Year 4 History Resources

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January 14, 2019 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

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 Wind in the Willows

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:

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

Movies

Rough Riders

American Experience: America 1900

Unit 2: World War II

Literature

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

The Red Pony and The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

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

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

Movies

Ghandi

The Manchurian Candidate original and remake

MacArthur

Cry, the Beloved Country

Lilies of the Field

To Kill a Mockingbird

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

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

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

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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My Educational Influences

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January 12, 2019 By Jennifer 5 Comments

Education is supposed to influence us.

And it does.

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. ~Mark Twain

Don’t confuse education with intelligence.

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey

Looking back, I realize that I was so isolated as a middle-class suburban white girl. When I went to college in downtown Atlanta, it was eye-opening. So many different people from different backgrounds. It helped me to grow and learn about the world.

When I became a teacher, I grew some more as I learned along with and about my students and fellow teachers.

When I became a mother, I wanted more than public and private schools could offer my children.

When we travel, we learn even more, expanding and shaping our views.

My Educational Influences

Past Teachers

Most of what I learned in school is negative.

Of course, I learned to write and multiply, but mostly to bend the rules.

I learned to avoid punishment. I was scared of my teachers. I was scared of bad grades.

I had teachers who yelled, tied students to their seats, gave detention for silly things, shamed and ridiculed, refused to allow bathroom passes, threw chalk and erasers and koosh balls, flirted with students…and lots more.

I was a good student. I learned to be invisible. I made good grades.

I had few positive teacher influences. Mostly, I learned what not to do as a teacher.

University Teacher Training

I got a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Yeah, pretty useless in any job market. If I had it to do over, I would at least have gone with journalism. It’s like having a degree in reading.

I earned a master’s degree in education with a 14-month urban education program to get quick teacher certification. And a job.

The program was kinda a joke. Pedagogy and methodology classes. The professors were out of touch with real schools and classrooms. The assignments were irrelevant. Most of what I was taught wasn’t feasible in an actual classroom when I got teaching jobs.

The other dozen students or so in the program were idealists who thought they were going to change the world. Most went to get teaching jobs in wealthy suburban white schools and districts.

Teachers don’t have a lot of autonomy in their classrooms.

We were taught how to manage students with punitive coercion such as humiliation and threats.

Administrators cater to parents and the school board. It’s very political. There’s lots of standardized tests that don’t really mean much.

Students are just seen as numbers and not as living, breathing, changing, growing human beings.

A poignant quip:
Someone asks: “What do you teach?”
Teachers respond: “English.” or “Science.” or “Math.”
A wise teacher responds: “Students.”

Homeschooling opened up a lot of doors for me as I did my own research into the world of educational philosophy.

I had to slowly unlearn everything I had experienced and been taught as a student and teacher.

My Favorite Educational Philosophies

The Well-Trained Mind and Classical Education

The Well-Trained Mind was the first homeschooling book I ever bought. I don’t remember how I found it, probably in an online forum as a great place to begin.

And it was.

Part of the school dilemma results from an over-focus on testing results; home educators are free from that pressure, so you won’t have to decide between test prep and expository writing. ~Susan Wise Bauer

I began homeschooling in 2005. My eldest was almost 5 and I was pregnant with my second. Number three followed a year after number two.

I liked the classics outline and resource lists for each year. It appealed to the intellectual in me as I set about developing a classical education for my daughter.

I loved the foundation on literature and history and still do. We all learn Latin together.

We never focused so much on a lot of memorization and writing early. I don’t like all the rules and scripts in CC.

The Well-Trained Mind was a perfect jumping off point for me as a new homeschool mom and offered us a good transition from school ideas to homeschooling freedom.

Charlotte Mason

I soon learned about Charlotte Mason after our first year of homeschooling.

It seems a softer side of classical education.

I love the idea of living books and nature study, art and music appreciation and history.

I’ve always felt these subjects are so important.

Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life. ~Charlotte Mason

Ambleside Online is a great resource but I needed more structure for our growing family.

We love notebooking.

We began to acquire an extensive home library.

Maria Montessori

When my son was born, I encouraged him with self-directed activity, hands-on learning, and collaborative play – from birth.

