History Box Additions

Someday, I’m going to make history boxes.  I’m not sure how I’ll go about it, as I don’t have much in my collection yet.  I’m considering Ancient, Medieval, Modern to start with...until my collection grows into sub-categories.  Eventually, I’d like to be more specific (Ancient Egypt, WW2, Victorian, Colonial American, Renaissance, etc.).  Anyway, if you’d like to read my original post on history boxes (which is like continent boxes), you can go HERE.

Back in the spring, we took an American friend to visit Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire.  There, I picked up a few Tudor-era items (reproduction coins and ring).

In August, we had the opportunity to visit two famous historical sites—one in the southern part of England and one in the most northern part.  The first was the Battle of Hastings site in East Sussex.  The second was Hadrian’s Wall (and Housesteads Roman Fort) in Northumberland.  I picked up some mementos in both places that will be perfect for my history boxes.

This picture includes a reproduction silver penny from the reign of William I, an art print of the Battle of Hastings, and 2 postcards from Battle Abbey (one showing a re-enactment of the battle).

Recently, we took the kids on a field trip to Chester, England.  Chester was a key Roman fort in Roman Britannia, and it’s an ideal location for learning more about the Romans.  We visited two museums while there (Dewa Roman Experience and Grosvenor Museum), and I found more things for my history boxes (and not just Roman stuff). 

The first photo includes 2 postcards (one of today’s Roman Chester and one of what it may have looked like in Roman Britannia times), a reproduction Roman toric (like a bangle) and a reproduction Greek coin.

This photo has a large piece of papyrus, a bookmark made from papyrus with hieroglyphics printed on it, and a reproduction silver tetradrachm coin from the reign of Cleopatra VII.

This photo shows a reproduction coin from ancient Rome (I got this one from Hadrian’s Wall) and a mask of a Roman woman, which I think we bought on a previous trip to Chester.

In writing this post, I thought of some more things I already had that would go well in history boxes (not counting books, and I have LOTS of history books for kids).  Anyway, here are a few more things I can add.  I got the monk at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, the ship postcard (Cutty Sark) in Greenwich, and the Making Merrye CD…um, somewhere.  It’s a medieval music CD.

Maybe it’s time for me to purchase some boxes!

I'm linking this post to "History and Geography" at All Things Beautiful.

British History Finalized

I finally finished my lesson plans for 7th grade British history.  I would like to thank SarahElisabeth from delivering grace for pointing me to a free British history outline (written by Kathryn Faulkner and obtained through the Sonlight UK yahoo group).  That outline, which is loosely based on the style of the Sonlight curriculum, was a tremendous help to me in planning.  I am using some of the suggested resources for our British history, but not all. 

My lessons plans are 14 pages, typed, so I’ll stick with just listing the resources I’m using.  This course will be using a British encyclopedia, an old textbook, and a story-based British history (audio).  I’m supplementing this with other books and a few special assignments.  In elementary school, my son rarely took tests, except for spelling and math.  This year, because I’d like him to get used to studying and taking tests, I am working on writing simple study guides and quizzes for each history unit.

So, here are our resources for British history.  This list has been expanded from the list I included in my 7th Grade Curriculum, Revised post.  Five of the books listed are books I have not read yet, but I’m fairly sure they’ll be okay.  That will probably make up my personal reading material for the next month anyway.

Main sources

“Introduction to British History” outline (Kathryn Faulkner)—Sonlight UK Yahoo group

British History Encyclopedia (Nicola Barber and Andy Langley)

Hamlyn Children’s History of Britain (Neil Grant)—This is an older textbook I found at a charity shop.  It is a very secular textbook, which is not really surprising.  There are a handful of objectionable statements which I will skip.  The large section on Darwin I found to be full of inaccurate and unfair statements (definitely not tolerant of other viewpoints). However, I found most of the material to be alright.

