Heroes of History ~ Harriet Tubman ~REVIEW

 
I have been inspired, encouraged and totally amazed by a lady named Harriet Tubman the past few weeks.  We were able to learn about her through the Heroes of History- Harriet Tubman Book and Digital Unit Study Curriculum Guide from YWAM Publishing.  I remember very little about Harriet, The Under Ground Railroad and Slavery from back in high school.  I knew Slavery happened, it was awful and I didn't want to relive it or think about it.  But, this year as Mahala has been reading Uncle Tom I have had some pretty deep conversations with her and have had pieces of my heart touched. 

For this Review when I saw that Harriet Tubman was an option I was so thrilled to be able to learn even more about this courageous woman along with Kaden.  In History we are kind of close to the 1800's right now, so Kaden was familiar with the time frame and loosely understood Slavery, but did not know about Harriet.  YWAM Publishing has so many book options... Christian Heroes: Then and Now Series and their Heroes of History Series.  On their Website you can also find Extra Fun Bonus Materials that change out often that you can use with your kiddos.  Kaden worked on the Crossword puzzle section, a Coloring Page and spent a long while looking through the different Maps and Timelines available.

Kaden and I started out reading a chapter a day, but the writing was so captivating and Harriet's story was so heart clenching we sometimes read more....way more.  After a few chapters though I remembered the Study Guide!  :)  So, we pulled it out and printed what we needed.  I love that it offers a Classroom, Group or Homeschool overview.  I looked it over and read it.  It was very helpful to Understand how to use  Heroes of History to the fullest as well as helpful tips to adapt it in my approach as Parent and Teacher.  I can't get over the Timeline if you choose to use these books as your History along with resources and how to teach your students with various learning styles and abilities.  It goes on to explain along with examples and themes how to teach Social Studies and Language Arts with the Unit Study Curriculum Guides.

The Unit Study Guide offers so much....in the beginning are wonderful Key Quotes that Kaden and I are using to practice memorization.  They walk you through how to create a display area that totally excites me, but we have yet to do it.  It will be something we aspire to create over the summer though.  I love the idea, because it immerses you with what your learning about.  Surrounding yourself with suggestions like things from that era, books, pictures or music not only helps you retain what you have learned but also allows your kids to linger and learn even when school isn't in session.  I can see myself doing this for here on out.

Next are the chapter questions.  There are four, one related to vocabulary and one that's factual gathered from the text.  The third question is to determine the child's comprehension and the final question is always an open ended question seeking their opinion or interpretation.  Kaden and I did all of these orally, though I can see how this would count as handwriting.

The Student Exploration section is filled to the brim with amazing activities that will hit the spot no matter how your child learns.  I loved the essay and creative writing offerings, but we passed on those for now.  Kaden, believe it or not did more hands on crafty activities.  We didn't finish a few of them, but I'm going to share what we have.   Kaden worked on his loom to weave scrap cloths together to make a quilt piece.  He decided for us to do a watercolor of Harriet and he decided to complete a floor-plan of a house with a secret hiding room.  But, instead of on paper he wanted to do it on Minecraft.  Here is the little video for that.  We also mapped out her path to freedom on a map.

There is so much more I could go into regarding Social Studies, Community ideas and Events....not to mention lot's of extra resources and recommended books to read.  You really could use this guide over and over because there are just so many fun things to do.  I know Kaden is not ready to do some of them, but as he gets more social skills and confidence in himself I know he will be able to in a year or two. :)

So, what did we think?  Hands down my favorite Book and Study Guide Combo....I loved the easy to use and simple instructions.  The ideas and activities were fresh and even had my attention.  I hope to try more of the collection because Kaden Loved them....and he is not an "easy" one to please.  The Heroes of History book alone was terrific, I was just as much invested as Kaden.  It's not everyday that History comes to life in a book that captivates both the child and the parent.....but, this one does.  I encourage you to add these to your library and give yourself and your kids the gift of courage, integrity, tenacity and bravery along with multiple Heroes to admire and look up to.  Make sure to Connect with YWAM Publishing with Social Media today!

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