We Were There with Charles Darwin on H.M.S. Beagle

***Pick up your FREE Activity Pack***

At only 22 years old, Charles Darwin set sail on a five-year voyage around the world!  While not particularly fond of school, he loved being outdoors and collecting natural things (especially rocks and beetles).  On the voyage, his job was map the coast of South America and make scientific observations in the area.  He spent most of his time in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and the Galápagos Islands.

While journeying through South America, he noticed interesting differences in bird beaks, and wondered how they had developed so differently.  He observed their habitats and actions, sketched the different species, and took thorough notes.  He also observed that the birds not only had different beaks, but behaved differently and even carried themselves differently.

Though he is most famous for his Theory of Natural Selection, Darwin did not actually develop and publish it for nearly thirty years after the voyage!  The theory says that organisms possess heritable traits that enable them to better adapt to their environment compared with other members of their species will be more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass more of their genes on to the next generation – in someone else’s words, “survival of the fittest.”

There is a difference between evolution and adaptation, though these two words are often confused.  Mutations in the DNA sequence that are carried on to the next generation are a form of evolution.  Adaptation, or natural selection, is a change that helps an organism to survive which is taught (or given through genes) to the next generation. 

Our spine novel is We Were There with Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle

Access the complete unit in the 'We Were There' Novel Studies Bundle!

Includes THIRTY-SIX unit studies covering World & American History. Each unit addresses a new topic, spanning the the ancient world through post-WW2.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product Samples:

• We Were There with Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades
• We Were There with Byrd at the South Pole
• We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Era

Flashback Four : The Hamilton-Burr Duel

July 11, 1804

Long before social media created the ease of public trash-talking, it was being done in person, face-to-face, and in public...and sometimes that led to dueling.  The Hamilton-Burr duel is one of the most infamous duels!

Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of Treasury; Aaron Burr became Vice-President; and their rivalry began long before 1804!  In 1791, Burr defeated Hamilton's father-in-law for the Senate.  They were on opposite sides of the political fence, and bad feelings were sown.

In the election of 1800, Hamilton became the tie-breaking vote between Burr and Jefferson -- for President.  Hamilton didn't like either man, but due to his long-held grudge against Burr, Jefferson won the Presidency.

Fast forward four years...Burr is running for Governor of New York, and Hamilton is campaigning hard against him...and the other guy wins.  There's some trash-talking going on, angry letters are exchanged, a non-apology (when you don't really mean you're sorry, or even truly say you're sorry) was offered, and Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel.

Dueling wasn't technically legal anymore, but the men had been fighting for years now, so...  They met in the early morning hours, at the Heights of Weehawken, New Jersey, and brought their 'seconds' with them.  The next day, Hamilton died from his wounds. 

Our spine read for this unit is The Hamilton-Burr Duel

Access the complete unit in the American History Novel Studies Bundle!

Includes sixteen unit studies covering American History. Each unit addresses a new topic, spanning the Revolutionary War to Vietnam.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.
• Some units also have cooking projects.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product sample:  Paper Son & Angel Island Immigration  & Within These Lines & Japanese Internment

Includes:

• Casualties of War & Vietnam War
• No Promises in the Wind & the Great Depression
• Out of the Dust & the Dust Bowl
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham & Civil Rights
• Dusty Sourdough & Alaska
• The King of Mulberry Street & Ellis Island Immigration
• Paper Son & Angel Island Immigration
• The Red Menace & McCarthyism
• Johnny Tremain & Faces of the American Revolution
• Sounder & Sharecropping
• World War II Code Talkers
• Flashback Four: Hamilton-Burr Duel
• Within These Lines & Japanese Internment Camps
• Flashback Four: Titanic Mission
• Flashback Four: Lincoln Project
• The Diviners / The Great Gatsby & Roaring Twenties

Subscription Boxes for Teens - Mail Order Mystery

We’re always looking for fun, unplugged activities that are both entertaining and educational, so when we stumbled across a photo for Mail Order Mystery, it immediately struck a chord. We showed it to the children, who were pretty excited about the prospect of receiving something in the mail (what kid isn’t?), and allowed them to choose the theme they were most interested in. The winner? Spies, Lies, and Serious Bad Guys!

Mail Order Mystery is a fabulous company who has come up with an absolutely brilliant and FUN idea for kids! They create incredible, ‘top secret’ mysteries. For each mystery a series of letters, documents and curious objects will arrive by mail and each one is connected to an ongoing mystery. The story arrives in six installments with a final larger mailing.

