Lincoln and the National Parks Services (Luke's American Adventures)

It's been a few years since Luke guest posted here with this history series.  He graduated from high school and has gone on to college, and is majoring in Business Administration. Much to his dismay, one of his required courses is a public speaking class.  This semester, he has been doing several kinds of speeches on defined topics, but the final one was a "Student Choice" assignment.  He first looked at me like a deer in headlights when the entire world was open to him. I suggested he go with something he knew well...what about an informative speech on Abraham Lincoln?  (Every so often, I have a wise idea.  Job security, I guess.)

He decided to combine his love for Lincoln with the National Park Service, exploring how the NPS preserves both Lincoln's life and his legacy to the nation. He agreed I could share it here.

I have to admit, it's fun to wear my "Mom the Teacher" hat for a few minutes and see what I taught him has stuck with him.  It was really fun to travel to all of the places, so helping him find the right photos was a nice trip together down memory lane.  I hope you'll take the time to explore Lincoln and the National Parks, both with Luke and in person.

It's also really cool to use this identification graphic again.

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YWAM Heroes of History: Thomas Edison (Homeschool Review Crew)

This review of Thomas Edison: Inspiration and Hard Work is our fifth review for YWAM Publishing.  It is always a blessing and an honor when vendors come back to the crew, especially multiple times, because it means that we are doing a great job with sharing their products.  However, the blessing is not one-sided. I am always excited to work with these books because the Heroes of History series is one of my favorite history resources.  When we've reviewed prior volumes, Luke or Matthew has read the books and worked on the Unit Studies that accompany the biography.  Our reviews have always come at a time when we're just about at that point in history, so it's a tiny jump to that person's story.  This time, Matthew is studying WWII, and ready to re-visit one of our prior reviews, Douglas MacArthur.  That meant Jude got to pick a new book -- and it's pretty exciting when a fourth child gets something new and not a hand-me-down. He chose the biography of one of his favorite inventors, Thomas Edison.

If you ask people, "Can you name famous people from New Jersey?" their lists would be short. Sure, we have Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen in current times,  but most people can't name too many historic New Jersey residents. Most do not realize President Grover Cleveland was a native son, or that President Woodrow Wilson was also from our state.  General George McClellan, Commander at Antietam, followed his military career with a political one, becoming Governor of New Jersey.  However, Thomas Edison tops everyone's list of "Historic New Jersey People." After all, he was nicknamed, "The Wizard of Menlo Park."  Between his inventions and being from our state, that makes him one of Jude's favorite people.

Most biographies focus on Edison's time in New Jersey and his inventions here. Janet and Geoff Benge's story goes all the way back to Edison's childhood in Milan, Ohio, and the very beginnings of his curiosity.  A four-year-old Thomas Alva Edison, nicknamed Al, was full of questions.  At first, they were wonderings about what life would be like for the people he saw heading west in prairie schooners.  His curiosity soon got him in trouble; he nearly drowned in a wheat silo and burned down the town's flour mill.  Though he was nearly twenty years younger than his siblings,  nobody remembered to tell Al he was only a child, and treated him like an equal.  This did not bode well for when 8-year-old Al headed off to school.

Jude found he really identified with Edison here.  He, too, does not learn in a mainstream way.  Like Edison, he only lasted three months in a regular school.  Al's bout with scarlet fever left him with impaired hearing; Jude has issues with auditory processing.  As much as she wanted her son to attend a particular school, Mrs. Edison recognized her son's potential, the damage that school was doing to him, and taught him herself.  I don't claim to be raising another Edison, and there were far fewer fireworks when we withdrew Jude, but I feel a kinship to his mama.  It's not easy keeping up with a curious mind.

The story continues through Edison's adulthood, as he invented and worked in telegraphy, and highlight not only his triumphs and his struggles.  It includes a retelling of when he sold a stock ticker patent to a New York company.  For a child of the rural midwest, New York City was overwhelming.  He had hoped to sell his patent for five thousand dollars, but would settle for three.  The Gold and Stock company offered him forty thousand. That would set him up with a better workshop in nearby Newark to create even more things.  Edison didn't allow near-bankruptcy to stop him; he reapplied himself until he was in the black again.  Then, he moved to Menlo Park.

