Category Archives: History Explorations
Rebellion in the Netherlands Map
The Dutch colonies had been governed by Spain via the powerful Habsburg family for a generation, but the old king, Charles V, had been born and raised in the low countries, he spoke the language and understood the people. When … Continue reading
Ethiopia and Prester John
We were studying Ethiopia last week and decided to take a little side trip to Prester John. Prester John was a mythical Christian monarch known to Europeans in the Middle Ages. The legend said that somewhere in the mysterious east … Continue reading
Christianity and the Modern World
I went to public school, which wasn’t all bad. I learned a ton of great information, probably most importantly I read, wrote about, and discussed the classics in an advanced English class under an incredible teacher, which gave me the … Continue reading
Comparing The Rights and Responsibilities of Three Countries
We did a government activity for Family Night this week. Every week we have one evening set aside that we spend as a family. We do it because we know life is busy and time gets away. Soon our kids … Continue reading
Great Persistence Made Washington Great
Think of some of the people from history who you admire most. Joan of Arc, George Washington, Mozart, Harriet Tubman, Mother Teresa, William Wilberforce. What do these people have in common? Really. Miserable. Lives. People who have serious challenges, learn … Continue reading
Milk Jug Knights
We made these sets of knights armor out of milk jugs to go along with our medieval history studies. I needed three milk jugs for each child . . . at our house that’s a lot of milk jugs. {6 … Continue reading
Niagara’s Trickle
When I think of Niagara Falls the first thing that comes to mind is HUGE. It connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and drops 326 feet in 35 miles. Daytime flow over the falls in the summer is 748,100 gallons … Continue reading
Courage, War, and Freedom
I read this quote the other day and it made me think that maybe all of us take our freedoms for granted a bit too much: Read and discuss the quote with your older children. Here are a few essay … Continue reading
Presidential Fact Finders
To celebrate President’s Day this year, we’re playing Presidential Fact Finders. You start with a simple craft, then turn it into a game! You’ll need 2 contrasting colors of construction paper, pencils, scissors, glue, and this printable template from our … Continue reading
Mini Castle Craft
You can easily make these mini castles with your kids while studying the middle ages. Printable Castle Craft Just print the castles out onto card stock, color, cut along the dotted line over the castle and around the heavy line … Continue reading
The Story of Stilts
A stilt walker fixing wires Stilts were invented centuries ago, not for play, but for work and for transportation. In Belgium they were a necessity for the citizens of Namur, a city situated by 2 rivers that frequently flooded. The … Continue reading
Edward III’s Coat of Arms
Edward III was monarch of England during the early years of the Hundred Years War. He changed his coat of arms from the three lions of King Richard I to the lions quartered with the fleurs-de-lis of France. He did … Continue reading
Canterbury Tales for Kids
The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in England toward the end of the 1300′s. Less than fifty years earlier the Black Death had swept through Europe, killing perhaps a third of the population, the peasants of England had … Continue reading
The History of Christmas
I love learning about the history behind the things we take for granted. It gives an insight into aspects of our daily lives that we wouldn’t even consider without the background information behind it. It’s like stepping back and seeing … Continue reading
Ancient Sahara Trade Routes
Most of Africa south of the Sahara desert is cut off from Northern Africa and Europe by the Sahara desert. The biggest desert in the world, it covers 3.3 million square miles! It is desolate, with very little plant and … Continue reading
President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
In 1863, in the midst of a terrible civil war and when all seemed darkest, Abraham Lincoln made this proclamation for a national day of Thanksgiving to God. Read this before your Thanksgiving Feast: By the President of the United … Continue reading
The First Thanksgiving Activities
It is generally the people who have the most trials that feel the most gratitude toward God. This was certainly the case of the Pilgrims. It was because of their heavy suffering of that first year that they felt such … Continue reading
Mad Scientists: Fritz Haber
Fritz Haber was mean to his wife. That probably gets me more riled than all the rest of it, since really it led to all of it. Fritz and his wife, Clara Immerwahr, were both brilliant chemists. Unfortunately, unlike contemporaries, … Continue reading
Veterans Day Learning
Four US soldiers watching the allied bombing at Normandy. Veterans Day was first known as Armistice Day and celebrated the day the treaty was signed ending WWI, November 11, 1918. In 1954 the congress declared the day be renamed Veterans Day and that it … Continue reading
Viking People
We made toilet paper roll Viking guys from DLTK as an activity to go along with our Viking studies. We also colored maps of the raiding routes and areas of trade and settlement of the Vikings. You can print out … Continue reading
The Discovery of Machu Pichu
We’ve been studying the ancient people of the Americas including the Inca. Nathan, 13, wrote this report on the discovery of Machu Picchu. Hiram Bingham was a professor at Yale University who tried to find the mysterious city of Vilcapampa. … Continue reading
Book Projects: Ali Baba
We’re learning about the start of Islam in history and in geography we’ve been learning about the Arabian Peninsula. We read several books on these topics and then the boys chose The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves … Continue reading
Illuminations
We’ve spent a good deal of time studying the monks who kept literacy and learning alive during the Middle Ages lately. Looking at some of their original manuscripts is amazing. They aren’t just writing; they are works of art — … Continue reading
Chinese Paper Cutting
Almost since they invented paper the Chinese have been making beautiful designs by intricately cutting paper. It takes years and years of practice to make something as beautiful as these, but you can make a simple paper cutting craft. Follow … Continue reading
King Arthur’s Crown
Kids like King Arthur and kids like wearing things on their heads. So here’s a crown to make when reading about King Arthur. Some people say Arthur was nothing but a story, a mythical make-believe person. Others think he was … Continue reading
Assyrians!
