Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Year 4 History Resources

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure.

January 14, 2019 By Jennifer 6 Comments

Year 4 History: 1900-Present Day

It becomes really fascinating when you study world history chronologically and see how interconnected everything is, all the causes and effects.

We use Tapestry of Grace for book lists, but I also peruse Ambleside Online and other lists for a well-rounded history curriculum. I want all sides and perspectives.

We use this history text as a guide: The Story of the World: The Modern Age. 

I typically look at the unit overview and make a checklist of books, topics, and movies. We don’t follow the weekly plan exactly.

I go to the library about every week and get what I can.

I shop thrift stores, yard sales, half-price and used bookstores to get books we love to read again and again.

We love poetry and literature, and I’m always adding to our collection. I want to read them all!

Other books we use throughout our history studies – over several years:

  • This Country of Ours by HE Marshall
  • Our Island Story by HE Marshall
  • The Struggle for Sea Power by MB Synge
  • Magic Treehouse
  • If You Grew Up…
  • American Girl Collection and Real Stories From My Time
  • The Royal Diaries
  • Dear America

We love Netflix and Amazon Prime for streaming. We sometimes view YouTube. See how we do history.

I wasn’t thrilled with how the units were divided in our history curriculum for year 4.

It didn’t seem to give us enough time to cover WWII. Korea and Vietnam were skimmed over. Very little discussion about South America or Africa. The last unit was scarce with literature or history selections and I’m sorry but I think lots has happened in the world during my lifetime.

Great literature has been written in the last century. So much history has happened. It’s hard to connect the dots for kids since we have to look at the origins of the conflicts that could be hundreds of years ago. For church history, we discuss harm missionaries often cause to indigenous peoples or misusing the Bible and wrong doctrine. We like to read other accounts and texts from many religions and faiths.

A wonderful thing is we can actually talk to living people about their memories of recent historical events.

I have the freedom to do my own research and take as much time as we want on different topics of interest.

Unit 1: World War I

Literature

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Call of the Wild

Five Children and It

Pollyanna

The Railway Children

Anne of Green Gables

The Wind in the Willows

Robert Frost poetry

Letters from Rifka

The Great Gatsby

Peter Pan

Winnie the Pooh

The Burgess Bird Book for Children

History

Topics:

Henry Ford

Teddy Roosevelt

Albert Einstein

post-colonial South America

Immigration

Titanic

Jazz music

Temperance Movement in USA

WWI

Russian Revolution

Harlem Renaissance in USA

Books:

War Game

Where Poppies Grow

In Flanders Fields

The World Wars

Harlem Stomp!

Activities

Any museum, site, or exhibit

– See My WWI unit study. We visited Flanders.

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

Church History

Amy Carmichael

Fanny Crosby

Billy Sunday

Eric Liddell

Movies

Rough Riders

American Experience: America 1900

Titanic

The Wizard of Oz

Lawrence of Arabia

Doctor Zhivago

Chariots of Fire

Unit 2: World War II

Literature

Mary Poppins

Our Town

Bud, Not Buddy

Madeline

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

The Red Pony and The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Heidi

The Hundred Dresses

The Snow Goose

Thimble Summer

Homer Price

Lord of the Flies

Swallows and Amazons

Pippi Longstocking

Maus

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Brave New World

History

Topics:

Disney

The Great Depression – see my unit study

Dust Bowl

Prohibition in USA

FDR

Eleanor Roosevelt

Photography

WWII

Stalin

Mao

Communism

Jewish History and Customs

Books:

Terezin

The Cat with the Yellow Star

Night

A Father’s Promise

We Will Not Be Silent

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot

Sachiko

Activities

Any museum, site, or exhibit

– See my WWII unit study. We visited Prague, the Anne Frank House, Dachau, and Normandy.

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

Church History

Gladys Aylward

Corrie ten Boom

Richard Wurmbrand

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Movies

Annie

Bright Eyes

Our Town

The Inn of Sixth Happiness

The Sound of Music

White Christmas

Life is Beautiful

Unit 3: Civil Rights and Conflicts in Asia

Literature

One Grain of Rice

The House of Sixty Fathers

Homeless Bird

The Empty Pot

My Side of the Mountain

The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure

Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock

Old Yeller

Where The Red Fern Grows

Onion John

The Cricket in Times Square

The Phantom Tollbooth

Fahrenheit 451 (see my unit study for this book!)

