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Texas

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

April 24, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a list of 7 famous Texans. Also, you may love Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas.

Too, I have a highlight on one famous Texan.

It is an art project which is perfect for any Texas-sized unit study.

You might have heard of Davy Crockett and Sam Houston.

But do you know about the contributions sculpture Elisabet Ney made to the Texas art world and beyond?

Have you studied James S. Hogg, who was the first native Texan to become governor?

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

Do you know about the exploits of Bonnie and Clyde?

To create a wonderful Texas unit, I have information on these famous Texans and several more to spark a deeper study.

We are focusing on Elisabet Ney in particular and incorporating a self-portrait art project to honor the contributions she made.

Now, for this bust, you can choose one of the famous Texans, someone that you know like a family member, or a famous historical figure.

Although you are not carving the bust it is a fun way to open conversation about Elisabet Ney.

For example, you can learn about the art of creating a bust sculpture. Elizabet Ney made them of marble.

Books About Famous Texans

First, look at these books about Texas.

When preparing unit studies, I like to add both living books and reference type books for a well rounded study.

27 Books For Kids Who Love Reading And Being Read to About Texas

 Forget a boring textbook and add some of these books about Texas to your unit study or add to your learning day.

Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story

Relates the experiences of the Texas woman who, along with her baby, survived the 1836 massacre at the Alamo.

The Boy in the Alamo

The classic story of the siege of the Alamo, as told for young readers. Originally published in 1958, thousands of children each year enjoy this story from the unique point of view of twelve-year old Billy Campbell.

Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches

A biography of the legendary Comanche leader profiles the son of a white woman, who fiercely defended tribal lands against those who tried to seize them and who, after being moved with his people to a reservation, fought for the recognition and decent treatment of his tribe.

A Paradise Called Texas

Searching for a better life, Mina, Papa, and Mama left their German fatherland aboard the brig Margaretha ,bound for Texas. They had been told it was the paradise of North America, but when Mina steps onto the desolate beach at Indian Point on a cold December day in 1845, she wants to go back to Germany and Opa's cozy house in the village of Wehrestedt. But go on they must. In spite of mama's tragic death, Mina and Papa push inland with the Kaufmann family to the Texas Hill Country. There Mina encounters an Indian chief and his young daughter, Amaya, whose help she needs when Papa falls ill. Based on her ancestors' immigration to Texas, Janice Shefelman tells of a journey into the wilderness that is filled with hardship, tragedy and adventure.

The Texans! Tejas to Today

Lessons Taught In Story Form.

Alamo All-Stars (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6): A Texas Tale (Volume 6)

“Remember the Alamo!” That rallying cry has gone down in Texas history. But what, exactly, should we remember? Who were the ragtag group of adventurers behind the famous slogan, and how did they end up barricaded in a fort against a Mexican army Who survived, who died, and how. In the early 1800s, Native Americans, the Mexican government, and settlers from other areas of the United States were fighting over the territory that would become the Lone Star state. Here, vivid illustrations—rendered in black, white, and shades of gray, with tinges of yellow—and witty text tell the story, from Texas’s near wilderness beginnings to the Battle of the Alamo and General Sam Houston’s ultimate victory over General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Indians Who Lived in Texas

Briefly describes the environment, daily life, and customs of four Indian groups that lived in Texas--the farmers, the fishermen, the plant gatherers, and the hunters.

Make Way for Sam Houston (Unforgettable Americans)

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.

Wilderness Pioneer, Stephen F. Austin of Texas

I wanted to tell Austin's story so that boys and girls all over the United States would come to know him not as a stuffy figure in a history book but as a man who had a great dream for the welfare of his fellowmen, and in working to make that dream come true met adventure and danger, heartache and happiness.

Caleb's Choice (Puffin Novel)

In 1858 Texas, people are violently divided over a law that makes it a crime to help runaway slaves. Caleb isn't sure how he feels. When an escaped slave saves his life, Caleb knows he has a debt to repay. But should he break the law and risk his life to help two slaves escape?

A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

A guide for teaching Texas History through literature. It is based on a 34-week timeframe and is useful for students in grades K-6/7.

Johnny Texas

In the early days of Texas history, ten-year-old Johann comes from Germany with his family to settle in this vast land and soon grows to love his new home.

Remember the Alamo! (Landmark books)

I love this series of books and this one tends to be fairly accurate.

A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Miracle of Dunkirk tells the story of the Texans who fought Santa Anna’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo. Looking out over the walls of the whitewashed Alamo, sweltering in the intense sun of a February heat wave, Colonel William Travis knew his small garrison had little chance of holding back the Mexican army. Even after a call for reinforcements brought dozens of Texans determined to fight for their fledgling republic, the cause remained hopeless. Gunpowder was scarce, food was running out, and the compound was too large to easily defend with less than two hundred soldiers. Still, given the choice, only one man opted to surrender. The rest resolved to fight and die. After thirteen days, the Mexicans charged, and the Texans were slaughtered. In exquisite detail, Walter Lord recreates the fight to uphold the Texan flag. He sheds light not just on frontier celebrities like Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but on the ordinary soldiers who died alongside them. Though the fight ended two centuries ago, the men of the Alamo will never be forgotten.

I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900

More than a century later, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is still America's deadliest disaster. Lauren Tarshis's story of one child surviving the horrible event churns with page-turning action and bold hope.

The city of Galveston, Texas, was booming. Perched on an island off the southern coast of Texas, Galveston had been founded in the 1830s. By 1900, it was Texas's richest and most important city. Boats loaded up with American cotton and wheat steamed from Galveston to countries around the world. Arriving ships were crowded with immigrants. The streets, paved with crushed oyster shells, sparkled like they'd been sprinkled with diamonds.

Galveston's Summer of the Storm (Chaparral Books)

When fourteen-year-old Abby Kate boards the train in Austin to spend three weeks with her grandmother in Galveston, she’s full of excitement—about the train ride and the prospect of days on the beach, exploring Galveston with her cousin Jane, family picnics, and her grandmother’s good food. But things go wrong even before she gets to her grandmother’s house. Abby Kate gets off the train briefly in Houston—and the train leaves without her. Stranded in the railroad station, she is befriended by a man traveling with his two sons and eventually reaches Galveston safely.

Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen

In the 1820s, the Texas frontier was a rugged, lawless place that needed defending. The men that banded together to protect the citizens of Texas from the threats of bandits and raiding native tribes were known as the Texas Rangers. Since bravery was never in short demand, any unmarried man with a good horse and a sharp shot could be selected to join the ranks. As they roamed the Texas frontier maintaining peace and order, the Rangers were present for many of the most famous moments in Texas's exciting history-they defended the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, spied on the Mexican army during the war for independence, and chased down outlaws in the booming oil towns of the Wild West.

Texas Tomboy

The entire ranch is thirsty—will the rains ever come?

