American History

I also use TQ and love it, but for a 6 yr. old, for just an overview and getting into the habit of narration and interest in his Country and it’s main players, I’d just focus on basic peoples of America, told in story form, that he should know and start TQ next year.

I’d really recommend reading through Edward Eggleston’s “Stories of Great Americans for Little American’s” Age 6 is perefect for this book: http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Great-Americans-Edward-Eggleston/dp/0965273520

There are also some other wonderful children’s books that are colorful that tell about our flag and the statue of Liberty, etc…the basics. I don’t have time now, but if you like  can track the authors down for you for that age group that will encourage his interest and basic knowledge of American symbols, etc…

Let me know if you’d like some titles and/or authors that would expose him well and start that love of Country and History,

Rachel

http://www.heritage-history.com/store/clib_young_list.html

This links to a list of free online books, including American History, for young readers.  The Eggleston book is there, and I recommend America First by Evans. 

In the literature section for some reason the links don’t work for the Otis books, but if you go to the homepage you can find them.  Nice stories from kids points of view.

The Heritage History site is an excellent resource. I’ll try to be as concise as possible, but there are a lot of good books. Remember, what you don’t use this year, save for later as they reach across several ages; the majority of what I’m going to give you can be found at the library, but some I recommend buying (they’re so cheap used) so your child can flip through on his own over and over and the info. will be absorbed as different points a he ages, so they are good to own. I believe in having books all over the place, or how ever you arrange them, to be picked up and just read. I have some for read alouds and some, if yours is already beginning to read, can read on his own. Schedule how you see fit. Perhaps read the overview book. then another book to go into more deteail after reading that chapter in your overview book. It’s a way of reading a spine, then reading you and/or he reading individual books to support what was just read in the spine. Others won’t have a ‘spine’ support, so just read whenever or schedule him to read it, if he’s able, other wise take turns readiing. Also, continue pin pointing the areas on the map and historical maps, like the American series of maps from KNwedge Quest for him to color.Just some suggestions.

Here’s a site to peruse and keep (I print these out and highlight the ones I want to read in a year to go along with a ‘spine’ and then check them off as they are read), here’s a specific one, but the home page is great!: http://www.valerieslivingbooks.info/garrard.htm

The Children’s Book of America-Willima Bennett (keeper);  

By LYnne Cheney-America: A PAtriotic Primer, A is for Abigail; Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America and the other 2 by her as he gets into the middle grades.

Roger Duvoison’s “And there was America”       

Several Alice Dalgliesh-The Columbus Story; America BEgins; The Thanksgivig Story; The Fourth of July Story.

Paul Revere’s Ride”, Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand

The Rachel and Obadiah series by Brinton Turkle, there are 3 or 4-set in early 1800’s in Nantucket, lessons on humility and responsibility and perseverance.

Ronald Syme (love his histories, just check the ages), these are your son’s age-Desoto: Finder of the Mississippi, Balboa: Finder of the Pacific; Captain John PAul Jones; others by him at Amazon.

Barbera Shilller-Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky

A historical fiction by Jonathan Hunt-Leif’s Saga, A Viking’s Tale

By Ann McGovern-Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving

There are some mini bios of the ready to read books, if you like those, some do, some don’t; I personally am not a fan of them. There is a variety of historical characters presented in the series. Or you can wait until he’s old enough to read through Childhood of Famous Americans and LAndmark Books, which are better written, but it’s up to you.

Westward movement books-Pioneer Girl:The Story of LAura Ingalls Wilder by William Anderson; Black Cowboy Wild Horses:A True Story by Julius Lester; John Henry by Julius Lester all in your child’s age range.

Look up Gail Gibbons and Eve Bunting books-excellent variety and Bunting’s illustrations and gently delivered topics are great.

