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history

23 DIY: free History Guides – Ancient Civilizations to Modern History

August 21, 2017 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Below, I have 23 free unit studies which cover ancient civilizations to modern history. Depending on your objectives, the unit studies can be used to supplement homeschool history or they can be used as stand alone.

Content subjects are not really grade level. If you need an explanation, click here to read Skill Subjects vs. Content Subjects: What’s the Difference. If you waited to study the American Civil War until 7th grade, then introductory information is just that. It doesn’t really matter if you cover that topic in 4th grade or 7th grade. However, do adjust books and writing for each level, but even that is doable when you have a framework of where to begin.

Also below, I’ve included tips for teaching hands-on history because it’s such a valuable part of bring history from boring to bam. Teaching history doesn’t have to always include some over the top hands-on activity, so a lot of the ones are easy to do.

23 free DIY History Guides from Ancient Civilization to Modern History. Unlike skill subjects which require a certain sequence of objectives to follow, a content subject like history does not. Creating diy history guides become a way of hooking your kids on history because the focus is on topics which interests them.Click here to grab the guides!

23 DIY: History Guides

Medieval to Middle Ages - Glass blowing lapbook and homeschool unit study.
Medieval to Middle Ages - Marco Polo lapbook and homeschool unit study
Medieval Japan
▼ Exploring to Revolution - The American Revolution HUGE lapbook and free homeschool unit s
Daniel Boone lapbook and homeschool unit study.
Exploring to Revolution - French and Indian War
Exploring to Revolution - French Revolution lapbook and homeschool unit study.
▼ Exploring to Revolution - Lewis and Clark HUGE lapbook and homeschool unit study.
▼ Exploring to Revolution - Plains Indians lapbook and HUGE homeschool unit study.
American History | Titanic Lapbook
The Trail of Tears lapbook and homeschool unit study.
Westward Ho HUGE lapbook and homeschool unit study
American History | Civil War Lapbook
World War II lapbook and homeschool history unit study.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Hands on American History

If you are looking for a more formal, but flexible framework in which to cover history, then my favorite curriculum for covering history in broad strokes is Brimwood Press. It’s very unusual because it covers history in 14 lessons. It’s great for a variety of learners :

  • diy homeschoolers who may want to cover history in broad strokes,
  • homeschoolers who want a framework, but want to fill in with details which interests them,
  • and homeschoolers who hate history because the focus was on dates instead of the action-packed lives of history makers.

Look at these other posts to help you.

How to Teach Homeschool History (Easily) in Just 14 Lessons

4 Shortcuts to Teach Hands-on American History in Half the Time,  How to Teach History in 14 Lessons (From Daunting to Doable), and Start the Homeschool Year Off Right: 5 History Ideas for the First Week.

Hugs and love ya,

23 free DIY History Guides from Ancient Civilization to Modern History. Unlike skill subjects which require a certain sequence of objectives to follow, a content subject like history does not. Creating diy history guides become a way of hooking your kids on history because the focus is on topics which interests them. Click here to grab the guides!

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

Medieval to Middle Ages - Glass blowing lapbook and homeschool unit study.
Medieval to Middle Ages - Marco Polo lapbook and homeschool unit study
Medieval Japan
▼ Exploring to Revolution - The American Revolution HUGE lapbook and free homeschool unit s
Daniel Boone lapbook and homeschool unit study.
Exploring to Revolution - French and Indian War
Exploring to Revolution - French Revolution lapbook and homeschool unit study.
Exploring to Revolution - Iroquois Confederacy HUGE lapbook and homeschool unit study.
▼ Exploring to Revolution - Lewis and Clark HUGE lapbook and homeschool unit study.
▼ Exploring to Revolution - Plains Indians lapbook and HUGE homeschool unit study.
American History | Titanic Lapbook
The Trail of Tears lapbook and homeschool unit study.
Westward Ho HUGE lapbook and homeschool unit study
American History | Civil War Lapbook
World War II lapbook and homeschool history unit study.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Hands on American History

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Geography, History Resources Tagged With: american history, early American history, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources, historyspine, homeschoolhistory, medieval homeschool history

4 Shortcuts to Teach Hands-on American History in Half the Time

May 8, 2017 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

 Here are 4 shortcuts to teach hands-on American history in half the time.

For years I’ve fought my tendency to just stick a worksheet in front of my sons and call it American history.

Knowing that learning by doing is effective, but creating uncomplicated hands-on projects are two different things for me.

I tend to complicate and over-analyze the details of a history activity.

Next thing you know, and much to my kids’ disappointment, I’ve completely deleted any kind of fun learning activities from our day.

Can you relate?