We learned about the Assyrians recently. Our friend, Katie helped the kids make these projects. For the older kids: shaduf models. A shaduf was an ancient water irrigation tool. A long weighted pole with a bucket on the end was used to … Continue reading
Remembering 9/11/01
It’s September 11th, the tenth anniversary of the Twin Towers destruction and an act of war committed by radical Islamists. Most kids even up through high school barely remember the event or weren’t even born yet. My oldest, now a … Continue reading
A Hundred Schools of Thought
The warring states period was a time when dozens of small kingdoms in China were all vying for power, one with another. It was also the greatest time of Chinese philosophy, art, scientific scholarship, and religious revival for China. This … Continue reading
Roman Mosaics
Every civilization had it’s own art forms and for the Romans it was mosaics. They used stones, pottery and glass to make beautiful designs like this one of the Plato academy: Or this one, a purely geometric design, also known … Continue reading
Ancient Egyptian Jewelry
We made several kinds of jewelry during our study of the Egyptians. They not only wore it for its’ beauty, but also because they believed it was magical and could protect them from evil as long as they wore it. … Continue reading
The First Amendment For Kids
The First Amendment covers the individuals right to conscience. We can say, think, believe, and write what we like and express those thoughts in public and to the government without fear of reprisals. Here’s what the First Amendment says: Congress … Continue reading
David Thompson: Cartographer
David Thompson was a Canadian explorer, surveyor, and map maker of the early 1800′s. He is known as the greatest land geographer who ever lived. The natives of the North American continent knew him as Koo-Koo-Sint, “Star-Gazer”. Born in England in 1770, he was poor and … Continue reading
Flag Day
It’s Flag Day in the United States. I hope that no matter where you live, when you see your flag, you feel the same feeling I do when I see my flag. I remember even as a child watching a Boy Scout flag ceremony … Continue reading
Anne Frank
Today my mother-in-law sent me this amazing website all about Anne Frank…here’s a bit of info. she sent me about it: Today marks the anniversary of Anne Frank’s birth. During World War II, her family hid from German occupying forces. … Continue reading
Impromptu Pirate Costume
Just for fun, Tim made this hook and pirate hat, which Harrison has taken for his own. The hook is made from a plastic peanut butter jar, cut down, a hanger end for the hook, and duct tape covering the whole thing. … Continue reading
Pencil Catapult
Tim built this pencil catapult, perfecting his design as he went along. He just used two materials: pencils and yarn. Pretty cool. Catapults were invented by the ancient Greeks and have been knocking down walls ever since. At first used to hurl crossbow bolts … Continue reading
Memorial Day Learning
Crafts are fun and can fill time, but if you want to really learn about Memorial Day, you have to learn about why America is worth fighting for and why people in the past have pledged their lives, fortunes and … Continue reading
Minting Play Money
This is a Tim project. He tends to enjoy hands on building and inventing much more than my other kids. So this week he decided to “mint” his own coins. First he made a design in clay. One side of the coin has a “T” for … Continue reading
Rhymes of Slave Children
Most of us know about the American slave spirituals which transformed into gospel music, took a turn and became blues and rock & roll and rap and many other genres of pure American music. We aren’t so aware of the … Continue reading
Ritual of Tammuz
Each fall when it was time to sow the grain, the Assyrian women did a special ritual to appease the god, Tammuz, who was the god of corn. They wept to mourn the death of Tammuz, then threw corn seeds … Continue reading
The Tales of Nasreddin
In much of the world, stretching from China to the Swahili Coast of Africa and from the Balkans to the Middle East, Nasreddin is as common a figure as Aesop is to us. He, like Aesop, lived in a small … Continue reading
Hobos
From the 1880′s to the 1930′s hobos were a familiar sight along the railroads and back roads of America. They were travelers, always looking for a cheap way to get from here to there. Hoping to find work, opportunities, and … Continue reading
Bill of Rights For Kids
My favorite novel is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but my favorite document is The Constitution of the United States. This inspired document has done more good in the world than almost any other written word, except the Bible … Continue reading
Meaningful Activities For Kids On Washington’s Birthday