American TAll Tales-Mary Pope Osbourne

The Pledge of Allegience-Scholastic

The Story of the Statue of LIberty-Betsy Maestro and The Statue of LIberty Step into Reading

G-d Bless America book + cd-Irving Berlin

America the Beautiful-Katherine Bates

Star Spangled Banner-Peter Spier (check out all his books)

Your a Grand Old Flag-George M. Cohan, Norman Rockwell illustrations (music and art study, too!)

Our Flag was Still There-Tracy Michele (don’t know age recommendations, but it is lovely and recommended by good sources elsewhere).

Other authors that have histories, some for now (like Jean Fritz) and some for later, including Jean Fritz, Cheryl Harness, Sam Fink and James Knight.

Audio sources of great dramatized stories, your child will pick up and enjoy history: Jim Weiss’s American Tall Tales for ages 5 and up and 7 and up Thomas Jefferson’s America and Abraham Lincoln and the Heart of America. MIne liked the Thomas Jefferson at a later age, we haven’t listened to Abe Lincoln’s yet.

Your Story Hour-Great Stories Series #1-7; Your Story Hour Vol. #6 and #7. Best prices at LIbrary and Educational Services website. For after he’s 8, I highly recommend Living Principles of America set, I’ve found best price at Sing ‘n Learn, but look around when the time comes or you can collect them gradually. Lastly, come around that same age is from Mantle Ministries called the Historical Devotionals, can be bought individually or as a set; very good.

Lastly, for reading aloud after you finish Eggleston’s, if you choose that one, is America First from Yesterday’s Classics and Fifty Famous Stories, which has World and US legendary figures which will instill interst and general knowledge. And for you, I recommend resoureces from Wallbuilders and National Center for Constitutional studies, because you can’t answer his questions or educate him without educating yorself or in my experince, unlearn some things.

Remember coloring books from Dover for these time periods and perhaps use a US History Map book from either KNowledge Quest (or can save for later w/TQ)I found the maps.com United States History Atlas useful.

ANd the most fun for him will be Wee Sing America book and cd-look for best price. IMO, next year will be a great time to start digging in deeper with TQ and hands on activities from Hands and Hearts or Homeschool in the Woods, and/or check out the “American Kids in History” series, which has activities for different timeperiods. Check your library and Amazon for all the titles. However, for his age, the books by LAurie Carlson would seem to fit the best: example:Colonial KIds: An activity Guide to LIfe in the New World’.

HTH,

Rachel

You’re so very welcome and I am so thankful that you feel blessed! I pray it provides you with resources for several years of reading enjoyment for ya’ll. I did forget to mention the Nest videos/DVD’s of Animated Heroes Classic Series he may enjoy now or next year (when he’s 7). just like most of the books above you should be able to get through the library, you may be able to get the Nest videos, too; and for later, when he’s 8 or 9, getting a hold of Liberty’s Kids. My 9 yr. olds are enjoying it streaming from Netflix now, but I don’t think they would’ve enjoyed it as much before this age.

Rachel

Hi Jeanine

I am doing Module 1 and 2 (Egypt condensed and then start Greece) with my daughter who is in 2nd grade.  We are doing AHYS1 this year too as Ohio requires US history every year.  So far we are liking the 1 book we started (we are only in our 2nd week of school).   I am picking out main players and may need to alter as we go along, but we do 2 days of WH and 2 days of US history for 30 min each time.  I know CM would cringe at the 30 min but my daughter really enjoys history so we are mostly reading a chapter here and then a chapter again later on in the day. 

So far so good – my biggest problem is that my dd would have me KEEP reading – in fact I think we are going to end up doing about 3 chapters in Boy of the Pyramid today because it is so good.  🙂 🙂

I’m doing the geography for year 2, but starting with Egypt since we are currently studying egypt.

I would be happy to share with you what i am doing for the TQ part if you like.  Let me know.  I just chose broad topics for the most part and will be using H.A. Guerber’s Story of the 13 colonies to fill in holes when I can’t get a book I want.

HTH

Blessings

Kelly