For years I've fought my tendency to stick just a worksheet in front of my sons and call it American history. Knowing that learning by doing works but keeping hands-on ideas uncomplicated are two different things for me. I tend to complicate and over-analyze the details of a history activity. Next thing you know and much to my kids' disappointment, I've completely deleted any kind of fun learning activities from our day. Can you relate? Click here to read 4 shortcuts to teaching hands-on American history activities that are no fuss, no stress, and literally no preparation!

For review purposes, I was given these products for free and I was paid for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off. All opinions are my own and I will always tell you what is on my mind. Not every product gets a positive review. But because I carefully sort through numerous offers for reviews, it usually means that I’m giddy about the product when I do accept it. Read my full disclosure here.

So when I found out about the chance to use 8 family-friendly hands-on American history activity books from Dover Publications, I was tickled to check them out.

Key Benefits of Uncomplicated Hands-on American History

Having activities that an older and younger sibling can work on together is one sanity-saving tip.

When all of my children are engaged in learning together, they are more motivated while we do simple and fuss free hands-on American history activities.

The second tip I’ve learned is that sometimes I need activities that have little to no teacher prep time.

This doesn’t mean that I always want activities for my kids that take little time.

I want to maximize learning time while minimizing my time.

In addition, when needed, I want my kids to be able to self-teach, self-check or learn independently.

It seems like a lot to ask for, but I’ve had to widen my scope of what is a hands-on activity.

Adopting a view that hands-on American history crafts have to always be over the top is extreme.

Besides, my kids’ are always delighted when I’m not stressed out when we do simple activities. 

Look at these 4 simple shortcuts for learning American history with no fuss, no stress, and literally no preparation.

ONE/ Learn American history through using museum-quality coloring books.

When I started homeschooling, my house was full of useless coloring books.

As I attended more field trips, I found educational quality coloring books in museums.

Shortly thereafter, when I taught American history I used Dover Publications coloring books because of their educational value of events, people or objects.

  
Museum quality coloring books are books that make learning about events in American history come alive.

While studying the details of an accurately portrayed person or event, a child is engaged.

His imagination is stirred to think about a time period back in history.

For example, while coloring the pictures of each president, we researched about time period clothing and objects.

Reading the short captions about the presidents while looking at events on each page from a president’s term easily cements important American history events in my son’s mind.

Museum quality coloring books are a fascinating way to rekindle a child’s love for learning about history. And the best part is that there is no teacher prep.

Too, if you have a kid who prefers to color his way through learning the states rather than drawing them in a notebook or creating a lapbook, he’ll love completing a United States Coloring Book.

A younger kid can grab an atlas and locate each state as he reads information about the state motto, the state tree, and the date each state entered the Union.

Facts about the past then become something that is relevant today.

As your child researches about the plants and trees of each state, coloring to match the details of the flora and fauna of each state becomes a valuable teaching tool.

Paying attention to details when coloring and fostering the child’s natural desire for creativity leaves a lasting impression of what is learned.

TWO/ Build a Paper Model of the White House.

This next project, the whole family got in on because it was just plain fun.

Admittedly, my kids have spent way more time on digital devices than I have wanted them to.

How to Easily Turn an American History Research Topic into a Hands-on Learning Project

It’s been a struggle to find projects that are educational much less finding one that focuses on American history.

We were delighted to build the paper model of the White House.

Looking at pictures of the White House and noticing details he hadn’t paid attention to prior to constructing the paper model of the White House was a relaxed way to learn about the nation’s capital.

Not only did Tiny have to read directions carefully in putting together all the small paper pieces, but it took patience to glue them.

An unexpected benefit of building the paper model was learning the fundamentals of engineering.

THREE/ Use Activity Books to Teach American History.

For an older child there is no more engaging way to review the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution than to do a fun decoding activity in the U.S.A. Constitution Activity Book.

I wished I had introduced the Preamble in this way to my sons when they were younger instead of having them memorize it or fill out a worksheet.

Fun activities like crossword puzzles, mazes, finding hidden objects in a picture and comparing two pictures to see what is missing are relaxed and informal ways to teach facts about the nation’s capital.

If you have a younger child who needs help in fine motor skills, he’ll love being able to do mazes instead of having to color.

When the boys were real little, we did mazes a lot because I read about the benefits of learning how to problem solve.

Looking ahead in a maze and seeing what will work and not work is a fun way to learn problem solving skills.

The beauty of having a variety of activity books is that each child can choose what he loves to do the most.

The best part of activity books are that most of the solutions or answers are found in the back of the book. Again, no teacher needed.

FOUR/ Create Historical figures – the easy way. Use Paper Figures.

Unlike the White House paper model, which requires patience and wit to methodically put together, the historical paper models are easily punched out and glued.

