TOPIC:
What are your favourite history resources? What books and materials do you use for your basic curriculum? What literature do you use with it? What websites have helped you? What movies and DVDs have you watched? Where have you gone for field trips? And what fun activities have you done to help bring history to life for your kids?
ANSWERS:
- "A Pioneer Story" by Barbara Greenwood. We tried some of the activities and made blackberry and dandelion leaf dyes and dyed T-shirts; braided a small rag rug; made butter in a jar (on the trampoline!) and punched-tin pictures. Over the years we have visited Fort Langley, Kilby Farm, Fort Steele (in the Kootenays) and Barkerville.
- "Canadian History from first explorers to New France" We read aloud "Madeleine Takes Command" by Ethel C. Brill and did lap books on New France.
- Watched "Canada: A People's History" available at the Pub. Lib.
- "The Mystery of History Vol. I, Creation to Resurrection" we made the time line on a large black display board. Our 4 children took turns making the items to put on the line and that works well for multiple ages.
- "Famous Men of the Middle Ages" by Greenleaf Press. The boys especially liked learning about the Visigoths, Huns, Vandals, etc!
Take heart Moms! We didn't finish any of these books (except Madeleine) but our oldest children (ages 12- 16) still remember all of these ventures into history and they loved it!This is the YouTube website that has all of the "History Teachers" songs... 52 of them in all! http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers BEWARE though... I find them addicting! 🙂 My kids beg to watch some of them over and over and over again...
We use "Story of the World," along with the activity book as well as the question and answer sheets. We are enjoying this very much. I love the way it is historically chronological. So far, I have been using a borrowed book, but I now plan to buy it.
I love history, which is probably why my kids like it so much. We use a lot of Usborne books to cover topics we are interested in.. We especially like their info on the World Wars. We have started "Story of the World." We play the CDs in the car, and are planning to work through the accompanying curriculum this fall. "Bully Boys" by Eric Walters is definitely a favourite piece of historical fiction. "My First History of Canada" by Donalda Dickie is another resource we have liked.
Favourite field trips include Hell's Gate, Fort Langley, and the Port Moody Station Museum. Another way we love to integrate our history is to use our school themes as birthday party themes. For example, we just did a mad scientist party. We have also done an army party and a medieval party.
From the May 2011 NLHS newsletter
"Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com"