Posted by Cindy on September 17, 2009
So sorry I’ve been MIA for several days. We’ve been enjoying lots of pretty afternoons and evenings outside and I’ve let lots of things indoors slack. Oops! Gotta enjoy these perfect days while you can, though!
Last week we finished a unit on US Government and Civics using The United States Government 7th-12th grade lapbooking unit from Knowledge Box Central. It was a great refresher for me and a super way to teach my children everything from the history of the Constitution to the design and procedures of our government to the rights and responsibilities we have as citizens. We should all be teaching US Government and Civics anyway, but in light of so many political issues in our country right now, it’s extremely important to teach our children the fundamentals of how our government is supposed to work and what we can and should do about it when it isn’t working like it should. (Sorry for the run-on sentence and the soap box.)
Anywho, here are some pictures of our lapbook.
To be sure they understood the wealth of information learned during the unit, I gave the kiddos a test that you can download from my Homeschool Launch page. Mahayla scored 100% without help. Caleb was allowed to use his lapbook when he came across a tough question. With the help of his lapbook, he scored 100%, too!
We’ve moved on to the first of a four-part energy/physics unit – focusing on the definition of energy, heat and electricity. Some of our resources are posted in the sidebar. I’ll post about our fun soon!
Posted by Cindy on September 1, 2009
We had a great time studying United States geography. Below are the resources we used – all fantastic!
US Geography
Free Online Resources
Games to Learn States, Capitals and Landforms
Various US Geography Games
Where Is That? Game
Game that Promotes Speed in Recognizing States
We took some time to learn about famous national landmarks during the unit, too. For a final project, I gave the kids a list of several landmarks from which they had to choose eight to research. They created informational postcards to highlight what they learned. You can see the front of each postcard shows a picture and the name of the landmark. On the back, they had to write a paragraph of interesting information for each. It was a simple project, but a nice way to ease into the new year.
Posted by Cindy on July 3, 2009
In case you don’t know, Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky. It’s also where I grew up and where my family still lives. There is a wealth of field trip opportunity in Frankfort from government to history to museums and more. We’ve been trying to make it a habit to go on a quick field trip or two when we’re in for an extended visit with my parents.
This week’s trips were finished before lunch, but both were great fun!
Fort Hill
Fort Hill is a Civil War battlefield where remnants of earthen forts remain. Earthen forts are walls of dirt that were built to protect soldiers from the penetrating weapons of their enemies.
The soldiers didn’t always live inside the fort. Their more permanent, albiet rustic “homes” were just outside the fort. The soldiers only stayed inside when under attack.
Many remnants also remain of a rock wall where soldiers hid from oncoming bullets as they fired back at their enemies.
The fort was built on a hill that overlooked most of Frankfort at the time. You can see just how far they could see from the main vantage point.
The parks department has been excavating in the fort recently. There was an early 1900′s house on the property and they located the owner’s dump pile. I included this picture because we have also located an early dump pile on our farm. As we dig new garden space each year, we find new treasures like bits of old pottery, china, medicine bottles, jars and the like. It’s very interesting!
We also found some unsually camera-friendly little friends on our way out!
Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory
So we could say we got in a little science (and because we wanted free candy samples) we headed downtown to the Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures on the tour, but it was great fun seeing how candy is made and packaged. Is their chocolate worth the very expensive price tag? Hmm…On some days I would say “YES!” Most days, though, I think not.
The tour costs $2.00 for adults, but children are free. It only lasts about 15 minutes, so it’s a very easy tour to fit into your schedule if you’re in Frankfort for other visits. Oh, and you don’t need a reservation. Just remember they don’t give tours during lunch hours.
Posted by Cindy on June 26, 2009
Don’t ever call me completely punctual. We studied early pioneers and settlers of Kentucky at the beginning of last school year. A trip to Fort Boonesborough – the first pioneer settlement in KY – was planned then, but we never made it. My children never fear, though – eventually I tend to fulfill my promises. 
You can learn more about Fort Boonesborough at:
Kentucky State Parks
Fort Boonesborough Living History
Fort Boonesborough Foundation
We had a great time touring the fort, watching an action-packed film, visiting with reinactors and taking a walk down to the beach located on the KY River. Field trips are worth their weight in gold!
Outside the fort
Inside the fort
Learning to start a fire
Caleb’s favorite part – the jail
Visiting with Daniel Boone to get our land deed
A view of the beach
Posted by Cindy on April 8, 2009
This is the list that was in my sidebar as we worked through the slavery and Civil War unit. There are several great resources that I didn’t want to forget for future reference. I hope you find them useful as well.
National Geographic Underground Railroad Interactive
Carol Hurst’s Suggestions for Slavery Literature
Civil War Unit Plan
Civil War Timeline
Civil War for Kids
Eyewitness to History – Nice for Research
Carol Hurst’s Suggestions for Civil War Literature