It’s a great project for a younger kid who wants to be involved while you teach older kids.

One of the reasons teaching American history can be boring is that we wait until high school to teach it and then we do it through a dry textbook.

Raising a budding history lover begins with introducing him to historical figures of the past and present through imaginative play.

In addition, while reading about George Washington, the American Civil War, or any other historical person or significant time period, a younger child will have a way to act out events which your older kids are learning.

Until a child is old enough to understand how American history affects us today, he needs concrete learning tools. Stand Up Presidents gives him a chance to hold and touch history. (Sadly this is out of print right now, sometimes they come back .If they do I’ll do a link).

But here is another cool one which is George Washington and His Family Paper Dolls in Full Color.

You’re already aware of the benefits of using puppets for a young child to discover the joy of a story.

History is just one continuous story. And paper puppets draw in a young child and lets him be part of telling the story of our history.

Learning History Through Playing

Too, activity books are great for other reasons:

  • they can revive a child’s love of learning,
  • they can be used to take a break from formal learning,
  • they can be used on sick days,
  • they can be used for family bonding time,
  • they can help you to teach a subject like American history, which your child may not like,
  • they normally require just a few supplies to complete like pens, map coloring pencils, and glue,
  • and the best part is that all of your kids, regardless of age can learn together because of the wide range of activities offered in activity books.

Remember hands-on American history activities shouldn’t stress you out, cost a lot, or make a big mess for your child to retain the information. Grab one or two activity books and relax.

You’ll love the activity books from Dover Publications.

You’ll also love these other resources:

  • Free American History Lapbook – Learning about The Old West Through the Life of Wyatt Earp,
  • Free 27 Week American History Study through Lapbooking In Chronological Order
  • Pioneer Living and Cloth Dyeing (Hands-on History)
  • Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

2 CommentsFiled Under: Geography, Gift Ideas for Homeschoolers, Giveaways, Hands-On Activities, History Resources, Homeschool Curriculum Review, Middle School Homeschool, Product Review, Sponsored Posts, Teach Homeschool History Tagged With: american history, early American history, geography, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources, historyspine

Day 2. Ancient Mesopotamia (Hands-on History): Cook Sebetu Rolls

April 5, 2017 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.


I have a wonderful older book, Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors: An Activity Guide, which has been one of the best books for fun and easy hands-on history ideas for ancient civilizations. It has 4 sections in it: Hittites, Nubians, Mesopotamians and Egyptians. And today, in Day 2. Ancient Mesopotamia (Hands-on History): Cook Sebetu (seh-BAY-too) Rolls, I’m sharing a fun recipe to do while studying about Ancient Mesopotamia. But first, look at a few interesting facts about this area.

Day 2. Ancient Mesopotamia (Hands-on History): Cook Sebetu Rolls, I'm sharing a fun recipe to do while studying about Ancient Mesopotamia.

Even though Ancient Mesopotamia is a region, there were several civilizations in this area like the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians to name three of them. So there was a variety of food grown and cooked throughout each civilization but there were common foods to all of them.

MESOPOTAMIA- It TRULY is the CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

The book Mesopotamian Archaeology states: “Wheat and barley were grown on a large scale, and without doubt formed the staple food of the people, providing them with an ample supply of material for cakes and different kinds of bread, including milk loaves and black bread. The principal fruits which were cultivated at this period, were dates, figs, pomegranates and grapes: they were eaten cooked and uncooked, sometimes forming part of a fruit salad, at other times being made into fruit cakes. As regards vegetables, onions, radishes, cucumbers and beans appear to have been the most favoured.”

So we decided to make a staple from their diet which is bread and tweaking the recipe some from Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors: An Activity Guide to make Sebetu (seh-BAY-too) Rolls.

It piqued our interest because supposedly its based on a 3,000 year old recipe. Scholars found recipes written on clay tablets. This bread or crust was part of bird pie and a few ingredients have been changed. We don’t know what sasku flour is, so we’ll use just regular flour.

I love it when I have all the ingredients already which has to be a great standard for doing hands-on history projects. No fuss and simple are best.

Hands-on History

Look at this cast of characters that we had our house.

  • 1 c. flour
  • 2 t. olive oil
  • 1 clove fresh garlic (we used minced)
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1/4 c milk
  • 2 T water
  • 1-1/2 t. baking powder
  • 2 or 3 green onions (white part only)

Supplies: 1 big mixing bowl, one small bowl, cookie sheet, measuring spoons, 1 cup dry measure and a liquid measuring cup.

First, oil the cookie sheet and set aside. It doesn’t have to be much. I think we used a couple of teaspoons and wiped it on with a papertowel.