Remember Goliad: Their Silent Tents

Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, turned out to be the blackest day in the war of independence between Texas and Mexico. Colonel James Walker Fannin Jr. and his men were ruthlessly slaughtered at the Presidio La Bahia near Goliad. The order was given directly by General Santa Anna. The author describes the background leading up to the start of hostilities in October 1835 and the two Mexican armies which threatened to overrun the Texans, with the massacre at the Alamo on March 2 and then the attack on the Presidio La Bahia, which Fannin called Fort Defiance. A description of garrison life and the men under Fannin's command precedes the battle of Coleto Plains, where Fannin's Texans, without an adequate water supply and defenses, were surrounded by General Urrea's army and forced to surrender. One of the more traumatic aspects of the battle and executions involved a group of young soldiers from Alabama, mainly from the same area, whose leader, Dr. Shackleford, was spared to minister to the sick and injured and was forced to witness the deaths of his protégées.

Jane Long Mother of Texas

A biography of the brave wife of General James Long who was the first woman of English descent to enter Texas and bear a child there.

Camel express; A story of the Jeff Davis experiment (Winston adventure books)

Story of a little known chapter in American military history; extensive illustrations throughout book by Joseph C. Camana.

Texas Yankee: The Story of Gail Borden

Famous as a newspaperman and surveyor in Texas, Gail Borden was the discoverer of how to condense milk. 

Tex's Tales

Picked up by a tornado and swept away from his family in nineteenth-century Texas, a dog has some exciting adventures in the frontier wilderness before making his way home again.

Miriam “Ma” Ferguson: First Woman Governor of Texas (Volume 3) (Stars of Texas Series)

Miriam Ferguson was a quiet, private person who preferred to stay home in her big house in Temple, Texas, and take care of her husband, raise her two daughters, and tend to her flower garden. But in 1924 she was elected governor of Texas, the first woman governor elected in the United States.

Texas History for Kids: Lone Star Lives and Legends, with 21 Activities

Encapsulating the 500-year saga of the one-of-a-kind state of Texas, this interactive book takes readers from the founding of the Spanish Missions and the victory at San Jacinto to the Great Storm that destroyed Galveston and the establishment of NASA’s Mission Control in Houston while covering everything in between. Texas History for Kids includes 21 informative and fun activities to help readers better understand the state’s culture, politics, and geography. Kids will recreate one of the six national flags that have flown over the state, make castings of local wildlife tracks, design a ranch’s branding iron, celebrate Juneteenth by reciting General Order Number 3, build a miniature Battle of Flowers float, and more. This valuable resource also includes a timeline of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and web resources for further study.

Make Way for Sam Houston

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico. Lively, readable, and solidly researched, this is the kind of biography every child needs. Booklist, starred review Jean Fritz has done it again. Her writing turns this larger-than-life character into a very real person.School Library Journal, starred review ?Young readers will find the book fast-paced and fact-packed. The New York Times Book Review Jean Fritz lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Trail Fever: The Life of a Texas Cowboy

The story of one of Texas's most famous cowboys is filled with cattle drives, stampedes, floods, droughts, freezing desert nights, raiders and bandits, and one man's endurance and love of life on the plains.

Next, look at these famous Texans.

7 Famous Texans You Want to Know About

  1. Elisabet Ney (1833-1907)- or “Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney” was born in Europe and migrated to the States at 39 years old with her husband, eventually settling in Austin. After settling in Texas, she built her home and studio named Formosa. And she was commissioned for many portrait busts. For example, including some of those listed below like Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin.
  2. Sam Houston (1793-1863) Samuel Houston was an American general and statesman who played a very important role in the Texas Revolution. He fought in the war of 1812. Notably he also won two non-consecutive terms as president of the Republic of Texas.
  3. David (Davy) Crockett (1786 – 1836)– Was a frontiersman, Tennessee legislator U.S. congressman, soldier, storyteller, folk hero, and an icon of popular culture. He is perished defending the Alamo fighting for Independence.
  4. Gail Borden(1801-1874).  He was the first person to develop a successful commercial method for condensing milk becoming a dairy pioneer in his 40’s. You have probably heard of him and may have a carton of his still well-known milk sitting in your fridge. Not only was he a milk mogul he was a delegate at the Convention of 1833, where he assisted in writing early drafts of the Republic of Texas constitution.

Famous Texans

  1. James S. Hogg (1851-1906). The first native governor of Texas, he championed 5 major pieces of Texas legislation that changed the local government.
  2. Stephen F. Austin (1793-1836). He is known as the “Father of Texas” and the founder of Anglo Texas. He lead the second and, ultimately, successful colonization of the area. Also known as the Father of the Texas Rangers, he founded the earliest precursor of the famous law enforcement organization. Many places are named after this famous Texan, including the capital!
  3. Jane Long (1798-1880)– The “Mother of Texas” was a powerhouse of a woman. She became widowed at just 24 and survived a long hard winter at the fort with very few supplies along with a twelve-year-old servant and her six-year-old daughter, even keeping Indians at bay by tricking them into thinking that the fort was still protected by a troop of soldiers
7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

Grab my 22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages (editable) For a Fun History Study,  it includes these 7 famous Texas and 15 more.

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

The book The 50 States is a beautiful oversized reference and I found loads of information including some more famous faces from the great state of Texas.

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

While the simple craft idea is not exactly a sculpture, it still gives your learner a peek into what goes into creating an art piece replica of someone else or themselves.

Take note of details that make you or the person you are recreating unique such as eyes, scars, freckles, hair color and texture, glasses, etc.

 Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

You will need:

  • Styrofoam head
  • Craft paints
  • Paint pens
  • Paintbrushes
  • Yarn, ribbon, felt
7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

The first thing you want to do is lay something out on your work surface.

Be it a spread of newspaper or a silicone mat, these are great for many craft projects.

Then, paint a thin layer of flesh-colored paint all over your bust and let it dry until it is at least dry to the touch.

Go back and add another layer or two until you are satisfied with the coverage and again let it dry completely before continuing.

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

You can start wherever you like but one way to get your ” sculpture” looking like something or someone is to start with the eyes here.

I highly suggest using paint pens as you can get more detail and have a little bit more control over it.

Spend some time adding details like freckles, eyelashes, eyebrows, scars, or anything that makes you or the person you are creating unique.

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

While the paint is drying, you can determine how you want to do the hair.

Elisabet Ney Bust Texas Crafts for Kids

You can use ribbon, string, yarn, felt, or any other art supply you can think of.

Cut plenty of pieces to cover the head, you may find that you need to come back and do some more, you just want to get a bunch started.

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

Curling ribbon would be great for curly hair, or you could even just paint on the hair to keep it simple.

To add hair, including beards and mustaches you can use any kind of tacky glue. I like to work with hot glue because it dries so quickly.

Be sure not to touch the hot end of the hot glue gun to the foam or it will melt it.

Just squeeze from an inch or so above covering small areas at a time to add in hair.

7 Famous Texans and Easy DIY Elisabet Ney Bust

Once you are done you can give your “bust” a little trim to even it up and give it a little style.

