White House Holidays

Our family enjoys learning together as much as possible, so we're always pleased to review unit studies. This style of learning fits perfectly with our family. While the kids do have their independent studies, I love incorporating family learning daily. Our conversations twist and turn and we end up talking about so much more than what is in the lesson. This part of our day is special to me. 

The curriculum that is currently inspiring those deeper conversations is the White House Holidays Unit Studies. While there are plenty of resources that help homeschoolers learn about holidays in depth, this one, from Silverdale Press LLC, is different. These studies focus on American presidents and the White House during each holiday.

Silverdale Press was founded by Jill and Joshua Hummer in order to provide quality resources for homeschoolers written by experts of the subjects. Along with these holiday studies, the company also offers a presidential election unit study and a persuasive writing and classical rhetoric course.

There are currently 6 individual unit for studying the White House Holidays.

• Labor Day
• Veteran's Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Valentine's Day

Each study contains several detailed lessons that are designed for grades K-12. The lessons include history about the specific holiday along with information about various presidents. One thing I like about unit studies specifically is that we apply that topic to multiple subjects. Along with history and government, these unit cover things such as literature, poetry, writing, music, art, and baking skills. These creative activities add a hands-on learning aspect that further enriches the study.


Veteran's Day was the first unit we studied. I chose this because my kids are fascinated by battles, wars, and military tactics and this particular study is chock full of historical facts. This one comes with a set of 3 lessons for grades K-6 and a set for grades 7-12. The elementary stories are exciting and shorter and the activities are visual and hands-on, while the secondary narratives are filled with more details and the activities are focused on reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Since my kids are ages 3-12, I chose to use the elementary lessons.

1. President Woodrow Wilson and the Story of Armistice Day
2. President Wilson and Food Czar Hoover at War
3. The Story of Dwight Eisenhower and How We Got Veteran's Day

The activities include a poppy pin craft, "In Flander's Field" copywork, various exercises for food conservation, and many suggestions for honoring veterans both on the holiday and throughout the year.

We have close family members who are veterans, so this was a special study for us. It made history become real as we discussed how they lived during those times and what hardships they faced. I wish I would have looked at the narratives first though instead of assuming we'd need the younger set. The secondary version is definitely much deeper and so fascinating. I read my kids more advanced literature quite often, so these lessons would have been perfect for them. They were enthralled with the small portion I did read to them. I do think the elementary activities were perfect for us though.

My middle child asked to do the Christmas study next. This one has only one set of lessons for all ages, and while there is history woven throughout, it is different than our first unit. This one focuses more on a White House theme and a special feature about how they celebrate Christmas. It has 4 lessons with a total of 24 activities.

1. Jacqueline Kennedy, The Nutcracker Suite, and the White House Crèche
2. Betty Ford, Handmade Folk Art, and the Gingerbread House
3. Barbara Bush, a Story Book Christmas, and the White House Tree
4. Michelle Obama, Simple Gifts and Military Families, and Christmas Cards

This study could easily fill the entire month of December with Christmas-themed learning! The activities vary from creating your own nativity scene, writing a poem, making ornaments and decorations, reading speeches, listening to music, painting conifers, designing a Christmas card, baking goodies and more.

My kids especially liked that each lesson included a recipe from a First Lady, though they thought it was a little silly to be drinking hot chocolate when it was 90 degrees outside, ha.

My daughter chose our third study, Valentine's Day, of course. Don't let the title fool you though; while this unit is full of love stories, there is still much history in its pages. The letters themselves are windows to times past.

1. The Love Letters of John and Abigail Adams
2. The Love Letters of Ronald and Nancy Reagan
3. The White House Wedding of John Tyler and Julia Tyler
4. The White House Wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom Cleveland
5. Valentine's Day 1962 and Jacqueline Kennedy's Television Tour of the White House

The accompany activities include writing letters, creating valentines, aging paper, reading poems, baking goodies, answering questions, and more. There are suggestions for both elementary and secondary age groups.

