4Real Forums: Mid-Atlantic States

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Topic: Mid-Atlantic States - Read Alouds?

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jawgee
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Posted: May 09 2014 at 2:39pm \| IP Logged

My family is leaving on Monday for a three-week RV trip. We'll be spending most of our time in Pennsylvania (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Amish Country, Gettysburg, Hershey) and the Washington DC area (Basilica, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, National Zoo, Shenandoah Caverns).

Does anyone have any recommendations for family read-alouds, audio books, or even movies during the trip? History, historical fiction, or science/nature related are great.

I told DH we'll have to bring National Treasure. My boys enjoy that and I think they'll like seeing the actual places that are in the movie. What else??

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Monica

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setonmom
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Posted: May 09 2014 at 11:42pm \| IP Logged

D'Aulaire's book on George Washington, Gail Gibbons has a picture book about the giant pandas.

CrunchyMom
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Posted: May 10 2014 at 6:00am \| IP Logged

That sound like so much fun!

Priest on Horseback is available on librivox, and it would be perfect. It follows Father Farmer as he travels his circuit visiting colonists around the midAtlantic. Be forewarned, the reader mispronounces some of the trickier PA names, but you could probably find all the places he visits on a map and will learn what they are reeally called while in the area.

While in Philly you might want to visit the St John Neumann Shrine. Are there any good biographies about him?

A Benjamin Franklin story would seem appropriate like Ben and Me or Poor Richard.

I think there are books, too, about Dolly Madison and the building of the whitehouse. At leat some picture books.

Regarding nature study, I don't know if Longwood Gardens is on your list, but it is amazing! There are many wonderful gardens in the area, but Longwood is the biggest. People come from all over the world to see it.

I will keep thinking, Monica.

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Lindsay
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CrunchyMom
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Posted: May 10 2014 at 6:10am \| IP Logged

I just looked it up, and there is a Vision book about John Neumann, but it is out of print. There is also one for Katherine Drexel who is another Philadelphia saint. I have never been to her shrine. John Neumann is incorruptible, so his shrine is supposed to be impressive. I went to mass there recently, but the shrine itself was not open.

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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony

[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR

jawgee
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Posted: May 10 2014 at 6:48am \| IP Logged

Thanks for those recommendations! We do have Priest on Horseback on audio. I'll have to hit our library before we leave to see if we can get some good biographies.

Lindsay, I hadn't heard of Longwood Gardens. Added it to our list hoping that we'll have time when we are there! I saw that they have a birding tour, which my younger son may love.

Thanks for those ideas!

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Monica

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SeaStar
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Posted: May 10 2014 at 9:59am \| IP Logged

"Mr. Revere and I " is a fun audiobook.

We also just listened to "The Kid Who Ran for President" and "The Kid Who Became President".

We enjoyed both tremendously, and they were packed full of info about how our government works. Very entertaining.... though the main character is a 12 year old boy, so you do get some 12 year old language (moron, snot, etc). It's nothing too bad, but a heads up is nice.

Overall, though, the moral and story are very good- and if you have boys, they will love the secret Ninja death touch (Secret Service technique) and the video game scene (US vs. evil dictator).

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guitarnan
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Posted: May 10 2014 at 3:27pm \| IP Logged

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's shrine is pretty close to Gettysburg, too - it's a wonderful place to visit. We read Kat Finds a Friend by Joan Stromberg many years ago and my daughter begged to go to see where Kat and Mother Seton had lived. Fantastic trip! (Nice book, too!)

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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.

KellyB
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Posted: May 10 2014 at 9:16pm \| IP Logged

What a fun-sounding trip! Here are a few more ideas:

Nature study -
The Moon of the Fox Pups by Jean Craighead George follows five fox pups in the month of June in the farmland of Pennsylvania

Fiction-
Miracles on Maple Hill - Virginia Sorenson

Picture books-
Just Plain Fancy - Patricia Polacco (Amish)
Yonie Wondernose - Marguerite de Angeli (Amish, farming)
Crow Call - Lois Lowry (father - daughter)

Short chapter books by Marguerite de Angeli (all set in Pennsylvania)
-Skippack School (Colonial)
-Henner's Lydia (Amish)
-Whistle for the Crossing (1st train crossing from Philadelphia - Pittsburgh)

Chapter book
-Shoo-Fly Girl - Lois Lenski (Amish)

Have a wonderful trip!
Kelly

jawgee
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Posted: May 12 2014 at 5:44am \| IP Logged

Thank you all for the great replies. I'm going to hit our library before we leave this afternoon!

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Monica

C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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Kelly
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Posted: May 17 2014 at 9:54pm \| IP Logged

We did this same trip a couple of years ago. I don't typically allow DVDs in the car but for THIS trip we did make an exception and watched the paul Giacommetti (sp.?.) mini-series, John Adams. We bought it at Target and it was FAB!It really made the Philly portion of the trip come alive for us! Just wonderful. My then 15 yo was so inspired he walked down the streets of Philly memorizing the Declaration of Independence lol

Kelly in FL

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