U.S. History

Patriotic Mazes for Kids

May 29, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Summer is upon us and the Fourth of July is just around the corner! In anticipation of our National Holiday I wanted to make some fun and FREE Patriotic themed mazes you can use with your children. Many of us our out of school for the Summer but these would be great alongiside Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and anytime you are studying the USA.

Each USA themed maze features follow up questions, handwriting practice or a tracing activity and can be used with children of all ages and abilities.

Print USA Mazes Free From BrainyMaze.com

Find More Free Mazes For Kids Here

Try our USA State by State Activity Packs Today!

USA State Mazes

September 13, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

This project has been in the works for a while now, and I’m so excited to release it this week in time for the 2016/17 school year! 50 State Mazes is a great addition to your US History or Geography studies and the perfect accompaniment to our USA State Activity Pack.

This new activity pack is included in our $15 USA Activity Bundle which includes:

U.S.A. Activity Pack

5o State Activity Pages: For each of the fifty states children map the location, capitol, landmarks, abbreviation, nickname, state flower, and state bird. Children color the state flag as well as the state flower and state bird with ample room to add interesting facts and notes. This activity pack includes two games to finish out your unit: USA Bingo & Roll Across America.

U.S.A. State Bird Art Cards

Children can color their way through our Nation’s state birds with these fun and realistic art cards. Each bird is shown with it’s unique markings for children to copy and color their own. Each bird features a coloring card, visual fact card for children to fill in, and memory matching cards. This set include 27 different birds as many states have the same state bird.

U.S.A. 50 State Mazes

50 State Mazes includes a fun and challenging maze for each of the 50 states. This activity pack is sure to excite your children during your U.S. Geography studies. Suggested age range is K-3rd for a challange, but older children will enjoy them as well.

Covered Wagon Craft

No need to purchase expensive kits, you can make this covered wagon with resources and supplies you probably already have one hand.
These wagons take a little bit of gluing but they are sure to be a hit with your young ones as you learn about pioneer life and The Oregon Trail.

Materials:

Popsicle Sticks
Skill Sticks
Brown Paper Bag
Cardboard
Hot Glue or Wood Glue

Suggest Resources for a Unit Study:

Art Project Tutorial:

Step 1

Using your Skill Sticks create the bed of your wagon. We built ours three sticks high all the way around

Step 2

Using regular Popsicle sticks, create a frame by gluing four of them together at the corners.

Step 3

After the corners dry, glue more sticks across the middle to form a solid plank. Then turn it over and apply glue to the bottom two Popsicle Sticks.

Step 4

Set your Wagon bed onto the glue and let dry. If you're using a glue gun this step is much quicker, the wood glue will take a while to dry and you should set it somewhere where it won't be moved.

Step 5

(This is an optional step, we did to keep our canvas up) Using 4 Popsicle sticks, glue them around the sides of the wagon like posts.

Step 6

Cut a long rectangle shape from your paper bag. We used the side of the bag and that width worked pretty well. Curve up the edges as shown in the picture.

Step 7

Glue your paper bag to your wagon. We used wood glue, so we had to put on these little binder clips to hold it in place while it dried. If you have a glue gun, it would really speed up the process here.

Step 8

Using a small coffee cup, trace 4 circles onto your cardboard. Cut them out and poke a small hole in the center of each of them.

Step 9

Insert a Popsicle Stick into each of the wheels. You can use a glue gun around the sides if the hold is to big and they get loose.

Step 10

Glue the Popsicle sticks together to make the axle. You'll have two sets of wheels like this.

Step 11

Glue the axles to the bottom of your wagon. Make sure that your front and back wheels are sitting evenly, and make any necessary adjustments.

All Done

After your wagon is complete, it's time to fill it up with some pioneer goodies! Make little scrap quilts and boxes, pots and pans, or even a clay family to put inside!