Ten Reasons Why Your Family Will LOVE this Mystery

1. It’s unplugged. There is an area where you can choose to use a website, but it’s not required and doesn’t add to the story. The only tools required are pencil, paper, and a thinking cap.
2. Puzzles, ciphers, adventure, and a plot to catch some bad guys! (This was a big draw for the kids, and I loved the puzzles and ciphers aspect.)
3. The kids get real mail addressed to them…and it’s not even their birthdays.
4. It feels so real! We completed the mystery within a week because of how excited they were to keep going. The old letters, clues, maps, de-coding; it’s an elaborate, impressive game that had a lot of work put into it.
5. Code wheels, mystery boxes, and other trinkets that they get to keep when the puzzle is solved. You can keep everything together (number the envelopes) and reuse at a later date, or with younger siblings when they are older.
6. You have the option of receiving six separate packages (over six weeks) or one lump package and parceling out on your own timeline. (This is great for families on the go.)
7. Appropriate for ages nine and up, but just as engaging for older kids, too. Our older son (well into his teens) enjoyed it the most! Of course, he loves all things codes…but our younger son enjoyed catching the bad guy and getting to learn how to be a spy.
8. If you get stuck, there is a way to get help solving the puzzles. The customer service is great about helping out, but without giving you the answer right away. First, you get a nudge in the right direction. If you’re still stuck, then they’ll help more.
9. It fosters sibling relationships. My boys worked together really well, with the common goal of stopping the bad guys. There were stretches of hours with no bickering or tackling as they solved the puzzles together.
10. The final package contains a locked box full of goodies! But you have to crack the code to access them.

How it works

• Choose your Mail Order Mystery and order it.
• Let us know who the mystery is for and when you would like it to begin.
• Receive an order confirmation and download a gift note for the recipient.
• Parent(s) or guardian(s) get an email announcing the beginning of the mystery and explaining the process.
• A series of letters, documents and curious objects begin to arrive in the mail, all connected to an ongoing mystery.
• After several weeks the story comes to its exciting conclusion. All is resolved. The final mailing contains an artifact or collection of keepsakes related to the mystery.

Notes

• The price of this Mail Order Mystery is $85, plus about $9 shipping. While it may seem steep, the quality of the materials they send is very nice, both the paper and non-paper items. Also, the experience lasts for six weeks (more, if you choose to reuse it).
• Note : The company is based in Canada, so if you see $109 in the checkout cart - that is Canadian dollars. It is $85 USD, but the cart automatically converts.
• Mail Order Mystery is now the Deadbolt Mystery Society

Check out our other Subscription Boxes for Teens posts :  Adventurous Mailbox &  STEAMWorld & Craftsman Crate

We Were There at the Battle of Lexington and Concord

***Pick up your FREE Activity Pack***

For nearly ten years, the British government had been imposing new taxes and laws on the colonists, without any consent or representation, and the colonists were SO OVER IT...

After considering the best course of action, British troops in Boston marched in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, to the town of Concord.  Their one mission was to seize the local militia's guns and powder.  (This would prevent the local townspeople from defending themselves.)

Some Patriots, however, had an inkling of what was to come, and were paying much closer attention than the British thought.  They devised a communication plan - 'one if by land, two if by sea, and I on the opposite shore will be' - to get the word out about which method the British chose -- to march by land or cross the harbor by boat.

"The British are coming!" would have been an absurd statement...as all colonists were considered to be British in 1775.  More likely, the midnight riders woke the townspeople with "The Regulars are coming!"  Also, Paul Revere wasn't the only rider that night.  Several riders, including women, took to the roads to awaken and alert the local militia of what was coming.

April 19th, at dawn, a militia unit gathered on the green in Lexington, prepared to face down the British regiment marching their way.  Men and boys of every age took up arms, and they stood face to face, staring each other down.  At some point, a shot was fired.  No one knew which side the shot came from, but everyone reacted.

Fifteen minutes after that first shot was fired, eighteen colonists were dead or wounded.  The British soldiers continued their march toward Concord, where they destroyed the supplies that had not been hidden.  On their march back to Boston, they met with several militia groups who fought back...and the American Revolution began.

Our spine novel is We Were There at the Battle of Lexington and Concord

Access the complete unit in the 'We Were There' Novel Studies Bundle!

