History of The World in Seven Minutes

If you have seven minutes to spare, I suggest you use it learning 13 billion years of history...

Carl’s Cosmic Calendar

Cosmos is the most watched American public television series in history, with over 500 million people having seen it. And you can add four more to that list.  

On these seven DVDs Sagan has intrigued my family as he discusses the origins of life, space, DNA, intelligent design, the diversity of life, the evolution of cities, the speed of light, constellations, terraforming Mars, natural selection and even the early explorers, the Rosetta Stone and the Alexandria Library.

Sagan had a gift for making complex scientific concepts clear, as shown by this explanation of the beginning of the universe to the arrival of humans on this cosmic calendar.




Ages 9 and up
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The History of Energy

Cavemen gathering around a fire, Benjamin Franklin flying a kite in a lightening storm and a mushroom cloud exploding over Hiroshima; everything you think about when you think of energy is here, and more. The History of Energy contains over fifty pages filled with data about fire, wind, water, coal, steam, oil and nuclear energy. There is lots of cause and effect to boot. Did you know that in order to power his lightbulbs, Thomas Edison built the first commercial power station? Did you ever think about how nuclear energy was a precursor to procedures in the medical field...radiation therapy and CT scans for instance? Did you ever consider what a dangerous mess it was to fill your car with gasoline before there were gas stations?

This book follows the chronological order of man's attempts to harness energy while making the distinction between renewable and nonrenewable. And speaking of nonrenewable, it is amazing to realize that the first big oil boom was just 109 years ago. Think of all the oil we have used up since then! A detailed timeline is included.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Imagine what future skies will look like filled with solar powered flight! The Aviation and Space Education Commission is sponsoring a poster contest titled Flying With the Sun. The deadline is April 12. Here is more information.

Talking Walls

I love it when an author picks an off the wall (pardon the pun) object and turns it into a fascinating and educational book. For a case in point, I'd recommend Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World and Spice: The History of a Temptation.

Walls are the subject in Talking Walls. Margy Burns Knight introduces children to over a dozen walls of historical interest. Each spread is illustrated with a full page depiction of a wall with a child or children incorporated, along with a couple of paragraphs of information. Some of the author’s choices are predictable, like the Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Most people would be hard pressed to name her other selections. They include, Mahabalipuram, the Zimbabwe conical towers and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. What an interesting assortment for a child-sized introduction to culture, geography, and history.

There are even more walls in the author’s follow up book, Talking Walls: The Stories Continue.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Can you match the wall with it's correct geographic location? Check your answers here.

Celebrate!

There are a dizzying array of celebrations in this world. Some mark a historical event from back in time like the birth of someone special, a temple or a throne being reclaimed or a country gaining independence. Some festivals mark a pattern in time itself like a new year, the harvest, the brightest moon or the shortest day. And there are many more reasons to celebrate: the last hurrah before lent or the first hurrah after fasting, the honoring of family members both present and past, and so on.

Well, I've been away celebrating a couple of these holidays with my husband and children. And now that I'm back and searching for interesting books again, I couldn’t resist Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! As can be expected from DK Publishing, this 63 page volume is chock full of quality photos and interesting information. With each spread you feel like you are meeting a child guide to tell you in their own words about a special holiday in their life. Along with a nearly foot high photo of the child are their quotes and other facts about the featured celebration.

I enjoyed learning about important days in other parts of the world of which I was previously unaware. Like the Zambian harvest festival called N’cwala, and two different dates in Japan. One is centered around girls and dolls, called Hina Matsuri, the other is a boy centered celebration, called Kodomono-hi. And I am totally inspired by a Hindu festival called Raksha Bandhan, that celebrates the love between brothers and sisters. Maybe, I'm thinking, I should get Ryan and Shannon to partake in this August festival. It originated over 500 years ago when sisters tied rakhis on their brothers’ wrists to protect them on the battlefield. On the day of Raksha (meaning “protection”) Bandhan (meaning “bond”), the siblings start out by praying for the safe keeping of each other. The sister blesses the brother with a holy mark. Then she ties the bracelet she has made on her brother's right wrist and he promises to protect her. They next give each other a piece of candy and after that the brother gives his sister a gift.

What a great overview of the world's celebrations!

Ages: 9 and up
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Activity: Print out this 2010 calendar onto a legal size page. Can you correctly color the date of the holiday or the day that longer celebrations begin?

Money, Money, Money

Bailouts, recessions, trade deficits, foreclosures — a lot of today's headlines boil down to money. How did money evolve into such a large aspect of human life? Here are a couple of interesting books that delve into this topic.

The Story of Money is a strikingly well illustrated account of the history of moola. It clearly reveals the transition of human activity from hunting and gathering to bartering and trading to using coins, paper money, checks and credit. Children will be fascinated by the variety of interesting coins depicted in the book. Also by what was considered a valuable trade item in years gone by. For instance, some eastern North American natives favored bartering with wampum, which are strung together beads made from welk and clam shells that were then made into belts and jewelry. And in Ethiopia as recently as World War II salt was still used in lieu of cash. It was valuable because people needed it and it was hard to find. All in all this book is a great overview of money. To coin a phrase, “good job, well done.”

Ages 9-12
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I was curious to compare this to another money themed book. Whereas The Story of Money is a chronological history, Money (DK Eyewitness Books) is a browser’s delight. Lots of fabulous photographs with themed spreads ranging from money in times of war to the different ways in which money has been carried, how money is made and money from different countries. This book is loaded with an abundant array of information. I would particularly recommend it to the child interested in coin collecting.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: The United States Mint offers a kids site called H.I.P. Pocket Change with loads of interactive activities. We really enjoyed designing our own coins. Drag the artists tools to the work area and use the arrows to make your design selections.