Jude was particularly interested in this section, because we have been to Edison's workshop in Menlo Park.  It was here that Edison perfected the light bulb, lighting the town with incandescent light on December 31, 1879.  He developed a way to make Bell's telephone transmit sound better, and then took that knowledge and created the phonograph machine.  He determined a way to electrify New York City, and moved his young family there.  Unfortunately, just as the now father of three was reaching success there, he found himself a widower.  We learned how he reinvented his life again, with a new family and a new research facility in East Orange, New Jersey.

I don't think it's giving away the ending too much to say that Thomas Alva Edison died in 1831, at  the age of 84.  The Benges end the story dramatically, including the news reports of his death.  Like many of the newspapers, they quote his speech to the National Electric Light Association.  Like the writers of the past, they chose fitting last words to honor a man who was motored by the repetition of experimental science.  (Sharing those words would be giving away the ending...so you'll just have to read that part yourself.)

As with the other Heroes of History stories, there is an accompanying Study Guide. Like the others, there are hundreds of activities and resources that you could do. Thankfully, you're given explicit permission that you don't have to do them all.  Think of it as a giant brainstorm for all things you might want to do, all in one place.  Then you can decide if you want your child to do traditional things, like answer discussion questions and write essays. If you have a "tinkering" style of learner, like Tom was, there are hands-on activities suggested.  (And while I'd suggest adult supervision, most are not likely to risk needing to call the fire department.)

Because Jude is only in fifth grade, we didn't do much of the unit study on paper.  We're at the point where we are transitioning from "early reader" or "elementary overview" style books to content-driven biographies.  I used the concrete questions to check if he was understanding what was written, saving some of the more open-ended discussions for another time.  One thing I really like about both the books and study guides is they are adaptable for so many ages.  When my high-school level boys used them, they were great for independent learning and writing practice.  For Jude, formal writing is an emerging skill that we haven't really begun to transition to every class, so I was happy to be able to discuss topics with him to help him work through a dilemma in his head and verbalize his thoughts, without the stress of organizing paragraphs.

Included with the guide are suggestions for further reading on Edison, including both children's and adult-level books.  While I will have Jude re-read this book again (likely with a more cursory middle school American History course), long-term planning has me wondering if a third trip through the book when he gets to high school is worthwhile. I can see me keeping the book itself for a long time (he's already made me promise to keep it so he can read it again), but by then it might be good to have a new book to read.  Having the list and the notes about individual suggestions helps me choose books that are good quality.  In the meantime, there are other books now on his wish list, such as Thomas Edison: The Great Inventor (Ed. Caryn Jenner) because of the description.

Once again, YWAM has blessed us with a fantastic book and study. We're very happy to add this to our growing collection.  Jude has moved on to reading the other editions we already have, and is making a list of books he wants to read next.

If you'd like to read our prior reviews follow the links below.  Click the banner below to read this current round of Crew reviews.

Ronald Reagan, Destiny At His Side
Douglas MacArthur, What Greater Honor
Abraham Lincoln, A New Birth of Freedom
George Washington, True Patriot

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Home School in the Woods: A la Carte Games (Homeschool Review Crew)

Every time I'm looking at history programs, I circle back to Home School in the Woods.  Lessons are presented in a lapbook form, not a textbook, and the information taught is well written.  I get excited, we dive in, and I'm inevitably disappointed because in my excitement over the content I forget about the work involved.  Lapbooks involve cutting and pasting, and often, for my kids, become more about being an art project than a way to learn history. They're no longer an independent project because they need help cutting tiny pieces or refocusing on the content. The printing is often a pain in the rear, too - lots of "print one page, change the paper, another page, new color," etc.  I keep wanting to love the full Lap-Paks, give them yet another try, and by day 4 or 5 invariably find myself saying, "What was I thinking?"

And now you're thinking, OK, so then why are you bothering to review the Á la Carte products? And not just one, but both Get Your Kicks on Route 66 File Folder Game and Westward, Ho! File Folder Game? Are you a glutton for punishment? Maybe, but hope springs eternal.  Here's my reasoning:

• The Á la Carte items are not a full curriculum,  These two are 30-ish page projects, including game boards, markers, and Q & A cards.
• The games are self-contained, so they take about 30-60 minutes to play.  
• My hope is they will be a "sneaky way" for kids to learn without feeling like they're doing "more schoolwork." 

