History & Geography » The Curriculum Choice

Sisters in the Wilderness, an Introduction to Canadian History and Literature

Elementary, Geography, High School, Highschool, History, Literature, Living books, Middle School No Responses »

Feb 222012

Here’s a wonderful introduction to Canadian history and literature for the whole family: Sisters in the Wilderness. This DVD portrays the mid-19^th century pioneer life of two sisters who sailed from England expecting an easy existence in the Canadian bush. Incorporating both contemporary artwork and dramatization, this quality film full of beauty, pathos, humanity, and history tells the story of Susannah Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill, both writers. Their two families settled in the bush close to each other and, after years of hardship, moved to town. Throughout their lives both Catharine and Susannah continued to write about their experiences. The movie Sisters in the Wilderness is based on their books.

Although not designed as a curriculum, Sisters in the Wilderness can be used as the basis for a thorough study of Upper Canada pioneer life. It shows

the English background of many immigrants,
the ocean journey,
the arrival in Canada,
survival and adaptation in winter and summer,
hardship and ingenuity,
the Rebellion of 1837
and so much more.

Each element of this beautifully produced movie highlights a fascinating aspect of the history of Upper Canada in the middle of the 19^th century and beyond.

After watching Sisters in the Wilderness and seeing how real pioneer families lived, younger students understand A Pioneer Story much better.

Sisters in the Wilderness gives older students an appealing introduction to the two women’s books as well.

Catharine Parr Traill, the optimistic sister, wrote The Backwoods of Canada, focusing on hints for new colonists and on nature. There is a wealth of practical and everyday history in Catharine’s writing. This book is part of our Canadian geography curriculum.
Susannah Moodie, more gloomy and literary, wrote the famous book Roughing it in the Bush. This sombre personal history of an upper class British gentlewoman trying to survive in the woods was written as a warning to those ‘back home’ who were considering such a move. Roughing it in the Bush has become one of the foundational works in Canadian literature, greatly influencing it in modern times.

In summary, Sisters in the Wilderness, available from Northwoods Press, introduces the whole family to Canadian pioneer life in a delightful way and sets teens on the path to studying Canadian literature.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Sisters in the Wilderness from Northwoods Press.

Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

Online Learning with Clever Dragons

Geography, Mathematics, Middle School, Online No Responses »

Feb 082012

Clever Dragons is a really neat online learning tool geared toward BOYS ages 7 – 12 (but my son is 15 and there were still several places he found that were helpful and fun)! Boys. Dragons. Need I say more? *grin* This online program covers all the main areas of teaching: Language Arts, Math, Geography, History and Science. If your boys are anything like mine, sitting and “doing school” is super boring for them, this program allows them to learn while having fun! Please note: online learning is definitely not my favorite but I do enjoy finding things they like to do that also offers them the opportunity to learn – this program meets that need.

Taken directly from their site:

Clever Dragons is an educational and entertaining website exclusively for boys between the ages of 7 and 12. On Clever Dragons boys can access interactive learning materials, play age-appropriate games, view specifically selected videos and communicate with their friends. By completing the learning materials and videos users can earn Gold Coins – the virtual currency on Clever Dragons. This currency can then be used to play games or access other fun content. Together with www.always-icecream.com, its “sister site” for girls, Clever Dragons is the first website that combines all these aspects of online usage in an educational and safe format.

Here is a general breakdown of what is taught at each level:

Beginner (7-8): Basic mulitple choice questions, Basic spelling quizzes, Typing 1 (letters), Instrument Quiz, MiniMe Customization
Intermediate (9-10): Advanced Quizzes & Basic Drills, Language Quizzes (Synonyms), Typing II (words), Classical Music, Anatomy & Health Quizzes
Advanced (11-12): Advanced Drills & Equation Solver, Lanuages Arts Quizzes, Typing III (passages; coming 2012), Clothing Design (coming 2012) and Science Quiz
Applied (7-12): CastleWorld Shop & Money Budgeting, Messaging & Commenting, CastleWorld Desing Studio

Here is a sample of one of the quizzes (this particular one was very easy, obviously):

They also offer parent reports which look like this:

We have watched some of the videos since I took the above snapshot and let me tell you, there are some amazing videos! The site has learning videos along with just fun videos. I think our favorite right now is the Amazing Insects video. It was really cool!

One part of the program we did not participate in was anything to do with friends or online chatting and messaging. We just don’t allow that in our home for our boys at this time.

Overall, we LOVE this program! Clever Dragons has so many learning games for the boys to play. There are around 75 games!

So, if you love what you are reading, but have a girl? Don’t fret! As mentioned above, they have something similar for girls called Always Ice Cream!