James and the Giant Peach

Langston Hughes poetry

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963

Lilies of the Field

The Lotus Seed

History

Topics:

Civil Rights

Communism

The Cold War

Cuba

Korea

Vietnam

Cambodia

Space Race

Books:

So Far From the Bamboo Grove

Mission Control, This is Apollo

Activities

Any museum, site, or exhibit

See my units: China, Vietnam, Korea, Diversity here and here

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

Church History

Ida Scudder

Jacob DeShazer

Nate Saint

Jim Elliot

Billy Graham

Brother Andrew

Movies

Ghandi

The Manchurian Candidate original and remake

MacArthur

Cry, the Beloved Country

Lilies of the Field

To Kill a Mockingbird

Malcolm X

Selma

Ray

Mississippi Burning

The Help

Loving

Unit 4: Cold War, Terrorism, 9/11, Current Events

Literature

James Herriot’s Treasury for Children

Have Space Suit – Will Travel

I, Robot

The Breadwinner

Tasting the Sky

Citizen of the Galaxy

Tunnel in the Sky

The Hobbit

Fly Away Home

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Indian in the Cupboard

The Littles

Falling Up

Maya Angelou

Raising Dragons

History

Topics:

The Cold War

Communism

Berlin Wall

Computers and Technology

Internet

The Middle East

Rise of Terrorism

Popular Culture

Civil Rights

Books:

Red Scarf Girl

Tales of Persia

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Activities

Any museum, site, or exhibit

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

Church History

Mother Teresa

Elisabeth Elliot

Richard Wurmbrand

Bruchko

Joni: An Unforgettable Story

Movies

The Neverending Story

Remember the Titans

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Indian in the Cupboard

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Hobbit

Mr. Holland’s Opus

Hotel Rwanda

Wreck-It Ralph

I’m still adding to my list. There is still so much being learned about recent events and I love researching and learning with my kids.

See my Pinterest board for Year 4 History:

Follow Jennifer’s board Modern History on Pinterest.

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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: history, homeschool

Vietnam Unit Study

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure.

January 7, 2019 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

There’s so much more to the history and culture than what the news shows us.

I want my children to understand Asian history in our chronological studies of world history. I don’t want their education based on American stereotypes.

Our {evangelical and expensive} history curriculum was a little disappointing after WWII, so I had to research and find my own material to teach my kids about history that happened in my parents’ lifetime.

Vietnam Unit Study

I want to learn real history along with my kids, not just an American or white perspective.

Vietnam Unit Study

Topics:

  • Indochine colonialism
  • Vietnam War
  • Vietnamese Independence

Activities:

Eat in a Vietnamese restaurant
Learn to read and write in Vietnamese
Watch Vietnamese cartoons
Watch films and discuss
Visit a museum to view Vietnamese art
Visit a Vietnam Memorial
Read about Vietnam
Learn Asian geography

Printables and Lessons:

Vietnam Conflict from The Homeschool Mom
Vietnam War from The Homeschool Helper
Vietnam Lapbook from Homeschool Share
In The Hands of a Child Vietnam Curriculum
Vietnam and the Water Buffalo by Write Bonnie Rose
Vietnam Geography and Culture Notebooking from Notebooking Pages
Vietnam Flag from Activity Village
Vietnam from National Geographic
Asia from Guest Hollow

Book list:

Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam
Inside Out and Back Again
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
Going Home, Coming Home/Ve Nha, Tham Que Huong
Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam
Weeping Under This Same Moon
Goodbye, Vietnam
The Lotus Seed

Films (use discretion):

Indochine with Catherine Deneuve
The Scent of Green Papaya
The Purple Horizon
Tam Cam
Green Dragon
Rescue Dawn
Uncommon Valor
We Were Soldiers
Full Metal Jacket
Forrest Gump
Hamburger Hill
Soldiers of Change
Platoon
Apocalypse Now
Born on the Fourth of July
Good Morning, Vietnam
The Deer Hunter
Flight of the Intruder
Casualties Of War
Tigerland
The Killing Fields

What stereotypes did you learn about Vietnam?

Linking up:
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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: history, homeschool, military, unit study

Korea Unit Study

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure.

October 8, 2018 By Jennifer 6 Comments

We hear a lot about Korea in the news lately.

There’s so much more to the history and culture than what the news shows us.

I want my children to understand Asian history in our chronological studies of world history.

Our {evangelical and expensive} history curriculum was a little disappointing after WWII, so I had to research and find my own material to teach my kids real history and culture.

Korea Unit Study

I grew up watching M.A.S.H. with my parents and we own the complete DVD collection.

I want to learn real history along with my kids, not just an American perspective.

Korea Unit Study

Topics:

  • Communism
  • Korean War

Activities:

Eat in a Korean restaurant
Learn to read and write in Korean
Watch Korean cartoons or films
Visit a museum to view Korean art

Printables and Lessons:

South Korea unit
Studying South Korea
Resources about Korea
How to Study Korean
Studying Korea (scroll down)
South Korea Unit
South Korea Homeschool Unit Study for the Winter Olympics 2018
South Korea For Kids
Korea: North and South Resources
Read Around the World with South Korea
Winter Olympics Unit Study Resources…And Free Notebooking Pages

Book List:

So Far from the Bamboo Grove
Echoes of the White Giraffe
Year of Impossible Goodbyes
When My Name Was Keoko
Seesaw Girl
A Single Shard
The Korean Cinderella
My Name Is Yoon
Yoon and the Jade Bracelet
The Name Jar
Halmoni’s Day

Films (use discretion):

Heartbreak Ridge
Pork Chop Hill
Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite
The Long Way Home
Welcome to Dongmakgol
71 Into the Fire
The Front Line
Tae Guk Gi – The Brotherhood of War
Last Princess
Red Family
Princess
Masquerade
Snowy Road
Manshin
The Royal Tailor
Ode to My Father
The Manchurian Candidate
In Love And War
A Little Pond
Steel Rain – Netflix original
Northern Limit Line
My Way

Have you traveled to or learned about Korea?