I chose these two because we have been on all of the trails and they were familiar to us.  A couple summers ago, we did a colossal cross-country road trip that had us following both pioneer trails and Route 66.  While some facts were new, it was a good way to test ourselves about how much we remembered from our trip.  I think this made them seem more like fun than schoolwork.

So, let's test them out, using the metrics that usually burn us out.

1.  Printing and assembly.

Ok, so you're likely still going to want to babysit the printer, and send individual pages to print, rather than a whole document that you can click "Print" and come back to.  Ideally, you'll print the cards on cardstock, which means at least a little paper shifting.  Cardstock does make for sturdier game pieces, so it is a worthwhile time investment.  However, you only need about a dozen pieces of colored cardstock plus one piece of white for each of the games we reviewed.  I opted to just print on plain paper for now, because the kids used up the last of my cardstock for another project, and frankly, I didn't want to buy an entire ream of paper for just a few sheets. (The games themselves are under $5 for a digital download of the game project, but add in the cost of paper, and they're now approaching a regular toy store board game price.) If the games get played enough that the cards start looking sad, or I need more cardstock for another project,  I will reprint the cards.  I considered laminating the cards and game pieces but decided that laminating would be neither cost effective nor an easy project.

Side note: If you have a paper cutter, this is a project for it.  The game dice are easily cut out with scissors, but for the game cards, a paper cutter makes it go much more quickly.

2.  It becomes an arts and crafts project.

Once these are put together, they're put together.  Yes, there is an opportunity for coloring, and there is some assembly required with game pieces, but it's not a daily color-cut-paste project.   It's almost a two-for-one activity.  I can live with this.

That said, it's not easy for younger children to assemble. There is a lot of fine manipulation, so I found I was doing a lot of folding and taping.  The boys could have cut out the cards themselves, but we opted to use the paper cutter for speed since there are 15 cards on each page.

This was definitely a grown-up activity.

Damien took control of coloring for Westward, Ho!  That was safe for a very squirmy almost 8-year-old.

That meant Jude colored the board (and cards) for ...Route 66.

3.  Independent activity.

I was hoping the games could be something the kids could play together without me.  They have become avid board game players, so I thought it would be a novel presentation. No, a board game isn't an in-depth unit study, but I have hopes that these are going to be a great "for fun" item that will augment their general history studies. These games are designed for two to six players so any combination of kids would be enough people to play.   Finally, my kids revel in presenting seemingly random and obscure facts, so even if they memorize all of the facts, even better!  So far, so good.

We got our games assembled and sat down to play, starting with Westward Ho!

And then the squabbles began.  Here's why.

The game cards are cute, with the "Westward, Ho!" logo on the back of the card, which helps you know which game they belong to.  The problem was that they had the logo on one side, with all of the game information on the other.  The directions say, "Each roll of the die must be earned by answering a question correctly." Well, whether you know it or not, it's not hard to answer it correctly when the answer is given right under the questions.

This meant an opposing player needed to ask the question...and then be the judge of "Is that the correct answer?"  Some were pretty obvious -- like "Remember the Alamo!" doesn't leave a lot of room for interpretation.  Others depended on how much of a stickler the card-holder felt like being.

The card shows the "game-official definition" of a jump-off.  I'd take "Where the pioneers got their stuff and joined the wagon train." A sibling? Not necessarily.  So much for "independent" when Mom winds up refereeing all the time.  I think it would have made more sense to design the cards with the rope motif around the border as the identification, with the cards printed more like traditional flashcards.

I thought the "Greetings from..." postcard theme of ...Route 66 was absolutely adorable.

This game was also easy for kids to play, except for the questions.  Same style cards, same style squabbles.

A watermark-style road shield under the text might be a better option.

I'm not sure we will get as much mileage out of these games as I had hoped. They were relatively easy to assemble -- under two hours, including coloring, for each game.  I did enjoy playing with them - there were somethings I knew, some that I know I learned but couldn't remember, and some new things I learned.  The little boys definitely learned new material, but Celia and Matthew enjoyed trying to outwit each other with what they had learned in their American History studies.  I think I'd say this is something I'll probably use for fun when we've had enough of books for one day, but the games aren't an activity that I can say, "I need to make a phone call, go play with this."