Then mix the flour and baking powder in large bowl and set aside.In the smaller bowl stir together water and salt. Add milk. Stir. And then add the 2 t. olive oil and stir.Mix in the garlic and we chopped the white part of the green onion a bit more fine before we added it to the liquid mixture. I think Tiny got some green part of the onion, but this isn’t science, so it was all good.He kneaded the dough as fast as he could and I’m sure not too long as he is not a patient cook.

There’s that cute baker (okay, okay).

Then he halved the dough to form 8 balls and baked them on 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. He cooked them a bit longer and checked like every two minutes. So about another 6 minutes or so.


I was shocked! The boys flipped out over how good the rolls were.

They said it reminded them of the biscuits at Red Lobster. They were absolutely delicious with the onion and garlic flavoring added to them.

And we were surprised to learn that the ancient recipes seemed so modern.

I think your kids will like this! Also, we love, love using Home School in the Woods as they have many hand-on and fun history projects for each time period.

Here are more activities you’ll like:

Go to my Ancient Civilization page for free lapbooks for the civilizations of Ancient Mesopotamia, and my Ancient Civilizations II page also has a free Mesopotamia book and Hands-on History Activities for Learning about Ancient Civilizations.

And here is first day in this series if you missed it:

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Ancient Civilizations, Hands-On Activities, History Based, History Resources Tagged With: ancient civilizations, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources, mesopotamia

5 BEST Books To Create An Around The World Unit Study | Easy Hands-on Ideas

March 15, 2017 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It’s possible to create a world unit study with a few great books. Also, look at my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more free unit studies.

The best way to learn about other parts of the world is through a book.

A book tells stories full of suspense, adventure and discovery.

Events that happened in a geographical area, at a certain time, or as they unfolded through the life of characters in history engage kids.

5 BEST Books To Create An Around The World Unit Study | Easy Hands-on Ideas

{Warning: Picture overload. This post has tons of pictures so you’ll be scrolling. These books are so beautiful and worth every penny so I want you to see lots of pictures!}

I was given these books for free and I was paid for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off. All opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. Not every product will get a positive review. Too, because I carefully sort through numerous offers for reviews, it usually means I’m giddy about the product when I do accept it. Read my full disclosure here.

  • The books are
  • Cleopatra Queen of Egypt,
  • Marco Polo History’s Great Adventurer,
  • Archie’s War – My Scrapbook of The First World War,
  • Into the Unknown – How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air and
  • John Muir America’s First Environmentalist.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study

Look at the list below and then look at the unit study ideas below as I break down each book.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study

I can’t wait to show you 5 best books to create an around the world unit study easily through stories by Candlewick Press.

Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt (Historical Notebooks)

The story of Cleopatra’s life has captured the imagination of countless writers and artists for centuries. As one of history’s most enduring figures, much lore has obscured the real woman behind the myth. Was she a beautiful and heartless schemer who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted? Or was Cleopatra a tragic victim of her own heart? This next volume in the acclaimed Notebook series offers a fascinating look into the world of one of Egypt’s most notorious leaders. Featuring a fictional journal that invites us into Cleopatra’s inner world, this is an exquisite guide bursting with gorgeous illustrations and packed with fun interactive extras such as flaps featuring historical facts and pop-culture references. This is a riveting volume rife with battles, passion, and even murderous intrigue — an exclusive look into the legendary queen’s dramatic life.

Marco Polo: History's Great Adventurer (Historical Notebooks)

Immerse yourself in this interactive introduction to one of the greatest explorers ever known.Travel along the Silk Road to medieval China with Marco Polo as your guide. Meet the warlord Kublai Khan and sail through pirate-infested seas in search of riches beyond measure. Including booklets, foldouts, and maps, as well as excerpts from The Travels of Marco Polo, this beautifully illustrated volume illuminates the adventures of history’s greatest storyteller.

Archie's War

Marcia Williams captures the Great War through a child’s eyes with a fascinating fictional scrapbook including real mementos of the day.Meet ten-year-old Archie, his family, and best friend in a scrapbook Archie has made himself, full of comic strips and plenty of other memorabilia. The year is 1914, and as the Great War begins, Archie’s scrapbook reflects the war’s impact on his life and on those who write back from the front. Marcia Williams retains her humor and energy as she employs a new collage style to present an intimate and compelling view of the
First World War and its era.

Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air

Ready to relive some of the most daring voyages of all time? Unfold these spectacular cross sections and explore fourteen historic journeys, with the help of dramatic storytelling and sidebars that highlight key concepts, places, and technology. Presented in a larger format to make these exciting journeys even more accessible and engaging.Back matter includes an index, a glossary, and sources.