The hair makes it even more top-heavy so you may want to mount it on a piece of wood or cardboard to make it a little sturdier.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, history, homeschool, Texas, Texas history, texasunit

How to Build the Alamo With Kids And Free Texas Lapbook

February 14, 2024 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Learning how to build the Alamo was another fun change to our schedule as we have continued in our series of hands-on homeschooling learning. Also, you may love Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas.

We thought it would be fun to sketch a quick layout of the Alamo as we read about it.

How to Build the Alamo With Kids And Free Texas Lapbook

Having studied about the Alamo before, we pulled out The Alamo, An Illustrated History, book by George Nelson.

And the other book, The Alamo, an Illustrated History by Edwin Hoyt to study a bit of the architecture.

We also looked at how to build the Alamo on ehow and Tiny liked that model.

Too, look at more books about Texas

Books About Texas

27 Books For Kids Who Love Reading And Being Read to About Texas

 Forget a boring textbook and add some of these books about Texas to your unit study or add to your learning day.

Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story

Relates the experiences of the Texas woman who, along with her baby, survived the 1836 massacre at the Alamo.

The Boy in the Alamo

The classic story of the siege of the Alamo, as told for young readers. Originally published in 1958, thousands of children each year enjoy this story from the unique point of view of twelve-year old Billy Campbell.

Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches

A biography of the legendary Comanche leader profiles the son of a white woman, who fiercely defended tribal lands against those who tried to seize them and who, after being moved with his people to a reservation, fought for the recognition and decent treatment of his tribe.

A Paradise Called Texas

Searching for a better life, Mina, Papa, and Mama left their German fatherland aboard the brig Margaretha ,bound for Texas. They had been told it was the paradise of North America, but when Mina steps onto the desolate beach at Indian Point on a cold December day in 1845, she wants to go back to Germany and Opa's cozy house in the village of Wehrestedt. But go on they must. In spite of mama's tragic death, Mina and Papa push inland with the Kaufmann family to the Texas Hill Country. There Mina encounters an Indian chief and his young daughter, Amaya, whose help she needs when Papa falls ill. Based on her ancestors' immigration to Texas, Janice Shefelman tells of a journey into the wilderness that is filled with hardship, tragedy and adventure.

The Texans! Tejas to Today

Lessons Taught In Story Form.

Alamo All-Stars (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6): A Texas Tale (Volume 6)

“Remember the Alamo!” That rallying cry has gone down in Texas history. But what, exactly, should we remember? Who were the ragtag group of adventurers behind the famous slogan, and how did they end up barricaded in a fort against a Mexican army Who survived, who died, and how. In the early 1800s, Native Americans, the Mexican government, and settlers from other areas of the United States were fighting over the territory that would become the Lone Star state. Here, vivid illustrations—rendered in black, white, and shades of gray, with tinges of yellow—and witty text tell the story, from Texas’s near wilderness beginnings to the Battle of the Alamo and General Sam Houston’s ultimate victory over General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Indians Who Lived in Texas

Briefly describes the environment, daily life, and customs of four Indian groups that lived in Texas--the farmers, the fishermen, the plant gatherers, and the hunters.

Make Way for Sam Houston (Unforgettable Americans)

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.

Wilderness Pioneer, Stephen F. Austin of Texas

I wanted to tell Austin's story so that boys and girls all over the United States would come to know him not as a stuffy figure in a history book but as a man who had a great dream for the welfare of his fellowmen, and in working to make that dream come true met adventure and danger, heartache and happiness.

Caleb's Choice (Puffin Novel)

In 1858 Texas, people are violently divided over a law that makes it a crime to help runaway slaves. Caleb isn't sure how he feels. When an escaped slave saves his life, Caleb knows he has a debt to repay. But should he break the law and risk his life to help two slaves escape?

A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

A guide for teaching Texas History through literature. It is based on a 34-week timeframe and is useful for students in grades K-6/7.

Johnny Texas

In the early days of Texas history, ten-year-old Johann comes from Germany with his family to settle in this vast land and soon grows to love his new home.

Remember the Alamo! (Landmark books)

I love this series of books and this one tends to be fairly accurate.

A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Miracle of Dunkirk tells the story of the Texans who fought Santa Anna’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo. Looking out over the walls of the whitewashed Alamo, sweltering in the intense sun of a February heat wave, Colonel William Travis knew his small garrison had little chance of holding back the Mexican army. Even after a call for reinforcements brought dozens of Texans determined to fight for their fledgling republic, the cause remained hopeless. Gunpowder was scarce, food was running out, and the compound was too large to easily defend with less than two hundred soldiers. Still, given the choice, only one man opted to surrender. The rest resolved to fight and die. After thirteen days, the Mexicans charged, and the Texans were slaughtered. In exquisite detail, Walter Lord recreates the fight to uphold the Texan flag. He sheds light not just on frontier celebrities like Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but on the ordinary soldiers who died alongside them. Though the fight ended two centuries ago, the men of the Alamo will never be forgotten.

I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900

More than a century later, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is still America's deadliest disaster. Lauren Tarshis's story of one child surviving the horrible event churns with page-turning action and bold hope.

The city of Galveston, Texas, was booming. Perched on an island off the southern coast of Texas, Galveston had been founded in the 1830s. By 1900, it was Texas's richest and most important city. Boats loaded up with American cotton and wheat steamed from Galveston to countries around the world. Arriving ships were crowded with immigrants. The streets, paved with crushed oyster shells, sparkled like they'd been sprinkled with diamonds.

Galveston's Summer of the Storm (Chaparral Books)

When fourteen-year-old Abby Kate boards the train in Austin to spend three weeks with her grandmother in Galveston, she’s full of excitement—about the train ride and the prospect of days on the beach, exploring Galveston with her cousin Jane, family picnics, and her grandmother’s good food. But things go wrong even before she gets to her grandmother’s house. Abby Kate gets off the train briefly in Houston—and the train leaves without her. Stranded in the railroad station, she is befriended by a man traveling with his two sons and eventually reaches Galveston safely.

Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen

In the 1820s, the Texas frontier was a rugged, lawless place that needed defending. The men that banded together to protect the citizens of Texas from the threats of bandits and raiding native tribes were known as the Texas Rangers. Since bravery was never in short demand, any unmarried man with a good horse and a sharp shot could be selected to join the ranks. As they roamed the Texas frontier maintaining peace and order, the Rangers were present for many of the most famous moments in Texas's exciting history-they defended the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, spied on the Mexican army during the war for independence, and chased down outlaws in the booming oil towns of the Wild West.

Texas Tomboy

The entire ranch is thirsty—will the rains ever come?

