This is our first year homeschooling. We are about to finish term 2 in Module 1. We’ll finish the module over the summer since we are starting year round school this next year. I am presently homeschooling DD7 and will add DS5 this summer. I want to add some American history as Charlotte Mason suggested learning their own nation’s history along with world history. What are some great living books for young children? Should I bother with going chronologically through it or just read some books on various events and famous people?
You could do it either way. There are lots of great books for that age. We enjoyed Mara Pratt’s American History Stories of four volumes. It’s available on audio, too. We have loads of individual books, too, that have been good reads.
D’Aulaire wrote some wonderful biographies for that age. My girls enjoyed them last year and they were also 7 and 5. Beautiful Feet has a great lit recommendation for that age that encompasses early Am History.
I’ve been reading Stories of Great Americans for LIttle Americans by Eggleston with my dd6 this year dn we are enjoying it. You can probably find it free for Kindle online somewhere (but without the pictures most likely), or you can purchase it through Yesterday’s Classics or Heritage History (nicely formatted with pictures.) They are short little chapters you could read once or twice week alongside another module without adding too much bulk to your school week.
Look for books by D’Aulaire, Jean Fritz, or Diane Stanley. Jean Fritz, especially, is one author my kids love. And Then What Happened Paul Revere and Can’t You Make them Behave, King George were two of my kids’ favorites.
I started out trying to go chronologically with American alongside our Ancient History – it was a bit overwhelming for ds 7. Since he is a good reader, I now just give him lots of Am. History books to read on his own. And he loves them! He finds it all interesting and is making connections with the people he reads about and the things he hears about or watches on tv. (and he doesn’t think its “school” lol)
I would totally second the Eggleston book. Rachel on this forum recommended it to me a couple years ago and ds LOVED it. I used it as his reading practice in K. He will still go back and re-read stories from it on his own.
I’m trying to figure out the same thing – my husband and I really love history and want to add in American History in additon to the SCM history rotation. I’ve been kicking around the idea of two histories and trying to mentally sort out how it’s all going to work. My kids are about the same ages as yours, just a little bit younger. (DS7 and DD 4 1/2). Here’s a link to Mara Pratt’s books, from the Baldwin project, if you go to the far left you can click on the different chapters and read through more of it than the pdf preview.
Sorry! I haven’t been around much over the weekend. Thank you so much for all the book suggestions! I think I’ll just select some books to read throughout the year and not worry about going chronologically. That will come with the modules anyway. For now we will just enjoy learning about different events and people in our nation’s history. I know some of these books we can get from the library, so that is a plus! Thanks again!
Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
The topic ‘American History for Little Ones’ is closed to new replies.