Now…the cost:

Monthly: $5.95
Two Months at one time: $11.90
Annual: $47.40
Lifetime: $119.00 but ON SALE for $69.00 if purchased before February 15th!!!

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Come visit Dawn over at her blog, Guiding Light Homeschool, on Facebook and on Twitter…friends are ALWAYS welcome!

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Stack the States App Review

Apps, Elementary, Geography, High School, History & Geography, Middle School, Preschool 1 Response »

Jan 302012

The iPad has become a teaching tool. Educational apps abound, with an amazing variety of subjects available. In the geography category, we have Stack the States by Dan Russell-Pinson.

Stack the States is both fun and educational; a game that uses some of the best mobile features – interaction and manipulation. While learning about the 50 states by answering questions about them, this app requires critical thinking skills as well. Your brainpower is tested in your ability to stack your states successfully.

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Understanding Government DVDs

High School, History, History & Geography, Middle School No Responses »

Jan 162012

As we find ourselves cooped up more often during the winter, we (unfortunately) tend to watch a bit more TV. I’ve tried to make sure at least some of what we watch is super-productive and the Just the Facts: Understanding Government DVD set fits the bill.

Each of the three DVDs takes a detailed look at one of the three branches of the United States government system – The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch. Running approximately 50 minutes each, I can best describe the format to be much like you might find on the History Channel. A narrator talks as some photos or footage is shown, while expert interviews pop in to explain more or offer commentary.

The content of the programs is easily understandable for children 5th grade and older, but is quite suitable for adults, too. Undoubtedly, some children will find the DVDs to be boring simply because they are documentary-like rather than cartoon-like. However, the information presented is extremely valuable and worthwhile.

Each DVD sets out to give a bit of history about why the Founding Fathers chose to create such a government as ours and how each entity is supposed to uphold the Constitution and protect our rights. The duties, obligations and limitations of each branch are covered in-depth, as well as such things as where they meet, who helps them in their duties and how individuals are chosen for various positions. After watching the entire set, my children have a very solid understanding of each branch of government!

As the teacher, I like the extras as much as the programs. Each DVD offers a Teacher’s Guide and Bonus Material which turn the TV time into way more than just vegging out.

The Teacher’s Guides – which can be viewed from the menu on your TV or inserted into your computer and printed out as a PDF file – offer:

Learning Objectives – the things your child should know and be able to discuss by the end of the program, and can also be used as test questions if you desire.
Vocabulary Lists – important terms and definitions.
Web Resources - just a few pertinent websites for further study.
Expert Bios – a bit more about the experts who have been interviewed during the programs.

The Bonus Material includes:

Another brief, but informative video tied to each DVDs theme. For instance, the bonus track on the Executive Branch DVD is on the topic of the Presidents of the United States. A brief biography, some trivia and pictures or photos of each president are covered.
An on-screen multiple-choice quiz based on the material from the program. One question at a time is placed on the screen along with multiple choice answers. A narrator reads each question and possible answer to your child, then a check mark comes on the screen to show the correct answer. I wish the check mark allowed for a little more thinking time, but you can easily pause the DVD if you like.

Besides some of the text being a little jiggly on my o-l-d TV, I thought the quality of the DVDs was very professional. They have been a wonderful help as my children have been part of government classes at co-op this year.

*Through 2/29/12, The Cerebellum Corporation is offering you 30% off any of their Social Studies or Standard Deviant DVDs using the coupon code HOME30 upon checkout! (The DVDs are already 20% off and your coupon code will take an additional amount off to give you a total of 30% off the regular price.)

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Geography Songs

Elementary, Geography, Middle School, Preschool 3 Responses »

Jan 062012

You know how, in secret societies, people recognize each other by a sign, a gesture, or a word? Well, that’s how I used to feel about Geography Songs.

You’d just have to start, “North A-MER-i-ca,” and any homeschooler nearby would join in, “South A-MER-i-ca!” That’s how we could tell who homeschooled.

I haven’t heard much about this CD lately, and that’s a pity because it’s one of the catchiest ways to learn basic geography facts. In over thirty songs with accompanying outline maps, Kathy Troxel teaches names and locations of countries of the world, as well as oceans, planets, and states of the US. Some songs are just listings of names. Others also tell about the culture of an area.

The music is light, cheerful and catchy, occasionally even tying in with the culture of the countries in the song. It remains pleasant even after hearing it hundreds of times…and that is important.

My children begged to listen to it. If children color the map while they are listening (mine don’t like coloring), they will learn the locations even more quickly. In any case, this is a great basis for any geography study.

Our version is old but the CD has been newly updated and includes a large world map as well.

