Great Heights Week - From Trees to Masts

Like any human I have my weaknesses. Dove’s dark chocolate-covered almonds are one. I also have a hard time resisting clothing or leather goods that have contrast stitching for some odd reason. And then there’s scratchboard illustrations...which brings me to Giants in the Land. The illustrations are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Creme da la creme of scratchboard I’d say. This book is as big and beautiful as the trees it documents. And what are those trees, you ask? Thousand year-old, New England pine trees, growing as tall as a twenty-five story building. They grew so tall and straight that they made ideal masts for England’s eighteenth-century navy. The story goes on to describe how the trees were chosen and plucked (not easily) from the forest and transported (forty oxen) to a river. You can’t help  appreciating the ingenuity required to harvest the trees, while simultaneously despairing that the giants are all gone. But the author ends on a positive note, mentioning the promise in today’s woods. Giants are growing.

Ages 9-12
 ◊◊◊◊◊

Activity: Make a tall masted ship out of a milk carton. Here’s what you’ll need:

Milk or juice carton
Scissors (or box cutters or x-acto knife)
Smaller box to put inside milk carton
String
Straw, stick or tinkertoy
Tape
Card stock for the sail
Paint or markers to decorate

An adult should help cut the carton like this:

Paint the smaller box that will go inside the milk carton to hold the sail. We used a medicine box. A soap or make-up box would work too. Punch a hole in the middle of the box with a sharp pencil or cut an x with an xacto knife. Glue the box into the center of the milk carton. Cut out a square piece of card stock about 1/2 to 3/4 of the length of the straw or stick. This will be the sail. Decorate the sail as you like with paint or markers. Punch a hole at the top and bottom of the sail and weave the straw or stick (we used a tinkertoy) through the holes. Wrap a string around the top of the stick and tape each end of the string to each end of the boat. We’re calling our boat the U.S.S. Tropicana. And here she sails:

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Happy New Year to you all. 

It’s resolution time! In 2011, I resolve to:
1. Blog more
2. Redesign my blog
3. Discover more great history for children.

As we say goodbye to last year,  I thought I'd look back on what history titles the publishing world offered children in 2010.  This assortment includes one written by the President. It’s a clever introduction to thirteen famous Americans. As a whole, the group is not concentrated on any one era or theme. Titles range from the age of dinosaurs to the invention of the Apple computer.  

It will be interesting to see what 2011 offers. What are your resolutions?

Revolutionary Times

A couple of parents are in Revolutionary War trouble up to their eye-bobs and the “calvary” that comes to their rescue is none other than their thirteen year old son, Samuel. Gary Paulsen, one of our favorite storytellers, weaves another hard to put down tale about a boy who is just mastering the skills of wilderness survival when the war breaks out. Samuel gets caught up in Hessian raids, Indian attacks, British ambushes and tangled up with undercover patriots all in an effort to recover his folks. Woods Runner is a very empowering book for an early teen boy. It also offers an interesting perspective as Samuel travels from the very edge of the wild frontier to the pulse of the enemy, the British held city of New York. Come to think of it, it’s kind of reminiscent of the Hobbit, Frodo, making his way to the oh-so-scary Modor. Interspersed with an occasional fact page, your child is sure to learn much while enjoying this heart pounding story.

Ages 9-12
◊◊◊◊◊

Activity: The firearm issued to the British army during the Revolutionary War was the Brown Bess. It was just about 62" long. Create your own Brown Bess, at actual size! Just print out these nine pages, then use the numbers to line up all the sheets correctly, and tape. Since the printing won't go right up to the edge of the paper, you will have to do some vertical trimming. Here is Ryan with his Brown Bess..

FIRST LADY WEEK - Abigail Adams

From Martha to Michelle, America has had more than forty fabulous first ladies, as evidenced in Our Country's First Ladies. This National Geographic book is full of interesting details from the lives of Martha Washington on down to Laura Bush (it was published in 2007). The book dedicates a spread to each First Lady in chronological order that includes a full page portrait and a perfect amount of well written copy. Learn about the influence these women had on their husbands, about the different causes they took on as well as lots of other interesting tidbits. For instance, did you know that Lou Hoover was the first woman to get a geology degree from Stanford University or that Elizabeth Monroe played a pivotal role in saving the wife of Marquis de Lafayette from the guillotine? You’ll also discover that Julia Grant once hosted a White House dinner featuring 29 courses of food and that 21 year old Frances Cleveland was the youngest First Lady. This book is a pleasurable read and an appropriate choice for this week’s theme....First Ladies!

Ages 9-12
◊◊◊◊◊

I notice that for the same aged reader, DK published a book in 2008 that includes our newest First Lady, Michelle Obama. It has been my experience that you can always count on these Eye Witness books to be fabulous. This one is titled First Ladies and it includes a clip art CD.