Fourth of July Lapbook & Printables

June 26, 2014 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a way to sneak in a little Summer learning?Be sure you check out our Free Fourth of July Lapbook at Lapbook Lessons.Â The lapbook is available in easy download format and includes minibooks, shapebooks, matchbook facts, and more.Children can learn WHY we celebrate the Fourth of July, and what it means to have true freedom in Christ.Includes:
Independence Day Cover Sheet
Fourth of July Minibook
Firework Colors Flapbook
Fourth of July Vocabulary
Bible Verse Copywork
Freedom Shapebooks
Fourth of July Flagbook
Fourth of July Coloring Page
and more….You can expand on learning with our free printables below:

Preschool Bible Printables on Christian Preschool Printables

Includes:
God Bless America Coloring Sheet
USA Flag with Bible Verse
God Bless America Star Craft
God Bless America Wreath

K-5 Bible Printables on BibleStoryPrintables.com

Includes:
God Bless America Coloring Page
American Flag Bible Verse Copywork
Patriotic Prayer Journal
God Bless the USA Bible Bookmarks

Pledge of Allegiance PrintablesÂ

Star Spangled Banner VisualsÂ

From Teacher Gifts on Little Blots of Faith
(You can get some fun goodies from the Dollar Tree and wrap them with these custom labels)

Includes:
God Bless America Lollipop Sleeves
God Bless America Pencil Flags

Fourth of July File Folder Game on File Folder Fun

Fourth of July Crafts & Activities on The Crafty Classroom

Includes:
American Flag Craft
Bald Eagle Balloon
Mayflower Craft
Mt. Rushmore Craft
Religious Freedom
Statue of Liberty
Symbolic Flag Craft
Tricorn Hat Craft

Patriotic Coloring Pages (Assemble into a classroom quilt)

There are otherÂ Patriotic Preschool PrintablesÂ available here too.

Lewis and Clark Unit Study Review

September 22, 2012 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

This year, in addition to continuting our Ancient History lessons,
we’re also going to be learning about the adventures of Lewis and Clark.

Just mentioning Lewis and Clark brings up so many thoughts and ideas for
hands-on crafts and activities. With such a rich topic, it gets a bit overwhelming for me…
and my brain spins a thousand miles an hour with plans!

Sometimes I’m able to get all my ideas in order.
But most often I spend more time “planning” our activities then actually “doing” them.

And while planning is fun…sometimes letting someone else plan can be funner.
(Yup. Funner. And I’m not appologizing)

There are so many different ways to purchase preplanned homeschool curriculum
but Unit Studies have been one of our favorites.

What is a Unit Study?
Why choose Unit Studies?

Homeschool Legacy has sent us their Once-a-Week Lewis and Clark Unit Study to review!

Here’s why a Once-a-Week Unit Study
method is so appealing to me:

It’s preplanned.
It’s organized.
It’s simple.
It’s inexpensive.
It’s hands-on.
It’s adaptable.

I’ve seen many different unit studies over the years, but Homeschool Legacy has some unique components to their products:

Here is what stands out about Once-a-Week Unit Study:

Biblically Centered. The beginning of each week contains a family devotional related to the following study. This is not a simple verse or bible story suggestion, this is a full page devotional that you can simply read together as a family. This was such a great surprise and I love that during this unit I don’t have to plan as much.

Includes American Heritage Girls and BoyScout badge completion.

This is really exciting news! I have a daughter in AHG, and three upcoming Boyscouts. I’ve often felt so guilty about not keeping track of our studies as dilligently as I could to fulfill badge requirements. Once-a-Week Unit Studies has all of the requirements laid out with suggestions for activities to meet them. Amazing, and obviously my daughter is excited to learn that she can “double-dip” her school studies with her badge studies.

Here are some other great features:

-Lots of FREE suggestions for resources, and many of the books are actually stocked in the library.

-Encourages use of a History Timeline

-Hands on activities and crafts! Oh the joy of crafts!

-Factual Information included in the study, and wonderful background history.

-Very organized and easy to follow schedule. You can use this as your core and build around it or use it as a supplement, it’s up to you.

-Additional book suggestions for non-readers and early readers so your little ones can join the study.

-Would be perfect alongside a Once-a-Week Co-Op

Lewis and Clark: From Sea to Shinning Sea Unit Study retails for $19.99
7 weeks, Grades 2-12
Boy Scout Merit Badge: Nature
American Heritage Girls Badge: Nature & Wildlife

Best of all Homeschool Legacy has 10 other Unit Studies!
Knights and Nobles and We The People look especially appealing to me!

If you’d like to read reviews on additional titles check out these reviews by other TOS Crew members here.

Disclaimer: I received a free download of Lewis and Clark Unit Study in exchange for my honest review of the product.