My favorite part of this study took place while reading the love letters between John and Abigail Adams. The art of letter writing was much more pronounced and language was very different hundreds of years ago. I read "me thinks" and a giggle fest ensued. The kids thought the phrase was hilarious and repeated it often over the next few days.

These White House Holidays Unit Studies are fun resources to utilize throughout the year. The lessons are written so that you can read them to your students without any prep work. They are interesting and age-appropriate. There are many pictures throughout along with speeches, poems, letters, and links that further enhance your study.

I'm sure we'll study these holidays again along with the other 3 (Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King, Jr.) at the appropriate times of year and truly delve into all that these unit studies have to offer.

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Rush Revere

We were in love with this review before we even received it! It seems hard to believe, but it's true. We had our first experience with the Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series a couple years ago when a friend of mine let us borrow the audio version of the books. The kids immediately fell in love--with the characters, the story line, the historical facts, the humor, everything. I mean, time-traveling with a talking horse--what's not to love! It's no secret around here that we enjoy reading and spend hours a day doing so, so to be excited about another book series may not seem like a big deal. Sometimes though, a book or set of book stands out above the others. We've decided that the Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh falls into that category.

Rush Limbaugh created the Rush Revere Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional American books to make learning history fun. His wife, Kathryn (who would later join in on the writing process), encouraged him to "tell the amazing stories of our country's founding in an easy-to-understand way." So many details from our history are being left out of or changed in textbooks. This series was written to excite kids and help them to understand the importance of learning history.

You first meet Rush and his talking horse, Liberty, in Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. The story starts with the twosome on board the Mayflower in 1620, seasick and in a storm. In the present day, Rush Revere is a substitute history teacher at a middle school. He always wears colonial clothing (much to the amusement of the students) and goes everywhere with his time-traveling, able-to-disappear, talking horse. Liberty gained his super abilities when he was struck by lightning sometime during the Revolutionary War. The phenomenon sent electrical properties through his body that changed him physically and mentally and thrust him to the future. He gained the ability to open a time portal to anywhere in American history. He met Rush and their adventures began.

Two of Rush's students, Tommy and Freedom, learned of this incredible opportunity and joined in on the travels to learn from the Pilgrims. They boarded the Mayflower, watched William Bradford propose the Mayflower Compact, experienced sorrow in Plymouth Colony, ate a meal with Somoset, were taught the best way to plant corn by Squanto, learned to sword fight with Myles Standish, and partook of the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth Plantation.

The adventure starts in 1765 in book two, Rush Revere and the First Patriots. Rush and Liberty are in Boston, Massachusetts during the riots in response to the Stamp Act. They escaped the mob and time-traveled through the swirling gold and purple hole back to present day, where Rush was substitute teaching once again. This time, new characters are introduced to the time-traveling crew. Cam is eager to learn history, while Elizabeth is intent on changing it. The group had many adventures: bringing Benjamin Franklin to present day times (and having a conversation about Star Wars), joined a meeting with British Parliament, drank tea with Patrick Henry, toured Windsor Castle, had an audience with King George III, listened to a speech by Samuel Adams, visited the site of the Boston Massacre, and was introduced to George Washington. 

The story is continued in Rush Revere and the American Revolution. The friends start in Boston in 1775 and helped Robert Newman place lanterns in the window of the Old North Church Steeple. They had a run-in with British soldiers before time-traveling home. In present day, Rush takes advantage time-traveling to teach his summer school class about the American Revolution and to help Cam through a different period of his life. The crew visited Dr. Joseph Warren's home office as he organized the Massachusetts alarm system (including the midnight ride of Paul Revere); were nearly caught by a British spy; helped Paul Revere aboard the warship Somerset; raced from village to village to warn the Patriots to prepare to fight;  met more influential men including John Hancock, William Dawes, Dr. Samuel Prescott, Samuel Adams, and Henry Knox; found themselves in the middle of the Battle of Lexington; talked strategy with George Washington; got caught in the Battle of Breed's Hill; and witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Washington City 1814 is where Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner begins. Rush and Liberty arrive at the White House to help First Lady Dolly Madison pack valuables including a portrait of General George Washington as she flees to prevent capture by the British. They travel back to the present to learn that Tommy's grandfather is very ill. Rush and Liberty decide to take the kids and Freedom's grandfather on a field trip to Washington, D.C. to distract Tommy from his grief. They played a game that lead them all across the National City and learned history along the way. They time-traveled and ate dinner with James Madison where they discussed the Constitution, listened to a confrontational debate in Independence Hall, sat in the Assembly Hall as the delegates discussed the Articles of Confederation, listened as Francis Scott Key wrote his poem that would become the national anthem, and witnessed the American flag raised signaling that the British ship were retreating.

