End of WW I links

We finally finished studying WW I.  We ended with coloring maps of Europe before and after the war. I found good before and after maps on the following website.  I copied the maps and printed them.  We discussed the differences they saw in the two maps.
http://todayinsocialsciences.blogspot.com/2013/05/15052013.html

Then, I showed the interactive map on this website to the kids and we wrote some major terms of the Treaty of Versailles down.
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir1/thetreatyrev1.shtml

The Spark

I just read the most amazing book recently. My husband actually recommended that I read it.  It is called "The Spark" by Kristine Barnett.  Her story is really incredible as she describes how she deals with having an autistic child.  Rather than letting that label discourage her and limit her son, she does everything she can to provide an environment where he can thrive and develop his gifts.  In the process, she helps many others like her son.

This book is really a must read. I do not have an autistic son.  However, he is very rule bound and schedule bound.  He has just a few passions in his life:  books, history, military strategy games, and Legos.  He loves facts and telling us about the historical facts that he has learned.  

Reading this book helped me to appreciate more the way God has uniquely created my son.

I hope you all can read this and be encouraged!  My son actually read this book himself and loved it.  

A Good Book and Movie for WWII

Although we are still not finished studying about WW1, I wanted to share with you two good things that have been helpful for us.  Watching historical movies and fiction really helps to make history come alive.

I recently bought a 4 American Girl movie DVD set.  Some of you guys may roll your eyes when you hear American Girl.  I was pleasantly surprised that my very boy boy enjoyed the movies.  "Kit" is about the Great Depression, "Samantha" is about the Victorian period, "Felicity" is about the Revolutionary War time, and "Molly" is about World War I.  Overall, they were pretty entertaining for the whole family to watch and I really liked seeing the period costumes and sets.  I highly recommend them and if you live nearby, feel free to borrow from me.  :)



A book I am reading out loud to the kids right now is "Eleanor Jo, The Farmer's Daughter".  This is another book by Eleanor Clark.  It's based on her life growing up in the WWII era.  What's really interesting is that she describes her life in a Texas town which made it all the more real for us, having spent part of our life in Texas.  We got this on Kindle.

Homeschooling blog to read and More Reading Books for Kids

I just recently found a homeschooling blog that seems very helpful.  You may want to read it.

halfahundredacrewood.com

They gather links and ideas for every weeks lessons.  They are doing the classical school method, but they had some helpful ideas for american history and world war 1, etc.  Plus, they have some free giveaway raffles from time to time!

I am always looking for books to read since it's hard to find quality books.

Here are some books that the kids have enjoyed on Kindle recently:

For 9 year olds and up
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (About a boy and his dogs)


Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

The Captain's Dog by Roland Smith (about Lewis and Clark expedition)

For kids who like animals:

Obi Gerbil on a Mission by Michael Delaney

Dog Diaries:Buddy by Kate Klimo (this is a whole series about different kinds of dogs written from their perspective)

Math in Focus

Well, after doing much researching on the internet, I decided to go with Math in Focus.  It's done by Houghton Mifflin but it is the Singapore Method. I really liked the look of the textbooks: very colorful, with lots of explanation and activities.  Each book has guided practice, practice, and tests.  Answers are in the back of the book.  I read that the teacher's manual isn't necessary.

The only catch is that it is quite expensive, but thanks to Ebay I got each book for around $10 to $15, which is great.  There are two textbooks per year and two workbooks per year, although I didn't see any workbooks for grades 6 and up.  There are extra practice books instead.  This curriculum is used in schools in the U.S. and it goes up to 8th grade.
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Another option I looked at was Primary Mathematics (Singapore Math) Standards edition.  The books have more practice and have a little more explanation than the U.S. edition.  It is slightly more expensive than the U.S. version but is less than Math in Focus.  However, it only goes to 6th grade, which is a disadvantage.

Bible Town Craft

My daughter loves to keep busy with projects and crafts.  When she saw this on pinterest, she told me she had to do it.  We probably won't make all the pieces or make them slowly.  Fun!

http://www.mylittlehouse.org/images/bible-paper-toys/bible-town

World War I and World War II lapbooks/notebooks

We finished studying about the industrial revolution.  We are studying about the progressive era now and are getting ready to study about world war 1 and 2.  I do like my children to write about what they learn instead of just reading to them. Lapbooks and notebooking are great for this.

Here were some websites that I found that have good lapbook/notebooking material.  I haven't printed out anything yet and I probably need to take some time to look through everything.  Since it was so hard to find these sites, I thought I would share the information with you.  The first website has a lot of resources as well.

Although we don't have a library here, you may be able to buy a few of the books on Kindle.

http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/history/americanhistory2/books_worldwar1.html

http://practicalpages.wordpress.com/free-pages/free-sonlight-world-history-pages/

This last page was intriguing.  The mom did a lapbook on the FBI during the 20th century.  I may not do the exact same thing, but I think I may copy off a few pages of it (i.e. the presidents, etc.)

http://www.dynamic2moms.com/fbi-american-history

I am learning that there are some moms out there with a lot of time.  I am thankful that they are so willing to share so that we don't have to put together things ourselves!  Check out their other ideas for lapbooks!