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Year 3 History Resources

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure.

August 1, 2018 By Jennifer 5 Comments

Year 3 History: 1650-1900

It becomes really fascinating when you study world history chronologically and see how interconnected everything is, all the causes and effects.

Every chronological history program seems to divide their volumes at different time periods. Many events are ongoing over many decades. I have tried to included the easiest divisions. Since we school year-round, we don’t worry about cut-offs and just ease into the new volumes as needed.

We use Tapestry of Grace for book lists, but I also peruse Ambleside Online and other lists for a well-rounded history curriculum. I want all sides and perspectives.

We use these spine history texts as a guide: The Story of the World: Volume 3: Early Modern Times and Volume 4: The Modern Age.

I go to the library about every week and get what I can.

I shop thrift stores, yard sales, half-price and used bookstores to get books we love to read again and again.

Other books we use throughout our history studies – over several years:

  • This Country of Ours by HE Marshall
  • Our Island Story by HE Marshall
  • The Struggle for Sea Power by MB Synge
  • Magic Treehouse
  • If You Grew Up…
  • American Girl Collection and Real Stories From My Time
  • The Royal Diaries
  • Dear America

We love Netflix and Amazon Prime for streaming. We sometimes view YouTube. See how we do history.

Unit 1: American Founding Fathers and Napoleon

Literature

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

Pocahontas by Ingri d’Aulaire

Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I, Crocodile by Fred Marcellino

Diary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloane

The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier by Jacob Walter

Seeker of Knowledge by James Rumford

Marshall, the Courthouse Mouse by Peter W. Barnes

A Visit to William Blake’s Inn by Nancy Willard

William Wordsworth poems

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

Johnny Appleseed by David Harrison

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall

Sacajawea: Her True Story by Joyce Milton 

Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley

Ben and Me by Robert Lawson

Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh 

The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh

The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

History

Topics:

The French Revolution

Napoleon

American Colonialism

French and Indian Wars

Revolutionary War

War of 1812

South American Independence

Lewis and Clark

Books:

The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689 by Betsy Maestro 

Once on This Island by Gloria Whelan

Of Courage Undaunted by James Daugherty

In the Land of the Jaguar by Gena K. Gorrell

Activities

Any colonial or Revolutionary War museum, site, or exhibit

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World by Laurie Carlson 

George Washington for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities by Brandon Marie Miller 

The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Janis Herbert 

Revolutionary War Days: Discover the Past with Exciting Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes by David C. King  and Cheryl Kirk Noll

Great Pioneer Projects: You Can Build Yourself by Rachel Dickinson 

Pioneer days: Discover the past with fun projects, games, activities, and recipes by David C King 

Westward Ho!: An Activity Guide to the Wild West by Laurie Carlson 

The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Join the Corps of Discovery to Explore Uncharted Territory by Carol A. Johmann 

Going West!: Journey on a Wagon Train to Settle a Frontier Town by Carol A. Johmann and Elizabeth J. Rieth

America: Ready-To-Use Interdisciplinary Lessons & Activities for Grades 5-12 by Dwila Bloom

Church History

William Carey

Trial and Triumph by Richard M. Hannula

William Wilberforce

Adoniram Judson

Movies

Liberty’s Kids

Four Feathers

The Swiss Family Robinson

Frankenstein

Horatio Hornblower

Amazing Grace

Master And Commander

The Bounty

The Scarlet Pimpernel

A Tale of Two Cities

Les Miserables

Unit 2: Victorian England and American Manifest Destiny

I have a Native Peoples book list.

Literature

The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies

Alfred Tennyson poems

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

History

Topics:

Queen Victoria

Native Americans

The Trail of Tears

Davy Crockett

Early Industrial Revolution

Australia and New Zealand

China and Opium Wars

Oregon Trail

California Gold Rush

Read Alouds:

In the Days of Queen Victoria by Eva March Tappan

North American Indian by David Murdoch

Soft Rain: A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears by Cornelia Cornelissen 

Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Samuel Morse and the Telegraph by David Seldman

Bound for Oregon by Jean van Leeuwen

Activities

Any Native American museum, site, or exhibit

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

More Than Moccasins: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Traditional North American Indian Life by Laurie Carlson

Victorian Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes by David C. King and Cheryl Kirk Noll  

Church History

The Church in History by BK Kuiper

George Muller

Movies

The Last of the Mohicans

The Young Victoria

Unit 3: Civil War

I have a Civil War unit study.