When teaching my own kids I don’t just look for cute activities around a theme, like Presidents Day. I mean making a puppet of George Washington would be fun, but what would they learn? I always approach a lesson from the idea … Continue reading
Ojo de Dios
Ojo de Dios (oh-ho-day-DEE-ohs) is Spanish for “Eye of God.” When the early Spaniards came to Mexico they encountered the Huichol (wet-chol) people who lived in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. The Sierra Madre mountains are the large mountain … Continue reading
Comparison of Worldwide Floods
Many cultures and religions have flood stories. Different people explain these similar stories in different ways. To see a comparison and different viewpoints on the story of the flood in the Bible and the story of the flood in the Epic of … Continue reading
Baucis and Philemon, A Greek Love Story
Near a swampy lake in Phyrgia there is a low wall enclosing tow trees–a linden and an oak. Long long ago Zeus visited this land with his son, Hermes, the messenger god. The two gods traveled through the land, disguised as ordinary … Continue reading
Some Favorite Books on the Holocaust
You could tell kids about the holocaust or have them read about it in a text book, but given all the absolutely tremendous first hand accounts, why would you? Such a topic is far more meaningful and life changing coming from someone … Continue reading
Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement
Every homeschool and every classroom and every family in America should spend time on Monday learning about and talking about the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King. Once a year is certainly not too much time to spend on a chapter of our history both so recent and … Continue reading
The Knights, A Greek Comedy
The Greeks wrote really cool plays, almost everybody knows that. But almost nobody has read them. That’s too bad, because they are really awesomely good. We tend to think of the Greeks as big time intellectuals and some of them … Continue reading
Mad Scientist: Alexis Carrel
Alexis Carrel was a French Scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1912 for developing methods of suturing veins and arteries. His work and methods have saved thousands of lives and are still very much in use in surgeries today, especially in the area of … Continue reading
John Harrison and the Greatest Contest Ever
John Harrison The greatest problem of the eighteenth century was the problem of longitude. European countries were busy making their fortunes through trade and the forefront of this great commercial enterprise was Britain. Britain had the greatest navy in the world and the most far flung and profitable colonies … Continue reading
Superstitions
Superstitions are interesting things because they are believed in so widely, and yet are not based on fact or reason. It can be difficult to get people to believe in reasonable, factual things, and yet–it is very easy to get … Continue reading
Babylonian Timeline
Stella showing the Code of Hammurabi The Babylonians were an ancient Mesopotamian people living in the southern part of what is today Iraq. They conquered and adopted the culture of the Sumerians who came before. And in turn they were conquered by the Persians. But … Continue reading
Grecian Urns
John Keats’ sketch of the Grecian Urn hewrote about in his famous “Ode ona Grecian Urn.” The ancient Greeks are a fascinating people to study because they were so advanced for their time. They had fully functioning cities with far … Continue reading
General George Henry Thomas
Have you ever heard about a hero named George Henry Thomas? Thomas was born in Virginia to slave holding, plantation owning, Southern aristocrats in 1816. Most children follow very closely in the footsteps of their parents, but Thomas departed from … Continue reading
The Prince: How to Maintain Your Power At All Costs
Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian, wrote a book called The Prince. It is dedicated very ingratiatingly to Lorenzo Di Piero De Medici. Machiavelli outlines, very confidently, how a ruler should behave in his or her role over their people. He argues … Continue reading
Native American Legends
Every people has an ancient oral literary history. Usually these tales, passed down from one generation to the next by professional story tellers, are magical and mystical in nature, besides teaching the values and mores of a society. In North America there … Continue reading
Ancient Egypt
There’s no shortage of information on ancient Egypt, even when it comes to teaching little kids. Just head to the library and you’re sure to find a ton of interesting books no matter what reading level you’re in search of. … Continue reading
Wokou: Japanese Pirates of the Middle Ages
