I am excited to share with you a great way to learn more about our wonderful American Holiday History through the White House Holidays Unit Studies from Silverdale Press LLC! These unit studies area unique way to shift gears from your typical history studies and enjoy some awesome facts and figures from our past. Don’t miss out on my Silverdale Press White House Holidays Unit Study Review, you’ll be glad you did!
WHITE HOUSE UNIT STUDIES
First of all, here is a rundown of expectations on these unique and intriguing unit studies. The activities are geared for all ages, with a section specific for K-6 and grades 7-12. They include 3-5 lessons that can be completed ALL in one day. Yet, you can also spread them out to a lesson a week. We chose the latter. We like to take our time and have a deep discussion over our learning materials.
In this review, I will discuss in depth the unit studies my 11-year old son chose to study: Labor Day and Veteran’s Day. I was thankful he picked the Labor Day Unit Study since our history lessons have included studies on Theodore Roosevelt. Plus, we’ve been reading his biography throughout the school year.
LABOR DAY UNIT STUDY
This Labor Day Unit Study discusses the conditions and facts about our working history over a hundred years ago and how Labor Day became a holiday.
There are three lessons for each level (K-6th grade and 7th-12). I chose the younger grade level since my son is just getting into 6th grade. The younger lessons’ reading is shorter and with more hands-on activities.
If you have a middle or high school aged student, you can expect more detail along with extra reading, writing, and thinking prompts.
For the written story, the teacher can read out loud or have their student read independently. I asked my son to read the story online and then I printed out the questions for the lesson. Before beginning, you’ll want to read the brief introduction which includes materials necessary to complete the hands-on activities.
OUR THOUGHTS
My son was surprised at how much work young kids from the age of 4 were expected to be completed on a daily basis! The chores he gets at home are no comparison to expectations in the 1800’s! I think he has learned to be more grateful since reading about living over 100 years ago! I’ll be sure to gently remind him of these lessons when he is fighting the urge to complain about doing chores!
I was inspired by the real, vivid pictures included in the Labor Day Unit Study. I highly recommend you check this out if your kids complain about chores! It is quite fascinating to see how families lived during this time period. It brings our history to life and how blessed we are to live in this country today!
For example, one picture shows a family from Italy embroidering together on a dirty floor. My son thought they were washing a blanket. Another image shows a family with really young children from ages 4 to 9 picking out nuts. One child is standing in the bag with her dirty feet and all of the rooms are filthy! No wonder the life expectancy was not high!
With the hands-on activities, be confident that many materials are reasonable and easily accessible in your house! For example, one activity required a posterboard or printer paper to recreate the First Labor Day posters you may see posted outside in the city. Who doesn’t have crayons, markers, and paper?!!! Easy Peasy. It’s a teacher’s stress-free activity! Check out the Labor Day Unit Study here!
VETERANS DAY UNIT STUDY
This unit study is also set up the same way as Labor Day. It’s broken up by age range and stories are shorter with more hands-on activities for the younger ones. The emphasis is placed on our military history including (but not limited to) President Woodrow Wilson and Eisenhower.
Your student will find out how Veteran’s Day started and the history of wars along with their presidents. You’ll even find contemporary facts that include President Barack Obama.
OUR THOUGHTS
Again, as a teacher, the images alone sprinkled throughout the Veteran’s Day Unit Study inspired me and are certainly worth a thousand words. This unit study was perfect for my son as he’s heard many stories from my husband on his late great grandfather’s military background as a WWII war pilot.
This unit study brought new meaning to Veteran’s Day for our family as we enjoyed reading it together. Our history as a nation is truly remarkable and the stories and pictures brought those distant memories to life. We are so thankful that homeschooling allows us to peruse these stories and dive deeply into what makes our country so great.
I’ll give you a sneak peek on these pictures. One picture shows a lot of young men in suits lined up to register for the Great War draft. I’m a bit puzzled why I saw one lady in line but maybe she was registering to be a nurse? Check out this the Veteran’s Unit Study to find out more!
FINAL THOUGHTS
These unit studies are inspiring and quite enjoyable for students and teachers alike! Homeschool Moms can download and print out the exact pages necessary for your child to use for writing and read online or together as a family! Or, you can print out the entire set and put into a binder!
They are also perfect for homeschool families who want easy and engaging activities, not dry and boring facts. Plus, these unit studies can be done all in one day on their respective holidays for a fun treat and activity!
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