The Á la Carte series has over 60 programs including games, timelines, and short lapbooks to choose from.   Crew members have been reviewing nearly all of them, and I'm particularly interested in reviews of the Penny Rug Notebook/3D Project and the Name that State! File Folder Game.  The Penny Rug looks like fun, and Jude has expanded his interests from Colonial America into state facts.  I'll be clicking the banner below to read those reviews. You should, too!

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Drive Thru History Adventures (Homeschool Review Crew)

One of the great things about the composition of the Homeschool Review Crew is families, learning styles, and needs are incredibly varied.  Each time a new product comes up for review, Crew Members are asked to submit a form that includes an evaluation of how much we feel a program would suit our child(ren)'s needs.  When Drive Thru History Adventures came up for review, in the "What else should we know?" section, I included a note:

I'm not too proud to beg for this one! Three videos into The Gospels from last year's review, Matthew was begging "Are there any more Dave videos?" We absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE his delivery. I think we'd rank him tied for our top three "teachers" [for any program we've used].  We even have a trip back to Washington DC for the Museum of the Bible in the works. It's something that would probably be on our "eh, doesn't sound exciting" list, and Matthew looked at me like I had three heads when I said it was opening and we should go. When he found out Dave & Co. did the video presentations for it, suddenly, a Bible museum sounded cool to my teen! Matthew's bugging me at least twice a week, "When are we going, when are we going??" 

THAT is how impressive Dave Stotts is.  I knew this was going to be a good one.

Our one-year subscription to Drive Thru History Adventures comes with access to three core programs: an 18-week course on Bible History (The Gospels), a 12-week course on early American History, and a 12-week course of Ancient History that focuses on early Greece, Rome, and Asia Minor.  These programs are fantastic for several age/grade ranges.  Simply watching the videos provides an excellent overview for younger students (kindergarten through middle school), but combining the videos with discussion guide questions and provided further reading and discussion sections creates a well-rounded course for older students.  Our house focused on the Ancient History course for this review period.

Now, I could tell you all about the variety of topics Dave discusses in the course, and how they've affected our world's history, society, government, and theology.  You could probably guess that much, considering the Ancient History course is subtitled "Christianity and the Birth of Western Civilization."  It starts with the founding of Rome and covers through to the fall of Constantinople.  Along the way, you'll discover Romans, the Greeks, and to some degree, the Muslims, Arabs, and Jews.  We studied The Gospels with Drive Thru History last year, and that approaches history from a Biblical perspective, using historical events to underscore the Bible as both a religious and historical book, and not a work of abject fiction. While this course approaches history from a Christian viewpoint, it is more secular history, weaving  Biblical/Christian events and Scripture passages into the story for timeline purposes.  Maps, art, and photographs provide visual explanations that help clarify audio voice-overs.

The presentation isn't just "here's this town, here's what happened."  Dave explores a lot of the culture of the places and really helps to put the civilizations in context of themselves.  One thing that really annoys me is many history courses tend to look at history through today's society and conscience.  We may realize today that the Oracle at Delphi's trance was probably induced by mind-altering substances that today either the courts or the FDA heavily regulate and not by a communique with the gods. However, that doesn't mean that the peasant-ish folks of back then (who wouldn't have had access to these substances) were fools.  It was just a different time and philosophy, and Dave takes pains to make sure we understand when things happened, not just what things happened. He also shows us where places have been abandoned, and where they continue to thrive.

I liked that there were two options for learning. One was the content filled "regular site," where students could access the videos and all of the related accompaniments.  With the Adventures TV app, viewers can take the videos with them on tablets and smartphones.  There were times where we needed to be away from home, and he could work with his phone and earbuds, then come home and finish assignments.  However, even if you think, "I don't want or need all of that, I'm just interested in the topic and would like to watch videos," a subscription is still worth the investment (the app is free, but a subscription is required to access content).  You will have access to the same video content as the full site, including all of the formal programs plus additional content such as "Side Roads" that tie into the programs but wander down less formal garden paths, "Dave's Adventures", and "Behind the Scenes" videos about the building of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC and how Drive Thru History has been involved.  (Dave has mentioned in his Dave's Adventures videos that he will be there on March 15, 2018. I almost considered making the trip just for the chance to shake his hand, but it's also my hubby's birthday, so Dave is safe from this crazy mama going all fangirl on him.)  I was delighted to find out that this indeed is a family membership - I could be logged in watching one thing while Matthew was logged in watching his next lesson!