Includes THIRTY-SIX unit studies covering World & American History. Each unit addresses a new topic, spanning the the ancient world through post-WW2.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product Samples:

• We Were There with Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades
• We Were There with Byrd at the South Pole
• We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Era

We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run

***Pick up your FREE Activity Pack***

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, allowing settlers to claim land, providing they lived on the land and improved it.  In 1889, the Indian Appropriations Act was signed by Benjamin Harrison, opening up two million acres of land for settlement.

The land opened was in Oklahoma, where Native American tribes were just resettling about being removed from their lands through relocations such as the Trail of Tears.  In only a few years, seven land rushes took place in Oklahoma, beginning with the most famous Oklahoma Land Run.

On April 22, 1889, approximately 50,000 people lined up with their horses, wagons, and belongings in the dusty morning.  At noon, the gun went off signaling the start of the rush.  By the end of the day, six modern-day Oklahoma counties had been settled!

Prior to the land rushes, cattlemen, railroad men, government officials, and farmers continued to enter the territory and settle there.  Sometimes, military troops found them and forced them to leave.  These men pressured the government to open up the land for settlement, and they were known as ‘Boomers.’

The term ‘Sooner’ comes from those who didn’t want to wait for the actual land rush.  They entered the territory sooner, and established claims.  Surprisingly, many of these men worked for the government, such as marshals and deputies.  It was easy for them to ‘sneak in sooner,’ as they had a right to be there for their job.

Many promises were made to the Native American population, but the rushes brought so many men that new towns sprang up overnight.  Indian Territory continued to be squeezed until it was a small area on the eastern half of the region.  Two new states requested admission to the Union – Oklahoma and Sequoyah (Indian Territory), but they were forced to unite and join as one new state, Oklahoma, in 1907.

Our spine novel for this unit is We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run

Access the complete unit in the 'We Were There' Novel Studies Bundle!

Includes THIRTY-SIX unit studies covering World & American History. Each unit addresses a new topic, spanning the the ancient world through post-WW2.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product Samples:

• We Were There with Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades
• We Were There with Byrd at the South Pole
• We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Era

Using Dyed Easter Eggs after Easter

Easter is almost over, but what to do with the dyed eggs sitting around the house after?  Don't just toss them out!  Put those already-dyed eggs to good use for an art project.  This simple mosaic project will take 1/3 the time if you're using leftover dyed eggs.  

For our project, we made an Ancient Roman mosaic, but you can make any design you wish.  

How to Make an Ancient Mosaic from Eggshells

Supplies :

• Paper cups 
• Eggshells (save from a dozen or more eggs, wash them and let them dry out) 
• Water 
• Food coloring 
• Base for mosaic (at least 12"....I used the lid from a gallon of ice cream) 

Directions :

• After your eggshells have dried, break them into little bitty bits. 
• Put food coloring and water into paper cups. We used red, green, and blue. 
• Put the eggshells bits into the cups, cover them with coloring, and let them sit overnight. 
• Dump them out the next day and let them dry on newspaper. 
• Using the different colors, create your mosaic. 

Some tips:

• If you use different sides of the eggshell, you will get different shades of the same color. With red, I got red and pink, depending on which side I used. 
• If you're doing a circle shape, start with the outside and work your way in. 
• Save some of your eggshells so that you have the color white as an option.

Find more projects like this in 

Recycled History : Re-purposed Items for Hands-On Learning

Subscription Boxes for Teens - STEAM World

Summer is a great time for homeschooling with more flexibility and fun! We incorporate many games and activities into the school year, but still try to remain true to our curriculum at the same time. When summer rolls around, we look for ways to continue learning from a different vantage point.

When I stumbled across STEAMworld, and realized that it combined most of the core subjects, plus art, I knew that this was something we wanted to try! (Quick brush-up: STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, ART, and Math.) The box comes with everything you need – and I do mean everything – to complete a series of projects about the featured country. Not having to hunt up supplies? Fantastic!

We decided to try out Morocco, based on the art projects featured. The box came with all of the supplies needed for math, science, art, and engineering, plus an activity book and country scrapbook. If you’ve wanted to try unit studies, this subscription is a great way to put your feet in the water – and they’ve done all the hard work of pulling everything together for you.

Depending on your personal style, the box could take anywhere from a couple of days to a week or two to complete. We like to dive into our unit studies, and so completed the box in two school days.

Our school is very history & geography centered, so we began by reading through the scrapbook and watching a few YouTube videos on Morocco. We also Google-Earthed our way through Morocco. If you’ve never done this, it’s a fascinating way to vicariously visit a country!