John Muir: Candlewick Biographies: America's First Environmentalist

John Muir loved the land. Born in 1838, he was a writer, a scholar, an inventor, a shepherd, a farmer, and an explorer. But above all, he was a naturalist. John Muir was particularly devoted to the high cliffs, waterfalls, and ancient giant sequoia trees that, through his careful influence, were set aside as Yosemite, one of the first national parks in America. Here is the life story of the man who, moved by a commitment to wilderness everywhere, founded the Sierra Club in 1892, a conservation group that carries on his crucial work to this day. Back matter includes an epilogue, a bibliography, and information about the Sierra Club.

The first book Cleopatra Queen of Egypt is for ages 8-12 .

It is for grades 3 -7 which makes it a useful book for teaching multiple ages.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

That is one huge advantage that attracted me to these books.

Strive for a middle age when choosing books.

Why? Because you can create a unit study for multiple ages without being so time intensive when planning.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Moving up or down from a middle point to plan age appropriate activities.

That is less stressful at a middle grade level.

Starting off your adventure, your kids can read about Ancient Egypt.

Then learn about Ancient Rome through the life of Cleopatra.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

I also pulled out a game I had created when we studied Ancient Egypt before.

Look here for the Free Ancient Egypt Mehen Printable Board Game (Hands-on History).

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

What I appreciated most about the book was that it had both positive and negative things to say about the life of Cleopatra.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Whether true or not, many things we’ll never know about her.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

But your kids can learn about life during that time through the pull out maps in the book and lift flaps.

Other topics in the book that you want to cover are Roman numbers for math, Cleopatra’s relatives which were Greek-speaking aristocrats, Egyptian religion, Julius Caesar, Egyptian hairstyles, Egyptian jewelry, festivals and temples.

How to Teach About World Cultures Through Children’s Books

Also, learning about how the Egyptians were accustomed to female pharaohs wielding power, but the Greeks and Romans were not gives your kids a glimpse into the government.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Look at some of these hands-on ideas while learning about Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome. They round out a world unit study.

Grab this free Ancient Lapbook and unit study here.

We studied Greece numerous times and here is a second lapbook for Ancient Greece.

To understand the background of Ancient Egypt also download this free Pharaohs and Queens Ancient Egypt lapbook.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Grab this free Ancient Rome lapbook and make this fun easy Roman helmet and shield.

Just to be sure you have more than enough hands-on history activities to bring the reading of this book alive.

Here are several more Hands-on History Activities for Learning about Ancient Civilizations you don’t want to miss. This post gives you more ideas for other civilizations in this world unit study.

Then on to the next adventure with the book Into the Unknown – How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

The reason I chose this book is that when you look at the table of contents, it has a mix of 14 different adventurers from Pytheas the Greek to Tenzing Norgay.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

And Edmund Hillary who scaled Mount Everest in 1953 to Umberto Nobile who flies across the Arctic in 1928.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Some kids get bored covering history and geography in a chronological order and need some breathing room to skip to other areas of the world about topics that intrigue them.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

How to Use Children’s Books to Teach History Units

The beauty of this book is that through the courageous and thrilling trips of the explorers, your child can learn about many different places.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Just some ideas to take away from this book are to learn about how Apollo II rockets in space, Leif Ericksson reaches the coast of America and how John Cook maps the Pacific Ocean.

This book too is for ages 8-12.

And through the colorful maps, detailed drawings and double spread pull out page, it was hard for Tiny to put this one down.

Not only can you can bring this book alive by studying the different parts of a ship, your child can learn how explorers found their way using different navigational tools.

From ancient to modern places, your kids have their choice of where to start. Here are some hands-on activities to pique their interest.

  • Make a simple and easy compass.
  • Make a quadrant using this free template.
  • Do a Viking Lapbook.
5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)
  • Free unit study and lapbook about the Arctic.
  • Appreciate the exploration of Christopher Columbus by 5 Days of Learning Printables:The World of Columbus and Sons Day 5 For Middle and High School.
  • Add in studying some science and learn about the Ocean with this free unit study.

Awesome Literature to Teach World History

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Moving on to understand about China and the Silk Road through the eyes of Marco Polo, we loved reading Marco Polo History’s Great Adventurer.

Like the Cleopatra Queen of Egypt book, this one too has beautiful bright fold outs with background information about medieval China.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Additionally, look at my Free Marco Polo Unit Study, Lapbook, and Hands-on Ideas.

One reason I chose this book is because it can be hard to find resources that don’t just focus on Medieval Europe  without including what’s happening in the rest of the world during that time.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Topics like the Maya city of Chichen Itza (by the way, we went there on our honey moon, okay, okay) the Soninke Empire of West Africa and the Silk Road are equally engaging and important.