However, Mom going on and on about how well produced the videos are, how much content the lessons contain, and how Dave is so engaging that he reels you in and leaves you disappointed when an episode is over really doesn't mean much if you're thinking, "Ok, you like it, but you're not the one who actually has to study the stuff. You're doing it for fun."  So, I asked Matthew to sit down and write three paragraphs:  one about the content, one about the benefits of the Drive Thru History Adventures subscription program versus the stack of DVDs he's been using, and one about Dave.

--from Matthew---

In the course, I learned way more about events compared to reading about them. For instance, if I were to just read about the underground tunnels and cross-shaped church, located in Cappadocia, Turkey, I most likely wouldn’t give it much thought. A textbook would have pictures, but there would only be one or two, and wouldn’t show the most important aspects. Mr. Stotts explained how the Hittites built the top layers of the cave system, and then the Christians dug to eight stories down. Watching Mr. Stotts explore the cave, I saw just how difficult the tunnels were to navigate.

Passages get smaller, making it impossible for Romans with shields to get through. He showed how a giant doughnut-shaped rock would seal the passageway shut. A center hole was in the rock, and Christians on the defensive could poke a spear or shoot an arrow through the hole, causing deadly harm.

 At the very bottom was a cross-shaped church. Because Mr. Stotts had a cameraman scanning the entire area, I could see all of it, not just a small section that was in a single frame. He even pointed out where the early Christians carved a cross into the rock wall of their church.

When I started the Drive Thru History Ancient History course, I was watching them on DVDs. I was really happy to use a streaming option. The website is much easier to use with all the lessons being in one place and being easier to access.  It is hard to watch the lesson video if you can’t find the right DVD that you put away somewhere and forgot exactly where you put it for next time, or if you put it away in a hurry and scratch it. With the streaming option, they were always on the same website. The website also expanded on documents in the video, while the DVDs did not. I liked that there were pre-written discussion questions because it meant I could work by myself, rather than having to wait for Mom to watch with me and write questions out herself.  We actually had watched a few, and the website's questions were almost the same as what she wrote for me to answer.

Mr. Stotts is funny most of the time but is serious at the right time. I loved the addition of the bloopers in the Ancient History Adventures course. My favorite bloopers were the ones from the Laodicea ruins involving the rubber duck, and how he managed to still have it in his hand every single time he tried to continue filming.

If it wasn't in the one hand, it was in the other one (or on his head) until finally he jokingly ate the duck in frustration (which I found hilarious because I can understand how he felt when you keep messing up by accident).

 I didn’t feel bad laughing when struggled to find his way around Rome because he was sarcastic and poking fun at his frustration. I’ve studied both Ancient History and the Gospels from Drive Thru History and really enjoyed learning. It would be great if there were courses on other cultures mentioned but not expanded on in the courses, like the effects of the Muslims taking over the Holy Roman Empire, or even later eras like the Renaissance.

-----

Mom again.  I think that if you leave a teenager wanting more history, you've got a good thing going.

To celebrate their launch, Drive Thru History Adventures has two specials for new subscribers. First, they are offering a copy of the DVD set The Gospels as a gift with a subscription.  Click the Drive thru History logo below to claim this offer.

Second, they are offering readers of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (the parent company of the Homeschool Review Crew) a 20% discount.  The promotion code can be found on page 19 of the Winter Edition.  You can access the digital issue by clicking the magazine image below.

We love Drive Thru History Adventures.  Dave has mentioned that there is another Bible-based series launching soon, and we can't wait!  In the meantime, we'll be over in the corner, glued to our laptops and phones, watching Drive Thru American History!  If you'd like to read more about Drive Thru History Adventures, including specifics on the other history programs offered, click the banner below. 