Listen to samples and buy at Audio Memory or download individual songs from Amazon.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

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Learn Our History DVD’s

History, Online, Unit study resources No Responses »

Dec 122011

My husband and I have been thrilled to introduce the Learn Our History DVD’s to our children. We both have a passion for teaching fundamental truths about the history of the United States in our homeschool. Believe it or not, much of what we read/hear/watch is either extremely watered-down or downright misleading. Not so with this series of DVD’s from Learn Our History!

In each of the videos, you will travel back in time with the TimeCycle Academy – a small group of children who get to the heart of history by actually visiting various historical periods. Through meeting important historical figures, hearing primary source speeches or conversations, and mingling with the people of the time period, a wonderful (and easily understandable) picture is painted for your own children.

From the Revolutionary War to 9/11 and the War on Terror, many of the United States’ important stories are told through animated, 30 minute (approximately) DVD’s. All my children – from 5-14 – have enjoyed watching. While the animation may be a bit immature for the 14 year old, the information gleaned has not been immature at all! In fact, even I now have a clearer picture of some of the historical events!

Learn Our History currently has 7 videos in the series. Seven more are in the works for 2012, with a vision for more than 70 in the future. Co-founder, Mike Huckabee, believes the series teaches historical facts without bias and promotes a strong sense of patriotism in our children. I agree.

Navigation of the website is a tad difficult and purchasing prices are not clearly marked. Your first video – in which you receive a physical DVD and online streaming – is only $9.95 + $3.95 shipping. Once you purchase the first video, you will be offered a new video monthly, via email, for $11.95 + $3.95 shipping. You will be automatically billed and the video shipped if you don’t respond with a “no thank you” phone call. While I think the prices are very fair and worth the money, the monthly mailing subscription is not my cup of tea.

(In their FAQ’s, it states that you can call their customer service line to talk about other options for purchasing. When I decide to purchase more, I’ll be making this phone call.)

Even though I received 3 of these videos for free in exchange for my (honest) review, I DO plan to purchase more! They have truly been a great addition to our history lessons.

Hands And Hearts Curriculum

Elementary, Hands On, High School, History, Middle School, Mom Helps, Preschool 2 Responses »

Nov 282011

It’s a well-known fact that we learn best by immersion. When we’re studying a foreign language, it’s recommended that at some point, we fully immerse ourselves into the language and culture to learn and absorb more. But, when it’s time to study history, learning by immersion can be a little tricky. We don’t always have the resources (or, time!) to re-create a version of the past to immerse ourselves in and most history textbooks leave much to be desired.

So, what’s a family to do?

Recreating the past has just gotten easier with Hands and Hearts. When I stumbled across Hands and Hearts History Kits, I was sold after reading what came in the kits. Each kit is jam-packed with everything you’d need to do projects from the past as well as a CD with printable instructions and background history – making learning so much fun!

For example, the Early American History Kit included everything I needed for the following activities:

(as stated on the website…)

Dip candles: This kit contains 100% pure beeswax and natural wicking. Your child is sure to enjoy creating his own hand-dipped candles, then eating or studying by candlelight.

Craft an apple pomander: After reading about the importance of fragrant herbs in early America, your child will enjoy creating a spicy-smelling apple pomander.

Make and play the Bowl Game: The Bowl Game was a favorite game for many Indian tribes, and it was a favorite for our testers as well!. Your child will paint the wooden playing pieces, then enjoy playing the game with others. Comprehensive math tie-in projects are included.

Prepare and drink black brick tea: Think you know about the Boston Tea Party? Think again! We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but you may never look at tea the same way after trying a cup of this brew!

Create a talking feather: No, this feather isn’t going to start chatting with you. A talking feather was a decorated ceremonial feather used by Indians during gatherings. Only the person holding the feather was allowed to talk. Your child will be delighted to create his own talking feather using an imitation eagle feather, real buffalo bone beads, genuine rabbit fur, leather, artificial sinew, and more. You will be delighted with the lessons he will learn about social graces!

Stitch a lavender sachet: Your child be so proud of making this fragrant and beautiful sachet made with lovely dried lavender and attractive calico fabric. The time spent stitching it will give him or her a glimpse of the work that went into creating clothing and linens long ago.

String a bone cross necklace: This amazing necklace is made from a hand-carved bone cross and authentic glass tile beads.

Decorate and play a bamboo flute: This simple toy was enjoyed by many children long ago, and your child will enjoy decorating his own bamboo flute with leather and genuine glass crow beads. He will enjoy playing it even more!

