history

Dates to Remember in July

June 30, 2016 by Jenna

Even though I’m not overly fond of summer, July has always been one of my favorite months—my birthday being in July probably has something to do with it. Besides the obvious holiday in July, there are many other notable events to remember.

July 1, 1863, began the three-day battle of Gettysburg, a desperate attempt by General Robert E. Lee to relieve the strain on his own Confederate troops by invading the North. The battle became the turning point of the Civil War, in favor of the Union. I’ve always wanted to visit Gettysburg because being there and seeing it would help make history—which is not my strongest subject—come alive for me. Visiting the park could make a great field trip. Learn more about the events leading up to Gettysburg in American Republic.

July 8, 1776, four days after the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, was the first public reading of the Declaration. The National Archives and Records Administration displays a complete transcript of the Declaration on its website. Reenacting that day from 240 years ago by reading the document to your children would be a great way to celebrate our nation’s independence. Or you could imagine with your children what it would have been like to live through those events.

July 16 to July 20th, 1969, was the historic space journey of Apollo 11. There are many activities you can do with your children to celebrate Moon Day, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like to stand where Neil Armstrong stood and contemplate the vastness and the silence of God’s creation.

July 28, 1866, marks the birth of Beatrix Potter, English author and illustrator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Potter wrote and illustrated more than twenty children’s books. Interestingly, a previously lost Beatrix Potter book entitled The Tale of Kitty in Boots was discovered in 2013 and will be published this coming September.

Also on July 28, in 1858, William Herschel—a British magistrate in India—began using people’s fingerprints to authenticate documents. His use of fingerprints eventually opened the door for the use of fingerprints in solving crimes. For a fun hands-on experiment with fingerprints, try this activity!

On July 31, 1790, Samuel Hopkins was issued the first patent in the United States. Hopkins had developed a process for creating potash, an ingredient in fertilizer. Since Hopkins’s patent, more than 6 million patents have been issued—that probably includes several kitchen sinks!

What other event would you add to this list? Comment and let us know what else is going on in July!

Remembrance in Action: A Memorial Day Project

May 24, 2016 by Guest Writer

Memorial Day blends sadness with gratitude as we remember those who died in the service of our country. Unlike Veterans’ Day, which honors the soldiers who served and returned, Memorial Day recognizes those who gave up their lives fighting for freedom. Keeping Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day straight is difficult for kids, but doing activities and writing about the day will help them understand its meaning.

Step 1. Adopt a Soldier

About a week before Memorial Day, choose a soldier to remember. Perhaps there is someone in your family who gave his or her life while serving in the armed forces, or perhaps you know of a family friend or a neighbor who lost a loved one in war. If possible, choose someone whose grave is in your area, so that you and your children can visit briefly as part of your Memorial Day project.

Step 2. Do Some Research

Once you have chosen a soldier to remember, it’s time to do some research about him or her. The individual’s birth date, date of death, hometown, place of service, and other details are all helpful pieces of information that you can find out online or from the soldier’s family members. Learning a little bit about the soldier will make him more real to your children and deepen the meaning of his sacrifice. While they research, kids can take notes using this graphic organizer.

Step 3. Write About It

Younger children can write a few sentences about what they have learned, in the form of a short narrative or a timeline. Visual learners may enjoy drawing some illustrations to go with the written part. Older kids can turn their research into an essay about Memorial Day or the price of freedom; or they could design a timeline with information and illustrations to celebrate the soldier’s life. Posting photos of the project on Facebook, gifting the illustrations to the soldier’s living relatives, or reading the essay aloud to a group of fellow homeschoolers are just a few ways that your children can share their projects.

Step 4. Make a Stars and Stripes Wreath

To adorn your soldier’s grave on Memorial Day, you and your kids can make a red, white, and blue wreath reminiscent of the American flag. You’ll need the following supplies:

Red, white, and blue bandanas from a dollar store or thrift shop
A wreath form from a craft store
Twist ties
White felt
A hot-glue gun

Wrap blue bandanas around the left side of the wreath, securing them with twist ties and leaving the ends free. Once you have done about half of the wreath, wrap the remaining portion in alternating red and white bandanas. Cut a couple dozen five-pointed stars from the white felt and hot-glue them onto the blue bandanas.

Step 5. Decorate a Soldier’s Grave

On Memorial Day, take the kids to visit their soldier’s grave. Check with the cemetery to make sure it’s okay for you to leave the wreath at the grave to honor the soldier’s memory.

What other activities have you done to teach your kids the importance of Memorial Day? Share them with me in a comment.