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A Journey Through Learning: Inventors (Homeschool Review Crew)

We've used a lot of lapbooks in our homeschool, from a wide variety of sources.  However, one company I always come back to is A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks.  Their directions for use and assembly are clear, the designs are simple for less-steady hands to cut out (or for Mom to cut out in bulk), and they leave lots of space for filling in what kiddo has learned.  Ever a history buff, Jude was excited to work on AJTL's The Greatest Inventors Lapbook with Study Guide.

I love how simple it is to get started with this lapbook.  We've done some lapbooks where just getting started took an entire afternoon!  One we did required six colors, four weights of paper, printing on two sides...what a chore! All I needed to do was shove plain cheapie copy paper in the printer, hit "print," and we were ready to go in about six minutes.  Sweet!

Despite having made several lapbooks, I always have to stop and re-figure how to put them together.  It's not difficult...but I guess my brain is too full of other useless information to retain it.  Every lapbook comes with printed instructions and photos.  YAY!!  I appreciate the step-by-step directions because often I don't really "get" written directions.  I can't always "see" things in my mind,  so I appreciate when directions don't assume you know to line things in the center.  However, AJTL has gone even further....they've produced a how-to video!  On behalf of all the over-filled brain Mamas, thank you!




Once you have your folders created, the lapbook packet includes a "where to put things" diagram.  They don't always go "top left to bottom right" -- it depends on the shape of the activity. Having this to refer to always helps in our house.  I have a bunch of rule-followers, and if the directions say "put it <here>," then there it must go!

However, if you don't want to create a file-folder lapbook, you don't have to! While it does make sense that you could just glue the projects to cardstock and store in a binder, sometimes when you get so focused on "It's a lapbook!" you lose sight of any adaptability.  (I can't be the only person who gets stuck on an idea and needs the obvious pointed out to me, right?) This option works well if your kiddo really wants to DIY the layout. You can just add an extra page if you need more space, rather than trying to jigsaw-puzzle into a finite space.  Since this leads to less stress for Jude, we opted for this method.

AJTL lapbooks are meant to be started at the beginning and worked to the end. There's no skipping around, no hunting for pages.  The start-up instructions are at the front of the packet, and then the directions you need as you go are in where you need them.  Once you start, the only "backtracking" you ever need to do is looking to see where your current project goes -- but you can avoid that by just bringing the page forward with every completed project and leaving it on top of the next one.

The Greatest Inventors is probably one of the most versatile lapbooks I have ever seen.  It's intended for students in grades 2 through 8, and my experience with the wide-age-ranging curriculum is that when it tries to be for all ages, it's really for none.  This lapbook is the rare gem that actually delivers across the entire elementary spectrum.

First, it is a combination lapbook and study guide, so it's entirely self-contained, if you choose for it to be.  Start with the first pages, "What is an Invention?" and keep on going.  You could do one inventor a day, and complete the activities in about a month.  The information in the study guide gives a glimpse into the life of the inventor, providing a highlight of their "claims to fame." There's  wide variety of people studied, from the original Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci to the 20th Century hero Jonas Salk.  It creates an excellent self-contained history/science study for students at the early end of the age range.

However, it's almost effortless to turn this into the spine of a semester (or longer) program for older students.  Jude and I have been working on this, adding in books and YouTube videos to delve deeper into the background of many of these inventors.  The Magic Tree House and Who Was (Is)? series are some of his favorites, and they make a great add-on for kids in the mid-elementary range.  We worked on the lapbook part for a particular inventor, and then switched to books and videos for the rest of a week's time, to create a larger study-within-a-study.

I actually think this could even extend beyond 8th grade into high school with adding age-appropriate biographies.  Some of our favorite books that I'd recommend to expand the program are The Bishop's Boys (Tom Crouch) and/or The Wright Brothers (David McCullough) for the Wright Brothers, and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Man on a Mountain (Natalie S. Bober) for our Founding Fathers that were also renowned inventors.  While the almost twenty inventors in the program do not create an exhaustive list, there is still enough variety of era and contribution to create a great semester-long program that explores some of the world's greatest inventors.

On the one hand, the list doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason.  It's not grouped by type of invention, nor by the epoch each man lived in.  At first, it seemed to be, with a fair number of inventors overlapping in time, but then Leonardo DaVinci is tossed in the middle.

