Category: Social Studies
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Taj Mahal Paper Model
We are studying India in social studies. It is fascinating and slightly overwhelming. There is so much to learn. There are so many different cultures, languages, religions, and history to cover all in one country. You really could spend a solid year covering India. We are reading a lot of books. I will share any…
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Field Trip: Stranahan House Ghost Tour
This time of the year many historical sights offer “ghost tours.” The Stranahan House in Fort Lauderdale has teamed up with the water taxi and offers a hauntingly historical ghost tour. What I liked about this tour was that it kept to the history, was spooky not scary, and included an evening boat ride. It…
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Studying Japan
We have been studying Japan. We stumbled upon this true account of the first person to ever come to the United States from Japan. The book is a fascinating tale of two vastly different cultures and one boy’s encounter with both. If you are studying Japan I would definitely put it on your list. We…
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Pilgrim Study
We have been studying the pilgrims. We had mildly studied the pilgrims in the past. This year we wanted to really study the subject in depth. We read a lot of books on the pilgrims; and really enjoyed learning about these brave and remarkable people that laid the foundation of our country. The following books…
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Kids In the Kitchen: Apple Chips
As I mentioned last week we made the most scrumptious apple chips when we were studying Johnny Appleseed. We used a mandolin to cut the apples in very thin slices. We placed the apple slices on the trays of the dehydrator. We found this wonderful cinnamon and sugar grinder at Trader Joes. The kids ground…
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Johnny Appleseed
Oh how I wish you could smell my house right now! It has that delightful aroma of fall. Today, we studied John Chapman more commonly known as Johnny Appleseed. In celebration we made apple chips sprinkled with freshly ground cinnamon and sugar. They made a seriously delicious fall snack. We also read several books which…
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Kids In the Kitchen: Making Beef Jerky
We have been studying explorers. We found the Franklin expedition particularly interesting (see previous post). When reading the tales of all these explorers you naturally read about the trials and tribulations with their food. They had to bring items that could last as long as possible. Beef jerky, hardtack, and salted fish were all common…
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Field Trip: The Boston Freedom Trail
When the kids were small we walked the Boston Freedom Trail. It was an epic fail. My husband and I would dutifully stop and read the plaques and briefly try to explain the historical significance. Before long we had disgruntled children and weary parents who were simply trying to keep their kids from being hit…
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It is so important to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day. Freedom is most definitely not free. Now that our children are older, we really wanted them to take a little time to remember those who gave their lives for our country. We decided to ride our bikes to a cemetery near our home that…
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Memorial Day Class
We took this class on “Currclick”. I highly recommend it. It is ten dollars and worth every penny. How many kids simply look at Memorial Day as nothing more than a day off? Thanks to this class I don’t think my children will ever forget the true meaning of Memorial Day and those individuals who…