This Week’s Fun Stuff October 27, 2009

This last Saturday, I took the kids to the Old Mormon Fort for a history program they offer every month.  It was so cool.  This month, they learned about mining, especially here in Nevada.  They even got to do some “mining” of their own by looking for “gold,” “silver,” and “copper” in birdseed.  We had to search through the birdseed for tiny beads that represented the different metals.  They did a great job.  They also learned a bit about abandoned mines throughout the state and how important it is to stay away from them!  The class was put on by geologist Bill Durbin from the State of Nevada, Division of Minerals.  I also found out they will be putting on a workshop about teaching about minerals and earth science in March and April of 2010.  I’m hoping to be able to attend that.

    

Then, on Monday, we went to a Nevada Virtual Academy sponsored Fall Festival.  The kids had a great time.  They dressed up in their costumes (and got me to dress up as well).  When we got there, they had a ton of games and activities for the kids to do (and a ton of candy to go with them).  It was great for the kids to socialize and have so much fun!            

                                                           

Answers December 23, 2008

I just realized that I forgot to post the answers to the History quiz.  So, better late than never, here are the answers.  Do you need to take a history class?  (Answers are in bold.)

Q1. When was the Civil War?

a. 1750-1800

b. 1800-1850

c. 1850-1900

d. 1900-1950

e. after 1950

Q2. Who said “Give me liberty or give me death?”

a. John Hancock

b. James Madison

c. Patrick Henry

d. Samuel Adams

What’s Your History IQ? November 17, 2008

Time to get on my soapbox for a moment. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to teach my children, and teach them things they need to know!

The following is taken from a letter I received from HIllsdale College: 

“In April of 2004, the American Council of Tustees and Alumni (ACTA) released the results of a 50-college study in a booklet titled “The Hollow Core.”  The purpose of the study was to determine if America’s colleges and universities were meeting their obligation to provide today’s students with a core group of courses “that ensure a solid general education.”  The study showed less than desirable results, concluding the “America’s colleges are, in truth, offering little more than a ‘hollow core.’” ”

I read through The Hollow Core, and found it interesting, but disturbing.  I think it is sad that there is such a lack of really important things being taught in our colleges and universities, especially history.  But, why should anyone really care about history?  Well, as the old cliche says, those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it.  We must learn from those who came before us.  Our history is also part of who we are.  It is our heritage.  The following was written in the ACTA’s “Losing America’s Memory” about why learning history is important. 

“As ACTA chairman and former NEH chairman Lynne V. Cheney observes, in Telling the Turth,  “[I]t is from our colleges and universities that messages radiate–or fail to radiate to schools, to legal institutions, to popular culture, and to politics about the importance of reason, of trying to overcome bias, of seeking truth through evidence and verification.”  If our graduates leave school without knowing the foundations of American society, children they teach will certainly do no better. 

It is sometimes said that historical facts do not matter.  But citizens who fail to know basic landmarks of history and civics are unlikely to be able to reflect on their meaning.  They fail to recognize the unique nature of our society, and the importance of preserving it.  They lack and understanding of the very principles which bind our society–namely, liberty, justice, government by the consent of the governed, and equality under the law. 

As Lynne Cheney has also written, “Knowledge of the ideas that have molded us and the ideals that have mattered to us functions as a kind of civic glue.  Our history and literature give us symbols to share; they help us all, no matter how diverse our backgrounds, feel part of a common undertaking.”"

So, all that being said, I thought I’d pass along the test that they gave to college seniors, who did pretty badly.  These are high school questions.  See what you know.  Do you need a course in American History? 

Q1. When was the Civil War?

a. 1750-1800

b. 1800-1850

c. 1850-1900

d. 1900-1950

e. after 1950

 

Q2. Who said “Give me liberty or give me death?”

a. John Hancock

b. James Madison

c. Patrick Henry

d. Samuel Adams

 

Q3. What is the Magna Carta?

a. The foundation of the British parliamentary system

b. The Great Seal of the monarchs of England

c. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man

d. The charter signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower

 

Q4. The term “Reconstruction” refers to:

a. Payment of European countries’ debts to the United States after the First World War

b. Repairing of the physical damage caused by the Civil War

c. Readmission of the Confederate states and the protection of the rights of Black citizens

d. Rebuilding of the transcontinental railroad and the canal system

 