Learn about the importance of beads in early American history: You and your child will be fascinated by our section on beads. We include a bag of genuine imported lampwork beads, trading and valuing information, and several bead projects from which to choose.

Create a wonderful keepsake notebook: We include a packet of reproducible notebook pages, information on notebooking, and specific notebooking suggestions.

Learn timeless language lessons: Our copywork section draws from classic sources such as The New England Primer, the founding fathers, and more.

Study the geography of early America: Our Early American History Discovery Kit includes maps from Knowledge Quest, Inc., and comprehensive, easy-to-implement lesson plans co-authored by Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest, Inc. and Kate Estes of Hands and Hearts.

Hide God’s Word in his heart: Our exclusive Bible Truths Cards will help your child discern important Bible truths drawn from the KJV and the New England Primer.
This kit includes a comprehensive instruction manual containing full background information for every project, and clear step-by-step illustrated instructions. Everything you need to do all of these projects is right in the box – *you need only to provide an apple and two empty metal cans (like soup cans). All materials are of the very highest quality and are extremely historically accurate. Your child won’t just be learning about history – he will be living it!

Each kit – whether you want to learn about Ancient Egypt or Ancient Greece and Rome – are full of learning possibilities and everything you would need for the activities. Most kits are between $39.95 and $69.95, which is well worth it when you consider the contents are provided as are the CDs with instructions and history lessons – and, the gas you didn’t have to waste while trying to find similar items.

Bottom Line – Would I Recommend It?
Yes! It’s a great time-saver and packed full of fun ideas. Of course, you could put your own kits together, but in my opinion – these are reasonably priced and make things a lot easier and faster!

-Written by Ashley. Find more of Ashley’s writings and reflections on motherhood, marriage and life on her blog.

Native American Legends by Terri Cohlene and Charles Reasoner

Elementary, History, Living books 1 Response »

Nov 232011

While perusing the library’s database in search of books about Native Americans, I discovered a wonderful little series of Native American legends written by Terri Cohlene and illustrated by Charles Reasoner. There are six titles in the series. Each presents a legend and a different tribe of Native Americans.

Clamshell Boy is a Makah legend telling how a boy, born of a mother’s tear, saves a group of disobedient children from the evil Basket Woman.

Dancing Drum is a Cherokee legend that tells the story of a boy as he tries to save his people from the wrath of the sun.

Ka ha si and the Loon is an Eskimo legend that shares the tale of a sleepy boy who wakes to become his people’s hero.

Little Firefly is an Algonquian legend that relates the Cinderalla-like experiences of a young girl as she seeks to follow her mother’s advice, sent to her in a dream, to find The Invisible One and the happiness that accompanies him.

Turquoise Boy is a Navajo legend about the son of Sun Bearer and Changing Woman and his desire to make life easier for the people of his land. He takes a quest to the corners of the world, returning with gifts that become horses.

Quillworker is a Cheyenne legend that explains how a young girl and her seven adopted brothers escape the Buffalo Nation and become stars.

I am drawn to these books by both the illustrations and storytelling. The illustrations are detailed and beautiful, representing the people and their natural surroundings faithfully. The legends have been rendered in powerful, direct language, creating stories that are detailed and well-told but not too long for young listeners or readers. As a bonus, each book contains information and images sharing the lifestyles and customs of the tribe highlighted by the legend.

There are several additional titles in the series that are still illustrated by Charles Reasoner, but the author is Gloria Dominc: Brave Bear and the Ghosts (Sioux), Coyote and the Grasshoppers (Pomo), First Woman and the Strawberry (Cherokee), Red Hawk and the Sky Sisters (Shawnee), Song of the Hermit Thrush (Iroquois), and Sunflower’s Promise (Zuni). My library does not currently have any of these, so I am at the mercy of inter-library loan. My guess is that they are well worth the wait, though!

I must warn you that these books are a little difficult to find. My library carries four of the six by Terri Cohlene, and I have requested the other two on inter-library loan. Amazon seems to have a few, too, so they must be out there somewhere. Keep your eyes open!

Susan S. is a mama of three who loves the thrill of finding a good book. Her third-grader, first-grader, and preschooler learn in a sort-of classical, Charlotte Mason-y, a bit of traditional kind of way. The family appreciates the blessing of home education in all of the ways that it happens.

Eating The Plates: A Pilgrim Book Of Food And Manners

History, Living books No Responses »

Nov 182011

One of my favorite ways to teach is to take a book and put it into action. Last Thanksgiving our family read Eating The Plates: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners by Lucille Recht Penner. This book offers so many opportunities for learning.

You could simply read through this book each year at Thanksgiving, discussing the history with your kids. You could also take the information in it and recreate a pilgrim Thanksgiving dinner. That’s what we did last year.