Yes it was fascinating to read about the discoveries along the way but other topics like understanding the geography also helps your child to appreciate the rugged terrain.

Including deserts, mountains and the silk making process make for fascinating topics while studying about Marco Polo.

Learning about deserts, your child can create desert sand art, make a hygrometer and make a sand clock.

Picture Books Brings Learning to Life

Also, I have a huge Marco Polo unit study where your child can make a mythological map, an interactive extend a timeline book, terracotta warriors, an artful mosaic and salt dough map.

My next choice is Archie’s War – My Scrapbook of The First World War.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

This book is full of comic strips with a collage or scrapbook style.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Although war is not a comical matter, I’ve always struggled with teaching my boys about wars and this book gives a picture of what life would have been like in World War I in an entertaining way.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities)

Through letters, drawings and through collages articles from that time period, your kids can appreciate the emotion of the time period.

Also, because it is about World War I, your kids can read about snippets going on in other parts of the world along with an easy timeline.

How rationing begins and how life is never the same again is a message that is gently weaved through the newspaper headlines, letters and diary like quotes throughout the book.

One of the best things I didn’t realize about this book is that some of the things are actual mementos of the time period. This is one period that Tiny and I are wanting to focus more on.

Be sure to grab my free World War II lapbook and learn to make ration cakes as a follow up to this book.

The last book John Muir America’s First Environmentalist is the perfect book for an outdoors adventure.

From Muir’s birthplace in Scotland to Florida and California, John Muir was the ultimate nature adventurer.

Sketching natural journals while learning about the local flora and fauna your child can love nature and appreciate it through his fascinating life.

How to Use Picture Books to Merge Academic Subjects

Learning about Yosemite National Park and Muir’s love to preserve the wilderness, this book has us researching for hours about songbirds, Sequoia, Canada and the Aurora Borealis.

Look at this free spring unit study about John Muir where we did several hands-on activities.

One we did was to learn how ice affects mountains.

If you’re looking to use one book with all of your children to learn about far away places from the comfort of your chair, you’ll swoon over the choices.

We easily have several more unit studies planned.

What do you think? Ready to put together your own world unit study?

How to purchase them.

►Product Names: Cleopatra Queen of Egypt, Marco Polo History’s Great Adventurer, Archie’s War – My Scrapbook of The First World War, Into the Unknown – How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air and John Muir America’s First Environmentalist.
►Website: Candlewick Press.
►Suitable for Ages:  8 to 12 or grades 3 – 7.

5 BEST Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study (and Hands-on Activities). When you use picture books for multiple ages of children they have a way of bringing homeschool unit studies to life. If you are looking to cover geography and history, grab these books and the easy and fun hands-on homeschool ideas @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


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Leave a CommentFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Do Unit Studies, Geography, History Resources, Homeschool Curriculum Review, Lapbooks, Middle School Homeschool, Product Review, Science Tagged With: geography, hands on history, hands-on activities, handson, highschoolgeography, history, history resources, historyspine, middleschool, unit studies

Free Ancient Egypt Mehen Printable Board Game (Hands-on History)

March 11, 2017 | 2 Comments
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I created a free Ancient Egypt Mehen printable board game to go with our Ancient Civilizations – Egypt Unit Study.

We have been reading through the book Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt (Historical Notebooks) and I whipped back out the Ancient Egypt Mehen printable board game I made when we studied Ancient Egypt the third time. 

Look on my page history games for more fun ideas.

Grab this free and fun printable board game when studying Ancient Egypt. It's Mehen or the snake game for hands on history. Get it over @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then, I realized something just awful which is I hadn’t shared the free printable Mehen board game here with you.

First, look at some of these books about Ancient Egypt.

17 Ancient Egypt Books & Resources for Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To

Add some of these books to your home library and use them for a day of learning or for unit studies.

The Egypt Game

The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she’s not sure they have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard, Melanie and April decide it’s the perfect spot for the Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians, and they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code. Everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things start happening. Has the Egypt Game gone too far?

Tales of Ancient Egypt (Puffin Classics)

These stories include the great myths - of Amen-Ra, who created all the creatures in the world; of Isis, seaching the waters for her dead husband Osiris; of the Bennu Bird and the Book of Thoth. But there are also tales told for pleasure about magic, treasure and adventure - even the first ever Cinderella story.

The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt (Landmark Books)

For more than 3,000 years, Egypt was a great civilization that thrived along the banks of the Nile River. But when its cities crumbled to dust, Egypt’s culture and the secrets of its hieroglyphic writings were also lost. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt explains how archaeologists have pieced together their discoveries to slowly reveal the history of Egypt’s people, its pharaohs, and its golden days.