Literature

Shipwrecked!: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg

Emily Dickinson poems

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Amos Fortune: Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Turn Homeward, Hannalee by Patricia Beatty 

The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 

Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet 

History

Topics:

Slavery

US Civil War

Underground Railroad

Sojourner Truth

Harriet Tubman

Nat Turner

Florence Nightingale

Clara Barton

The Alamo

Jim Bowie

Sam Houston

Books:

Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg 

Abraham Lincoln’s World by Genevieve Foster

Abraham Lincoln by Ingri D’Aulaire

Bound for America: The Forced Migration of Africans to the New World by James Haskins 

Activities

Any Civil War museum, site, or exhibit

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

The Civil War for Kids: A History With 21 Activities by Janis Herbert 

Civil War Days: Discover the Past with Exciting Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes by David C. King and Cheryl Kirk Noll 

Church History

Hudson Taylor

William Booth

David Livingstone

For Those Who Dare: 101 Great Christians and How They Changed the World by John Hudson Tiner

Movies

Shaka Zulu

Amistad

12 Years a Slave

Lincoln

Glory

Little Women

Gettysburg

Gone With the Wind

Unit 4: Industrial Revolution

Literature

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Seabird by Holling C. Holling

Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling

King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

The Invisible Man by HG Wells

History

Topics:

Imperialism

Charles Darwin

Steam Engine

Transcontinental Railroad

Thomas Edison

Photography

Louis Pasteur

Impressionism

Immigration

Carnegie

Orphan Trains

Spanish-American War

Books:

Ten Mile Day: And the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad by Mary Ann Fraser

When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest 

Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman

Kids On Strike! by Susan Campbell Bartoletti 

The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Betsy Maestro 

Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by Betsy Maestro

At Ellis Island: A History in Many Voices by Louise Peacock 

Island Of Hope: The Story of Ellis Island and the Journey to America by Martin W. Sandler 

Orphan Train Rider: One Boy’s True Story by Andrea Warren 

Activities

Paper Dolls

Music from this period

Art from this period

Ride a train

Mining

The Industrial Revolution for Kids: The People and Technology That Changed the World, with 21 Activities by Cheryl Mullenbach 

Church History

Mary Slessor

DL Moody

Lottie Moon

Charles Spurgeon

Movies

Newsies

Around the World in 80 Days


Coming soon!

Year 1 Resources

Year 2 Resources

Year 4 Resources

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Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: history, homeschool

Wright Brothers Unit Study

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure.

July 23, 2018 By Jennifer 9 Comments

One of the first things we wanted to do when we moved to the Dayton, Ohio, area was to visit the Wright Brothers sites.

Huffman Prairie Flying Field is right by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

There are historical plaques and markers explaining the history of the Wright Brothers and aviation in Dayton, Ohio.

This is a little train station platform for supplies.

The storage and repair barn

The launching area where they catapulted the plane into the air

We recently revisited Huffman Prairie to see the flowers.

When we first saw the prairie the end of June 2017, it had been really rainy and the flowers were taller and farther along in their bloom. There were even little toads hopping all around and we saw several deer.

In mid-July 2018, it’s been really hot and dry and the flowers are shorter and not as many are blooming. We saw no toads or deer, but lots of bees and butterflies.

Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center

This ancient hill was once the burial ground of a Mound Builder Native American culture.

A gorgeous lookout, monument, and another museum.

The kids got a second Junior Ranger badge.

Huffman Dam

You can see Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on the right.

Wright B Flyer

Visit Wright “B” Flyer’s hangar and museum where you can get up close to our aircraft and meet the volunteers who designed, built, operate, and maintain them.  It’s all free!

Become an Honorary Aviator Member for $100.00 and receive a free orientation flight on Wright “B” Flyer. (We haven’t done that…yet.)

Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center

The museum is extensive. We really enjoyed our time there!

Reading botany notebooks by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Orville Wright  – just like our Charlotte Mason nature study notebooking pages! They both were taught botany in 1887 by the same teacher – William Werthner.

The upper level includes a parachute museum.

Great photo ops with a parachute cutout and ejection seat.

The kids got Junior Ranger badges. Aaron got his Passport stamps.

We ate a picnic lunch at a little park outside the center.

The Wright Cycle Company Museum:

Orville’s last workshop façade memorial:

RiverScape Metropark

RiverScape is a gorgeous park in downtown Dayton to picnic, relax, walk, run, or bike.

They have concerts and events throughout the year.

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum

Founded in 1841, Woodland Cemetery is one of the nation’s five oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical, and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio.

Memorial at the entrance to the Wright Brothers:

Wright Family Graves:

We also visited The National Museum of the Air Force last fall. We couldn’t even see it all. It’s HUGE!

Did you know?

