Tag Archive | Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence

As I write that it totally looks like I am saying Lincoln was AT the signing… rather we covered BOTH of these rather interesting topics recently and I figured why not bundle the two together for the blog post?

The 2016/2017 school year has had a focus more towards history and the United States of America. It has been a learning experience for students AND teacher. These two topics were the twins’ choice. We started with the Declaration of Independence. Such an important piece of paper. We used a lot of sheets from Education.com HERE.

We had a few books we requested from the library that were helpful:

  • What is the Declaration of Independence by Michael C. Harris HERE
  • The Declaration of Independence by Don Nardo HERE
  • American Documents: The Declaration of Independence by Judith Lloyd Yero HERE
  • The Declaration of Independence by Lori Mortensen HERE

I have to share a rather interesting link passed along by a good friend (and fellow twin mom)… this one looks at what happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence AFTER they signed at USHistory.org. They truly risked life and limb to do so, as they were really committing treason against the crown and King of England. The twins spent quite a bit of time picking out some interesting people to put into our hand out and report folder.

Abraham Lincoln was a huge success. The boys have always had a vague interest in him with his distinctive look and hat that he apparently kept things in. Our final conclusion was that Abraham Lincoln was a great president, one of the best, BUT his life seemed rather miserable. Granted there was a shorter life expectancy and much higher general death rate but… wow… so much sadness, death and difficulty in the life of someone who now is seen as such an inspirational figure.

We ended up choosing a labook set up that was not free, but it was well worth it. We went with a Knowledge Box product you can find for 5.00 (US) HERE. They have a study guide, lapbook and clear instructions.20170320_200116

20170320_200124You can check out my Education.com collection of worksheets HERE. Activity Village has some very helpful worksheets as well (sadly these are all pay for sites to get the full experience, but we have found it well worth it.) HERE. You can do a helpful search on EnchantedLearning as well to get these pages HERE.

Books:

  • I am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer HERE
  • Abraham Lincoln: Lawyer, President, Emancipator by Pamela Hill Nettleton HERE
  • Abraham Lincoln by Barbara Knox HERE
  • Abe Lincoln: The boy who loved books by Kay Winters HERE
  • Abraham Lincoln by Tanya Lee Stone HERE
  • Encyclopedia of Presidents and Their Times by David Rubel HERE
  • Magic Tree House #47: Abe Lincoln at Last! by Mary Pope Osborne HERE
  • Abraham Lincoln by Sarah Hansen HERE

DVD:

  • Getting to Know The U.S. Presidents: Lincoln HERE

These were wonderful topics for us to cover one after the other. We really haven’t spent as much time on US history as we have researching countries from other parts of the world. I can’t say we will stick with these kind of topics, but the more we can cover and find interest in the better. From Lincoln it is a quick jump to Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. I will share our resources from these topics to. From slavery to a country declaring independence, to a man realizing that a whole group of people also deserved their independence… then to a man who made sure that it was realized that segregation is wrong and a woman who helped courageously help attain that dream. Not bad for taking topics the kids chose themselves!

This entry was posted on 23/03/2017, in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Ghouls Night Out… a Book Review

Exchange Abraham Lincoln (Me and My Ghoulfriends) with the amazing Mae West and you have the beginnings of the second in the Larue Donavan series – Ghouls Night Out. Larue runs a bookstore by day and is a psychic medium ghost hunter at night. With the ability to speak to the dead she always has a few hangers on. This time the indomitable Mae West and her potential boyfriend’s grandfather are a part of the grouping. 

Still reeling from the previous story’s black magic, spells and handsome man Larue is thrown back into everything with an offer the position of Coven leader, the cousin of her previous tormentor in town and a spooky black figure to contend with. The new man in town seems to have cast some sort of spell over her bestfriend and her boyfriend has grown cold over night. Add in a ghostly touch from a dead admirer who loves to flirt and a town full of secrets and witches and regular everyday busy bodies and Larue has her hands full.

This light hearted paranormal mystery with a touch of romance is a fun read. A great sequel to the first, Ghouls Night Out by Rose Pressey is a wonderful addition to a cozy ghost loving collector! 

Ghouls Night Out

Me and My Ghoulfriends

Otherwise known as how I started a new series AND found a new author… Rose Pressey is the author of this fun and quirky novel with a paranormal aspect. We join Larue Donavan, bookstore owner and Ghost buster extraordinaire at her bookstore Book Nook. She is joined there by (seriously) the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. I honestly think he was about my favourite side character of the whole story! 

Now as you can probably figure out Larue can see dead people, in fact on the weekends she is traveling around helping them make it to the light. Thought she often ends up with spirits following her home (another way our cast of characters expands hilariously). I don’t want to give too much away but I can tell you there IS a love interest… a little mystery… some dead people (but no murders!) and so many entertaining moments and quirky dialogue. 

I absolutely love that Larue is an independent and (generally) self assured woman. She is doing what she loves (working at a bookstore she owns AS WELL AS ghost hunt) with her bestfriend in the know and her dead friends along for the ride. If you want a good giggle, a GREAT heroine and a taste of the paranormal this is the book for you!!! 

Me and My Ghoulfriends