When we abandoned the ideal of public school for homeschooling, one of the most eye opening experiences for me was teaching history.

It was then that I realized the INACCURACY and LACK OF DEPTH in the public school history curriculum.

Homeschooling gave us an opportunity to go so much deeper in our studies of the Pilgrims than we ever did in public school. We only learned the "textbook" version -- and there is so much more to the story.

I was also first introduced to "living books" when we studied the story of the First Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims - my eyes were opened even further! (We all have fond memories of The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh!)

We made our first notebooks during this time, too - so many wonderful memories.

Below are some resources to help you teach your children all about the Pilgrims.

Have fun, and remember -- if your kids are super interested in this, take time and stop to learn for a while. You won't regret it.

Learn About the Pilgrims

Concise history about the Pilgrims - This site gives a good overview of the story of the Pilgrims for children.

Mayflower History - In depth website offering information about the Mayflower and it's passengers. You can find the Mayflower Passenger List, the Mayflower Genealogy, and much, much more.

Plimoth Plantation - Visit this page to learn all about Plimoth Plantation and find activities designed just for kids. Don't miss how to Talk Like a Pilgrim. I know my kids would love it if we all started talking like Pilgrims for a day. You can also take a Virtual Field Trip, find coloring pages, and an Interactive activity where you are the Historian.

A Pilgrimage to Plymouth - Read about Brandi (from Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood) Ferrell's visit to Plymouth and her family's experience visiting this historical location first hand.

Stories of the Pilgrims - You can read these wonderful stories for free at The Baldwin Project. These stories follow the journey of the Pilgrims. Read about how Mary used this resource in her homeschool when her children were younger.

Children on the Mayflower - You can read some brief information about the children who were on the Mayflower and the important role they played.

Beyond the Pilgrim Story - This site provides many details that help you go deeper in your studies about the Pilgrims. You can read the Mayflower Compact, what has been said about the Pilgrims over the years, about their relationship with the Native Americans, their provisions lists, and more.

Videos about the Pilgrims - list of short videos about the Pilgrims, from various websites. There are a few Ted-Ed videos about the Pilgrims such as The Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving and When is Thanksgiving? Of course, as with any videos online, please preview to see if they are appropriate for your family.

Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress Videos - You can watch this book come to life.

This Charlie Brown video is an educational classic.

Hands on Pilgrims Activities

Unit Study About the Pilgrims - These fun activities will enhance your student's knowledge about the Pilgrims. Make a pocket, document your family tree, play games that the Pilgrims may have played, and make a pilgrim-inspired meal.

How to Draw Cartoon Pilgrims - Anything that involves art, my kids are going to love.

Pilgrim Unit Study - Unit study resources designed primarily for preschool through fifth grade. Links to plenty of crafts and other ideas to engage your children in learning about the pilgrims.

Lego Pilgrims History Lesson - Great idea for using Lego mini-figs to act out the story of the Pilgrims. Anything involving Legos is a hit in our house!

Clothespin Pilgrims - this tutorial shows you how to make beautiful clothespin Pilgrims.

Dye a shirt using onion skins - This activity shows your children just how resourceful the Pilgrims had to be. They can dye a shirt or other fabric using onion skins.

Copywork for Younger Children - You'll find pilgrim copywork and other activities here for younger children from Mama's Learning Corner.

Thanksgiving Hymns - While this site isn't specifically about the Pilgrims, it lists hymns for Thanksgiving that could be a beautiful addition to your morning time while you are learning about the Pilgrims.

Pilgrim Crafts and Activities - There are so many fun hands on crafts and activities you can do about the Pilgrims. Here's a list of some to pick and choose from.

Make Pilgrim Recipes - Engaging your children in learning about the Pilgrims through cooking can be a fun way to incorporate history into your day.

Books and Other Resources to Learn About the Pilgrims

The Legend of Squanto (Focus on the Family Radio Theatre)The First Thanksgiving (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3)Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember The Landing of the Pilgrims (Landmark Books)The Thanksgiving Story You Wouldn't Want to Sail on the Mayflower!: A Trip That Took Entirely Too Long Three Young Pilgrims Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl (Scholastic Bookshelf)Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy In Pilgrim Times Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy On The Mayflower The Story of the Pilgrims (Dover History Coloring Book)Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27)Pilgrims: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #27: Thanksgiving on Thursday

Are you studying about the pilgrims this year in your homeschool?

I hope these resources are helpful to you!

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Learn About Christopher Columbus

Learn About the Human Body

Learning about Christopher Columbus can be memorable and fun.

It doesn't have to take a lot of resources, but choosing a few QUALITY resources will be effective.

(It's the same philosophy I use with our Morning Basket, too.)

Christopher Columbus is an important figure in history, especially when learning about the history of America. Even though it's more widely recognized now that he wasn't the first person to discover America, he was still a key figure in exploration, trade, and the new world.

Below you'll find a round-up of ideas on how to help your children learn about Christopher Columbus.

*This post is from HGL contributor, Amy.

Learn about Christopher Columbus

Overview of the facts about Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus Notebooking Pages: Our membership to Notebooking Pages is my go-to place for ready-to-go notebooking pages for any new topic we study. There is a set of pages for notebooking about Christopher Columbus. No matter what sources you use for your Columbus studies, your students can use these pages to document what they are learning.

Christopher Columbus Lapbook: This FREE lapbook is a neat way to include hands-on learning about Columbus.

Poem about Christopher Columbus: This is the familiar poem many of us learned in school. You'll also find rhyming text in in Jean Marzollo's 1492.

Writing Assignment: Check out this link for some creative Columbus writing assignments for your students.

Visit Replicas of the Nina and Pinta: For the ultimate field trip for your Christopher Columbus studies, you can visit the life-sized replicas of the Nina and the Pinta. This is on my wish list to do this year.

While many students are only taught the positive things about Christopher Columbus, there were many negative things that happened as well. This video helps explain that to children without being too graphic.

Hands On Christopher Columbus Activities

Make an "old" map of Columbus' voyages: This looks like such a fun activity to do with the kids. Simple, hands-on activities are a winner at our house.

Measure actual size of Columbus' ships: Link math and history together as you measure the size of the ships.

Make ships in a bottle: This looks like such a fun idea! I wonder if my kids have ever even seen a ship in a bottle.

Make a cardboard model ship: Not only can you get ideas for creating cardboard replicas of Columbus' ships from this site, you can see other interesting ways she incorporated hands-on learning about Columbus in her homeschool.

Make a paper boat: This is a fairly easy craft to make with little supplies needed.

I'm always interested in simple, hands-on activities we can do with supplies we already have on hand. We made tin-foil boats to represent the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. We used pencils, notecards (for the flags), tape, Lego mini-figs, and modeling clay to hold the pencils and mini-figs in place. Our little boats were even seaworthy in our bathtub.

Books and Videos about Christopher Columbus

I've included several books about Christopher Columbus below that may be helpful for you to use in your homeschool studies.

Encounter shows a different side to Columbus' adventures. Here are some ideas on how to use this book to teach about Columbus from two perspectives. You could even use this book with your older children to relate these events in Columbus' day to current day world events that leave people displaced or disadvantaged.

The Nest Animated Hero Classics video of Christopher Columbus is available on Amazon, but you might can find it at your library as well. And for fun, check out the Mr. Peabody and Sherman episodes on Columbus.