The Wright brothers weren’t the first to earn their wings!
This brother team from Dayton, Ohio, did come up with the first truly controllable aircraft, we’ll give them that, but the real claim for first in flight fame goes to a German immigrant named Gustav Whitehead that occurred in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 2013, Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, which calls itself the world’s foremost authority on aviation history, named the August 1901 flight by Whitehead as the first successful powered flight in history, according to flyingmag.com. Jane reviewed evidence from aviation researcher John Brown that Whitehead may have made one and possibly two flights in a small monoplane of his own design (and powered by a tiny motor also of his own design) as early as 1901—two full years before the Wright Brothers.

Resources:

  • Simple Living Creative Learning unit
  • Study on Flight by DIY Homeschooler
  • More Resources by DIY Homeschooler
  • Aviation Resources from The Homeschool Mom
  • Schooling a Monkey Airplane Craft
  • Webquest by Garden of Praise
  • Lapbook by A Journey Through Learning $
  • Lapbook from Confessions of a Homeschooler $
  • Lapbook by Knowledge Box Central $
  • Resources from Homeschool Giveaways
  • Documentary about the Wright Brothers
  • Huffman Prairie documentary


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Celebrating Passover

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March 29, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

We started new traditions when we began learning about the Biblical feasts and Bible history during our Year 1 Tapestry of Grace studies. Back in 2011.

It’s become an annual tradition, along with our celebrating Hanukkah every December.

We enjoy the Seder ceremony and having a lovely lamb dinner.

Sometimes, Passover coincides with Easter and the holidays are combined, but other times, we celebrate the feasts on their designated days. The Jewish calendar is lunar while the Gregorian calendar is solar.

We added crafts and learning activities the next few years as the kids grew older and understood more.

We are not Jewish. We do our best to be very respectful of the culture and religion.

We are learning and enjoying the history of Judaism and Jesus leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection.

I really like the site Hebrew 4 Christians with their prayers and instructions for the Jewish feasts.

Our entire church celebrated a Seder one year.

Each family or group at a table decorated how they wished.

We used our best china, olive wood candlesticks from Israel, and my Lenten cross candle holder.

Some years, we go more casual and simple, and other years we try to make it a fancier occasion.

Over the years, I have purchased a Messianic Seder plate and Kiddush cup with matching candlesticks. I plan to add to our collection with a matzah tray and cover soon.

What is Passover?

Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is an eight-day spring holiday that celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

The main ritual of Passover is the seder, a planned meal held on the first evening of the holiday. The seder is designed to provoke the Four Questions from children and to provide an opportunity for telling the story of how the Israelites were redeemed from slavery and given the gift of the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible).

A number of symbolic foods are laid out on the seder table, including karpas (parsley with salt water or vinegar – represents the hyssop used to apply blood over the door lintels), beitzah (an egg usually roasted, but we often hard boil ours), matzah (unleavened bread), the maror (bitter herb) with salt water (tears), charoset (apples with wine and honey  – a favorite! – symbolizing mortar for bricks), and the lamb shankbone, which commemorates the Paschal sacrifice that was offered in the Temple. Sometimes an orange is included to show sweet welcome to strangers.

The four cups of wine at Passover are an integral part of the Passover celebration.

These four cups of wine represent the four promises the Lord makes to His people in Exodus 6:6-7.

The Cup of Sanctification: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

The Cup of Deliverance: “I will rescue you from their bondage.”

The Cup of Redemption: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.”

The Cup of Praise: “I will take you as My people.”

The ministry of Messiah speaks to each of these four promises:

Messiah sanctifies us – “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:19).

Messiah delivers us – “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Messiah redeems us – “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

Messiah is our joy – “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).

The Cup of Elijah is a fifth cup of wine, left undrunk, as we open the door to invite the prophet in. Read more about this tradition here. Should we include this in a Messianic or Christian seder? Perhaps this could represent hope and the will of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Miriam’s Cup represents the strong history of women and holds water, serving as a symbol of Miriam’s Well, which was the source of water for the Israelites in the desert. Putting a Miriam’s Cup on your table is a way of making your seder more inclusive. Read more about this new tradition here.

The seder follows a script laid out in the haggadah, a book that tells the story of the Hebrews’ redemption from Egypt.

Resources:

  • Passover Gifts at Christianbook.com
  • The Maccabeats music
  • Passover Playlist
  • The Passover Story of the Four Sons…Video Haggadah For Your Seder!
  • Hebrew 4 Christians
  • The Four Questions
  • The Longest Night

Do you celebrate Passover?

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Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Easter, history, Passover, worldview

Flanders WWI Sites

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June 14, 2017 By Jennifer 18 Comments

We visited Flanders Fields.

It’s something I’ve always wanted to see.

We took a little trip to Bruges, Belgium…and saw the Flanders Fields WWI sites on the way back home to Germany.

It was emotional to see all the monuments and memorials to the Commonwealth soldiers.