Wokou is Chinese for pirate and literally means Japanese-bandit. They were a problem in the middle ages. The Japanese pirates would sit among the many islands of the Japanese archipelago and the Chinese coast waiting for a nice juicy trading vessel to … Continue reading
Medieval Indian Ocean Trade Routes
Many cities around the rim of the Indian Ocean became fabulously wealthy during the middle ages through trade. The Swahili coast of Africa had ivory, gold, ebony, sandalwood and slaves to trade for Indian spices and drugs. China had silk to … Continue reading
Pictographs and Petroglyphs
Cave Painting, pictographs, and petroglyphs are the art of many early civilizations. When tackling Art History or Art Appreciation it’s good to start at the beginning and this is it both in terms of time and sophistication. Paintings were done … Continue reading
Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire Europe was in turmoil for years, with the borders of kingdoms changing rapidly. In the east the Roman Empire, which we call the Byzantine Empire, was alive and well for another thousand … Continue reading
History of Ecology
Ecology is the study of earth’s living systems and how they interact. It is not environmentalism, a social and political movement. Ecology is one of the most complex sciences and is very new. As such we are only at the … Continue reading
Map of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
After the Romans abandoned Britain, telling them to “look to their own defenses”, they scrambled to do just that, because they were immediately invaded by the Picts from the north. King Vortigern sent out a cry for help to the … Continue reading
Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross is celebrated as the seamstress of the American flag (though some do doubt this claim). She was born in 1752 and lived to be 84 years old. She had 16 siblings! She was married in a tavern and … Continue reading
Apartheid
In the late 1600′s the Dutch began to settle South Africa, at first as a stop along the trade route to Asia and after for the land and diamonds of South Africa itself. Others including French, Scandinavians, English, and Germans. … Continue reading
Old Glory
On our sister site, The Executive Mom, we’re offering an Old Glory Sign as a giveaway. To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment about what your Independence Day plans are this year. The catch is, … Continue reading
Cold War
The Cold War wasn’t. Cold I mean (except in Korea. It was cold in Korea). Here’s a run down of what the Cold War was and how it got us where we are today. I strongly recommend that when you … Continue reading
Hopewell People
The Hopewell were a people of ancient America who lived around the Ohio River Valley and down the Mississippi from about 300 BC to 550 AD. They were probably not a nation as we think of it, but rather a … Continue reading
Cuban Missile Crisis For Kids
The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the events of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR. Try a role playing activity to bring it to life for your kids. First you have to introduce the Cold War. … Continue reading
The Other Immigrants
Everyone has heard of Ellis Island and the Irish, German, French, British, Scandinavian and other European immigrants, but we don’t hear much about Angel Island and the Asian immigrants. As you’re studying modern Chinese history, take some time to find … Continue reading
History Combined with Family History
As our history studies approach more modern times, it’s been awesome to bring some of it to life with stories from our own family’s history. My last living grandfather fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and though it’s still … Continue reading
Map of Ancient Egypt
Historical maps are great tool for understanding the past. You can see when you look at a map of Egypt why people lived only along the river. You can see the boundaries of the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms and … Continue reading
Historical Map of the Middle East
Here’s a free printable map of the Ancient Middle East we’d like to share with you. Click on the link and print out as many as you would like for your family or your class. Please don’t re-sell or re-use the map without … Continue reading
Coat of Arms
Often we see a coat of arms displayed as a super fancy crest with lots of embellishments. The actual coat of arms though is the simple symbols, colors and images in the center of all that fluff. Here is a … Continue reading
Political Science
One of the most confusing things one can study is human government and economics. The problem is that every government is unique and none fit into nice neat categories. Political scientists, teachers and encyclopedias disagree on basic things like definitions. … Continue reading
Up Periscope!