• • • • •

Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Three Reasons to Teach History Chronologically

May 19, 2016 by Ben

Maybe I’m the only one who has this experience, but sometimes when I start telling someone a story about one of my daughters, I see a confused look on the person’s face. Realizing that I’ve left out some critical background information, I backtrack. Once it seems my audience understands, I jump back into the flow of my story, but suddenly moving through time causes them more confusion. Soon the interest and the point of my anecdote is lost.

Teaching history is a lot like that. If you jump around, it can get confusing and seem pointless. That’s why history is best presented chronologically through a textbook—from the beginning of time and progressing in order up to the present. Here are three reasons why teaching history chronologically is best for our children.

It encourages their interest.

When you teach history chronologically, you will find compelling human drama. When told beginning to end, history has conflict, interesting characters, and dramatic reversals. Chronological teaching leads to narrative that is far more fascinating than a string of dates and bold terms. Narrative communicates that history is full of real people making interesting choices.

It provides them clarity.

One of the current trends in public education is to abandon the chronological approach in favor of a thematic approach to teaching history. For example, a teacher could present a unit on “the American identity” and crisscross history to determine what that identity is. This might be helpful for history students in a graduate-level seminar, but not for young children who are just being introduced to history.

Barbara Tuchman, one of my favorite historians, argues that the goal of history is to present the past as it really happened: “Chronological narrative is the spine and the blood stream that bring history closer to ‘how it really was.’”¹

That makes complete sense. We live life in an ongoing succession of time. How else can we honestly and clearly present the past except for progressing from one event to the next chronologically? You can also help your children clearly understand history by presenting the chronology visually (i.e., with a timeline).

It develops their critical thinking.

In teaching history, we have the opportunity to develop our children’s critical thinking skills. Chronology presents the best way to develop those skills. When we study a major event, say the Civil War, we start with all of the events and people that contributed to the hostilities between the North and the South. By telling the stories of these people and events, we present the causes of the war. After the war, there are more people and events. These are the effects of the war. This approach teaches our children that events have causes and effects—a concept they can apply to the present. Where are events going? What are the likely effects of this choice? Chronological presentation of history prepares children to do the kind of analysis that will help them become wise citizens.

When something interesting or funny happens at home, I want to share it with my friends at work or church. But if I don’t plan out the presentation of the personal experience, those listening to my story often lose interest, get confused, or fail to see the joke. Teaching history requires the same kind of careful planning. Browse our history series, called Heritage Studies. It provides that careful chronological approach.

1. Practicing History (New York: Random House, 1982), 9.

Remember These Dates in May

April 28, 2016 by Meredith

It’s not often that the name of a month can also be used as another part of speech. In fact, I think only three months qualify—May (verb), March (verb), and August (adjective). So here’s my wish for you: may your month of May be filled with wonderful possibilities! Here are a few celebrations for your family to add to your list.

May 5

Alan Shepard entered space in 1961. He was the first American astronaut to do so. His space flight on a Mercury spacecraft lasted less than sixteen minutes, but it proved to be a successful step toward our country’s future voyages to the moon. Learn more about Alan Shepard and his contribution to our space program.

May 8

It’s mothers’ special day! Mothers everywhere deserve recognition for giving the gift of life. And having a godly mother is a special blessing from the Lord. Have you been blessed by having a “Titus 2 woman” in your life? Thank (or remember) her on this day with your words and actions.

May 10

Completion of the transcontinental railroad took place this day in 1869. Civil War veterans, Irish immigrants, and Chinese immigrants built a railroad track that would connect our nation. One team (Union Pacific) worked its way west while the other team (Central Pacific) pushed east. They met in Promontory Point near Ogden, Utah. The transcontinental railroad brought change to the Great Plains as people and agricultural products moved easily across the grasslands, but the vast herds of buffalo the nomadic Indians depended on declined after that. Use this video to show your kids how the transcontinental railroad changed America.

May 12

Celebrate Limerick Day by creating a rhyme. Usually humorous in tone, a limerick consists of five lines and has a defined meter (often anapestic) and rhyming scheme (AABBA). The first line introduces a person and place and establishes the poem’s main rhyming scheme. Ask your kids to write their own limericks—just copy this example (by Eileen Berry and Dawn Watkins) from BJU Press Reading 4 (2nd edition):

There was an old man from Pompeii
Who gave talks on volcanoes each day.
When the mountain erupted,
He got interrupted
And forgot what he wanted to say.