Montessori has five key areas of learning:

practical life
sensorial
mathematics
language
culture

Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed. ~Maria Montessori

I included my middle girls and son in all aspects of our lives and schooling. It’s amazing how autonomous kids can be if we let them.

Rearranging our school room and providing many opportunities for practical play with small real tools helped our household dynamics.

Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf Education

Waldorf education is independent and inclusive. It upholds the principles of freedom in education.

Waldorf or Rudolf Steiner education is based on an anthroposophical view and understanding of the human being of body, soul, and spirit.

I love the holistic ideals of Waldorf.

Art and music are so important to me and I love all the fun, natural materials in the Waldorf community that encourage learning this.

I love the focus on imagination.

We love nature and the outdoors.

It helped me become a gentler parent. We flow.

Summary:

I learned how to incorporate ideas and lessons that worked for us.

I believe in playtime and lots of informal, natural learning – especially outside – until the child is about 7 or 8 years old.

We work in a nice flow with the seasons, taking breaks frequently to enjoy the weather or rest when we need it.

I think there are lots of benefits to many different educational philosophies.

I love that, as a homeschooler, I have the freedom to pick and choose this and that for my children to learn best as individuals and different stages – practical Montessori, imaginative Waldorf, nature-y artsy Charlotte Mason, Latin and history classical.

It takes courage to do things differently.

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Vietnam Unit Study

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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.

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?

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How We Do PE

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October 29, 2018 By Jennifer 9 Comments

Physical education is so important, but often overlooked by homeschool families.

I want my kids to be healthy inside and out, and being active is a part of a healthy lifestyle.

In this world of planned playdates and scheduled activities, I want my kids to have fun and freedom to play and learn how to stay active for the rest of their lives.

I have to model healthy activity if I want my kids to be active.

I can’t just tell them to go outside while I sit at my computer or watch Netflix. I often go for a walk while they rollerblade or scooter or we all walk as a family after dinner. I plan hikes in the woods or a local nature center. I don’t force my kids to play team sports, but I try my best to offer that option. When we have bad weather or it’s very cold, we stay active in more creative ways.

How We Do PE

Outside Play

I encourage my children to spend time outdoors at least 30 minutes each day, no matter the weather. Sometimes, this is hard…and other times, I have to drag them inside to eat or bathe or go to bed.

We’re thankful we live in a neighborhood where they can roam and be kids.

They like to rollerblade, ride bikes, and scooter around the neighborhood.

They play with hula hoops and jump ropes.

We have wiffle balls and scoops and frisbees.

We sometimes do fun things like obstacle courses.

They often wander the woods behind our house and play in the creek and come home with ropes and ropes of daisy and clover chains.

Their friend down the street has a pool and they learned to swim this summer.

Team Sports

I’m not big into sports, and my kids have tried almost all of it, with varying results.

The kids used to do gymnastics. My eldest participated in Civil Air Patrol and they have a PT program.

Currently:

My youngest daughter is playing recreational soccer.

My son loves baseball, and plays on a rec team in the fall and spring. He tried out for some elite leagues, but isn’t quite strong enough yet.

Family Activities

We love to go hiking and exploring and do nature study at local parks and playgrounds, state parks, and natural areas.

We often go bowling, usually for free summer bowling or for celebrations.

During bad weather, we often join a homeschool group at a trampoline park.

The kids have gone ice skating each winter.

We’ve gone snow sledding during the winter. Climbing back up is a workout!

We love homeschool park and gym days.

My teen daughter and I used to go the base gym each week.

Our local YMCA offers great deals throughout the year on classes and events for families and homeschoolers.

I was a part of a family workout group one year for moms and kids and that was super fun. Stroller fit is a good one for moms with young kids.

Family Time Fitness offers lots of PE options for families.

Inside Play

I try to make sure my kids get outside a little while every day, but still, it’s sometimes cabin fever in the winter or rainy season.

We have a Wii with active games like Sports and Just Dance.

I often turn on a Spotify playlist and have a dance party or do a big house cleaning.

I feel it’s super important to model healthy activity to my kids so we’re all leaving a healthy legacy.

How do you stay active year round?

Also, check out Health for High School Homeschool Credit.

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Korea Unit Study

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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.

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

Have you traveled to or learned about Korea?