The middle school where Rush substitute teaches was choosing a student body president in Rush Revere and the Presidency. Cam was convinced he could win the vote on popularity and great ideas. Rush used Liberty's time-traveling ability to teach Cam what it meant to run a good campaign, gain ideas for his election, and what it meant to be a good president. They played with George Washington's grandchildren Wash and Nelly at the Cherry Street Mansion, had detailed conversations with Washington himself, met Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, enjoyed spending time with President and Mrs. Adams, discussed elections with President Jefferson, and learned and grew along the way.

The entire Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series is a joy to read. The books are filled with historical facts, but seen from a present point-of-view. The banter between Rush and Liberty keeps the story-line comical. Liberty is often making jokes or references to food. There are many other funny parts, too, that include Liberty kicking his Dutch shoes through the school window, Operation Mashed Potatoes, Liberty screaming like a girl in front of a shocked British soldier, Liberty's gum getting stuck in a British Redcoat's hair, and more.

The books are hardcover and the pages have a parchment look to them. There are a variety of pictures throughout, including paintings, photographs, charts, and cartoon characters. Since the characters are middle schoolers, the books definitely appeal to that age group, but they're enjoyed by both the younger and older crowds, as well. The website itself is filled with so many ways to further your study. There are many links for American history research, quizzes, activities, games, and even a section devoted to homeschoolers. There is also a place to apply for scholarships, purchase tea or a plush Liberty, and more.  

Here's what my kids said about the books:

"I like how they travel back through time and that Liberty is a talking horse and is so funny. 

I like that it's about actual history, too."

"It's a fun way to learn abut history-the best way, pretty much. I think Liberty is so funny!" 

"I think Liberty is funny and I like that they time-travel."

Revere's goal for his pupils is Limbaugh's goal for his readers: that we have an imagination and that we "discover history together, discover the stories of the exceptional people who made us who we are today." These books are perfect for accomplishing just that.

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If you'd like to read more reviews of this bestselling book series, please visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog. 

  

Presidential Elections Lap-Pak

With this being a presidential election year and my husband's interest in politics, there's been conversations around the house about candidates, debates, and whatnot.  My kids have been asking questions about the election, so I knew they'd appreciate studying and reviewing HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections from Home School in the Woods.

Home School in the Woods is a family business that was started as a way to make history real, understandable, and applicable. Using timelines and realistic illustrations as a foundation, they've created many resources to make learning history an enjoyable process. I, like Amy the driving force of the company, did not enjoy the boring textbooks in high school. It wasn't until we started our own homeschooling journey that I started to realize that learning history wasn't boring, but, in fact, could be quite interesting. But politics? While my husband enjoys it, I do not. We enjoyed our last study from Home School in the Woods so much. Could they really create a study on the election process that was enjoyable?  I was excited to download it and find out.
 

The download (also available as a CD) comes as a zip file. Once you open it, and see the multiple folders, click on the "start" file. At that point, the entire program will open in your browser, making it very easy to use. Instead of clicking through multiple folders, trying to bounce back and forth among the resources, everything is laid out as you need it.

There are full step-by-step directions for everything you need. The text is given in 2 ways: printed and audio. The printed form can be chosen for a booklet format or a full-size binder format. The audio is the word-for-word version of the printed text and is divided into 2 sections with each topic listing the time index, making it simple to advance to the needed place.