The “Brooding Soldier” statue by Frederick Chapman Clemesha in the St. Julien Memorial was poignant and much taller than I expected.

We enjoyed the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917.

Open from Monday to Sunday, from 9:00 to 18:00. Last admission at 16:30. A museum visit lasts approximately two hours.

Adults: €6,5 or €10,5 with audioguide
Students: €4 or €7 with audioguide
Under 7 FREE

I read that it was a fun and interactive museum, but we were really blown away by how well put-together it is. We didn’t bother to get audio-guides. The plaques on each display were in English and we read every single one.

The kids loved the interactive exhibits, trying on body armor and helmets, gas masks, and cloaks.

The kids were excited to see a stuffed messenger pigeon like Cher Ami.

Cher Ami was a registered Blue Check Hen carrier pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. Download the Cher Ami real story here.

The exhibits were really amazing.

We really experienced history in the replicated dugout and trenches.

There was a gorgeous park with lots of walking trails. We had a picnic lunch by the pond.

The Menin Gate was breathtaking.

I really wanted to see the Essex Farm Cemetery and Memorials.

John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields.

It was memorable to see all these World War I sites and I’m so glad the kids and I got to experience this history.

Also, here’s my World War I Unit Study.

Learn about WWI, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, and Veterans Day

Books:

  • DK Eyewitness Books: World War I by Simon Adams
  • World War I for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by R. Kent Rasmussen 
  • The War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman
  • Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale 
  • War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
  • All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
  • A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway 
  • Silver Threads by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
  • War Game: Village Green to No-Man’s-Land by Michael Foreman 
  • Truce by Jim Murphy 
  • Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon
  • Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914 by John Hendrix
  • Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub 
  • Christmas Truce: A True Story of World War 1 by Aaron Shepard
  • Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day, 1918 World War I and Its Violent Climax by Joseph E. Persico
  • Archie’s War by Marcia Williams
  • A Brave Soldier by Nicolas Debon 
  • Rags: Hero Dog of WWI: A True Story by Margot Theis Raven
  • Stubby the War Dog: The True Story of World War I’s Bravest Dog by Ann Bausum
  • Stubby the Dog Soldier: World War I Hero by Blake Hoena 
  • In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae by Linda Granfield 
  • The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans by Barbara Walsh
  • Where Poppies Grow: A World War I Companion by Linda Granfield
  • A Poppy Is to Remember by Heather Patterson
  • Remembrance Poems & Readings: Reflection on Matters of War & Peace by David Roberts
  • Come On In, America: The United States in World War I by Linda Barrett Osborne
  • The Wall by Eve Bunting
  • America’s White Table by Margot Theis Raven

Movies:

  • Fly Boys
  • The Red Baron
  • The Great War in Color
  • Joyeux Noel

Activities and Printables:

  • Activity Village Remembrance Day
  • 51 Remembrance Day Poppy Craft Ideas from Everything Mom
  • French Remembrance Day Activities by For French Immersion
  • Remembrance Day from DLTK
  • 51 Remembrance Day Poppy Craft Ideasfrom Everything Mom
  • WWI from BBC
  • History of Veterans Day from History Channel
  • Lemon Poppy Sugar Cookies from The Endless Meal

Learn about American Memorial Day:

      • How to Memorial Day
      • Don’t say Thanks for Service
      • FREE Notebooking Pages
      • ABC Teach – Free Memorial Day printables
      • Home of Heroes – Free Medal of Honor Coloring Book printables
      • Making Learning Fun – Memorial Day activity pages
      • Raising Our Kids –  Memorial Day coloring pages
      • Homeschool Helper Online – Memorial Day resources
      • The Homeschool Mom – Memorial Lesson Plans
      • Homeschool Creations – Memorial Day Printables
      • Memorial Day Preschool Cutting Practice from 3 Boys and a Dog
      • How to Make a DIY Patriotic T-Shirt from Crafty Mama in ME
      • 10 Cool Family Tents for Camping from FrogMom
      • Memorial Day – A Day to Remember from Tales of Education at Home
      • F is for Flag Handwriting Letter Mazes from Simple Fun for Kids
      • Memorial Day Penmanship Worksheet from Schooling a Monkey
      • Memorial Day Word Search from Something 2 Offer
      • Learning With My Boys – Memorial Day unit study
      • Educents Memorial Day Activity Pack


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Reformation Unit Study

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October 27, 2016 By Jennifer 6 Comments

I wish we had the time and resources to travel all over Europe to study the Protestant Reformation.

We’ve traveled to Prague to view the statue of Jan Huß.

Jan Huß was a Czech priest, philosopher, early Christian reformer and Master at Charles University in Prague. After John Wycliffe, the theorist of ecclesiastical Reformation, Hus is considered the first Church reformer, as he lived before Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.