Got Religion?

Some things just go together: peanut butter and jelly, socks and shoes, humans and religion. After all, when did humans as a whole not believe in a higher power? Religion had and continues to have a huge impact on history. For a better understanding of this subject I turned to Huston Smith's The World's Religions. It covers the origins and core beliefs of: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Thaosim, Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the primal religions. To say I learned a lot would be an understatement. I recommend this fascinating work to all adults.

Or if you don't have the time to invest in reading this 380 page book, just pick up a copy of the 59 page Usborne Book Of World Religions and read it with your children. As you can expect from Usborne, it's outstanding. A nice blend of information and graphics. It's a must have reference book that will fill a designated spot on our family bookshelf for years to come.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Can you match the religion with it's description on this timeline?

History Game

Can you place the stock market crash, the start of the civil war and the Wright brothers first flight in the correct years? Give this Timeline Game a try.

Knights

Have any of you seen A Knight's Tale? It's a fun, frolicking, follow your dreams, romance comedy starring Heath Ledger. The film has a charming way of mixing rock and roll with eye-pleasing medieval European scenes.

In comparison, I expected this book about knights to be d-u-l-l. But it turns out Fact Or Fiction: Knights isn't just about knights, and it isn't dull. I think a more appropriate title would be Cavalries—hmm, just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? The author, Stewart Ross gives a sweeping history of the dynamic military duo: horse and man, from the Hittites in 1400 BC on up to their waning influence in the 20th century. Each of the book's 47 pages provides generous doses of information amid a heaping helping of illustrations.

Ages 9-12

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Activity: Here is a knight word search.

Great History Magazines for Kids

I can still remember walking my two young feet out to the road, pulling down the metal mailbox door and, with my little heart pitter-patting, pulling out a Jack & Jill magazine—addressed to me. Jack & Jill's are still thrilling children with their mailbox arrivals, and so are other old favorites like Highlights, Ranger Rick and Boys Life. These days publishers are offering an even bigger array of magazines for the younger set covering a wide range of interests. National Geographic Kids, Sports Illustrated Kids and American Girl are examples. Amongst all these choices I have noticed a couple of excellent history magazines.

Both of these award-winning publications bring history to your house nine times a year. They are both geared toward children nine years old and up. They are both composed of 50 pages that delve into one given topic. They are both brimming with articles that relate to the main topic, fun facts, pictures, maps, sidebars, contests, puzzles and suggested reading lists. The difference between them is that Cobblestone concentrates on American history while Calliope presents topics about world history.

Cobblestone's current July issue is about American inventions. Topics that will be covered over the coming year are:

• National Parks: America's Legacy


• Pilgrims: Journey to a New World


• John Adams


• 30 Greatest Americans


• Gettysburg: Pivotal Civil War Battle


• Brooklyn Bridge: Engineering Marvel


• Baseball: Americans at Play


• 30 Greatest American Events


• It's All-American: Our Culture & Symbols

You can read all about the gladiators of Rome in the current issue of Calliope. Other topics to look forward to in upcoming issues are:

• Karnak - Egypt's Chosen Place


• Aesop and His Fables - Did He Really Exist?


• Great Wall of China


• The Parthenon - Symbol of Eternal Greece


• Isabella of Spain - Queen of a New World


• Michelangelo


• Dutch East India Company - Trade Goes International


• Exploring Africa with Stanley & Livingston


• Meaning of Numbers

Either of these magazines would make a thoughtful gift for a young history buff (or a history buff to be). I will envy them that walk to the mailbox ;-)

Story of the World

I consider this four volume set our family’s foundation for learning history. I have been reading these books to the children off and on, taking about a year to cover one volume. Each book is roughly 400 pages with minimal illustrations, mostly maps. The books offer a sweeping overview of history as it was happening simultaneously throughout the world.

Susan Wise Bauer’s writing style kept my son listening with rapt attention. He is now in the sixth grade and breezing through history...and really enjoying the subject. My daughter on the other hand usually listened while playing with matchbox cars or her collection of animals on the floor. Even so I know she gleaned a little from my reading because she would occasionally beg me to stop. “Mommy, I just can’t take it. Those people are being so mean to each other. It makes me sad." I'll let you know how she does in that sixth grade history class in a couple of years!

And as for me, I enjoyed the perspective it gave me and learning about events previously unknown to me. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I was never taught about Magellan in my entire life! I also enjoyed learning about the Sumerians, Simón Bolívar, Marie-Madeleine Jarret De Verchères, the Crimean War and so much more.

If you want to give your children a strong background in history you simply must find room for this series on your bookshelf. We purchased the paperback versions but the books are also offered in hardback and some of them are still available in an audio format which would be nice for those inclined to listen in the car. Each volume has a corresponding activity book brimming with crafts, recipes, work sheets, maps, further reading suggestions and other projects. We have the first two activity books but finding time to work with them became an issue for us and we tapered off of them. They would be ideal for homeschoolers. Some project ideas are really cool, like how to mummify a chicken, believe it or not. We did not try that (yet) but we did recreate the Nile in a roasting pan that involved planting grass seeds along the banks and then flooding the Nile. The kids were excited to see the Nile valley turn green with real grass!

The series includes:
• The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, available in hardcover and paperback. A corresponding activity book is also available.

• The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance, available in hardcover, paperback and audio CD. A corresponding activity book is also available.

• The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 3: Early Modern Times, available in hardcover and paperback. A corresponding activity book is also available.

• The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 4: The Modern Age: From Victoria's Empire to the End of the USSR, available in hardcover, paperback and audio CD. A corresponding activity book is also available.

Ages 9-12
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