I rounded up some World War II free resources for a middle school unit study because I plan on tackling this tough part in American history soon with Tiny. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.
This certainly is not an easy topic to study with younger kids and it’s still pretty hard with middle and high school kids.
However, it is easier to explain the issues and ideology on both sides when your kids are a bit older.
You know too I like having plenty of time to plan, think about some of these activities, and gather them in one place before we start.
World War II Activities for Homeschooled Kids
Look at these ideas for hands-on history, free lesson plans and resources.
(Picture copyright Home School in the Woods and used here for illustrative purposes only.)
Grab the free sample lesson download at the bottom of the page at Home School In the Woods.
It has some soldier paper dolls (for lack of better words) in color showing the soldiers for both sides and I think it’s an easy way of identifying whose who in the war.
Video from NeoK12 about World War II. Letters are read from that time period about how people felt.
These letters or excerpts are a great free primary resource to use.
A free lesson plan on the Navajo Code Talkers.
In 1943 Eleanor Roosevelt helped start a Victory Garden movement that ended up making a substantial contribution to feeding the nation in wartime. You’ll love reading about it here along with learning about period posters.
World War II Victory Soup Recipe
So you could either plant a garden or have a Victory Garden Meal as you studied this topic.
Look at this recipe that I have included below that is in one of our kids history magazine that would make a fun edible project.
Ingredients.
1 of each of the following:
potato, onion, celery, turnip, tomato
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup peas
Small amount of any leftover cooked vegetables in your refrigerator
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Cups tomato juice
1 Cup water
½ Tablespoon salt
Pepper to taste
¼ Cup small pieces of macaroni or any type you prefer
Directions.
Peel the potato, cut in cube and boil in water for 15 minutes. Peel the carrot and turnip. Chop the onion and celery in small pieces. Slice the carrot.
Dice the turnip and tomato. Mash the potato in the cooking water.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a soup pot. Add the onion and celery and cook over low heat for about five minute, stirring frequently.
Add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the tomato juice, water, salt, pepper and macaroni. Add the potatoes, carrots, turnips, corn, peas and tomato. Cook over medium heat stirring.
When soup begins to boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. During the last five minutes, add any leftover vegetable.
World War II Free Resources For a Middle School Unit Study
- Read letters from the Front. More letters from the home front.
- Though this 198 page pdf download does not have lesson plans, this was a study of the World War II home front.
The purpose of the study is to identify historic places that best represent the wartime mobilization that occurred in the United States and its territories and possessions between 1939 and 1945 to assist in identifying whether any of these places should be considered for potential inclusion in the National Park System.
In other words, it makes a nifty guide for identifying key places and obtaining back ground information.
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- Study poster art from World War II in this free 26 page download.
- Very helpful World War II history study guide that is only 2 pages long but in a three column form, it gives several topics to study.
- Learn about canning, which was utilized to help rationing during wartime.
Use this Nazi party infographic to help your child understand their ideals.
More World War II Unit Study Hands-on Activities
- Free World War II Unit Study Ideas and Fun Lapbook
- World War II Hands-On History – Make Ration Cakes
- World War II Hands-On History – Make a Secret Message Deck
- 8 World War II Historical Fiction Books for Middle School
- World War II Free Resources For a Middle School Unit Study & Make Victory Garden Soup
- World War II Homeschool History-Manhattan Project,Vocabulary & A. Frank
- World War II Homeschool History: Life During the War & Pearl Harbor Minibook
- World War II Homeschool History: Minibooks Causes & Great Depression
- World War II Homeschool History: Staged For War & Quick Facts Minibooks & Links
- World War II Homeschool History Free Unit Study and Lapbook
- Watch and listen to the original Sound of Music movie. The well known Von Trapp family left Austria before the Nazi take over. Another activity would be to compare the movie with what happened in real life. Check out Movie vs. Reality: The Real Story of the Von Trapp Family which lists some facts about the life of Maria Von Trapp.
- Here is a great visual on understanding the attack on Pearl Harbor.
- Then Teaching Ideas has some very helpful free pdfs like the 25 pdf on dogs in the war, clothes rationing and questioning a World War II character.
- Make a model gas mask.
- Pearl Harbor teacher’s guide .
- Check out this round up of World War II films by Kathy’s Cluttered Mind. She has some suggestions for younger children and some for older ones.
- Also, check out this unit study for resources for younger children by Ticia at Adventure in Mommydom.
Hands-on History for Kids
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- Study tons of color posters by the British or propaganda artworks, which have been released on Wikipedia.
- Free World War II timeline worksheet by Square Head Teachers.
- Free teacher’s guide World War II from Kids Discover.
- Teach a lesson in being frugal by following this World War II saying: “Use it Up. Wear it Out. Make it Do” and add “Or Do Without” if you want to.
- Add in some art by doing a shadow box on World War II. So cool.
- Study some more primary resources. 11 Awesome Pages from World War II Ration Cookbooks from Mental Floss.
Then, some free coloring pages:
- Woman in the War Effort.
- Free coloring pages from Edupic.
- 3 free coloring pages for World War II airplanes from Dover Coloring.
- Lots of free coloring pages for World War II aircraft.
- Also look at these posters about World War II from the Virtual Library.
Spot an air craft activity. Check out these deck of cards from that time period that has different air craft pictured to learn about.
During war time, kids would spot air crafts and try to identify them.
I have some more ideas for hands-on history that I’ll share when we start our project, but I wanted to share these ideas today so you can starting sorting through them too.
I’ll be teaching a unit on the WWII American Homefront to a homeschool co-op class this fall. Thanks for the links to these wonderful resources. Several I had, but many I did not. Most helpful!
Great!!! Be sure to grab them all here and you are so welcome!
Hi Tina, This is such a huge topic and I appreciate the links to be able to teach some of the American perspective on WWII. Some other resources that might be of interest are:
> HBO must watch… Conspiracy (Kenneth Brannagh and Stanley Tucci) about the meeting held at Wansee, outside Berlin, where the decision about the Final Solution was made… the horror is that this was made from the transcript of the meeting – available on YouTube;
> Other Documentaries on YouTube: The Wartime Farm – 8 x 1-hr episodes plus a Christmas Special – documentary with historian Ruth Goodman, available on YouTube; Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories from the Kindertransport; Nicky’s Family – about Sir Nicholas Winton and the Jewish children from Czechoslovakia; Code Breakers: Bletchley Park’s Lost Heros ; Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will – about the 1934 Nuremberg Rally
> Movies: The Book Thief , Saving Private Ryan, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Great Escape, Schindler’s List, A Bridge Too Far, Stalingrad, The Dam Busters, Sands of Iwo Jima, Casablanca, Battle of Britain (Christopher Plummer, Michael Caine, Sir Lawrence Olivier), Battle of Midway, Where Eagles Dare (Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood), The Dirty Dozen (Lee Marvin!), The Thin Red Line, The Battle of the Bulge
> Veteran’s Affairs Canada has binders for WWI, WWII and Korea that detail Canadian involvement and battles – available free of charge
> Books: “A Town Like Alice” by Neville Shute (better in book form than the movie); “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit” by Judith Kerr; “Camp X” by Eric Walters; three books for the “I Am Canada” series focus on WWII; “Inside the Third Reich” and “Infiltration” by Albrect Spear; books by Ian Kershaw
There is just so much out there… This is just some of what I am using to teach my 11-yr old… and I am now about to have go make us Victory Soup for diner. Thanks!
Well this is JUST absolutely WONDERFUL. I haven’t finished sharing the links yet so this is a GREAT help and love that you shared here.
Thank you so much!!!!!!