Homeschool Resources

ABC’s of American History: X is for X-Ray into American Medicine

June 16, 2015 By Thaleia

X is for X-Ray into American Medicine

We’ve all had to go to the doctor at some point, but when
we’re getting poked and prodded, we don’t usually think about the history
behind the science. From cells and medicines to X-Rays and MRIs, America has played
a big role in making medicine what it is today.

Because history should be taught from a holistic point of view, I’m going to include some resources addressing the contributions of various groups, in addition to more traditional history lessons.

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D is for D-Day: American History Resources for Kids

January 27, 2015 By Samantha Leave a Comment

Welcome back to our fourth week of the ABC’s of American History. This week we have Samantha from Le Chaim on the Right sharing her resource list for D-Day. She used her affiliate links to provide you a quick resource on Amazon.

“The eyes of the world are upon you.” -Eisenhower

WWII is my passion. With this tough time period, it’s easier to find resources for high school students rather than elementary, but I tried to compile a list for grades 1-6.

D-Day was the Allied invasion in Normandy, France during World War II. It began on June 6, 1944, with 150,000 Allied forces fighting for freedom. The Germans knew what the Allies would attack soon, but they didn’t quite know where. The Allies had staged a fake attack quite north of France, where Hitler awaited their attack. The Allies took Germany by surprise, and D-Day was a huge success – and the turning point of WWII.

Interesting facts to make your D-Day study more interesting:

The “D” in D-Day stands for Day. There is also “H-Hour”
D-Day is known as Operation Overlord.
D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history.
George S. Patton did not fight during D-Day. Instead, Patton was benched and led a fake army to distract Hitler from the real battle plans in Normandy (D-Day). This stunt was called Operation Quicksilver. The Germans then got wind of Quicksilver – and prepared for such. This came as a major shock to Hitler, and greatly contributed to D-Day’s success.

Books
There are many books written about D-Day. Check out your local library for more ideas! Along with the book, I tried to list an approximate age range.

Projects
Teachers Pay Teachers is full of fun projects for all grade levels. You can sort projects by grade level, or by price.

D-Day for Kids is a nice $5 app targeting kids ages 6-8.

Movies
There aren’t too many WWII films for younger kids. However, a few years ago I was lucky to stumble upon Valiant, a G-rated animated film about Britain’s messenger pigeons and the part they played during D-Day. It was the first and only time I have seen facts at the end of an animated film. Molly, An American Girl, explores WWII, and although not necessarily D-day, is still a great clean, family movie.

For students old enough, the obvious two classics are Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers and for students old enough, those are must-watches. No exceptions. Here are a few alternatives, but still not really for anyone under 10.

Ike: Countdown to D-Day
The World Wars (History Channel) (They did a phenomenal job matching up historical look alikes!)
The Longest Day
Where Eagles Dare (I haven’t seen)
Overlord (1975)
Saving Private Ryan
Band of Brothers
History Channel / American Heroes Channel

For More Resources:

Come back next week to see what new resources we have to share while we learn all about the letter E during the ABC’s of American History.

Friends and Heroes Bible Curriculum Review & Giveaway

January 27, 2014 By Eldest 17 Comments

Friends and Heroes Bible Curriculum

Review & Giveaway

What is Friends and Heroes you ask? Well, it’s a fun animated Bible curriculum to learn about all the great Friends and Heroes of the Bible. This video series is great for home or church classroom. If your children love to learn through animated stories and hands-on activities then Friends and Heroes would be something they would enjoy.

What we’ve got to say about Friends and Heroes:

Eldest thought the animation for the Bible stories to be very interesting. He recognized the animation from another episode he has seen at his grandma’s house. Princess liked them very much and Lil’ Red sat riveted to his seat so we played the entire 25 minutes. We plan to revisit the Episode in order to break the scenes down and do some of the student manual pages. I think the layout of the content looks very promising and does touch a wide variety of subject matter.

Some suggestions on getting started:

First read the 6 page Teacher Overview to get a feel for the curriculum. Next print the Teacher Guide for Unit 1 front and back. Review the guide and gather the supplies suggested. Third, print off the student manual front and back for Unit 1.

Yes, I printed all 49 pages twice! plus print additional Student Covers as coloring pages for your younger students (under age 6). Hole punch all of your pages and use a 3-prong folder or 3-ring binder to keep all of your Student’s Manual together or place in their yearly portfolio as they finish a unit. Gather all the needed materials and supplies for Art, Science, and Craft projects.

Watch the video ahead of time as suggested so you know what topics and themes will be discussed. This will allow you the teacher/parent time to collect your own thoughts/ideas on those topics and be able to be that much more insightful. Watch the video together as a family as part of your Family Devotion or Bible time. Allow your children time to talk about and/or ask questions about the episode they just watched. Work on the Student Manual together and plan to do a craft or Science project.

Allow your students time to interact online after watching the episode to play a game or take a quiz to further their learning.

What Friends and Heroes have to say:

“Friends and Heroes award-winning adventures and Bible stories on DVD accompanied by an exciting cross-curricular Homeschool Unit Study – easy-to-use, hands-on, attractively designed, colorful and FUN! Each unit provides a wealth of interdisciplinary studies for your home educated children. The material is highly adaptable and may be easily incorporated with your other homeschool activities.”

(Disclosure: There are affiliate links within this post. The links provide a way for us to support our site and provide great ideas and content to you! Thanks for your support.)

Here’s the awesome January deal:

· 20% off all Friends and Heroes Homeschool Resources
· 10% off all other Friends and Heroes resources with curriculum
· 10% off all Friends and Heroes Home and Family DVD Collections

This wonderful sale ends January 31, 2014. So stop on over and grab yourself a deal today!

GIVEAWAY:

Friends and Heroes has graciously allowed us to offer a giveaway of Homeschool Unit Study #1 to one random family.

The Friends and Heroes Homeschool Unit Study #1 includes:

Friends and Heroes DVD Episode 1- Long Journey – which serves as stimulus material for cross-curricular studies
All teacher and student’s materials – included on CD-ROM – printable and reusable
Learner-centered, self-guided Unit Study manuals
Teacher’s Guide – with learning goals, background details, answer keys, internet links
Certificates of Achievement and binder covers

Unit Study #1 covers:

History/Geography: The Romans; Roman Trade; Roman money; Roman import and exports
Creative writing: Journal writing; Written expression and narration; Copy writing
Bible study: Daniel and the lions’ den and Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish; The Early Church
Science: Silver; Sand and cement; Greek and Roman discoveries
Crafts: Sculpture; Paper weaving; Pottery
Discipleship: Trusting others; Pride; Worries

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of Friends and Heroes Homeschool Unit Study #1 for my honest review. I did not receive compensation for this review. All words are mine and my children’s opinions.

25+ Bird Crafts and Activities for Children

January 10, 2014 By Thaleia 10 Comments

Bird Crafts and Activities for Children

I’ve got that mid-Winter nature and crafts itch. You know the one where you want to find good crafts and activities for children. Hoping to brighten up your dreary dark Winter walls with cheerful artwork and projects. Maybe it’s just me with a house that is lacking in windows and natural light!

I am hoping this provides any parent, grandparent or caregiver with a tremendous amount of bird activities to stay busy all Winter long. Do not worry if you do not know much about birds because we have you covered there as well. Check out my Free Bird Watching Resources.

Since Winter is a great time to bird watch why not at bird crafts and activities to the mix. Sure you could do snowflakes, snowmen, and the like. I’m a little sick of the cold and snow. Bring on the birds! The following ideas were contributed by fellow Kid Blogger Network Bloggers. These bloggers have really awesome ideas. ENJOY!