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How We Do Music

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October 1, 2018 By Jennifer 8 Comments

Music is very important to me.

I want my kids to understand and enjoy all kinds of music.

Music is such an important part of our lives. We use music to celebrate, worship God, hum to comfort ourselves, and to express sorrow. Nature creates wondrous music with insects, birds, and babbling brooks.

“Without music, life would be a mistake.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche, from Twilight of the Idols

How We Do Music

Music History

We learn about concepts and themes and innovations in music as we study our chronological history.

Music Appreciation

We listen to all kinds of music. I don’t like censorship. Music is a form of performance art that should be heard and I want to expose my kids to it all and we discuss it as a family.

We’ve attended operas, ballet, symphonies, musicals, and concerts as a family. I think it’s important to attend live musical events as often as possible, as early as kids can sit still quietly throughout the performance, perhaps about age 5 or 6. We love matinees.

Many venues offer freebies or discounts to military families, homeschoolers, during dress rehearsals, or other special field trip events. Our city has free weekend concerts at parks in the summer.

I feel it’s important to expose my kids to world music, and all the genres of American music. Music is so emotional, and plays a huge part in culture and history.

We love almost all kinds of music.

Music, of course, helps with math.

Favorite Books about Music

We love getting biographies from the library about musicians and composers.

The Gift of Music by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson
The Vintage Guide to Classical Music by Jan Swafford
Great Musicians Series
Mike Venezia books
Iza Trapani books
Do Re Mi: If You Can Read Music, Thank Guido D’Arezzo
Story of the Orchestra
Welcome to the Symphony
Poppy books by Magali Le Huche
Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear?
Blue Moo! and others from Sandra Boynton
The Real Mother Goose
Peter and the Wolf
The Story Orchestra: Four Seasons in One Day
The Carnival of the Animals
Moonlight on the Magic Flute
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
88 Instruments
The School of Music
Can You Hear It?
The Jazz Fly
Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!: A Sonic Adventure
Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts
I, Vivaldi
Becoming Bach
The Music in George’s Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue
Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay
Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo
I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello
M is for Melody: A Music Alphabet
Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo: Bilingual
When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop

Notebooking and Unit Studies

Writing about music and composers helps us to understand their importance to history and societal influences. Notebooking a great way to synthesize information we learn.

Music Appreciation Lessons

Listening

We stream lots of music as we do our studies.

We create Spotify playlists. My middle daughter would win at Name That Tune!

We often listen to classical or instrumental music during cleaning, meal time, or quiet work.

Maestro Classics
Classical Kids: Collection 1 and 2 overviews
Classical Kids – composers
Beethoven’s Wig: Sing Along Symphonies – 5 volumes
Wee Sing!
Putumayo Kids

Playing

My husband can play piano and trumpet.

I never learned an instrument and I regret it.

When my kids were babies and toddlers, we did KinderMusik and Music Together. I think it’s super important to expose young kids to music and allow them to make their own and explore sounds.

Two of my girls have taken piano lessons for years though we’re on hiatus with that right now.

My middle daughter took guitar lessons for a year.

My teen daughter is teaching herself electric guitar.

I can barely play the radio.

How do you teach music in your home or homeschool?

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How We Do Art

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September 17, 2018 By Jennifer 9 Comments

Art is very important in our home and homeschool.

My parents discounted and disapproved of my love of art and I was only allowed to take one semester in 10th grade. I still have that portfolio.

I loved and still love viewing art, but I believed that creating was a waste of time because my parents drilled that into me for years. I’m learning to overcome that now.

I want my kids to appreciate and understand art, and love creating.

We often hike in nature to celebrate the artistic beauty of creation. We learn art history, visit museums, read books about art and creativity, take classes, and create some of our own projects!

Art History

We learn about the major art themes and techniques along with our regular history studies. It really helps tie everything together for us.

My eldest is considering majoring in art history.

Art Appreciation

Like literature, I want my kids exposed to art and learn to appreciate it. Some we love and others…we just don’t.

We celebrate the human body and achievements of great artists.

We go to lots of museums. My kids beg to go to museums. Almost all our European travels revolved around viewing art and churches.