Our Island Story (LibriVox)

Supplements

History of Britain: Roman Britain (Brenda Williams)

Castle (David Macaulay)

Cross-Sections: Castle (Stephen Biesty)

Great British Speeches (Simon Heffer)—We’re not reading this book in its entirety.  I’ve picked out a handful of short speeches for Isaac to read and for us to discuss.  This includes individuals such as Elizabeth I, Charles I, William Wilberforce, Churchill, and more.

Animated Hero Classics: Joan of Arc (DVD)

Animated Hero Classics: Florence Nightingale (DVD)

Making Merrye (Medieval Music CD)

The Pastons in Medieval Britain (Martyn Whittock, ed.)—This book is a collection of real letters, written during the Middle Ages.

Tudors & Stuarts (Usborne)

Tales of Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb)—Online

Brain Box: British History game—To be used throughout the year for review

A Charles Dickens movie (A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, or David Copperfield)

War Boy: A Wartime Childhood (Michael Foreman)

Novels/Biographies

Beric the Briton (G.A. Henty)—Gutenberg Project

In the Days of Alfred the Great (Eva March Tappan)—Kindle

Wulf the Saxon (G.A. Henty)—Gutenberg Project

In Freedom’s Cause (G.A. Henty)

The Wool-Pack (Cynthia Harnett)

The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt By Day (Scott O’Dell)

Children of the New Forest (Captain Marryat)

Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist, and Teacher (John Hudson Tiner)

Bonnie Prince Charlie (G.A. Henty)

William Wilberforce: The Freedom Fighter (Derick Bingham)--Kindle

William Booth: Soup, Soap, and Salvation (Janet Benge)--Kindle

War Horse (Michael Morpurgo)

Isaac will also be reading a biography of George Muller, but it’s for his biography unit in reading, not necessarily part of our history lessons.

Here are the units we are covering (the first and last units are very short):

1.  Ancient Britain (Stone Age through Celtic)

2.  Roman Britain

3.  Anglo-Saxon Britain

4.  Norman Britain

5.  Medieval Britain

6.  Tudor England

7.  The Stuarts

8.  Georgian Britain

9.  Victorian Britain

10.  Edwardian Britain & World Wars

11.  Modern Britain

I also have a large number of field trip ideas listed (over 50 locations).  Whether we get to take all of these trips depends largely on finances.  At least I can jot down the ideas and dream, right?  It does help that we’re studying British history while living in Britain.  Actually, we’ll be taking one of these field trips this month, as it’s the only time we’ll be near the location.  I’ll tell you all about it when we get back!

I'm linking this post to "History and Geography" at All Things Beautiful.

History Boxes

A few days ago, I came up with a brilliant idea.  Now, it’s highly possible that someone else has already come up with this idea.  After looking it up on the internet, I discovered that a number of museums and historical organizations do something similar.

My idea is history boxes.  They would be just like continent boxes, only about history.  I have continent boxes, and I love finding neat things to put in them.  This past week, my family and I took a trip to London for our Easter holidays.  While there, we visited Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill.  In the gift shop I discovered something I had to have.  Here it is:

There were several to choose from, so I’ll have to save my money and watch for them when we go places.  Here’s what I got inside the packet:

Isaac is studying World War 2 right now, so I thought it would be perfect to have these replicas of WW2-era paper items.  That’s when the idea struck me.  People are always saying that students learn a lot from history by examining primary sources, including journals, documents, artifacts, and photographs.  Unless you are visiting a museum to see the actual sources, most of these sources would have to be reproductions.  Being a museum junkie, I have been in a LOT of museum shops, and I am pretty confident I can find enough replica items to fill my own history boxes.

Of course, this is just an idea.  I haven’t actually done this yet; after all, I just thought of it.  My mind is rolling, though.  I could make history boxes for different topics including:  Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Middle Ages, Colonial America, Civil War, WW1 and WW2, the 1950s…the list could go on and on.  Depending on what items you find, boxes could be based on general historical time periods or specific events.  In England, I have access to plenty of replica artifacts and documents for ancient Roman history, medieval history, the Victorian era, and more—I’ve seen them in gift shops when visiting British Roman sites, castles, and other historic places.  I have visited Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia as well as several US Civil War battlegrounds.  I bought a few replica items at the time, so I already have a good start there.  I love history almost as much as geography, so I feel excited about my new venture!

