A Kid’s Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the USA ~ A Review

One of the first homeschooling catalogs that I received when I was a wanna-be homeschooler over six years ago was a Timberdoodle catalog.  Since then I have come to depend on Timberdoodle for honest and reliable reviews of homeschooling products and a large selection of fun and unique homeschooling items. 

So needless to say, I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to become a part of Timberdoodle’s Blogger Review Team.

A Kid’s Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the USA is the first item that I am reviewing for Timberdoodle.  This series contains 42 library bound {hardcover} books.  Each 32-page book covers the life and times of one President, from George Washington to George Bush.  I received How to Draw the Life and Times of Harry S. Truman to use with my kiddos.

How to Draw to Life and Times of Harry S. Truman contains thirteen 2-page chapters and features a  number of visual extras that enhance your learning about Truman, including a number of photographs {some full-color}, a copy of a famous portrait of Truman, and step-by-step drawing instructions for key places, events, and more that relate to the life and times of Truman.

In the first chapter we are given a brief biographical sketch of Harry S. Truman’s life.  In the subsequent chapters we are given a more in-depth look at some of the details surrounding Truman’s life and times.

In chapter 3 we learn more about Truman’s home state of Missouri and we are provided with full-color photographs of the home that Truman was born in in Lamar, Missouri and a statue of Truman.

In chapter 9 we read about Truman’s transition from Vice President to President after Franklin D. Roosevelt died while serving as President.  We are also given step-by-step pictorial instructions for drawing a 1944 presidential campaign poster featuring Roosevelt and Truman.

In chapter 10 we learn more about one of the important issues that Truman dealt with during his Presidency, the atomic bomb.  In addition to providing photographs of both the plane that dropped the deadly atomic bomb, the Enola Gay, and the A-Bomb Dome Memorial in Hiroshima, this chapter also contains detailed, step-by-step instructions for drawing the Enola Gay.

Every book in this series also contains a timeline, a glossary of words, an index of subjects in the book and suggested websites that you can visit to obtain more information.

After reading through this book with my kiddos we spent some time discussing which picture we should draw first.  My ds9 decided that he wanted to try to draw an old-fashioned piano that resembled the piano that Truman used when he was learning to play.  The step-by-step drawing instructions were featured in chapter four which was entitled “A Missouri Boy”.

Dd7 decided that she would rather try her hand at drawing the Enola Gay {with a few of her own embellishments :)}.

My Thoughts

My kiddos love to draw and they especially appreciate drawing books that contain step-by-step instructions for drawing specific items or scenes.  The drawing instructions in How to Draw the Life and Times of Harry S. Truman were simple enough that even my dd7 was able to create a fairly accurate drawing of her chosen subject.

I think any book in this series would be an excellent addition to any bookshelf both as a history resource and and as an art resource. 

More Information

The complete set of 42 hardcover books in this series usually retails for $1060.50 ~ but Timberdoodle is currently selling this set at an extremely discounted rate of $195…that’s a savings of $865.50!

Some of the titles from this series are also offered for individual sale for $9.95, but not every title is available to purchase individually.

The Timberdoodle website includes a number of sample pages from this series on their website.  Their website also contains a very informative 2-minute video that introduces this series and offers a number of suggestions for using these books.

You can request your own copy of Timberdoodle’s free homeschool catalog here.  This catalog is chock-full of information that is helpful to any homeschooler…whether you are wanna-be or newbie homeschooler {like I was} or a veteran homeschooler who is looking to add some new life into your homeschool.

You can also check out Timberdoodle on Facebook.

 

As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

For You They Signed ~ A Review

A couple months ago I received a free copy of For You They Signed: The Spiritual Heritage of Those Who Shaped Our Nation from New Leaf Publishing Group for review purposes.  I posted my review on a couple of websites but I don’t believe that I ever posted my review here :0. 

I could not wait to dig into this beautiful, hardback resource written by Marilyn Boyer {The Learning Parent}.

For You They Signed provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of each of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence. I thought it was inspiring to read about not only these men's political and professional lives but also their personal lives. I especially appreciated the excerpts that Mrs. Boyer included from various primary documents, including personal letters and journal entries written by and/or about these men.

