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Dawn
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Has anyone used a history textbook, such as From Sea to Shining Sea, as a spine, but balanced it with living books to keep history from being dry?
We are devoting next year to American history. Up till now we have used the Story of the World series, which I love, but I feel we don't know enough about our own country.
From Sea to Shining Sea looks great ~ but I see the need, especially because my boys are still young, to keep things interesting and alive. So now I am looking for ways to make this textbook work in a more Charlotte Mason friendly way ...
Thanks for any help and I apologize if this has been talked about before.
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
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mom3aut1not
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Dawn,
Yes, I have used a text balanced by lots of interesting books. I used Seton's 1st and 3rd grade history books with about 60-70 additional books -- fiction, biographies, and nonfiction. I especially recall reading George Washington's Mother. (She was a pill!) I also remember my youngest dd's horror when I read to her that pilgrim children drank beer as a matter of course (If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 IIRC). My kids and I really enjoyed Sarah Morton's Day and wound up discussing the differences between the way kids were raised then, in my father's childhood, and now.
I didn't use just textbooks later either. With Our Old World Background or Seton's 7th grade text I used about 25-30 additional books of interest. In high school I used so much supplemental material for Christ the King that it takes two years to cover the book. (In fact the supplements really more the course than the text is.) For Christ and the Americas I added things like The Political Philosophy of St. Robert the Bellarmine, biographies on people like Theodore Roosevelt, and fiction by people like Mark Twain and Willa Cather.
Of course when I did all this, I did not consider myself a CM type hser. I just wanted to add in all the interesting materials available and also make the text material more interesting. For American history there are so many interesting books!
In Christ,
Deborah
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Dawn
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Thank you for your response Deborah  I am glad to hear this type of history study worked for you.
Can you (or anyone else?) suggest any book lists or catalogs for good historical fiction? The Sea to Sea teacher's guide does give a nice list at the end of each chapter but I am always on the lookout for books others have enjoyed using
Thanks so much.
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Natalia
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Sonlight
They have excellent historical fiction recommendations .
Natalia
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teachingmyown
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From Sea to Shining Sea is not dry. It is very well written and presented. We enjoyed it as well as All Ye Lands. Of course, you always want to supplement. But for a text, it is great.
And I HATE textbooks! 
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Dawn
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Oh, I agree that From Sea to Shining Sea is not a dry text! In fact, I bought it, the first text I have ever purchased, because it seemed so un-like a traditional text !
I guess I was asking mainly because my two older boys are still relatively young (5th and 1st grade). The 5th grader will love it, as I know I will, as I use it to "steer" our studies, but I am sure the 1st grader will do well with lots of additional resources, more on target for his age.
Thanks for all the responses ... I am in midst of planning out next year and I am so grateful for all the help I have found on this forum !
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momwise
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Dawn wrote:
| I am sure the 1st grader will do well with lots of additional resources, more on target for his age. |
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Kid's Explore: America's Catholic Heritage by Young Writer's Workshop is a great American history spine for younger children if you want to hit mostly Catholic people and events. I used Through the Ages (a history booklist) by Christine Miller this past year but you have to be careful to avoid the possible antiCatholic books. Mostly, I use keywork searches at the library for certain topics. Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum has good booklists.
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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MaryM
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Dawn wrote:
| Can you (or anyone else?) suggest any book lists or catalogs for good historical fiction? |
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I like the booklists in the back of Michael O'Brien's A Landscape With Dragons. A good portion of the suggested books are historical fiction and he identifies for many which historic time frame it is set in.
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ALmom
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For the Author's Sake is great. It doesn't have a lot of younger age material yet, but it organizes the material by country, time period, etc so it is very, very efficient. It also tells you up front if it is from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or other perspective. It also gives a brief synopsis of the book and an approximate age range. All the books listed are worthy books - no twaddle. I ordered my copy from Emmanuel Books.
Last I heard, it is being updated to include material for younger readers. I cannot wait to see it.
Janet
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mom3aut1not
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Here is my list of books so far for early elementary American history. I used books like these for first grade years ago.
American History 1 for Young Catholics
and ----
Columbus by the d’Aulaires
...If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
On the Mayflower
Samuel Eaton’s Day
Sarah Morton’s Day
Tapenum’s Day
Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving
...If You Lived In Colonial Times
What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin ..
Ben Franklin by the d’Aulaires
A Picture Book of George Washington
George Washington by the d’Aulaires
A Picture Book of Paul Revere
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
A Picture Book of Patrick Henry
Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?
Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams?
A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson
Sam the Minuteman
George the Drummer Boy
....If you lived at the Time of the American Revolution
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
George Washington’s Mother
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?
The Boston Coffee Party
Phoebe the Spy
The Chestertown Tea Party
George Washington's Cat
Shhh! We’re Writing the Constitution
A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark
The Boy that Saved the Town
A Picture Book of Davy Crockett
A Picture Book of Frederick Douglas
Wagon Wheels
Chang’s Paper Pony
Long Way to a New Land
Long Way Westward
Just a Few Words Mr.LIncoln
Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express
A Weed is a Flower Life of George Washington Carver
A Picture Book of Thomas Alva Edison
Clara and the Bookwagon
The Real McCoy
Dust for Dinner?
This list is not finished.