Städel Museum in Frankfurt, Germany
Paris
Florence, Italy
Rome
Venice
Netherlands
Greece
London
Ireland
Bruges, Belgium
Dayton Art Institute in Ohio
Art Institute and City Art in Chicago (post coming soon)

25+ favorite books about art and creativity:

We buy books at the museums we visit so we can remember our favorite pieces.

I collect art history textbooks (there’s a free bin at our library).

We love living books about art and artists and often check them out at our library.

Picture books often have stunning illustrations.

Draw Write Now series
Draw and Write through History series
ARTistic Pursuits series
The Story of Architecture
Sister Wendy Beckett art books
The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern
Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A Global History
David Macaulay books
Art: A World History
A World of Art
The Usborne Introduction to Art
The Children’s Interactive Story of Art
Child’s Introduction to Art
Discovering Great Artists
Art Lab for Kids and Drawing Lab and Paint Lab
Drawing With Children and Drawing for Older Children & Teens
Storybook Art
Great American Artists for Kids
Ed Emberley drawing books
Catherine V Holmes drawing books
Global Art
The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home
Monsters Love Colors
Mouse Paint
Little Blue and Little Yellow
The Dot
Herve Tullet books
Anholt’s Artists Books For Children
James Mayhew books
Mike Venezia biographies

Notebooking and Unit Studies

Of course we love notebooking and this is a great way to synthesize our knowledge about art and artists.

Projects and Crafts

We’ve done some arts and crafts to go along with our science and history studies. We also create just for fun sometimes.

We’re all about the process.

As soon as kids are past preschool age, I recommend purchasing the best supplies you can afford so kids get used to using real art tools.

Classes

Sometimes, outsourcing education is the way to go. Yes, it’s expensive and time consuming, but my knowledge and abilities are limited. Also, I don’t have to gather supplies or clean anything up.

I taught stART (Story+Art) one year at a homeschool co-op in Utah.

My eldest took some amazing art classes at ARTWorks in San Antonio, Texas, for our first two years homeschooling.

We’ve been taking classes at SPARK Art Studio in Kettering, Ohio, the last couple years.

Local YMCA and community centers often offer art classes.

My kids like the Notability app. They love playing with the Home Design app.

Computer programs: Inkscape, Tux Paint…all the Adobe creation apps and programs (I haven’t paid for yet).

Drawing and Painting lessons from Easy Peasy Homeschool.

This art curricula list from The Homeschool Mom.

Drawspace – 15% of the content on Drawspace.com is free.

Atelier art lessons online. Arts Attack Publications has stood for superior quality in art instruction for decades now and is exclusively devoted to developing and publishing high quality, easy-to-teach, video-based visual art lessons for children.

Homeschool art from Schoolhouse Teachers.

Sparketh offers different levels of online art classes.

Art curricula reviews from Cathy Duffy.

You Are An Artist online lessons:

How do you study art in your home or homeschool?

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Year 3 History Resources

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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

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

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

Movies

Newsies

Around the World in 80 Days

Coming soon!

Year 1 Resources

Year 2 Resources

Year 4 Resources

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Our Curricula for 2018-2019

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure.

July 9, 2018 By Jennifer 6 Comments

I have homeschooled since 2005.

It’s been a wild journey and I have learned so much about myself as a mom and teacher over the years.

You can see how we began with our first and second years.

Here’s how I plan a homeschool year.

You can scroll through all the curricula we’ve used over the years for various levels.

I also created these pages of homeschooling topics and to help answer questions.

This year, I’m only homeschooling 3 kids!

We’re still finishing up some maths, science, and history…but we should have about a month off from academics. We typically school year round with lots of breaks for holidays, resting, and travel.

My eldest is dual enrolled at a local university, and has all but completed her high school work of French and history.

We continue to use our core curriculum of Tapestry of Grace for history, geography, literature, art, music, and church history.

We use Memoria Press for Latin. My son is finishing up Prima Latina and the girls are doing Latina Christiana. We also learn modern languages.

We’ll take local weekly art classes again since we love the teacher.

My middle girls are 11 and 12 years old. We don’t really do grade levels, but I guess they’re in about 7th.

Katie is trying soccer again.

Tori loves being outdoors and walks, runs, bikes, rollerblades all the time.

This year, they’re studying:

My son is 8 years old. He is in about 4th grade.