I absolutely love how Mrs. Boyer organized this book too...She devotes one chapter to each of the signers ~ each chapter includes a brief bio at the beginning {birthdate, birth place, occupation, age at signing, date of death, etc.}, and an illustrated picture of the signer and his signature {I believe the signature is replicated from the Declaration of Independence}. Most chapters also include a timeline of the signer's public service in addition to an interesting narrative regarding his public and private life. At the end of each chapter Mrs. Boyer provides a number of "Questions for Discussion".

As a homeschooling mom to three kiddos, I feel that this resource would be an awesome addition to any homeschooler's bookshelf. We plan on studying American History next year and I know that For You They Signed will greatly enhance our study.

I received a free copy of this book from New Leaf Publishing Group in order to provide an honest and unbiased review of this book.

Easy Classical: Early Modern History Schedule ~ A Review

Easy Classical is owned by the Williams family, a homeschooling family of six, and provides homeschool resources for families that follow that classical method of homeschooling.

I received the digital version of the Early Modern History Schedule.  This resource provides a 36-week schedule for teaching early modern history {explorers to 1820} using the classical method.  This history schedule includes plans for reading the history spine books, writing, geography, read-alouds, history projects, and even some step-by-step drawing lessons.  This curriculum schedule is designed to be used with learners who are in the “grammar stage” of learning, typically kindergarten through fourth grade.

At the beginning of this 106-page ebook, Mrs. Williams provides an “instruction” page that is intended to help the homeschool parent prepare to teach history using the Easy Classical Schedule.  Mrs. Williams first asks that you read the “Grammar Stage” section of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer.  She recommends using the suggestions in the “How to Do It” sections to help you set up notebooks for your child{ren}.

She then takes you through the schedules, explains the different features of the schedules, and gives suggestions for how to use them.  She also provides a description of the history spines and read-alouds that are used in the schedule and a main materials shopping list.  

In addition to the 36-weeks of schedules, Mrs. Williams provides a variety of helps including comprehension questions {and answers} for each week, and a shopping list for each week {provided on the previous week’s schedule so you can prepare ahead of time}.

My Thoughts

This history schedule is jam-packed with activities to complete.  Every week Mrs. Williams has scheduled reading from the history spine {usually on Mondays}, five days of writing assignments, four days of geography assignments, supplemental read-alouds, and even a history project. 

However, she did this with the intent that you will not complete every assignment every week, but rather that you would pick and choose the activities that best fit your child{ren}.  In the “instruction sheet” section of this ebook Mrs. Williams even states “[p]lease keep in mind that you will not be able to do EVERY assignment EVERY week.”

Therefore, if you are a “box-checker” who feels that you must complete each and every assignment listed on your schedule, you will probably be overwhelmed by this schedule. 

However, if you are looking for a well thought out history schedule that will help you teach history to your elementary-aged child within a classical framework, a schedule that gives you lots of options and includes a variety of activities ~ from writing to history projects ~ you will definitely want to take a look at Easy Classical. 

Links to sample pages {introduction, schedule, lessons} from the Early Modern History Schedule are provided on this page.  

More Information about Easy Classical

Please note that this product contains only a schedule…if you want to use Easy Classical’s schedule to teach Early Modern History, you will need to purchase {or have access to} a number of items in addition to the schedule.  Some of these items are Easy Classical products {writing, copybook, and geography}.

In addition to obtaining a copy of Susan Wise Bauer’s The Well-Trained Mind {portions to be read in preparation for teaching}, you will also need to obtain the required resources for this curriculum.  A full list of both the required resources and suggested supplemental resources is available here. 

The digital version of Easy Classical’s Early Modern History Schedule is available for purchase on the Easy Classical website for $29.95. 

Easy Classical offers a variety of schedules that aid the classical homeschooler, from complete curriculum schedules to individual history or science schedules.  They also offer writing with history guides, geography with history guides, and history copybooks.

Click the above banner to about my fellow crewmates’ experiences with Easy Classical.

I received a complimentary digital copy of the Early Modern Times History Schedule in order to provide an honest review of my experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.