In Christ,
Deborah Solinas
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Dawn
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Thank you for the wonderful list Deborah! I am printing it out to keep with my notes for history next year ... Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and ideas.
I have been going through From Sea to Shining Sea this past week, writing down what topics are covered within each chapter. I plan to cover each chapter over a two-week spread ...
So now I can look at our "schedule" and know, for example, that we will be studying the American Revolution in November and December. In this way I can plan field trips and activities such as a Boston Tea party etc. Also, I am making up a reading list for each month, generally noting what books I would like to read as we cover each topic.
I know this probably sounds overly "scheduled" but it really helps me to relax if I know I have a plan in place.
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mom3aut1not
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Dawn,
You're welcome.Please keep in mind that it is not finished.
If your son can listen to longer books as well, you could use some book for older kids (The Reb and the Redcoats or Mr. Revere and I or....) as read alouds for both the 5th grader and the 1st grader.
In Christ,
Deborah
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ALmom
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Dawn,
You sound like me - I have to have that schedule/booklist as a guide or we just don't go forward. I do remain flexible if something comes up that supports what we are doing better, or the children take off with some real learning in another direction, so imho it's the only way I can cope and the children above 2/3rd grade all beg for clear lesson plans.
I found that my son read a lot of those books very quickly, even before formal history started and he really has caught the history bug. Emmanuel books sells a lot of them.
What do people do who just dread library day. I have a whole list of books that I've found from my booklists and people's recommendations but our library doesn't have them. We still end up with piles of books, but then I don't have a clue what the quality or point of view is. It saves me so much time if I just own the books. Am I lazy?
How do you make sure you have what you need, when you need it?
Janet
Janet
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mom3aut1not
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Janet,
I own many of the supplementary books I mention and will try to get more in the next few years.(I got rid of a lot of books several years ago, but I have been trying to get them again since the birth of my son.) I find it easier to own most of the books except for really common ones like the "... If You" series
You aren't lazy. You are doing what works for you. I learned to prefer having books on hand when my youngest dd was a hyperactive autistic child who didn't understand how to behave in a library. I still prefer having them on hand, but I have to balance the cost of getting books for only one child against the inconvenience of getting common books from the library. For each family the balance is differenrt. I have a friend with a XL family. For her going to the library is a major hassle, and any book she buys will be used by several children. (She has 17 kids.) For another mother I know who will be dealing with only one small child and has extremely limited funds, the library is the best choice for books she doesn't already have.
I have been buying a lot of used books via amaxon.com's marketplace, and I have gotten some great deals! Another thing is to watch for sales at Border's for some of these books. And for unusual books, paying for them may be propping up some small business that I like. Going to used book stores is great for those who can manage it. I can't handle the sensory overload I experience in such places. Other people can't manage the logistics of many kids, little time, and few used bookstores nearby.
Whatever works! For each family it's a little bit different.
In Christ,
Deborah
Mom of Lisa 22, Katie 19, Kristin 17, and Joseph 5
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mi4ol
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Dawn,
You may want to check out www.bethlehembooks.com They have some wonderful living history books. I use many of their books to supplement the Seton text. I just use Seton for a quick outline/orientation then move on to the living history. We've had great success in using Century Books.
To round the books out I like adding the "Voices of America" CD's. These are great for car schooling and include a mini-lecture, excerpts of speeches from famous Americans (and others), and popular songs of the era. The kids beg to listen to the American Revolution one over and over. Even the 2-yob likes to "sing" along. This year we're going to be doing 19th and 20c and I just got the Civil War Voices CD. Check out www.corpsrediscovery.com for more of the CD's, history unit studies, period crafts, etc.
I like owning the books... It's really nice for me to know the book is available when we're ready for it, for as long as we want it.
Have fun!
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God bless,
Debbie
Do whatever He tell you. John 2:5b
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TracyQ
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Debbie,
What a great resource! Thanks! The Voices of America series looks wonderful! We're studying American History this year too, and now I feel I'd really love these CDs!
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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TracyQ
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We're using From Sea to Shining Sea this year as our spine too, and I started it last night, and it's SO wonderful~ rich in history, and beautifully written!
I ordered the CHC Middle Grade Lesson Plans, because it has a study guide for this text, and ideas, etc. So it may help, and I'll use that guide a lot through the next few years with my 5th grader, so I felt it was a good investment.
This should be a great year!
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Donna
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Dawn wrote:
| Has anyone used a history textbook, such as From Sea to Shining Sea, as a spine, but balanced it with living books to keep history from being dry? |
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Have you seen the Mater Amabilis site? It has a reading list to go along with the text. Mater Amabilis.
Listed are living books that correspond with each chapter of the text book.
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Donna
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TracyQ
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Donna wrote:
Have you seen the Mater Amabilis site? It has a reading list to go along with the text. Mater Amabilis.
Listed are living books that correspond with each chapter of the text book. |
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I've been to that site a LOT, and didn't even SEE that list! I missed it totally! But THANK YOU for posting about it, because it will help me SO much in our history studies this year! 
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Donna
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You're welcome
It's what we plan to use this year as well.
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Donna
DH, Keven
Jason, Stevie, Marie, Jackson, Clara, and Aaron
Jacob, Sam, and Regina with God
Grandbabies Leigha and Elsie
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Topic: From Sea to Shining Sea