Q5. Are Beavis and Butthead…

a. A radio show

b. Television cartoon characters

c. A musical group

d. Fictional soldiers

 

Q6. The Scopes Trial was about:

a. Freedom of the press

b. Teaching evolution in the schools

c. Prayer in the schools

d. Education in private schools

 

Q7. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln stated that:

a. Slaves were free in areas of the Confederate states not held by the Union

b. The slave trade was illegal

c. Slaves who fled to Canada would be protected

d. Slavery was abolished in the Union

 

Q8. The purpose of the authors of “The Federalists” papers was to:

a. Establish a strong, free press in the colonies

b. Confirm George Washington’s election as the first president

c. Win foreign approval for the Revolutionary War

d. Gain ratification of the U.S. Constitution

 

Q9. Sputnik was the name given to the first:

a. Telecommunications system

b. Animal to travel into space

c. Hydrogen bomb

d. Man-made satellite

 

Q10. The Missouri Compromise was the act that:

a. Funded the Lewis and Clark expedition on the upper Missouri River

b. Granted statehood to Missouri but denied the admission of any other states

c. Settled the boundary dispute between Missouri and Kansas

d. Admitted Maine into the Union as a free state and Missouri as a slave state

 

Q11. Which document established the division of powers between the states and the federal government?

a. The Marshall Plan

b. The Constitution

c. The Declaration of Independence

d. The Articles of Confederation

 

Q12. When was Thomas Jefferson president?

a. 1780-1800

b. 1800-1820

c. 1820-1840

d. 1840-1860

e. 1860-1880

 

Q13. What was the lowest point in American fortunes in the Revolutionary War?

a. Saratoga

b. Bunker Hill

c. Valley Forge

d. Fort Ticonderoga

 

Q14. In his Farewell Address, President George Washington warned against the danger of:

a. Expanding into territories beyond the Appalachian Mountains

b. Having war with Spain over Mexico

c. Entering into permanent alliances with foreign governments

d. Building a standing army and strong navy

 

Q15. The Monroe Doctrine declared that:

a. The American blockade of Cuba was in accord with international law

b. Europe should not acquire new territories in the Western Hemisphere

c. Trade with China should be open to all Western nations

d. The annexation of the Philippines was legitimate

 

Q16. Who was the European who traveled in the United States and wrote down perceptive comments about what he saw in Democracy in America?

a. Lafayette

b. Tocqueville (TOKE-ville)

c. Crevecoeur (cre-VA-see-aire)

d. Napoleon

 

Q17. Identify Snoop Doggy Dog.

a. A rap singer

b. Cartoon by Charles Schulz

c. A mystery series

d. A jazz pianist

 

Q18. Abraham Lincoln was president between:

a. 1780-1800

b. 1800-1820

c. 1820-1840

d. 1840-1860

e. 1860-1880

 

Q19. Who was the American general at Yorktown?

a. William T. Sherman

b. Ulysses S. Grant

c. Douglas MacArthur

d. George Washington

 

Q20. John Marshall was the author of:

a. Roe vs. Wade

b. Dred Scott vs. Kansas

c. Marbury vs. Madison

d. Brown vs. Board of Education

 

Q21. Who was the “Father of the Constitution”?

a. George Washington

b. Thomas Jefferson

c. Benjamin Franklin

d. James Madison

 

Q22. Who said, “I regret that I have only one life to give for my country”?

a. John F. Kennedy

b. Benedict Arnold

c. John Brown

d. Nathan Hale

 

Q23. What was the source of the following phrase: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”?

a. The speech: “I have a Dream”

b. Declaration of Independence

c. U.S. Constitution

d. Gettysburg Address

 

Q24. Who was the second president of the U.S.?

a. Thomas Jefferson

b. James Madison

c. John Adams

d. Benjamin Franklin

 

Q25. Who was president when the U.S. purchased the Panama Canal?

a. Theodore Roosevelt

b. Jimmy Carter

c. Franklin D. Roosevelt

d. Woodrow Wilson

 

Q26. Who was the leading advocate for the U.S. entry into the League of Nations?

a. George C. Marshall

b. Woodrow Wilson

c. Henry Cabot Lodge

d. Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Q27. Who said, “Speak softly but carry a big stick”?