Remember Goliad: Their Silent Tents

Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, turned out to be the blackest day in the war of independence between Texas and Mexico. Colonel James Walker Fannin Jr. and his men were ruthlessly slaughtered at the Presidio La Bahia near Goliad. The order was given directly by General Santa Anna. The author describes the background leading up to the start of hostilities in October 1835 and the two Mexican armies which threatened to overrun the Texans, with the massacre at the Alamo on March 2 and then the attack on the Presidio La Bahia, which Fannin called Fort Defiance. A description of garrison life and the men under Fannin's command precedes the battle of Coleto Plains, where Fannin's Texans, without an adequate water supply and defenses, were surrounded by General Urrea's army and forced to surrender. One of the more traumatic aspects of the battle and executions involved a group of young soldiers from Alabama, mainly from the same area, whose leader, Dr. Shackleford, was spared to minister to the sick and injured and was forced to witness the deaths of his protégées.

Jane Long Mother of Texas

A biography of the brave wife of General James Long who was the first woman of English descent to enter Texas and bear a child there.

Camel express; A story of the Jeff Davis experiment (Winston adventure books)

Story of a little known chapter in American military history; extensive illustrations throughout book by Joseph C. Camana.

Texas Yankee: The Story of Gail Borden

Famous as a newspaperman and surveyor in Texas, Gail Borden was the discoverer of how to condense milk. 

Tex's Tales

Picked up by a tornado and swept away from his family in nineteenth-century Texas, a dog has some exciting adventures in the frontier wilderness before making his way home again.

Miriam “Ma” Ferguson: First Woman Governor of Texas (Volume 3) (Stars of Texas Series)

Miriam Ferguson was a quiet, private person who preferred to stay home in her big house in Temple, Texas, and take care of her husband, raise her two daughters, and tend to her flower garden. But in 1924 she was elected governor of Texas, the first woman governor elected in the United States.

Texas History for Kids: Lone Star Lives and Legends, with 21 Activities

Encapsulating the 500-year saga of the one-of-a-kind state of Texas, this interactive book takes readers from the founding of the Spanish Missions and the victory at San Jacinto to the Great Storm that destroyed Galveston and the establishment of NASA’s Mission Control in Houston while covering everything in between. Texas History for Kids includes 21 informative and fun activities to help readers better understand the state’s culture, politics, and geography. Kids will recreate one of the six national flags that have flown over the state, make castings of local wildlife tracks, design a ranch’s branding iron, celebrate Juneteenth by reciting General Order Number 3, build a miniature Battle of Flowers float, and more. This valuable resource also includes a timeline of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and web resources for further study.

Make Way for Sam Houston

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico. Lively, readable, and solidly researched, this is the kind of biography every child needs. Booklist, starred review Jean Fritz has done it again. Her writing turns this larger-than-life character into a very real person.School Library Journal, starred review ?Young readers will find the book fast-paced and fact-packed. The New York Times Book Review Jean Fritz lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Trail Fever: The Life of a Texas Cowboy

The story of one of Texas's most famous cowboys is filled with cattle drives, stampedes, floods, droughts, freezing desert nights, raiders and bandits, and one man's endurance and love of life on the plains.

We gathered a few supplies and needed some more:

How to Build the Alamo With Kids And Free Texas Lapbook
  • 4 sugar cube boxes and we only did the outline of the wall. If you decide to do the interior walls as well, you will need double or triple that depending how thick you want the walls on your model.
  • we used an old pizza box
  • glue gun and glue
  • marker
  • ruler
  • spray paint of your choice
  • couple of straws
How to Build the Alamo With Kids And Free Texas Lapbook

Again, though this project looks easy like simply gluing a bunch of sugar cubes together, but it really did require planning, calculating and deciphering to understand the bell shaped parapet.

How to Build the Alamo With Kids And Free Texas Lapbook

Looking at the pictures The Alamo, An Illustrated History to view old drawings of the Alamo to learning its history helped to get an idea of how to build it.

How to Build the Alamo With Kids And Free Texas Lapbook

Tiny really had fun making this.

We grabbed some Spanish moss and miniature cactus after Tiny painted it and otherwise he really loved the break in our schedule while focusing on understanding the history of the Alamo.

More Texas History Crafts & Activities

  • 8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft
  • 25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study
  • Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft
  • How Texas Cattle Drives Shaped Its History and Longhorn Craft
  • History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
  • Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)
  • How to Build the Alamo: Hands-on Learning (Free Texas Unit Study)
  • Free Copywork Cattle A Texas Poem For a Fun Unit Study
  • 22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages (editable) For a Fun History Study

I created a Texas lapbook with my older set of boys and it is a subscriber only freebie.

How to Get the Free Texas Lapbook

Just follow the steps below.

 1) Sign up on my list.
 2) Download your freebie.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox. Happy to have you following me!

How to Build the Alamo. Learning about Texas. Grab your free unit study and lapbook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

February 12, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Let’s fly right into 10 insect fun facts about Texas for kids and a cute and simple dragonfly craft made from just 2 art supplies to round out this little mini unit. Also, look at my Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas page.

And look at my Insect Unit Study page.

Because of its climate and habitats Texas is a very insect-friendly state.

It falls into spot # 3 for insect hospitality right after Florida and California.

Also, you know what they say…everything is bigger in Texas, including some of the insects.

8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

Some are huge, some dangerous, some pretty like the Monarch that passes through.

Others do a lot of damage, and others can even mimic other creatures.

We are creating cute and simple dragonflies from beads and pipe cleaners.

These graceful flyers are so easy to identify as they dip and dart around with their two pairs of iridescent wings and a long and slender abdomen.

Books about the Great State of Texas for Kids

Next, look at these living books about Texas to add to your study.

In addition, I add reference books as necessary.

27 Books For Kids Who Love Reading And Being Read to About Texas

 Forget a boring textbook and add some of these books about Texas to your unit study or add to your learning day.

Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story

Relates the experiences of the Texas woman who, along with her baby, survived the 1836 massacre at the Alamo.

The Boy in the Alamo

The classic story of the siege of the Alamo, as told for young readers. Originally published in 1958, thousands of children each year enjoy this story from the unique point of view of twelve-year old Billy Campbell.

Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches

A biography of the legendary Comanche leader profiles the son of a white woman, who fiercely defended tribal lands against those who tried to seize them and who, after being moved with his people to a reservation, fought for the recognition and decent treatment of his tribe.

A Paradise Called Texas

Searching for a better life, Mina, Papa, and Mama left their German fatherland aboard the brig Margaretha ,bound for Texas. They had been told it was the paradise of North America, but when Mina steps onto the desolate beach at Indian Point on a cold December day in 1845, she wants to go back to Germany and Opa's cozy house in the village of Wehrestedt. But go on they must. In spite of mama's tragic death, Mina and Papa push inland with the Kaufmann family to the Texas Hill Country. There Mina encounters an Indian chief and his young daughter, Amaya, whose help she needs when Papa falls ill. Based on her ancestors' immigration to Texas, Janice Shefelman tells of a journey into the wilderness that is filled with hardship, tragedy and adventure.

The Texans! Tejas to Today

Lessons Taught In Story Form.