However, this seeming lack of cohesiveness actually can be an advantage! It's simple to rearrange the order of study if you wish to, making it a project you can do not just as an independent assignment but as an addition to any other history curriculum.  As he read the list, Jude realized that his hero Ben Franklin was at the beginning, but then wanted to jump over to a name he recognized -- Guglielmo Marconi.

We recently visited Cape Cod National Seashore and learned about this Nobel-Prize winning inventor who erected towers on the Massachusetts coastline. Strike while the iron is hot, right? Jude was excited to recount about how work here and in England allowed the first trans-Atlantic wireless telegram.  (He even remembered a little bit of the transmission between President Roosevelt and King Edward!) It was easy for us to skip over to Marconi because each subject was contained within his pages.

Once again, A Journey Through Learning has reminded us why it is one of our favorite homeschool resources.  The variety of programs, both stand-alone and supplemental to other curricula (i.e., Apologia, Classical Conversations, etc.) makes this a company I'm happy to use and recommend!

The Crew has been working on many lapbooks from A Journey Through Learning. Click the banner below to read their reviews.

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©2012- 2017 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

The Adventures of Rush Revere (A Homeschool Crew Review)

History has always fascinated me, and I think it has become my favorite subject to teach.  Jude is my mini-American history buff. Back before he could read, we discovered several history-based videos, and they just pulled him in.  Now that he can read, reading about history is one of his favorite things.  He was really excited we were chosen to review a whole five-book set of American history stories from Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh.

After writing two political commentary books, Rush Limbaugh stopped writing to focus on his other media outlets; he felt he really had said all he intended to.  However, the history lover in him kept trying to surface, and eventually, the series The Adventures of Rush Revere began with Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. The entire series features five titles:

• Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims - the story of the Pilgrims' journey on the Mayflower and their difficult first year in America, culminating with the first Thanksgiving in America. 
• Rush Revere and the First Patriots - Rush and his students head back to the era of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin and the Boston Tea Party
• Rush Revere and the American Revolution - featuring Dr. Joseph Warren and General George Washington as they fight for American freedom
• Rush Revere and the Star Spangled Banner - the War of 1812 comes to life under the rockets' red glare
• Rush Revere and the Presidency - the former General Washington is now President Washington, and he and his successors Presidents Adams and Jefferson set the tone for what it means to be an American president.

Each book is a standalone title, in the sense that the book's story focus has a beginning, middle, and end within the volume.  However, it is better to begin with the first book and continue reading them in published order. Not only does it make chronological sense, but there is a fair amount of exposition in the first book that doesn't appear in the later volumes. In addition to the historical lessons, there are modern-time applications, from discovering the courage to stand for your beliefs to understanding that the defense of freedom continues today with military deployments.

Jude was really excited to begin reading these.  I was a little more anxious.  It's challenging, especially now, to find tales of history that aren't politicized. I think history needs to be told from "both" sides.  (My favorite historic site is Fort Necessity National Battlefield, which actually tells its story from all three sides - Colonist, British, and Native American.)   Factor in that these were written by Rush Limbaugh, a very vocal and well-known partisan political commentator, I was a bit skeptic. After reading the books, I will say that there is a conservative filter applied, but I don't think it's hobbling, but rather one that forces a focus on context of the depicted eras. (Kudos to historical researcher Jonathan Adams Rodgers.)  If anything, I think if one was to set politics aside and read with an open mind, especially the Foreward of each book, I think the reader can see that it's written from a patriot viewpoint, with a love and awe of just what has gone into making the United States so unique.  Limbaugh explains that his belief in American exceptionalism isn't about saying "We're better than anyone else," because we do have our own issues.  In this case, exceptional means unique - and by that definition, he is right. Since our beginnings, Americans have had a unique way of doing things.

This series is intended for readers ages 9 to 13, and have a Lexile Measurement in the 700s.  I like using Lexile measures to help me find books for Jude -- while they don't always take into consideration content and theme (where the age recommendation comes in handy), I know what levels are easy or challenging for him. This book fell into an "easy readability for Jude" zone, making it perfect for him to read on his own.  I knew Jude would be able to handle the text, but truthfully, at about 200 pages per book, I figured it would take him two or three days to read each book. He devoured the first two on day one!  I handed him the first one, and said, "Let me take your picture for the review."