Alex loves baseball and will play fall ball and spring league again this year.

He is studying:

Apologia Chemistry and Physics to coincide with his sisters’ physical science.

A winter Astronomy Unit

Some of this curricula is no longer printed or has updated to new editions. I’ve had these books for years and if it ain’t broke…

What are you studying in your homeschool this year?

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Spark Art

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure.

April 9, 2018 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

We are so thrilled to have found Spark Art Studio.

As a home educator, I don’t usually outsource my kids’ education. I can teach art history just fine.

But hands-on arts and crafts is something I often skip at home. While I absolutely love art, I fail in the actual hands-on part of art. I don’t like the setup, research, mess, or cleanup. I don’t have the time, talent, supplies, space, or aptitude. I don’t feel I do art justice or often enough.

These classes are worth every single penny.

The homeschool classes encompass all sorts of fabulous art techniques and art history.

Miss Jamie really goes all out with getting the kids involved in the process and creating amazing and fun projects.

I love this sign that hangs in their waiting room:

Sometimes when we arrive a few minutes early, I overhear the interaction with the previous class. I just love the kindness in Miss Jamie’s voice as she ever so gently guides the toddler and baby in their art exploration, play, and projects. Their mother also is exemplary in her respectful tone and words with her young children. They both are such role models!

I’ve never heard Miss Jamie get exasperated with a child. She must have the patience of a saint!

My three kids adore Miss Jamie and the homeschool art class.

I will sacrifice in other areas of our budget to ensure my kids get their art on.

I’ve been so very impressed with all the incredible art my kids have learned about and created each week.

The kids loved making prints.

They learned about the Huichol people in Mexico and made some inspired texture designs.

Miss Jamie often gives me neat printouts of the artists and art history for me to bring home for my files. I love that.

I have no interest in glitter.

One of my favorites are these drip paint pieces. I sprayed them with polyurethane and mounted them on our wall.

I also love these circles paintings. I plan to frame those and hang them.

The kids really enjoyed making clay sculptures.

They learned about Helen Frankenthaler one week and painted these amazing rubber band boards. They’re still being stored on the shelf to dry.

They’ve learned about story illustrators, sculptors, and pop art. I love the variety.

Each homeschool class includes a lesson and/or story and often up to 3-4 projects!

There are classes for everyone!

You can order a whole session of 5 weekly classes or do a drop-in to see if you love it. (You will.)

Mommy and Me
Preschoolers
After School
Homeschoolers
Adults

There are special holiday workshops, Scouts events, and birthday parties!

The lineup for summer camp looks amazing.

Pssst…Here’s a coupon!

If you live in the Dayton, OH, area…you must visit Spark Art Studio!

You might also like:

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.

Unit 1: World War I

Literature

History

Topics:

Books:

Activities

Church History

Movies

Unit 2: World War II

Literature

History

Topics:

Books:

Activities

Church History

Movies

Unit 3: Civil Rights and Conflicts in Asia

Literature

History

Topics:

Books:

Activities

Church History

Movies

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

Literature

History

Topics:

Books:

Activities

Church History

Movies

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:

My Educational Influences

Past Teachers

University Teacher Training

Homeschooling opened up a lot of doors for me as I did my own research into the world of educational philosophy.

My Favorite Educational Philosophies

The Well-Trained Mind and Classical Education

Charlotte Mason

Maria Montessori

Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf Education

Summary:

I think there are lots of benefits to many different educational philosophies.

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

Vietnam Unit Study

Topics:

Activities:

Printables and Lessons:

Book list:

Films (use discretion):

What stereotypes did you learn about Vietnam?

Physical education is so important, but often overlooked by homeschool families.

How We Do PE

Outside Play

Team Sports

Family Activities

Inside Play

I feel it’s super important to model healthy activity to my kids so we’re all leaving a healthy legacy.

How do you stay active year round?

Korea Unit Study

Topics:

Activities:

Printables and Lessons:

Book List:

Films (use discretion):

Have you traveled to or learned about Korea?

I want my kids to understand and enjoy all kinds of music.

How We Do Music

Music History

Music Appreciation

Favorite Books about Music

Notebooking and Unit Studies

Music Appreciation Lessons

Listening

Playing

How do you teach music in your home or homeschool?