Alamo All-Stars (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6): A Texas Tale (Volume 6)

“Remember the Alamo!” That rallying cry has gone down in Texas history. But what, exactly, should we remember? Who were the ragtag group of adventurers behind the famous slogan, and how did they end up barricaded in a fort against a Mexican army Who survived, who died, and how. In the early 1800s, Native Americans, the Mexican government, and settlers from other areas of the United States were fighting over the territory that would become the Lone Star state. Here, vivid illustrations—rendered in black, white, and shades of gray, with tinges of yellow—and witty text tell the story, from Texas’s near wilderness beginnings to the Battle of the Alamo and General Sam Houston’s ultimate victory over General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Indians Who Lived in Texas

Briefly describes the environment, daily life, and customs of four Indian groups that lived in Texas--the farmers, the fishermen, the plant gatherers, and the hunters.

Make Way for Sam Houston (Unforgettable Americans)

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.

Wilderness Pioneer, Stephen F. Austin of Texas

I wanted to tell Austin's story so that boys and girls all over the United States would come to know him not as a stuffy figure in a history book but as a man who had a great dream for the welfare of his fellowmen, and in working to make that dream come true met adventure and danger, heartache and happiness.

Caleb's Choice (Puffin Novel)

In 1858 Texas, people are violently divided over a law that makes it a crime to help runaway slaves. Caleb isn't sure how he feels. When an escaped slave saves his life, Caleb knows he has a debt to repay. But should he break the law and risk his life to help two slaves escape?

A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

A guide for teaching Texas History through literature. It is based on a 34-week timeframe and is useful for students in grades K-6/7.

Johnny Texas

In the early days of Texas history, ten-year-old Johann comes from Germany with his family to settle in this vast land and soon grows to love his new home.

Remember the Alamo! (Landmark books)

I love this series of books and this one tends to be fairly accurate.

A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Miracle of Dunkirk tells the story of the Texans who fought Santa Anna’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo. Looking out over the walls of the whitewashed Alamo, sweltering in the intense sun of a February heat wave, Colonel William Travis knew his small garrison had little chance of holding back the Mexican army. Even after a call for reinforcements brought dozens of Texans determined to fight for their fledgling republic, the cause remained hopeless. Gunpowder was scarce, food was running out, and the compound was too large to easily defend with less than two hundred soldiers. Still, given the choice, only one man opted to surrender. The rest resolved to fight and die. After thirteen days, the Mexicans charged, and the Texans were slaughtered. In exquisite detail, Walter Lord recreates the fight to uphold the Texan flag. He sheds light not just on frontier celebrities like Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but on the ordinary soldiers who died alongside them. Though the fight ended two centuries ago, the men of the Alamo will never be forgotten.

I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900

More than a century later, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is still America's deadliest disaster. Lauren Tarshis's story of one child surviving the horrible event churns with page-turning action and bold hope.

The city of Galveston, Texas, was booming. Perched on an island off the southern coast of Texas, Galveston had been founded in the 1830s. By 1900, it was Texas's richest and most important city. Boats loaded up with American cotton and wheat steamed from Galveston to countries around the world. Arriving ships were crowded with immigrants. The streets, paved with crushed oyster shells, sparkled like they'd been sprinkled with diamonds.

Galveston's Summer of the Storm (Chaparral Books)

When fourteen-year-old Abby Kate boards the train in Austin to spend three weeks with her grandmother in Galveston, she’s full of excitement—about the train ride and the prospect of days on the beach, exploring Galveston with her cousin Jane, family picnics, and her grandmother’s good food. But things go wrong even before she gets to her grandmother’s house. Abby Kate gets off the train briefly in Houston—and the train leaves without her. Stranded in the railroad station, she is befriended by a man traveling with his two sons and eventually reaches Galveston safely.

Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen

In the 1820s, the Texas frontier was a rugged, lawless place that needed defending. The men that banded together to protect the citizens of Texas from the threats of bandits and raiding native tribes were known as the Texas Rangers. Since bravery was never in short demand, any unmarried man with a good horse and a sharp shot could be selected to join the ranks. As they roamed the Texas frontier maintaining peace and order, the Rangers were present for many of the most famous moments in Texas's exciting history-they defended the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, spied on the Mexican army during the war for independence, and chased down outlaws in the booming oil towns of the Wild West.

Texas Tomboy

The entire ranch is thirsty—will the rains ever come?

Remember Goliad: Their Silent Tents

Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, turned out to be the blackest day in the war of independence between Texas and Mexico. Colonel James Walker Fannin Jr. and his men were ruthlessly slaughtered at the Presidio La Bahia near Goliad. The order was given directly by General Santa Anna. The author describes the background leading up to the start of hostilities in October 1835 and the two Mexican armies which threatened to overrun the Texans, with the massacre at the Alamo on March 2 and then the attack on the Presidio La Bahia, which Fannin called Fort Defiance. A description of garrison life and the men under Fannin's command precedes the battle of Coleto Plains, where Fannin's Texans, without an adequate water supply and defenses, were surrounded by General Urrea's army and forced to surrender. One of the more traumatic aspects of the battle and executions involved a group of young soldiers from Alabama, mainly from the same area, whose leader, Dr. Shackleford, was spared to minister to the sick and injured and was forced to witness the deaths of his protégées.

Jane Long Mother of Texas

A biography of the brave wife of General James Long who was the first woman of English descent to enter Texas and bear a child there.

Camel express; A story of the Jeff Davis experiment (Winston adventure books)

Story of a little known chapter in American military history; extensive illustrations throughout book by Joseph C. Camana.

Texas Yankee: The Story of Gail Borden

Famous as a newspaperman and surveyor in Texas, Gail Borden was the discoverer of how to condense milk. 

Tex's Tales

Picked up by a tornado and swept away from his family in nineteenth-century Texas, a dog has some exciting adventures in the frontier wilderness before making his way home again.

Miriam “Ma” Ferguson: First Woman Governor of Texas (Volume 3) (Stars of Texas Series)

Miriam Ferguson was a quiet, private person who preferred to stay home in her big house in Temple, Texas, and take care of her husband, raise her two daughters, and tend to her flower garden. But in 1924 she was elected governor of Texas, the first woman governor elected in the United States.

Texas History for Kids: Lone Star Lives and Legends, with 21 Activities

Encapsulating the 500-year saga of the one-of-a-kind state of Texas, this interactive book takes readers from the founding of the Spanish Missions and the victory at San Jacinto to the Great Storm that destroyed Galveston and the establishment of NASA’s Mission Control in Houston while covering everything in between. Texas History for Kids includes 21 informative and fun activities to help readers better understand the state’s culture, politics, and geography. Kids will recreate one of the six national flags that have flown over the state, make castings of local wildlife tracks, design a ranch’s branding iron, celebrate Juneteenth by reciting General Order Number 3, build a miniature Battle of Flowers float, and more. This valuable resource also includes a timeline of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and web resources for further study.