Hus was a key predecessor to Protestantism, and his teachings had a strong influence on the states of Western Europe, most immediately in the approval of a reformist Bohemian religious denomination, and, more than a century later, on Martin Luther himself. He was burned at the stake for heresy against the doctrines of the Catholic Church, including those on ecclesiology, the Eucharist, and other theological topics.

After Huß was executed in 1415, the followers of his religious teachings (known as Hußites) rebelled against their Roman Catholic rulers and defeated five consecutive papal crusades between 1420 and 1431, in what became known as the Hußite Wars. A century later, as many as 90% of inhabitants of the Czech lands were Hußites.

This was almost 100 years before Martin Luther nailed his 95 These to the church door.

JanHussMonument.jpg

We really love the humongous statue to Martin Luther and other Protestant Reformers in Worms, Germany.

Most of us are familiar with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses.

Luther focused on the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Martin Luther’s story is fascinating, involving legal tangles with the Catholic church and government authorities, excommunication, kidnapping, hiding away in a castle where he translated the Bible, then he married an ex-nun. They had six children. He wrote and taught and composed hymns until his death.

luther-statue-in-worms

It is legend that Luther said the words: “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”
here-i-stand

What Luther really said:
“Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”

The monument is quite massive.

Luther stands in the center and the four seated on the base are Girolamo Savonarola, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus.

The two men standing on either side in front are Frederick III, Elector of Saxony and Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.

The two standing in the back are Johannes Reuchlin and Philipp Melanchthon.

Three seated women on the sides and back center represent the first German cities to adopt Protestantism: Augsburg, Speyer, and Magdeburg.

flowers-and-luther-monument

This map of the monument shows more info and where everyone is.

Where I’d like to go:

The city of Wittenberg, Germany, has a 500-year anniversary celebration of the 95 Theses!

There’s a John Calvin Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. But Switzerland is sooo expensive to eat and stay.

We’ve been reading lots.

I love these series: Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr and Historical Biblical Fiction by Louise A. Vernon.

Resources:

  • Reformation Day activity list from Blessed Beyond a Doubt
  • Reformation Unit Study from Talking Mom2Mom
  • Reformation notebooking from Proverbial Homemaker
  • Homeschool Helper Online Reformation Day Unit Study
  • Reformation Unit Study and Lapbook from I Choose Joy
  • Homeschool Giveaways activity list
  • Homeschool Share Reformation Unit and Notebooking Pages
  • Reformation Day Party Ideas from Intoxicated on Life
  • Triumphant Learning Reformation Day Ideas
  • Resource List from Curriculum Choice
  • Reformation Coloring Book
  • Women of the Reformation series
  • Fun activities from Reformation Lady

The Reformation is a fascinating time in history and helped to usher in the Renaissance!

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Michelangelo Unit Study

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October 11, 2016 By Jennifer 6 Comments

We’ve traveled to Rome and Florence and studied Michelangelo’s art extensively.

Michelangelo was a true Renaissance man: sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, architect.

Michelangelo Unit Study
His memorial is in Santa Croce church in Florence:

Michelangelo's Tomb in Santa Croce

Some of our favorites:

The Doni Tondo at the Uffizi Museum in Florence.

Tondo means “in the round.” Michelangelo designed the frame, but didn’t create this one. Michelangelo hated painting, especially portrait painting.

Funny story has it that the minor nobleman who commissioned this piece for his bride’s wedding gift disliked the peasant look of the Holy Family and the nudes in the background, so refused to pay. Michelangelo had a fit and doubled the price. They went back and forth, even shouting in the streets, and all of Florence watched it like a tennis match until he finally agreed to pay.

Doni Tondo by Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s 4 Slaves or Prisoners at the Accademia Gallery in Florence:

He designed these (and the Moses) for the tomb of Pope Julius II, that was never completed.

Michelangelo’s Slaves or Prisoners
Also, St. Matthew at the Accademia Gallery in Florence:

He was commissioned to complete all 12 apostles for the city of Florence, but they were not completed after the Republic government fell.

St. Matthew by Michelangelo
Palestrina Pietà at the Accademia Gallery in Florence:

May or may not be Michelangelo. There’s very little info about it.
Palestrina Pietà
The David, of course! At Accademia Gallery.

He won a contest to create a statue for the city of Florence from a damaged block of marble that had been lying open to the elements for almost 50 years.
The David
The Deposition, also called the Florence Pietà, the Bandini Pietà or The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, and thought to be a self-portrait as the face of Nicodemus. At the Duomo Museum.