Many of you have gotten to know Abigail Adams through the amazing HBO miniseries, John Adams. Following is an introduction to Abigail for the younger set....

TITLE: Abigail Adams

AUTHOR: Alexander Wallner

WHAT WAS HER BACKGROUND? The daughter of a reverend, Abigail was born in 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts near Boston. She was bright and wanted to attend school, but school was for boys in her mother’s opinion. So she spent a great deal of time in her father’s library reading and listening in on adult talk of current events.

HOW DID SHE AND THE FUTURE PRESIDENT MEET? When she was seventeen, she met the 26 year old lawyer, John Adams, who was a friend to her sister’s fiance. He was very impressed with her knowledge. They married a couple of years later.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: She gave birth to six children. Of those, four reached adulthood and of those, one became the sixth president of the United States. She was often responsible for managing the family’s farm and finances while her husband traveled. She was directly effected by the brewing storm between the colonials and Britain. She boycotted goods that carried British taxes by making them herself, sheltered Boston residents who were fleeing the city after the Boston Tea Party and tried to influence her husband’s opinion regarding rights for slaves and women in the new laws he was helping to create. Unfortuanetly one reply he gave was “I cannot but laugh.” Believing strongly in education she sent her daughter to school and taught a black servant, who was not allowed to attend school, how to read and write.

Illustrated in a folk art style, this book is an excellent way to acquaint your child with a strong and bright woman who was present during our country's founding.

Ages: 4-8

◊◊◊◊

Activity: Color Abigail and John Adams

Learning to Read While Learning History

This is what I was reading in 1st grade:

Given the choice, I would rather have been reading this:

Today we are bombarded with more choices than ever, whether we are in the shoe store, on the car lot or in the cereal aisle. In my day everyone was wearing saddle shoes, driving station wagons, eating Wheaties for breakfast and, of course, learning to read with Dick and Jane. Well, happily, that whole variety of options thing has carried over to beginning readers! Step Into Reading offers a batch of entertaining and educational titles on five levels. Step 1: ready to read (preschool to kindergarten), Step 2: reading with help (preschool to 1st grade), Step 3: reading on your own (1st to 3rd grade), Step 4: reading paragraphs (2nd to 3rd grade), Step 5: reading chapters (2nd to 4th grade).

Step 3 is a collection of over seventy books about nature, action heroes, princesses, witches, folk tales and familiar characters like Arthur. And I'm drooling over all the history titles available at this beginning reader level. Here they are:

• Abe Lincoln's Hat
• Babe Ruth Saves Baseball!
• Barack Obama: Out of Many, One
• The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (my review)
• Christopher Columbus
• Dinosaur Days
• Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race
• The First Thanksgiving
• George Washington and the General's Dog (my review)
• The Great Tulip Trade
• Johnny Appleseed: My Story
• Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President
• Listen Up!: Alexander Graham Bell’s Talking Machine
• Man O'War: Best Racehorse Ever
• The True Story of Pocahontas
  
• Paul Revere's Ride
  
  

SNOW WEEK - Crossing the Delaware

TITLE: When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots

AUTHOR: Lynne Cheney

WHO WAS WHERE IN THE SNOW? George Washington and his dilapidated army crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania to attack the Hussians (German fighters hired by the British) in Trenton, New Jersey on December 25, 1776.

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THIS EVENT: The downtrodden, ill-equipped, rag-tag Americans took by surprise the best trained army in the world. They were rallied by the words of Thomas Paine, “these are the times that try mens souls,” as they prepared for the crossing. 2,400 men and eighteen cannons moved over the ice-laden Delaware that night then marched the nine miles to Trenton where they captured nearly 900 unsuspecting Hessians. They regrouped and took on thousands of British and Hessian troops near Princeton, miraculously gaining the upper hand there as well. Among the American soldiers were Alexander Hamilton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and James Monroe, who was injured in the fight and later became our nation’s fifth president.

What a well written, designed and illustrated way to introduce children to this pivotal moment in American history. The book is punctuated with many quotes including this one:

I remember reading in my youth a small book – The Life of Washington—and of all his struggles none fixed itself on my mind so indelibly as the crossing of the Delaware preceding the battle of Trenton...I am exceedingly anxious that the object they fought for —liberty, and the Union and Constitution they formed—shall be perpetual.

—Abraham Lincoln, February 21, 1861

Ages 9 to 12
◊◊◊◊◊

Activity: The Mount Vernon web site offers a nice coloring page of Washington crossing the Delaware. You'll find it through this link.