Make Way for Sam Houston

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico. Lively, readable, and solidly researched, this is the kind of biography every child needs. Booklist, starred review Jean Fritz has done it again. Her writing turns this larger-than-life character into a very real person.School Library Journal, starred review ?Young readers will find the book fast-paced and fact-packed. The New York Times Book Review Jean Fritz lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Trail Fever: The Life of a Texas Cowboy

The story of one of Texas's most famous cowboys is filled with cattle drives, stampedes, floods, droughts, freezing desert nights, raiders and bandits, and one man's endurance and love of life on the plains.

8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids

  1. Texas has one of the largest insects in North America, a stick insect called Megaphasma that can grow up to 7” long.
  2. The Monarch Butterfly was the Texas state insect in 1995. These beautiful orange and black butterflies pass through Texas twice a year during their migrations both north and south.
  3. Dog-Day Cicadas make their home in Texas, while each species of cicada has its own sound it is a very loud buzzing sound that is very distinctive, it might be a little annoying but to many, it’s like a soothing lullaby. Listen to these Texas Cicadas and see if it is a familiar sound to you.
  4. Some of the most dangerous bugs in Texas are (in no order) the Southern Black Widow, Brown Recluse, Striped Bark Scorpion, and Texas Red-Headed Centipede.
  5. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife 327 damselflies species have been documented in North America,. 160 of those being found in Texas and 70 that are native to Texas. All are found in or around watery environments. 
  6. Texas has the most variety of insects of any of the states at over a whopping 37,000 different species.
  7. The Texas Redheaded Centipede can reach up to 8 inches in length. While a bite to a human causes sharp, local pain and swelling they are venomous but not deadly.
  8. While they look and act similar to hummingbirds, Sphinx Moths can be identified by their two long antennae on their heads and 6 legs rather than two. They are found throughout North America including Texas. These moths sip from a variety of nectar flowers and are quite large with wing spans up to 5”.
8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

Next, look at more activities for kids about Texas.

More Texas History Crafts & Activities

  • 25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study
  • Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft
  • How Texas Cattle Drives Shaped Its History and Longhorn Craft
  • History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
  • Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)
  • How to Build the Alamo: Hands-on Learning (Free Texas Unit Study)
  • Free Copywork Cattle A Texas Poem For a Fun Unit Study
  • 22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages (editable) For a Fun History Study
8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

Finally, look how to make easy dragonfly crafts.

You will need:

  • 3 pipe cleaners
  • Beads
8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

First, thread 12-14 beads on one pipe cleaner, roll and twist up one end into a little knot to stop the beads from sliding off, and push the beads down to press against the knot.

8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

On the end without beads, roll and form another knot into a head shape ½” above where the beads begin, you might use a bead or two at the center to help give it shape.

Gather two more pipe cleaners. Trim 1.5” off one pipe cleaner and then thread beads into whatever color or pattern you wish onto both leaving 1” of space on each.

8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

Twist one of the wings around the body near the head, this is why we left a little space, if you need more unroll the head a bit.

8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

Move down one bead and add the second set of wings.

To make your dragonfly look less like a butterfly you want to pull the wings out and elongate them rather than leaving them round, squeeze them close together where they’re almost touching along the line.

If you want more whimsical dragonflies, you can also glue Googly eyes to the head. We opted to leave ours at this stage.

8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, insects, life science, science, Texas, Texas history, texasunit

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

August 13, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have a short list of 25 plus Texas history books for middle school. Also, look at my Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas page.

When studying Texas history, I’ve used many resources but none of them beat a Texas living history book or picture book.

So, although these are only a few of the books we love, they’re enough to round out your study of Texas.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

In addition, I added some books of different levels.

Not all middle school kids are on the same reading level.

Besides, picture books still appeal to even adults.

And they have a way of putting topics in a nutshell especially if you’re building a foundation to begin your study.

Texas History Topics

Next, when you’re preparing a study about Texas, you can use many ways to break down the topics.

For example, here is one of the formats I follow.

  • Early Texas & Native Texans
  • Texas Revolution
  • Republic of Texas
  • Statehood
  • American Civil War & Reconstruction
  • Cowboys, Cattle and Cattle Drives
  • Hurricanes, Oil, and Modern Texas

Begin a study by looking for books about these topics.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

Also, look at these hands-on ideas to add when studying Texas.

More Texas History Crafts & Activities

  • Free Texas Homeschool Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft
  • How Texas Cattle Drives Shaped Its History and Longhorn Craft
  • History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
  • Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)
  • How to Build the Alamo: Hands-on Learning (Free Texas Unit Study)
  • Free Copywork Cattle A Texas Poem For a Fun Unit Study
  • 22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages (editable) For a Fun History Study
25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

Look at these editable notebooking pages to include in your Texas history unit study.

  • 0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages

    0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages

    $1.75
    Add to cart

Furthermore, if you’re learning about the history of cattle, or Texas cattle drives and cowboys you may love my lapbook.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study
  • Dynamic History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

Additionally, I have this free Texas lapbook for followers.

25+ Texas History Books For Middle School For a Fun Unit Study

How to Get the Free Texas Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free lapbook. It’s a subscriber freebie. And I have a list of links for this unit study included in the download.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my subscribers library and this freebie.

However, not all my freebies are in the library (wink).

I like to keep up to date with what is valuable to you so I can give you more, some freebies you must sign up again on the form below even if you are already a follower.

It’s the only way I have of freely delivering them to you. Just follow the steps below.

► 1) Sign up on my list.
► 2) Go to your inbox and confirm your email from the automatic reply I sent you.
►3) Last, look for my reply AFTER you confirm your email.

Lastly, look at these books for the history of Texas.

27 Books For Kids Who Love Reading And Being Read to About Texas

 Forget a boring textbook and add some of these books about Texas to your unit study or add to your learning day.

Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story

Relates the experiences of the Texas woman who, along with her baby, survived the 1836 massacre at the Alamo.

The Boy in the Alamo

The classic story of the siege of the Alamo, as told for young readers. Originally published in 1958, thousands of children each year enjoy this story from the unique point of view of twelve-year old Billy Campbell.

Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches

A biography of the legendary Comanche leader profiles the son of a white woman, who fiercely defended tribal lands against those who tried to seize them and who, after being moved with his people to a reservation, fought for the recognition and decent treatment of his tribe.

A Paradise Called Texas

Searching for a better life, Mina, Papa, and Mama left their German fatherland aboard the brig Margaretha ,bound for Texas. They had been told it was the paradise of North America, but when Mina steps onto the desolate beach at Indian Point on a cold December day in 1845, she wants to go back to Germany and Opa's cozy house in the village of Wehrestedt. But go on they must. In spite of mama's tragic death, Mina and Papa push inland with the Kaufmann family to the Texas Hill Country. There Mina encounters an Indian chief and his young daughter, Amaya, whose help she needs when Papa falls ill. Based on her ancestors' immigration to Texas, Janice Shefelman tells of a journey into the wilderness that is filled with hardship, tragedy and adventure.

The Texans! Tejas to Today

Lessons Taught In Story Form.