From there, we started on the activity book. I like that each subject has a hands-on project for applying the concepts once they have been taught. We supplemented this with spur-of-the-moment YouTube videos that the boys found to explore the concepts – particularly energy – further. They also looked up some real-world examples of the Moroccan tiles and patterns.

Science and technology are areas that the boys are very interested in, but mom is simply proficient at, so the STEAMworld boxes are wonderful for giving me a jumping off point. They provide ideas for hands-on projects in the areas that the boys want to study, but in ways that tie in with the things I am better at teaching. Because they are engaging, too, they promote further study on the topics. (And this could go the other way, too, if you are more science-focused, but want to incorporate geography into your units.)

Overall, the box was a hit with the boys. It’s a little disappointing to find that there are currently only two more countries available, but the company says that they are creating more as we speak, so I foresee greater options in the future. I like that they offer both one-month and three-month subscription choices. Finally, I LOVE that they provide the Duo Kit option.

What’s the Duo Kit? It’s a kit of extra consumable supplies for all of the projects in the activity book. Each box comes with literature and supplies for one student. If you have more than one student, however, and want each child to have his own supplies, you simply need a Duo Kit for the child – rather than a whole other box. And it’s affordable.

Just the Facts

• Site : STEAMworld
• Ages : 4th – 8th grade (flexible enough to tailor to other aged children)
• Cost : $39.95 / month – shipped to you
• $99 / 3-month subscription
• $9.95 for Duo Kit

Check out our other Subscription Boxes for Teens posts :  Adventurous Mailbox & Mail Order Mystery & Craftsman Crate

Natural Food Coloring for Easter Eggs (and Other Projects!)

Each year, we use our own eggs for making dyed Easter eggs....and we also use natural products from our garden for dyeing them!   Why use all those chemical-laden dyes, when it's so simple to make your own?

You can use these natural dyes, not only for dyeing eggs, but for food coloring.  Since they are made from real food, they have the potential to change the flavor of what you are coloring, however, it has never been noticeable enough that my kids turn down the cupcakes with naturally-colored icing.  Green is probably the least-popular flavor, of all the colors...

A few notes...

• To use coloring for Easter eggs - mix powder with water and allow eggs to set in it overnight.  
• To use for food coloring - mix powder with icing until is smoothly blended.  Ice cake.
• If you just want to purchase natural food coloring, try one of these :
• Color Kitchen
• McCormick
• Watkins
• Food coloring will store for up to one year in an air-tight container.

Red / Pink

*Beets

Peel and slice beets very thinly.  Place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.  Use more coloring for red; less for pink.

Orange

*Carrots

Peel and slice carrots very thinly.  Place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Yellow

*Butternut Squash

Peel and slice squash very thinly.  Place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Green

*Spinach

Wash and then dry a bunch of spinach.  Remove stems.  Spread out on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Blue

*Blueberries

Spread out well as you place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Brown

*Cocoa Powder

Mix cocoa powder with whatever you are dyeing.

More Easter Resources

• The History Behind Easter Traditions
• Using Dyed Easter Eggs after Easter
• Books to Celebrate the Spring Holidays

Pick up the Seasonal Bucket Lists for FREE on our Subscriber Freebies page!  Not yet a subscriber?  Sign up here!

We Were There with Lewis and Clark

***Pick up your FREE Activity Pack***

You've just received a box with a buffalo hide, thirteen dead insects, and several hand-written notes.....what's your first thought?

After the Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson sent a team of men to explore the land that the United States now owned.  From May 1804 to September 1806, this team made its way to the Pacific Coast, collecting natural specimens and making notes along the way.   Captain Meriweather Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark commanded the Corps of Discovery, a group of Army volunteers, along with the assistance of Sacagawea, a Native American woman.  The group left from St. Louis, Missouri, where the Gateway Arch now memorializes the journey.  One of their missions was to establish an American presence in the area before other European powers tried to take over it.   They sent back many reports, specimens, maps, sketches, journal entries, and traded goods to President Jefferson along the way.  Their exploration efforts helped to fuel Manifest Destiny and the opening up of the west.

  

Gateway Arch in St. Louis

Our spine read is We Were There with Lewis and Clark

Access the complete unit in the 'We Were There' Novel Studies Bundle!

Includes THIRTY-SIX unit studies covering World & American History. Each unit addresses a new topic, spanning the the ancient world through post-WW2.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product Samples:

• We Were There with Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades
• We Were There with Byrd at the South Pole
• We Were There at the Opening of the Atomic Era