My two older boys, ages 12 and 11, and I made this periscope. It could be used in connection with learning about WWI, where they used periscopes to see over the edge of the trenches and in U-boats, while learning … Continue reading
World War I Timeline
Also known as the Great War and the War to End All Wars (sure wish that had worked out), the First World War changed everything. Though it had absolutely nothing to do with America, yet America fought in it and emerged … Continue reading
The Pony Express
The Pony Express was an early mail service that crossed North America in 1860 and 1861 (right before the Civil War). It ran from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California and consisted of relay teams f horseback riders carrying messages. … Continue reading
Patriotic Music For America
Patriotism, a love of country, is an important feeling to nurture in your children. If we love our country we will work to make it a better place. We will acknowledge the mistakes and national sins of the past and … Continue reading
The Tenth Amendment For Kids
My kids learned about the tenth amendment in connection with the civil war. Back then everybody was yelling “State’s Rights! State’s Rights!” What were they talking about? They were talking about the tenth amendment. The Tenth Amendment says: The powers not … Continue reading
Be a Civil War Soldier
Whether from the north or south, civil war soldiers were very much the same and lived in very similar conditions. First dress the part: At the beginning of the civil war neither the north nor the south had uniforms, they … Continue reading
Abraham Lincoln Time Line
Abraham Lincoln was a fascinating man who changed the course of America’s history. Most of us know his basic story, but here are some fun facts you may not know. . . Lincoln loved animals and refused to hunt. He … Continue reading
Covered Wagon Craft
The pioneers and the wild west are a fascinating part of American history. Here’s a fun and simple craft to go along with a pioneer theme. Start with a food box packaging, like a small cracker box. Cut off about … Continue reading
European Colonization of Africa
After Europeans had exploited or tried to exploit every other people on earth, they turned their attention to Africa in the 1800′s. First they merely explored, then they began to trade (including the slave trade), and finally they wanted to … Continue reading
Slavery
Slavery has been a condition of the human world since ancient times and occurred in nearly every culture all across the globe. Exceptions were the Tribes of Israel and the Anglo-Saxons of England before William the Conqueror. Until one man … Continue reading
War of 1812
The war of 1812 is often forgotten by Americans. Yet it was very significant in our early growth as a nation. We had won the war for Independence in 1783, but our independence was still tenuous until 1815 when we … Continue reading
Hawaii’s History
Many centuries or perhaps millenia ago people arrived in Hawaii. Historians and archaeologists believe they came by way of the islands in the South Pacific, originally from Asia, but the truth is that no one knows for sure. Individual kingdoms … Continue reading
American Government
The most basic understanding of the Constitution of the United States is an understanding of our form of government. It’s not a concept that can be taught to kids without some visual aids. Fortunately these are not difficult to make … Continue reading
Revolutionary War Hat Craft
You can make simple hats to represent the hats worn by American men during the Revolutionary War period. You Need 3 pieces of construction paper in any color staples feather (optional) First cut out the hat shape. It’s easiest to … Continue reading
Re-enacting the Battle of Long Island
In August of 1776, early in the American Revolutionary War, general Washington had maneuvered his troops to Long Island in the hopes of protecting the city of New York from the British. Washington occupied and fortified Brooklyn Heights, across the … Continue reading
Napoleon
Whatever else Napoleon was he was fascinating. At our house we’ve been learning about the French Revolution and Napoleon. After the French Revolution had gone through several constitutions and even more governments not to mention the terrible time known as … Continue reading
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was dramatic. Everybody knows the basics. A bunch of citizens of Boston, fed up with the tax on tea, went into Boston Harbor, climbed aboard three vessels and tossed all the tea overboard. Those are the … Continue reading
Teaching the Bill of Rights
Teaching about the founding of the United States and the writing of the Constitution should be an essential part of education for young Americans. The Bill of Rights was a hotly debated issue when the Constitution was first penned. The … Continue reading
Economics For Older Kids
Economics is simply the study of money, both in a macro scale (the entire country or the world) and in a micro scale (your own checking account). Money is one of the most important subjects a person can study before … Continue reading
Colonial Dolls
In most times in the history of the world kids made their own toys out of whatever was at hand. During the American Colonial Period girls made dolls out of corn husks and other things as well. Here’s how to … Continue reading
An Extremely Condensed Russian History
The word “Rus” means red and comes from the red-headed Norse men who sailed from Scandinavia and conquered and settled what is now western Russia. The Rus were ruled by the Mongols for a time, but then threw off the … Continue reading
Middle Ages Marionettes
When we’re studying different periods of history we try to do activities or crafts from that time period. It’s fun for the kids and it helps things to stick in their minds. Here is a picture of our kids with … Continue reading