I love the details the book gives about how the pilgrims lived. It goes far beyond your basic book on the pilgrims. For example, during the last few chapters we learned about the eating habits of the pilgrims. The book even concludes with a “Pilgrim Menu” that you can make.

To give you a glimpse into some of what we learned from this book please visit our Thanksgiving dinner last year.

We learned that most pilgrim families did not have silverware, plates, or bowls. The pilgrims used stale bread for plates. They put whatever soup, pudding, meat, etc. on their stale bread. At the end of the meal they would often dip the stale bread in the soup or pudding to soften it and then they would “eat their plates”.

We therefore ate our meal on bread plates and our soup out of bread bowls that I made. Corn soup is pictured in the bread bowl, above. The book includes authentic Pilgrim recipes. We enjoyed another recipe called Bannock Cakes. They are a simple biscuit-like cake made from stone ground cornmeal.

The pilgrims had many cranberries in their area they used to make a jelly. They called the jelly bearberries or bearbelly jelly because the bears liked the cranberries too. This jelly recipe is also included and oh my goodness it was so good!

This is a great resource for your pilgrim studies!
We had a wonderful time re-creating our Pilgrim dinner.
There were so many other interesting things that we learned from this book.
Authentic recipes.
A pilgrim menu to make!
The book is 128 pages in length.
To purchase Eating The Plates click, HERE.

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

Jennifer is mom to 6 children, 2 boys and 4 girls, ages 14 down to 5. The Unsell family is in their 10th year of homeschooling and are a bit eclectic in their approach to schooling with a focus on unit studies and living books. You can find their family blog at Adventures in Unsell Land.

Paths of Exploration

Charlotte Mason, History, Living books, Science No Responses »

Nov 072011

Have you ever pictured the perfect curriculum, and then searched high and low for it, only to come up with nothing? That was me, looking for a Bible-based, unit study approach curriculum that was Charlotte Mason friendly.

There are living book approach curricula out there, but I always look at them and feel SO overwhelmed! And then at long last, I finally found it! I had the pleasure of reviewing Paths of Exploration, the first book in the Trail Guide To Learning series by Geography Matters.

Written by homeschool veterans Debbie Strayer and Linda Fowler, not only does this curriculum use living books, but it tells you exactly which books you will need. The book list is not left up to my imagination, which can run wild.

The age range for this curriculum in grades 3-5. However, I am using it with my 7-year-old, who is in second grade, and she is doing well. I also have added the optional Middle School Supplement for my 6th and 8th grader.

We just finished up the first six-weeks, which were all about Columbus. The lessons didn’t get into the darker side (consider the age range) but we did discuss as a family some of the things we didn’t agree with as the study progressed.

What’s included-

Two, beautiful hardback books- filled with guided curriculum, including History, Geography, Science, Grammar, Reading, Art, Nature Study, and Spelling which cover an entire school year, with CD-ROM of different levels of student notebook pages.

What I love about Paths of Exploration-

There are extras that you can add-on for even more learning like lapbooks, Bible supplement, Middle School Supplement.
It is rooted in the education philosophies of Dr. Ruth Beechick.
POE marries nicely with Charlotte Mason.
Encourages engagement with dictation, discussion, and writing.
The kids love it. There have been no complaints about school with Paths of Exploration. They love the readings, enjoy the maps and activities, and clamor for the Nature Study. They even enjoy the copywork and dictation! And, they finally get regular art in each week.
The living books chosen as the base for this curriculum are wonderful. You even get to cook, using the cookbook, Eat Your Way Around the World, by Jamie Aramini.
I finally have a guide to incorporate Nature Study into our homeschool.
Geography Matters is a home-based company, located in Kentucky.
The cost- If you have a good library, you can spend as little as $150.00 {which is for the textbooks and CD-ROM}. You can also buy the Paths of Exploration curriculum, and all of the books you will need for the year for $375.00. That is for all subjects except Math, for an entire year. For me, I am using POE with 4 children this year, which is an amazing deal in my book.
This curriculum is non-consumable! The student pages are printed from the included CD-ROM, so everything else is reusable year after year. }

What I don’t love-

Nothing! This curriculum has been an answer to prayer!

Right now, there are two more titles in the Trail Guide To Learning series, covering American History, with three years of World History planned. The World History is going to be geared for grades 6,7, and 8.

You can also preview the other two years that are available, Paths of Settlement and Paths of Progress. Other helpful information, and families who are using the Trail Guide To Learning series, as well as an updated reading schedule can be found in the Yahoo Group.

If you are still looking for “the one”, I hope you will give this curriculum a try!