a. William T. Sherman

b. Sitting Bull

c. John D. Rockefeller

d. Theodore Roosevelt

 

Q28. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during:

a. The Vietnam War

b. World War II

c. World War I

d. The Civil War

 

Q29. Which of the following was a prominent leader of the Abolitionist Movement?

a. Malcolm X

b. Martin Luther King Jr.

c. W.E.B. Du Bois

d. Frederick Douglass

 

Q30. Who was the president of the United States at the beginning of the Korean War?

a. John F. Kennedy

b. Franklin D. Roosevelt

c. Dwight Eisenhower

d. Harry Truman

 

Q31. When the United States entered World War II, which two major nations were allied with Germany?

a. Italy and Japan

b. Italy and Poland

c. Italy and Russia

d. Russia and Japan

 

Q32. Social legislation passed under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society Program included:

a. The Sherman Antitrust Act

b. The Voting Rights Act

c. The Tennessee Valley Authority

d. The Civilian Conservation Corps

 

Q33. Who was “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen”?

a. George Washington

b. Woodrow Wilson

c. Dwight Eisenhower

d. Abraham Lincoln

 

Q34. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union when the United States entered the Second WorldWar?

a. Peter Ustinov (YOU-stin-off)

b. Nikita Khrushchev (CRUZ-chev)

c. Marshal Tito

d. Joseph Stalin

I’ll post the answers in a few days. 

The Old Mormon Fort September 30, 2008

A couple Fridays ago, I took the kids to the Old Mormon Fort.  We had a really great time.  They gave us a scavenger hunt to do, which kept us very busy, and was pretty fun.  The kids thought all the old stuff was pretty awesome, and they liked learning about what the fort was used for.  It was fun watching them explore and take everything in.  Anyway, we took a few pictures. 

      

The prizes for the scavenger hunt were balloons!  This was very exciting for them. 

By the way, they wave the admission fee (which is only $1 for adults) for homeschoolers, who set up a field trip.

Homeschool Convention June 25, 2008

I attended the homeschool convention last Friday and Saturday, with my friend and fellow homeschooling mom, Amy.  It was way awesome!  Friday they had a used curriculum sale, at which I got lots of good history and writing books for cheapy cheap!  Amy got some very good stuff, too.  After we did the used curriculum sale, we attended a presentation on the Constitution, by Stewart Rhodes.  So amazing!  I loved it!  And, really that’s putting it mildly.  Of course, those that know me well, know I’m very politically involved and that I’m passionate about the Constitution.  So, that was really great!  Then, on Saturday, we went and all the vendors were set up.  Also very cool!  We got our math program, Math-U-See, purchased, which was the main point in going Saturday.  We were also able to see some other really great vendors, like the Atomic Testing Museum and the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, and get lots of good info, especially about more field trips and educational programs.  So, all in all, I would say we had a really great experience and it was pretty fun.  I’ll definitely be going back in the future!  Thanks to Nevada Homeschool Network for putting it all on! 

Another great treasure! May 27, 2008

I just love the DI!  I try to go every couple of weeks or so, just to see if I can find any treasures.  I went again today, and like last time, found a ton of Living Scripture workbooks!  This time, I got 57!  Can you believe that?!  I think I’ve got to have nearly all of the New Testament and Hero Classics now!  These things are so full of learning resources.  What a find!  I’m also using these to create Sunday Folders for the kids.  I also got for $.50 each, a book about the Gettysburg Address and a book about questions about animals, called I Wonder Why Camels Have Humps.  Yeah!  I love bargains.  I’m definitely going to have to check out the little used book stores in the libraries, like Erin suggested! 

Today’s Exciting Find May 5, 2008

Today I went to DI and found a great treasure for our classroom!  There were tons of coloring and activity books from Living Scriptures.  Gavin and I sorted through them all for the ones that didn’t have any coloring in them, and managed to get 20!  We’ve got books from their Animated Hero Classics, Church History, Book of Mormon, New Testament, and Old Testament.  I couldn’t believe it, and for only $.50 each!  These will be a great resource for us to use as I teach various subjects, not just history and religion.  I plan on copying the pages as we use them, so that we can keep using them for a long time.  (And, I checked and the publisher says it’s ok to copy for personal or classroom use.)  The kids were pretty excited about these too.