The lap-pak topic activities include the following:

•  Definition of Election
• Different Forms of Government
• The American Experiment
• The Three Branches of Government
• Suffrage
• Who Do We Vote For?
• Terms of Office
•  A "Handful" of Political Parties
• Caucuses & Primaries
• National Conventions
• The Presidential Campaign: Platform
• The Presidential Campaign: Stump Speaking
• The Presidential Campaign: Media--News Source
• The Presidential Campaign:Advertising--Spreading the Word!
• Raising Money
• Statistics
• Election Day
• The Electoral College
• Inauguration Day
• The electoral Race!
• The "Vocabinet"

I normally like to use these kinds of studies with all the kiddos and make it a family project, but this articular one is geared for 3rd-8th graders. While that hasn't stopped me from using material above my little ones' ages in the past, I didn't think the younger kids would follow along with political learning just yet. I'm sure they picked up bits and pieces of the information though as my 10-year-old and I sat at the table each day and listened to the audio together.

I chose to print the pages for the activities day-by-day, so while we listened to the text, I would work on cutting the projects and he would work on either coloring the pieces or simply building with Legos (I've found that it's best for retaining information for my little ones to keep their hands busy while listening to audio). This setup worked really well, because it gave me the opportunity to stop the narration to give further detail or ask him questions about it.

We completed 2-3 topics each day, depending on how long it took us to do them. After we listened to the narration, we completed the projects. Cutting, coloring, taping, gluing, folding--there is much work involved to make this lap-pak. But isn't there often much work involved to get a quality product? There are flaps that open, sections that pop-up, portions that slide, wheels that turn, tabs to pull. Pictures don't truly do the pak justice. We should have taken a quick video to show all the movable parts. 

  
 My son didn't enjoy the study at first. Coloring is not something he typically enjoys and listening to the text seemed boring. After a couple days of working and assembling the projects though, he began to have fun. He created his own items for a campaign as if he were running for president. He drew a commercial, designed a button, crafted a lawn sign, and even chose his own presidential slogan. He looked forward to the assignments each day and asked to work on them. I kept hearing things like "That is so cool!" and "That's cute." Mostly what I've heard from him though is "Thank you for helping me make this!" I'm not sure there's anything better to a homeschool mom's ears than her child thanking her for the study. 

"I like everything about it. I really like the pop-ups and all the things in the book. 

There's so much here! Thank you for letting me do this."  

The only frustrating thing I have about this study is the breakdown of the PDFs. Because everything has very specific printing instructions (regular paper, colored paper, white cardstock, colored cardstock) each page is its own file. I understand that need for the "special" pages. The problem comes in when you have to change and rechange the paper multiple times to print. Because of the individual files, you have to open the file, print one page, open another file, and print again. Even if you do not have to change the type of paper for each part of the project, you still have to open multiple files. To make things simpler, maybe all the files could be combined into one large file, so a user could choose to print all similar pages at one time.

Aside from the printing suggestion, I absolutely love this study. The amount of information at an easy-to-understand level and the varying activities are astounding. Not only has my son enjoyed learning about the election process, he's also retained much of the information and has been talking about it through the days. Because the lap-pak is creative and fun, he can keep it to review throughout the years, as well. If you're wanting a quality study to teach your kids the presiential election process, I highly recommend  this hands-on lap-pak.

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If you'd like to read more reviews of this lap-pak, please visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. 

Wordless Wednesday 11/7/12

Happy Birthday, America!

I'm sure everyone is enjoying the celebration of the birth of our country with their families. Our ribs are on the grill, homemade potato salad is in the fridge, and the kids are playing in the yard. Later tonight, we'll head out to the festivities with family. I thank God for allowing me to be born in the great country of America! May we never forget the principles we were founded on.

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." - Patrick Henry

"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart." - Thomas Jefferson

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." - George Washington

"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." - George Washington

"The Bible is the rock upon which this Republic stands." - Andrew Jackson

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book." - Abraham Lincoln

"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. ...Part of the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations. That if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Spirit." - Woodrow Wilson 

"The fundamental basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teaching we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul." - Harry S. Truman

"The future and success of America is not in this Constitution but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded." - James Madison

Let's get back to our roots and continue to see the blessings of God. Happy Birthday, America!