I had these ideas rolling around in my head the next few days of our trip as we visited the British Museum and the Churchill War Rooms, both in London.  Unfortunately, I was low on money by this time.  Many of the replica items at the British Museum were too expensive, so I ended up with 2 postcards (pictured below).  The one on the left is pottery from Ancient Greece, and the one on the right is from Ancient Egypt.  Well, it’s a start anyway.

I picked up a few more WW2 items at the Churchill War Rooms, including several postcards (the Churchill portrait postcard was purchased at Chartwell), a replica newspaper and a reproduction tag like the ones they put on children evacuees.  Some of the postcards are reproductions of posters people would have seen around England during the war.

Do you know of any website or blog that has featured some type of history boxes?  I couldn’t find any myself, but if they’re out there, I’d love to see someone else’s ideas.  If your mind starts rolling like mine did, please share any ideas I didn’t mention—I’d love to hear your thoughts!

These are the museums/organizations I found online that rent out history boxes to area schools:

NC Museum of History—History-in-a-Box kits

Washington State Historical Society—History Boxes

History Boxes—This one is in Yorkshire, England

If I do manage to get some boxes together, I’ll post an update.

I'm linking this post to "History and Geography" at All Things Beautiful.

Homeschool Tools: Reminisce

My grandma subscribed to a LOT of magazines.  From the time I was a child until she died, I loved sitting down in front of my grandma’s coffee table, assured of all her latest magazines being there for me to thumb through.  One of my favorites was Reminisce.  In fact, after my grandma passed away, I ended up with all of her Reminisce magazines!  Knowing that Isaac would be studying modern history this year, I brought several copies back with me from the US. 

If you’re not familiar with Reminisce, I’ll tell you just a bit (no, I’m not being paid to advertise or review this publication).  Reminisce is a Reiman Publications magazine that focuses on the “good old days.”  True-life stories and photos are submitted by readers.  The stories take place between 1900-1980.  You can read more about this magazine at their website Reminisce.com.

I love the idea of using first-hand, true stories in history, whether it’s about a historical event or person, or whether it gives an idea of what life was like “back then,” I believe these stories are gifts to our children.  If you write down stories from your own childhood and stories told by your parents and grandparents, so much the better for your children!  But even the stories told in this magazine are worth a great deal. 

I read through the magazines I brought back and marked any stories I thought Isaac would enjoy reading as part of his history studies.  I was right.  Isaac DID enjoy reading those stories!  I even caught him thumbing through a Reminisce magazine this morning (I think he had discovered an old-time comic strip in one).

Here are some examples of how I have used Reminisce in Isaac’s history:  After studying the Russian Revolution, Isaac read a story in Reminisce about the author’s parents fleeing Russia with their prized samovar (January/February 2002 issue).  A February 2002 issue of Reminisce Extra had a collection of stories called “We Fought WWII on the Home Front.”  Here, he was able to get an idea of what life was like for American children who had to deal with rationing and shortages during the war.

When studying the Great Depression, a story about a teen’s first job as an iceman (delivering ice) was fun to read (July/August 2002 issue).  This boy didn’t take the job for selfish reasons—he did it to help his parents feed the family.  That’s why I love these stories—they tell about responsibility, honor, commitment, respect, and hard work.  The same issue also had a humorous story about a Model T. 

 

I just wish I had brought back more of these magazines!  Someday, when I’m living in the US again, I would love to subscribe.

Do you have a favorite magazine you use in homeschool?  What interesting sources do you use to make history come alive?

Battle of New Orleans—Lego Video

Isaac has been studying the War of 1812 this week, and I found this wonderful video on YouTube to show him.  It’s Johnny Horton’s “The Battle of New Orleans” song with Lego figures acting out the song.  I grew up with Johnny Horton’s music, and I especially like his historical songs.  This video is so neat that I had to share it!