Veteran's Day Resources

Today is Veterans Day!  This is a great day to share with our students about veterans and how veterans have served our country and each of us.

I have gathered a few helpful resources and books to share with you.  The Medal of Honor Heritage Center has many great resources on those who received the medal of honor.  The Scholastic Teacher site has great information on Veterans Day and includes lesson plans, books, and many wonderful resources.

Below are some books I like that you might enjoy as well.  If you click on them it will take you to their Amazon page.  Further down is a short video on Veterans from USAA, an insurance company for veterans and their families.  I found it very moving, and a nice overview of Veterans for all ages.

Video from USAA:

To all our veterans I want to say: Thank you for serving!

Quizlet. . .such fun.

I learned about Quizlet in one of my classes. Quizlet is basically online note-cards.  But, it is so much more.  It allows you to practice with the note-cards, play games with the information on the  note-cards,  and test on the information on your note-cards.  Below is a screen shot of Quizlet with things you can do with First Form Latin virtual note-cards.

 But, the other great thing about Quizlet is that with the search function, you can search to see if other people have already created note-cards for what you are studying.   I have found already made note-cards for Apologia Biology, Memoria Press Latin, and other Memoria Press books.  It would be worth it to check. My kids have enjoyed using the information to study material.  

Have you ever used Quizlet?  Do your students use note-cards?  

Patriots, Redcoats & Spies by Robert J. Skead with Robert A. Skead

Patriots, Redcoats & Spies is a chapter book that takes place during the American Revolution, and told through the eyes of identical twin 14 year old boys. The story follows the adventures of the two, John and Ambrose, as they travel from Connecticut to New Jersey to deliver a letter to General George Washington with important intelligence for the Continental Army. The boys receive the letter and mission from their father who they discover is part of the Culper Spy Ring.  The book is intended for children 8-12, but my six year old and fourteen year olds enjoyed it as well.  

My kids and I loved this book!  The first chapter grabs your attention like an opening from an Indiana Jones movie.  The book gives an excellent picture of life in 1777 traveling through the American colonies.  Where the story is told through 14 year old twins makes it very readable for kids.  We loved the humor and thinking through what it means to fight for what you believe in.  We can highly recommend this book.  It is a fabulous read aloud that draws you into the story.  

I also enjoyed looking up the author's story behind how he got the idea for the book on his visit to New Jersey one summer.  This link gives you some more information.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Memoria Press Curriculum Packages

In the last three years I have been using Memoria Press's all inclusive grade level programs called Classical Core Curriculum.     I have used this with my daughter for Kindergarten, First Grade, and second grade.  I have been extremely pleased with this program.  My daughter has become an excellent reader and has a great foundation for the rest of her school years.

This year I am using the Kindergarten, Third, most of the  Fifth and most of the Seventh grade programs.  I felt like I needed more of my children's planning taken care of through their lesson plans.  The older kids can use the lesson plans as guides and check in with me. 

Example of First Grade Curriculum.

The program is phonics based with a great deal of practice.  When I talked to their representative at the Homeschool Convention they told me it was the same program that they used in their Highland Latin Schools.  I asked what percentage of children come out reading at the end of the program and they told me all of them.  So if your child is developmentally ready to read this is a good fit.  If they are not ready for Kindergarten they have a Junior Kindergarten program that would work well for a year. I ended up using the Jr. Kindergarten program with my daughter this year.  I loved  it and felt like it bridged the gap for her. 

When I heard the writer of the program speak Cheryl Lowe, she was delightful.  She talked about how this is an outline of suggested activities for 5 days per week.   She said as home educators you should feel free to use it how it works best for your family.  They sell all the parts for this program separately as well. They now sell the lessons plans for separate subjects.  That might be helpful for your family.

I think the last thing I LOVE about Memoria is how fabulous they are to work with as a company.  For instance, my lovely lovely children broke our Prima Latina DVD number two.   You know that moment when you are biting your tongue and trying to smile.  Well, I called Memoria to see what I could do, hoping they would let me buy one at a reduced price.  They said no big deal, and for $3 shipping I would be sent a new one.  I was thrilled and so were my children.  They are always gracious and willing to help.

~Becky

Marcia Schonberg: Wonderful Ohio books

I was looking at books in my favorite resale shop, and I came across The Ohio Reader by Marcia Schonberg.  Ms. Schonberg has also written B is for Buckeye: An Ohio Alphabet Book, and Cardinal Numbers: An Ohio Counting Book. 

I love using this book to teach Ohio History.  It is a great book with nice pictures and short stories about Ohio.  There is poetry, biographies, timelines, and facts about Ohio.  If you check out all three they would be a great read for kids 6-12 years old.  

I enjoy learning about Ohio, and must admit that finding books about Ohio has become a past time.  Ms. Scholnberg's books are a wonderful way to incorporate Ohio history and facts into your home education curriculum. 

~Becky

Celebrating Veterans Day

Veteran's day has a special place in my heart.  My father by adoption is a veteran, and my birth father was killed in action serving his country.  It is wonderful to celebrate Veteran's day and here are a few resources to help you.

An excellent book is The Wall by Eve Bunting.  There was a Reading Rainbow Special on the book.  I found it on Vimeo and I think it would be wonderful for your kids to watch.  In this episode they visit the War Memorial and the artist who designed it.  It is very moving. 

This is an excellent blog post that includes many printable resources for Veteran's day.  Here is a map with Veteran's Day Community Celebrations.  Lastly, this links to a museum that celebrates those who have won the National Medal of Honor.  It is wonderful to read the various stories of heroism. 

Happy Veteran's Day! 
~Becky

History Pockets

We have really enjoyed Evan-Moor History Pockets this year.  We used both the ones for older grades and the ones for ages 6 and up for Ancient Civilizations.  They are very easy to use. Below are the projects we have worked on last year.

We worked on Ancient Egypt.

 

Ancient Greece.  I used folders for the pockets to store the work.  The kind you get cheap during back to school sales. 

Ancient Rome.  My daughter felt like we needed to jazz up our display with some crayons.

The History Pockets  are a great way to learn history. We used Ancient History in the examples above.   They include vocabulary, dress, and architecture.  My first and third grader loved them.  The older kids enjoyed joining in some of the activities in the Ancient Egypt Book. 

You can also buy a yearly subscription to TeacherFileBox.com through the Homeschool Buyers Co-op.  You can access all of Evan-Moor teaching books and activities all year.  You can download and copy what you need as you need it.  I have enjoyed having it this last year. 

~ Becky