The Buildings of Ancient Egypt

Uses archeological evidence to describe the construction, decoration, and furnishings of ancient Egyptian tombs, pyramids, and homes

Science in Ancient Egypt (Science of the Past)

Discusses the achievements of the ancient Egyptians in science, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, agriculture, and technology.

Great Ancient Egypt Projects: You Can Build Yourself

From reed boats, papyrus, and amulets, to pyramids, pharaohs, and mummies, Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself explores the fascinating lives of ancient Egyptians through more than25 hands-on building projects and activities. Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself gives readers today a chance to experience how the ancient Egyptians lived, cooked, worked, worshipped, entertained themselves, and interacted with their neighbors through building projects that use common household supplies.Detailed step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and templates for creating each project are combined with historical facts and anecdotes, biographies, and trivia for the real-life models of each project. Together they give kids a first-hand look at daily life in ancient Egypt.

The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt (Dover Children's Classics)

Chebron, the young son of an Egyptian high priest, and Amuba, a young slave in the boy's household, are close friends; but their lives are greatly altered when Chebron accidentally kills a cat, an animal held sacred by the ancient Egyptians. Forced to flee for their safety, the boys and their companions begin a long and dangerous journey. A thrilling adventure story, this is also a tale packed with historical facts. Among other fascinating details, young readers learn about the Egyptian religion and geography, how the Nile was used for irrigation, and how the Egyptians made war and were prepared for burial. A captivating book that accurately describes life in a once magnificent civilization, this volume will especially appeal to youngsters fascinated by the life and customs of ancient Egypt.

A History of Ancient Egypt: From the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid (A History of Ancient Egypt, 1)

The ancient world comes to life in the first volume in a two book series on the history of Egypt, spanning the first farmers to the construction of the pyramids. Famed archaeologist John Romer draws on a lifetime of research to tell one history's greatest stories; how, over more than a thousand years, a society of farmers created a rich, vivid world where one of the most astounding of all human-made landmarks, the Great Pyramid, was built. Immersing the reader in the Egypt of the past, Romer examines and challenges the long-held theories about what archaeological finds mean and what stories they tell about how the Egyptians lived. More than just an account of one of the most fascinating periods of history, this engrossing book asks readers to take a step back and question what they've learned about Egypt in the past. Fans of Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra and history buffs will be captivated by this re-telling of Egyptian history, written by one of the top Egyptologists in the world.

Boy of the Pyramids

The pictured wall of an Egyptian tomb supplied the inspiration for this unusual story, which takes place during the building of the Great Pyramid of Khufu more than 4,000 years ago. Kaffe and Sari, an Egyptian noble's son and a slave girl from the nomadic Sand People of the Sinai region, help solve a troublesome mystery and trap its culprit. All told against a colorfully detailed backdrop of ancient Egypt.

The Golden Goblet

Ranofer wants only one thing in the world: to be a master goldsmith like his beloved father was. But how can he when he is all but imprisoned by his evil half brother, Gebu? Ranofer knows the only way he can escape Gebu's abuse is by changing his destiny. But can a poor boy with no skills survive on the cutthroat streets of ancient Thebes? Then Ranofer finds a priceless golden goblet in Gebu's room and he knows his luck−and his destiny−are about to change.

Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs

In 1802, Jean-Francois Champollion was eleven years old. That year, he vowed to be the first person to read Egypt’s ancient hieroglyphs. Champollion’s dream was to sail up the Nile in Egypt and uncover the secrets of the past, and he dedicated the next twenty years to the challenge.James Rumford introduces the remarkable man who deciphered the ancient Egyptian script and fulfilled a lifelong dream in the process. Stunning watercolors bring Champollion’s adventure to life in a story that challenges the mind and touches the heart.

The Egyptian Cinderella

This Egyptian spin on the classic Cinderella tale was initially recorded in the first century by a Roman historian and is retold here by folklorist Shirley Climo.

Poor Rhodopis! She has nothing—no mother or father, and no friends. She is a slave, from the far-off country of Greece. Only the beautiful rose-red slippers her master gives her can make Rhodopis smile.

So when a falcon swoops down and snatches one of the slippers away, Rhodopis is heartbroken. For how is she to know that the slipper will land in the lap of the great Pharaoh himself? And who would ever guess that the Pharaoh has promised to find the slipper’s owner and make her queen of all Egypt?

Augustus Caesar's World

In her unique approach, Foster weaves a story of the world around her central character; rather than focusing exclusively on geo-political events, as most textbooks do, she includes stories of scientific discovery and invention, music, literature, art, and religion. Her keen intuition for stories will especially delight and amuse youthful readers. In Augustus Caesar's World, Foster traces the seven major civilizations of Rome, Greece, Israel, Egypt, China, India, and Persia from 4500 B.C. to the time of Augustus Caesar in 44 B.C. and culminating in 14 A.D. Within this timeframe readers will learn not only the stories of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Marc Antony, but also the historian Livy and how Virgil came to write the Aeneid. Foster will then take her readers all over the world to learn what was happening at this same time in China, Persia, India and so on. Foster's detailed pen and ink drawings are fresh and appealing, and her illustrated timelines give a clear sense of chronology, enriching the engaging text.