Giorgio Vasari noted that Michelangelo began to work on the sculpture around the age of 72. Without commission, Michelangelo worked tirelessly into the night with just a single candle to illuminate his work. Vasari wrote that he began to work on this piece to amuse his mind and to keep his body healthy. After 8 years of working on the piece, Michelangelo would go on and attempt to destroy the work in a fit of frustration. Vasari gave several reasons why Michelangelo destroyed his Florentine pieta:

“…Either because of defects in the marble, or because the stone was so hard | that the chisel often struck sparks, or because he was too severe a judge J of his own work and could never be content with anything he did. It is | true that few of his mature works were ever completed and that those entirely finished were productions of his youth. Such were the Bacchus, the Pieta of the Madonna della F^ebbre [in Saint Peter’s], il Gigante [the David], at Florence, and the Christ Risen of the Minerva [Santa Maria sopra Minerva], which are finished to such perfection that a single grain could not be taken from them without injury. Michelangelo often said that, if he were compelled to satisfy himself, he should show little or nothing. The reason is obvious: he had attained such knowledge in art that the slightest error could not exist without his immediate dis- covery of it. But once it had been seen in public, he would never attempt to correct it, but would begin a new work, for he believed that a similar failure would not happen again. He often declared that this was the reason that the number of his finished works was so small.”
The Deposition by Michelangelo

In Rome, we stood in awe of The Pietà, in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Michelangelo's Pieta

Also, we kept putting in a Euro to light up the chapel with the statue of Moses, in St. Peter Vincoli:

Michelangelo's Moses

Shhh…we snuck a picture of the Sistine Chapel ceiling at the Vatican:

Sistine Chapel Ceiling

We love traveling to see art and history come alive!

Activities:

  • Notebooking with famous art and artists printable pages from NotebookingPages.
  • We made our own paints from natural materials when we reviewed Michelangelo for Kids. There are 21 educational activities in that book!
  • We made little frescoes of our own and realized how difficult it is!

Alex painted a beach scene.

Beach Scene Fresco

Katie painted a river with flowers on the bank.

Flowery Riverbank Fresco

Tori painted a fruit basket.

Fruit Bowl Fresco

In the morning, they were dry and the colors were faded. We realize how precise and complicated making the perfect consistency of plaster is for the colors to stay true. We used liquid watercolors, which probably aren’t the best for fresco-painting.

Michelangelo is one of our favorite artists of all time!

Resources:

Mixing with the Masters Mixed Media Workshop, Volume One

I also like this art website.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo by Irving Stone.

Free Notebooking Pages Sampler

Recommended Books:


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Filed Under: Europe, Florence, Homeschool, Italy, Rome, Travel Tagged With: art, Florence, history, Rome, travel, unit study

Bernini Unit Study

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October 6, 2016 By Jennifer 1 Comment

We fell in love with Bernini’s sculpture in Rome.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini is considered the founder of Baroque art.

Bernini Unit Study

Bernini designed and created the Chair of Saint Peter, also known as the Throne of Saint Peter, AND St. Peter’s Baldachin, a large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy, technically called a ciborium or baldachin, over the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica.

We got to witness The Pope give Christmas morning Mass and saw the Chair and Baldachin up close!

Altar of the Chair of Peter

We got to quickly explore the area near the altar after the Pope and Cardinals left the floor of St. Peter’s Basilica to prepare for the Christmas Benediction from the balcony.

St. Peter's Baldachin

Bernini also designed the piazza and colonnade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Also, at the Vatican, he is responsible for the Scala Regia (1663–66), the monumental grand stairway entrance to the Vatican Palace, along with the Cathedra Petri, the Chair of Saint Peter, in the apse of St. Peter’s, and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in the nave.

Around Rome:

The Turtle Fountain in the Jewish district is a favorite with Tori, love of all turtles and tortoises!

Bernini's Turtle Fountain
Fountain of the Moor in Piazza Navona
Fontana del Moro by Bernini
Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini
Fountain of the Old Boat by Pietro Bernini, father of Gian. This is near the Spanish Steps.
Fontana della Barcaccia by Bernini

We visited the Borghese Gallery in Rome, which houses so many Bernini sculptures:

I have to say that I really, really, really love Bernini’s David.

Bernini's David

Hades and Persephone are so lifelike. The fingers pressing into her thigh!

The Rape of Proserpina

The Rape of Proserpina Front

Apollo and Daphne. Her fingers are turning into leaves.

Apollo and Daphne

We also saw the statue of Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius from the Aeneid and the unfinished Truth Unveiled by Time. Spectacular.

Bernini’s family tomb is in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Bernini Family Tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore

We’re on our way to see more Bernini sculpture at The Louvre and Versailles. Stay tuned for photos. Follow us on Instagram!

The Sleeping Hermaphroditus in The Louvre:

sleeping-hermaphroditus

The Bust of Louis XIV in the Salon of Diana at Versailles:

bust-of-louis-xiv

We carved our own statues from soap!

It was really hard. Tori and Alex just made reliefs. Katie cut out a PokeBall. We can imagine how difficult sculpting from marble must be.

soap-carvings

Love this:

Mixing with the Masters Mixed Media Workshop, Volume One

Free Notebooking Pages Sampler

I also like this art site.

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Filed Under: Europe, Homeschool, Italy, Rome, Travel Tagged With: art, history, Paris, Rome, travel, unit study

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