May 14

The Lewis and Clark expedition began on this date in 1804. Sent by President Jefferson, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark and their Discovery Corps set out to explore the regions of the Louisiana Territory, which our nation had purchased from the French. Beginning at the Mississippi River, the expedition traveled west and documented geography, peoples, and vegetation. See what date they reached the Pacific Ocean, and use this interactive lesson to teach your kids about this important expedition.

May 21

On this date Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881. During the American Civil War, Clara Barton saw a need to provide supplies and medical aid to people. Known as the “Angel of the Battlefield,” she used her skills to fulfill God’s command that we love our neighbors (Matthew 22:36–40). After the war, Clara traveled to Europe and learned about the International Red Cross organization that provided relief to the sick and wounded. An inspiring role model, Barton’s service to others reached global proportions when she was given presidential approval for the United States to join the Red Cross network. Learn more about her achievements and take a virtual tour of her home, which served as the headquarters of the American Red Cross.

May 24 & 27

Ever since studying Physics in high school, I have found bridges fascinating. Their history, beautiful designs, and construction amaze me. On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge opened to connect Brooklyn and Manhattan. A little over fifty years later, California’s Golden Gate Bridge opened on May 27, 1937, spanning San Francisco Bay.

Learn about John A. Roebling and how he and his family influenced the construction of both bridges.
See how the Brooklyn Bridge influenced America in this video.
Find tips for visiting the Golden Gate Bridge.
Learn about the history of the Golden Gate Bridge with these FAQs.

May 30

Today we honor those in the armed services who gave their lives for us so that we could be free. Taking time to reflect on their sacrifice as well as the sacrifice of their families should make us grateful. Use this blog post to teach about the history of Memorial Day and find ways your kids can participate in this holiday.

What observances are you adding to this list? Let me know in a comment below!

Remember These Dates in January

December 29, 2015 by Meredith

As we think toward a new year and all that it has to offer, take time to set some goals. Personally, I love the truth of Lamentations 3:22–23, which provides hope for all 366 days of 2016! May you rejoice in new beginnings and take time to share your faith with others. And when you need something to recognize, remember these dates in January in your homeschooling.

January 1

The Ellis Island federal immigration station opened in 1892. This small speck of land in New York Harbor holds such an important place in our nation’s history because Ellis Island is the place where many immigrants first began to experience what it truly means to be an American—the freedoms, joys, hopes, and sacrifices. My own family’s history has connections to Ellis Island since my great-grandfather was one of the millions of people who started their journey here. Link this island to your kids’ understanding of history by completing a passenger search for your own ancestors or view a timeline of Ellis Island.

January 7

On this date in 1610, Galileo Galilei saw Jupiter’s largest moons. These four moons—Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede—are called the Galilean moons. His discovery of these celestial bodies orbiting another planet convinced Galileo that Earth was not at the center of our universe. Make a telescope as a family and enjoy viewing the night sky. You’ll want to bundle up!

January 14

Henry Ford introduced the assembly line on this day in 1914, and processes have never been the same since! The principles of supply and demand probably played a major role in Mr. Ford’s implementation of the assembly line. He recognized that having someone become an expert at one task instead of trying to do many tasks would speed up the process of building a car. It would also make the cars more secure as workers focused on one part at a time. Henry Ford’s influence on the American auto industry was largely due to his success at increasing car production. Introduce your kids to the idea of an assembly line by setting one up as you make sandwiches or set the table for lunch!

January 15

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was born this day in 1929. Dr. King used his gifts as a speaker to gather support for civil rights legislation. He advocated nonviolent resistance to bring political pressure on cities and on the nation to change unjust laws and practices. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is probably best known for organizing the march on Washington where he delivered his now-famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Sadly, despite Dr. King’s support of nonviolence, it was a violent time in our nation’s history. He himself was murdered on April 4, 1968. Talk to your kids about the dreams Dr. King mentioned in his speech. Have his dreams been achieved?

January 19

Edgar Allan Poe entered the scene on this date in 1809. Poe stands as the first American writer to influence others in poetry, fiction, and literary criticism. The short story genre in particular took a clearer shape as he contributed the principles of brevity (short enough to read in one sitting) and unity (producing a single emotional effect). Poe wasn’t a Christian and believed that beauty and truth are mutually exclusive, so he failed to appreciate a literary work’s ability to teach. His stories may be entertaining, but to me they communicate the hopelessness we all experience apart from Christ. Still, Poe’s works offer a good example for aspiring writers in terms of stylistic elements worth imitating. Have your older kids read aloud his most famous poem, “The Raven,” and discuss the philosophy he suggests in the questions posed by the narrator. How would our beliefs as Christians be different from his?

Check back next month when we highlight other dates to remember!