The Lost Queen of Egypt: The Tomb of Nefertiti

For professor of Egyptology Henry Markham, this would be the crowning glory of his career: an intact tomb of Nefertiti, the great royal wife of Akhenaten and the heretic pharaoh of eighteenth dynasty Egypt, whose bust of exquisite beauty resides in the Berlin Museum, which he had searched for the last ten years. He had an unspoken passion for her only excelled by his young assistant, Steven Sinclair, whose visions and dreams of her haunted him, much to the annoyance of Helen Carter, the freelance journalist on-site who, with her business partner Mike Mitcham, the digs photographer, saw Nefertiti as a rival for his affections. Thanks to a gambling debt, Mike finds himself the proud owner of a large luxury mobile home that four Mossad agents are interested in, along with Emil Brogini, who did a drug deal with two Mossad rogue agents since deceased. The arrival of Henry's estranged sister, Millicent, with her friend Jane Evesham, a gifted clairvoyant, does nothing to improve his temper, especially when Jane tells him they are in great danger. Can the danger come from four renegade Mossad agents or Emil Bratislav Brogini, Mr. Big in Cairo, into every racket going? Jane discovers that Helen has a latent gift of clairvoyance which, with their combined powers in a séance, sends them back to the eighteenth dynasty with Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and danger around every corner as they try to discover who is trying to kill them all using a large band of Libyan bandits. They survive ambushes, assassin's knives, and chariot chases, finally getting back to their own time with Nefertiti.

Pyramid

Pyramid is a strong resource for readers looking to expand their knowledge of ancient Egyptian civilization, history, and architecture.

Award-winning author-illustrator David Macaulay explores the philosophy of life and death in ancient Egypt through richly detailed black-and-white illustrations and clear, concise text.

Though created with middle grade readers in mind, all with interest in the topic will enjoy this impressive look at what many consider to be one of the most awesome of humankind's creations.

Pharaoh's Boat

With poetic language and striking illustrations, Weitzman tells the story of how one of the greatest boats of ancient Egypt came to be built and built again.In the shadow of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the most skilled shipwrights in all of Egypt are building an enormous vessel that will transport Cheops, the mighty pharaoh, across the winding waterway and into a new world. Pharaoh's boat will be a wonder to behold, and well prepared for the voyage ahead. But no one, not even the Egyptian king himself, could have imagined just where the journey of Pharaoh's boat would ultimately lead.

The Winged Cat

Merit is a servant girl in the temple of cat goddesses. In a rage, Waha, the High Priest, kills a sacred car, and Merit sees him do it.But when Merit reports the evil deed to Pharaoh, Waha denies that he is guilty.

Hands-on Ancient Egypt

Though the ancient Egyptians had many games, Mehen, the snake game was popular.

(Pic. attribution)

The game was called snake because the stone board represented a coiled serpent with its head in the middle.

This could easily be made with clay too and it would probably look a little more ancient, but it would be easy enough to make if you wanted to go all out for a unit study about Ancient Egypt.

So we read up on a few rules we found and I created a game board.

We had some crafting jewels in the house and we grabbed them to use as tokens.

I wasn’t sure how this game would go over with the kids so I let the pros check it out.

Too, we all agreed it was a nice break to our day and it was  pretty inexpensive to make because I printed it off on cardstock.

I wanted it on letter size paper in case we wanted to store it in our lapbook or notebook. I put a few final touches on it and overall we had a great last few days as we took off time and played games.

Also, I love using ALL of the fun interactive lapbooks and history craft ideas by Home School in the Woods. I know you will too.

Plus, your kids will love the book Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt (Historical Notebooks) with all of it’s lift flaps and pull out maps.

Also, remember to look at our first time we studied Ancient Egypt here with this big homeschool unit study.

You’ll love these other links:

  • Ancient Egypt Narmer Crown Dough Activity
  • How to Make Smokin’ Hot Egyptian Pillars Out of Cardboard
  • Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator

GRAB THE FREE ANCIENT EGYPT PRINTABLE BOARD GAME BELOW

Now, how to grab the free game. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) Sign up on my email list.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

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Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


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2 CommentsFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Ancient Civilizations, Free Homeschool Resources, Hands-On Activities, History Based, History Resources Tagged With: ancient civilizations, ancientegypt, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources

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