Alamo All-Stars (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6): A Texas Tale (Volume 6)

“Remember the Alamo!” That rallying cry has gone down in Texas history. But what, exactly, should we remember? Who were the ragtag group of adventurers behind the famous slogan, and how did they end up barricaded in a fort against a Mexican army Who survived, who died, and how. In the early 1800s, Native Americans, the Mexican government, and settlers from other areas of the United States were fighting over the territory that would become the Lone Star state. Here, vivid illustrations—rendered in black, white, and shades of gray, with tinges of yellow—and witty text tell the story, from Texas’s near wilderness beginnings to the Battle of the Alamo and General Sam Houston’s ultimate victory over General Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Indians Who Lived in Texas

Briefly describes the environment, daily life, and customs of four Indian groups that lived in Texas--the farmers, the fishermen, the plant gatherers, and the hunters.

Make Way for Sam Houston (Unforgettable Americans)

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.

Wilderness Pioneer, Stephen F. Austin of Texas

I wanted to tell Austin's story so that boys and girls all over the United States would come to know him not as a stuffy figure in a history book but as a man who had a great dream for the welfare of his fellowmen, and in working to make that dream come true met adventure and danger, heartache and happiness.

Caleb's Choice (Puffin Novel)

In 1858 Texas, people are violently divided over a law that makes it a crime to help runaway slaves. Caleb isn't sure how he feels. When an escaped slave saves his life, Caleb knows he has a debt to repay. But should he break the law and risk his life to help two slaves escape?

A Gentle Tour Through Texas History

A guide for teaching Texas History through literature. It is based on a 34-week timeframe and is useful for students in grades K-6/7.

Johnny Texas

In the early days of Texas history, ten-year-old Johann comes from Germany with his family to settle in this vast land and soon grows to love his new home.

Remember the Alamo! (Landmark books)

I love this series of books and this one tends to be fairly accurate.

A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Miracle of Dunkirk tells the story of the Texans who fought Santa Anna’s troops at the Battle of the Alamo. Looking out over the walls of the whitewashed Alamo, sweltering in the intense sun of a February heat wave, Colonel William Travis knew his small garrison had little chance of holding back the Mexican army. Even after a call for reinforcements brought dozens of Texans determined to fight for their fledgling republic, the cause remained hopeless. Gunpowder was scarce, food was running out, and the compound was too large to easily defend with less than two hundred soldiers. Still, given the choice, only one man opted to surrender. The rest resolved to fight and die. After thirteen days, the Mexicans charged, and the Texans were slaughtered. In exquisite detail, Walter Lord recreates the fight to uphold the Texan flag. He sheds light not just on frontier celebrities like Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but on the ordinary soldiers who died alongside them. Though the fight ended two centuries ago, the men of the Alamo will never be forgotten.

I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900

More than a century later, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is still America's deadliest disaster. Lauren Tarshis's story of one child surviving the horrible event churns with page-turning action and bold hope.

The city of Galveston, Texas, was booming. Perched on an island off the southern coast of Texas, Galveston had been founded in the 1830s. By 1900, it was Texas's richest and most important city. Boats loaded up with American cotton and wheat steamed from Galveston to countries around the world. Arriving ships were crowded with immigrants. The streets, paved with crushed oyster shells, sparkled like they'd been sprinkled with diamonds.

Galveston's Summer of the Storm (Chaparral Books)

When fourteen-year-old Abby Kate boards the train in Austin to spend three weeks with her grandmother in Galveston, she’s full of excitement—about the train ride and the prospect of days on the beach, exploring Galveston with her cousin Jane, family picnics, and her grandmother’s good food. But things go wrong even before she gets to her grandmother’s house. Abby Kate gets off the train briefly in Houston—and the train leaves without her. Stranded in the railroad station, she is befriended by a man traveling with his two sons and eventually reaches Galveston safely.

Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen

In the 1820s, the Texas frontier was a rugged, lawless place that needed defending. The men that banded together to protect the citizens of Texas from the threats of bandits and raiding native tribes were known as the Texas Rangers. Since bravery was never in short demand, any unmarried man with a good horse and a sharp shot could be selected to join the ranks. As they roamed the Texas frontier maintaining peace and order, the Rangers were present for many of the most famous moments in Texas's exciting history-they defended the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, spied on the Mexican army during the war for independence, and chased down outlaws in the booming oil towns of the Wild West.

Texas Tomboy

The entire ranch is thirsty—will the rains ever come?

Remember Goliad: Their Silent Tents

Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, turned out to be the blackest day in the war of independence between Texas and Mexico. Colonel James Walker Fannin Jr. and his men were ruthlessly slaughtered at the Presidio La Bahia near Goliad. The order was given directly by General Santa Anna. The author describes the background leading up to the start of hostilities in October 1835 and the two Mexican armies which threatened to overrun the Texans, with the massacre at the Alamo on March 2 and then the attack on the Presidio La Bahia, which Fannin called Fort Defiance. A description of garrison life and the men under Fannin's command precedes the battle of Coleto Plains, where Fannin's Texans, without an adequate water supply and defenses, were surrounded by General Urrea's army and forced to surrender. One of the more traumatic aspects of the battle and executions involved a group of young soldiers from Alabama, mainly from the same area, whose leader, Dr. Shackleford, was spared to minister to the sick and injured and was forced to witness the deaths of his protégées.

Jane Long Mother of Texas

A biography of the brave wife of General James Long who was the first woman of English descent to enter Texas and bear a child there.

Camel express; A story of the Jeff Davis experiment (Winston adventure books)

Story of a little known chapter in American military history; extensive illustrations throughout book by Joseph C. Camana.

Texas Yankee: The Story of Gail Borden

Famous as a newspaperman and surveyor in Texas, Gail Borden was the discoverer of how to condense milk. 

Tex's Tales

Picked up by a tornado and swept away from his family in nineteenth-century Texas, a dog has some exciting adventures in the frontier wilderness before making his way home again.

Miriam “Ma” Ferguson: First Woman Governor of Texas (Volume 3) (Stars of Texas Series)

Miriam Ferguson was a quiet, private person who preferred to stay home in her big house in Temple, Texas, and take care of her husband, raise her two daughters, and tend to her flower garden. But in 1924 she was elected governor of Texas, the first woman governor elected in the United States.

Texas History for Kids: Lone Star Lives and Legends, with 21 Activities

Encapsulating the 500-year saga of the one-of-a-kind state of Texas, this interactive book takes readers from the founding of the Spanish Missions and the victory at San Jacinto to the Great Storm that destroyed Galveston and the establishment of NASA’s Mission Control in Houston while covering everything in between. Texas History for Kids includes 21 informative and fun activities to help readers better understand the state’s culture, politics, and geography. Kids will recreate one of the six national flags that have flown over the state, make castings of local wildlife tracks, design a ranch’s branding iron, celebrate Juneteenth by reciting General Order Number 3, build a miniature Battle of Flowers float, and more. This valuable resource also includes a timeline of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and web resources for further study.

