in chronological order – with biographies, famous events, historical fiction, and non-fiction books all together in the time they happened. Our library teaches us when events and people lived. It is a timeline of books and when questioned about an event or person, we can see it on the shelf and recall where it belongs in history. Seeing this chronological arrangement of books, the idea of a visual timeline took shape. I have always believed in the importance of the timeline to retain historical information as it relates to special events and people. I know a visual picture has been easiest for me to remember. Thus I came up with a new approach to a historical timeline by choosing pictures of favorite books and placing them in chronological order. My desire in creating this timeline was to excite both old and young in the beginning study of American history. Included in this timeline are biographies, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction books. I have chosen a variety of old and new books that can be obtained in local libraries, inter-library loans, and from new and used book dealers. Some of these older books are now available in new reprinted versions. Many of the books show God's intervention in history. You could even add your own favorites to make the timeline a family treasure. Bonnie's Timeline of Books has definitely excited our household in the study of American History!! There are two editions of A Visual American History Timeline of Books. The Primary Level can be used with elementary age children. Each century is defined by a different color horizontal bar in the middle of each page. Blue – 1600’s Red – 1700’s Green – 1800’s Yellow – 1900’s The Intermediate Level is an extension of the Primary Level and was intended for middle and high school age students. Again, each century is defined by a different color horizontal bar in the middle of each page. Black - Overview/Early Explorers Blue – 1600’s Red – 1700’s Green – 1800’s Yellow – 1900’s Each 17-page timeline is printed on heavy card stock and can be hung chronologically on a wall or hole-punched and placed in a ring binder, which is the way we keep ours. A bibliography has also been included, sorted alphabetically by page for your convenience in finding the books. This is a great book sale shopping list! Below is a sample of the first page of each timeline: Primary Level Intermediate Level We've read many of the books on each timeline and own copies in our personal homeschool library. They are wonderful! RileyAnn has the timelines memorized! Some of the books used are listed in the TruthQuest History guides, some of them are used in curricula like Sonlight and Beautiful Feet, others are just wonderful living books that have been long since forgotten. A Visual American History Timeline of Books is an excellent supplement to your current history program, your living book library, or as a stand alone history spine. Best of all, each timeline is only $30.00 plus $4.99 shipping and handling!! Where else can you get 400 years worth of American History for that price! Buy yours here, now... Level Primary Intermediate
Top 10 Teaching History Helps: History Songs For Kids! Welcome back to the “Top 10 Teaching History Helps” series! What do you remember about History from y ...
A papercraft blog featuring sci-fi, geek, and pop culture themed paper models.
Color your way through US history with these Declaration of Independence coloring pages: only from Plum Jolly!
It's important for our children to know the Bill of Rights. Whether or not you're studying American History in your homeschool this year, this 14-page printable pack will be a wonderful addition to a well-rounded student! It includes folder games, fill-in-the-blank sheets, and more!
This World War I: Research and Notebooking Unit provides parents, teachers, and students options for studying battles of WWI including a list of 168 World War I battles and engagements, world maps of the regions where the battles occurred, and multiple notebooking page templates. There is also a How to Use section and a list of battles by year for parents and teachers. It's perfect for middle and high school. Grab yours today!
I randomly came up with this idea during the last week of school. One of my reading groups had finished their book and project before any of the other groups had finished. Instead of giving them a new book (there was only one week left), I quickly created this template and told them to pick an event in history and research it. I had one boy choose the Vikings, someone else chose the atomic bomb, a girl wanted the great depression, and another student picked the Korean war. I loved that everyone had such diverse topics. After they got started, I saw some great learning take place in my classroom! Because it's an inquiry-based activity, they generated their own questions. And because they got to choose their own topic, they were excited and felt ownership over the project. I plan on using this next year as a fun fast finisher activity. This list is something I quickly generated. {I know it is not all inclusive - if I left something off that you really want me to add on, please leave me a comment.} This would be fun to hang up somewhere in the back of the classroom so fast finishers can work on a project whenever they want. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HISTORY DETECTIVES! * * * * * Want to hear some GREAT news? I am leaving next week on an 8 day history trip to Virginia where I get to study at the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute! I also get to visit Jamestown and Yorktown. I'm so excited! I plan on posting lots of the things I learn, including pictures!
We LOVE the Who Was/ What Was book series! We own too many to even count. Last year, we used these books for American History and is was so-much-fun!
Do you need ideas for an Early American History Unit Study? How about quality read alouds, hands-on activities, and a wall chart type timeline?
Copywork is a wonderful way to review subjects, practice handwriting, and improve writing skills. It allows a child to work independently without useless busywork. Copywork is also a great tool for memorizing poems and scripture. This Ultimate Guide to Free Copywork will keep you going for the whole school year! Bible Exodus 20:1-17 Joshua 1:6-9 [...]
The best approach to teaching US History in your homeschool is one that uses living books to give you a literature-rich and immersive experience into American history, like the Sonlight American
Four ways to study American history with movies, plus an extensive, vetted lists of American History movies for your middle & high school homeschoolers.