Usually, when it's time for lunch, he will set aside any "school" books and search out a "fun" book to read during lunch.  However, he wasn't giving up this book...I had to remind him to keep eating! (That bite hung out there for an empty-mouthed six pages!)

These books have even kept him up late.  One night, I went up to bed around midnight, and when I peeked in his room to re-tuck him into bed, I caught this.

I think you've got a good book if you can distract a boy from eating and keep him up late at night reading history!

When I started writing this review, I asked Jude for his input.  He kept dictating, so I kept typing.  Next time, maybe I'll let him write the whole review himself!  Jude says:

Rush Revere is a history teacher.  He liked to teach by showing the past to his students, and not by reading boring history books. Liberty is Rush Revere's horse.  He has a black tail and brown hair on his body.  He got his time-travel powers when was struck by lightning.  It wasn't a normal type of lightning. It went so fast that it gave him the power to go faster than the speed of light.  Tommy is one of Mr. Revere's students.  He's really smart, especially about science, but he doesn't want anybody to know.  Freedom is another student.  She could telepathically talk with Liberty. Elizabeth was the daughter of the school principal, Mr. Sherman.  She was mean and insulted everyone and wanted her father to get rid of Rush Revere for good. She didn't get to go on any missions with the others. Principal Sherman likes Rush, but he doesn't know about Liberty. He doesn't plan to fire Mr. Revere. Cam is another of their friends. He first thought there was no way that Liberty could time-travel, but going on missions made him believe it was true.

I like the time-traveling part. I like when Liberty uses his powers for time traveling, freezing time, and turning invisible. The books taught me about when the English first came here, the American Revolution, and the fort where the Star Spangled Banner was made. The part about the Revolutionary War made me a little sad and scared because I thought about all the soldiers who died, but I was very proud of them for fighting for America's freedom.  

I liked Liberty best. His favorite thing to do, besides time travel, is eat. He is always hungry, and apples are his favorite food. When he doesn't get to eat, he complains. In the Star Spangled Banner book, the group visited Washington DC, and Liberty gave them a Top Secret Mission.  It was funny that he picked MILKSHAKE to be the code name, but it didn't really surprise me because Liberty loves to eat.   

My favorite part was when they traveled to Mount Vernon, where George Washington lived.  I learned that his grandchildren lived with him. The story helped me remember when I visited Mount Vernon with my family. I liked when George Washington became president, and when he gave the job to John Adams.  George Washington was one of my favorite presidents.  

I liked all of the pictures, too.  They helped me imagine parts of the story better. There were pictures of people who sailed on the Mayflower. There was also pictures of the kids in the story.  

I would like it if there were more Rush Revere books. My other favorite president is Abraham Lincoln, so I would like if Liberty and Rush could take me to "meet" him in a book.  It would be really neat, too, if Liberty and Rush took us to see Mount Rushmore being carved.  (That has both of my favorite presidents in one place!) 

The books were awesome.  

High praise from a reluctant reader and writer!

For the record, I think Liberty was my favorite character too.  I confess that my head read his part in Eddie Murphy's voice -- Liberty's personality seemed to have a little bit of Donkey's tendency to run on (as he did in Shrek), and some of Mulan's dragon Mushu's sass.  He's a cheeky one!

The pictures impressed me, too.  Illustrator Christopher Hiers has created new drawings just for the books - a traditional way to help children imagine things more concretely.

However, interspersed with these story illustrations are reproductions of renowned images, from presidential portraits to pen and ink drawings.  Crisp photographs of these also help bring the story to life.

Clear photo labeling combined with credits at the back of the book allowed us to do some exploring.  Putting "fireman Philadelphia Ben Franklin" into a search engine gives you copious links to follow, but with the information between these two places, we were easily able to explore even more.

In addition to the books, there is a huge amount of online content available as well.  At the end of the books, there are discussion questions printed, but there are also study guides available.  You can also find interactive activities as well, which Jude also enjoyed.

We really liked this series, and hope that there will be future titles released.  They've become favorites that he's already re-read several times, and his brothers and sister are eyeing them as well. Good luck getting him to share - to read them myself I practically had to sneak them when he had gone to bed (and hope he didn't take the one I was currently reading with him)!

To read other Crew members' reviews, click the banner below.

©2012- 2016 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com