Make Way for Sam Houston

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas's fight for independence from Mexico. Lively, readable, and solidly researched, this is the kind of biography every child needs. Booklist, starred review Jean Fritz has done it again. Her writing turns this larger-than-life character into a very real person.School Library Journal, starred review ?Young readers will find the book fast-paced and fact-packed. The New York Times Book Review Jean Fritz lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Trail Fever: The Life of a Texas Cowboy

The story of one of Texas's most famous cowboys is filled with cattle drives, stampedes, floods, droughts, freezing desert nights, raiders and bandits, and one man's endurance and love of life on the plains.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Reading Lists Tagged With: history, history resources, historyspine, homeschoolhistory, homeschoolreading, middle school, middleschool, read aloud, reading, Texas, Texas history, texasunit

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

March 14, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some facts about wildflowers and a fun felt Texas bluebonnet craft. You’ll also love my Wildflowers Unit Study.

Spring is very nearly here; can you feel it?

It is officially just a few days away and already things are blooming, birds are nesting, days are getting longer, and spring fever is taking hold.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

One of my favorite things about spring is the beautiful abundance of wildflowers.

You can find them alongside streams, on hillsides, at the edge of the forest, and even on the side of the road.

Spring is the perfect time to learn many fun facts about wildflowers, investigate their uses and benefits to their ecosystems, learn state flowers, and more.

Today we are going to learn some of those facts and create beautiful felt Texas Bluebonnets which is the state flower for Texas.

This project is easy, pretty inexpensive and free if you have these basic supplies on hand.

It makes adorable addition to your spring decor.

They would also be a great craft to go along with a unit study about Texas.

10 Wonderful And Fun Facts About Wildflowers

  1. Wildflowers are important because they support ecosystems and pollinators which is good for us and our food supply.
  2. Texas Bluebonnets are the official state flower of Texas.
  3. Wildflowers have several different meanings like happiness, joy, and remembrance.
  4. A wildflower is called that because it is a flower that grows in the wild, and it was not intentionally seeded or planted.
  5. A group of wildflowers is called a bloom. A super bloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon where an unusually high amount of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil blossom at about the same time.
  6. Bluebonnets are typically (obviously) blue but occasionally you’ll come across them in light blue, white or pink, due to genetic mutations.
  7. The name dandelion comes from the French- dent de lion (tooth of the lion ) for its  jagged toothed shaped leaves.  A coffee substitute can be made from the roasted and ground roots of dandelions.
  8. Many wildflowers, from the petals to the roots, are used for medicines, tinctures, salves, teas, and beauty products.
  9. Most wildflowers contain 4 basic parts – sepals, petals, pistils, and stamens.
  10. The two most common wildflowers are the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, and the Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta).

Next, add some of these books for your wildflower unit study.

10 Wildflower Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Spring is especially a good time to learn about wildflowers but you can learn about them anytime. Add a few of these hands-on resources and books and you'll have a fun multiple ages unit study for your homeschooled kids.

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

With this basic beginner's field guide to North American wildflowers, all who enjoy nature and the outdoors can identify common wildflowers, from backyard weeds to dainty forest blossoms. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title offers key facts about 160 of the most common wildflowers and weeds, coast to coast, including Canada and Alaska.

Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Unlike many kids games 4 and up that turn out to be too confusing for children, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, is a fun, strategic challenge that’s also easy to follow– NO READING REQUIRED. Because our learning board games feature clear illustrations and matching icons, even younger kids will learn what the different plants look like and can be used for. It’s the perfect fun game for family game night with kids, and ideal for beginners – no prior plant knowledge necessary!

Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wide Variety Of Flower Seeds: Our wildflower seeds will provide you with a vibrant selection of flowers in your garden. You will get 21 different varieties of annual seeds including Black Eyed Susans, California Bluebells, African Daisies and more.

Wildflower Bingo Game

Do you know which flower got its name from its resemblance to the sombrero? What is the species of the bluebonnet? Lot of facts about North American wildflowers in this game.

Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested. 

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

What do you call a garden filled with lots of flowers? A polli-nation! Nat Geo Kids is back with the newest fact- and photo-filled Ultimate Explorer Field Guide, and this one packs some real flower power! This guide to wildflowers will make kids stop and look for all kinds of blossoms blooming right under their noses. From buttercups to bladderworts, primroses to pitcher plants, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these wildflowers in their backyard, down the street, or all over town! Jam-packed with tons of info, interactive prompts, tips for budding botanists, super stats, and jokes--it's the perfect companion for exploring the backyard or field trips, camping, or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!

Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Did you know that wild plants are still used for food, for medicines, and as dyes? Many of the plants growing in urban areas, in woods and by the side of roads are useful as well as being pretty. Other plants have small and less obvious how many have you seen and not realized that they were flowers? This book will show you the most common wild flowers and where you are most likely to find them. A nature guide designed for elementary grades 2-3, the book includes more than 20 easy-to-do science projects.

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty. 

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills. 

Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. What does it take to paint a wildflower that blooms for a single day in a deep forest? For Mary Vaux Walcott, it involved spending up to seventeen hours a day out of doors with her paintbox to capture the shape, movement, and colors of delicate petals and leaves.

Hands on Ideas for Facts About Wildflowers

  •  Be sure to grab my Free Wildflowers Unit Study and Lapbook.
  • Learn How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
  •  Learn How to Easily Make a Simple and Fun Kids DIY Flower Press
  • Younger children will love this Nature Walk Cardboard Vase Activity for collecting wildflowers as they find them.
  • Plant a massive bed of wildflowers and learn about them in your own backyard.
  • Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

Then, add a fun felt wildflower like a Texas Bluebonnet to your list of activities.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

You probably have most of these items at your house already.

How to Make a Texas Bluebonnet Wildflower Craft

You will need:

  • White craft felt
  • Blue craft felt
  • Hot glue gun/Glue sticks
  • Wooden Skewers
  • Green markers/paint
  • Scissors
Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Directions:

Paint or color skewers green and set aside to dry.

You could also use craft sticks or even pick skinny sticks out of the yard to use.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Cut the white felt on the short end into approximately 1” strips and cut the blue felt into 1 ¼” to 1 ½” strips.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Fold the white in half lengthwise and cut notches every ⅛” to ¼” from the fold to almost the edge but not quite cutting through.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Add a bit of hot glue to the end of your green colored skewer and begin wrapping the folded white felt around the tip, maybe 3 or 4 times moving down as you go.

We used about 3” of the white piece and cut the rest off for another bluebonnet.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Secure the end with hot glue.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Fold the long length of blue in half lengthwise and repeat the process of cutting lines from the fold to the other side but not quite all the way across.

Slightly overlap the white and wrap the blue (still folded in half) around the stem continuing down adding hot glue to secure every so often. Be sure to pull and twist tightly as you go.

Repeat for as many flowers as you wish to make.

For each flower we used a 3” piece of white felt strip and the entire blue strip.

Happy Spring!

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: bluebonnet, earth science, elementary science, felt, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolscience, life science, science, Texas, texasunit, wildflowers

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