Free American History Curriculum

What events led to the formation of the United States? What documents set America apart from other countries? Who were the individuals involved in the creation of this nation? The answers to these questions are being reinforced in free curriculum offered by The American Heritage Education Foundation. This organization is concerned with the rapidly declining knowledge of our nation's history and the lack of learning on this subject in K-12 public and private schools, and also colleges and universities of higher learning. They are providing these important resources in three levels:

Elementary
Middle Grades
High School

This material is available free for all to use. You can download right from their site as needed. You may also request a free CD which contains all three levels, or a printed version for a fee of $19.50 per level. There is a wealth of information provided in these lessons, which are presented in an orderly, and easy to follow fashion.

Birds of a Feather

I found two TRUE stories involving two kinds of birds during two different wars. Both will give children insight into how civilians are affected by war.

In The 18 Penny Goose, a pet is left behind when a family flees from approaching British troops during the American Revolutionary War. Out of desperation young Letty leaves a note for the soldiers pleading with them to spare her beloved gander, Solomon. Even though this book is an "I Can Read Book 3", it's sparse words effectively convey the anxiety of leaving your home not knowing what you will find when you return. My daughter was aghast at the notion that soldiers would enter a private residence and take stuff. In the end Solomon is saved, but the rest of the gaggle is not so fortunate. Letty finds a reply to her note as well as payment for the geese consumed. A well told story of an actual event. The nice illustrations include interesting details.

Ages 4-8

◊◊◊◊◊

Pigeon Hero! is about an atypical World War II hero. In this account a messenger pigeon named G. I. Joe saves an Italian village from an American bombing raid. Unbeknownst to the Yanks the Germans have already fled the area and the only thing they would be bombing are innocent civilians. In this "Ready-to-Read Level 2" story G. I. Joe overcomes tough odds to deliver the message in the nick of time. The raid is called off, the village is saved and G. I. Joe receives a medal of honor. It is fascinating to learn how pigeons were used during the war. For instance, they were kept on battleships and even submarines to be released with notes in the event of danger. Children will be enthralled with this story.

Ages 4-8

◊◊◊◊◊

Activity: Help G. I. Joe deliver a message. Can you find the way through the maze?

I'M FEELING GENEROUS! Leave a comment for a chance to win both of these books! I will pick a winner on Monday, August 17th.

Schoolhouse Rock!

Wanted to get you in the mood for the fourth of July. Isn't it catchy? And nostalgic. And a little goofy too, what with the guy chasing the gal to represent “the pursuit of happiness.” What were they thinking?

Fourteen of these animated short films are now available on a DVD titled Schoolhouse Rock: Election Collection. Providing children with an entertaining look at American history and American government, the fourteen songs in this collection are:

• No More Kings
• Fireworks
• The Preamble
• The Great American Melting Pot
• Mother Necessity
• Sufferin' Until Sufferage
• I'm Just a Bill
• Three-Ring Government
• I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College
• Tyrannosaurus Debt
• Tax Man Max
• Walkin' on Wall Street
• The Energy Blues
• Presidential Minute

All Ages
◊◊◊◊

For the musician in the family you might be interested to know that The School House Rock Songbook exists.





























Now, I wonder if I can get that "Fireworks" song out of my head!

Of Presidents and Dogs

Maybe you have heard that the OBamas got a dog? Bo has been a resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for less than a month and he is already the subject of two books, Bo, America's Commander in Leashand Bo Obama: First Dog of the United States of America. This got me thinking about the canine/president relationship and I uncovered a couple of interesting books along that vein.

First up is First Dog Fala by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. Fala was Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish terrier and constant companion. Children will learn that FDR was president during World War II and the events of Pearl Harbor and D-Day, that he had polio, that he was the only president to serve three terms and that Fala's likeness sits beside FDR's memorial statue. Includes cute Fala anecdotes and is nicely illustrated.

Ages 4-8
◊◊◊◊

The other book tells the true story of a pre-president's kindness. George Washington and the General's Dog (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3) by Frank Murphy, takes place during the Revolutionary War. After a battle (Germantown) the colonials find a dog and discover that the name inscribed on its collar is non-other than William Howe (the British General!...Washington's nemesis!) Even though the officers think they should keep the dog out of spite, George Washington makes no bones about returning the dog to it's master. He writes Howe a note to that effect (this is really cool - a copy of the actual note is in the back of the book!), arrangements are made, and the dog is reunited with it's rightful owner. After that, word gets out back in England and British hearts are softened by the kindness of George Washington. The book incorporates interesting facts I had never considered. For example, it was not uncommon for soldiers to take their dogs with them as they could track, help hunt and guard against wild animals. Great book.

Ages 4-8
◊◊◊◊◊