As we approach the end of the semester, we plan to continue our study of the War that Crossed Five Aprils even into our winter break. We hope to visit a few of our state’s Civil War sites over the holidays as a review of many of the projects we’ve completed (or will complete) as part of the Homeschool in the Woods Civil War History Study.
As with all history adventures, this one started with our history-loving eleven-year-old Stephen. It is an understatement to say that Stephen loves these studies. In fact, I would argue that the reason he became such a history buff was due to the Homeschool in the Woods studies he completed over 3 years ago as a second grader. To this day, he still returns to those studies he completed (Industrial Revolution through the Great Depression and WWII) and thumbs back through the materials as he reads and enjoys the “living history” he has so delightfully connected with in the past.
This Civil War History Study offers an in-depth, hands-on learning experience comprised of 25 lessons that can spread across 5-10 weeks (or more). The study covers the events, people, politics and conflicts of the War Between the States, including (but not limited to) Slavery and the Underground Railroad, Fort Sumter, Secession of the Southern States, Emancipation, Women of the Civil War, Life of a Union or Confederate Soldier, Medical Practices, Weapons and Uniforms, Abolitionists and Abolitionist Newspapers, Specific Battles and Campaigns, Lincoln’s Assassination, and Reconstruction.
With Homeschool in the Woods projects, history truly does come alive for us! Each study contains such a variety of activities – from copywork and mapmaking to sewing and cooking. The wonderful thing about this study is that it can be custom fit for families according to their strengths and interests. Even though this study focuses on the Civil war, it includes so many activities that would interest girls (e.g., making a “housewife” sewing kit, scrapbooking photos from the time period, Victorian scrap cards) that it would be great not only for families with boys, but also for families with girls (or families with a combination of the two)!
Mapmaking and Notebooking
One of Stephen’s favorite things = maps. It’s almost always the first thing he finds and completes (along with starting the accordion timeline).
The project pack provides several other notebooking activities, four of which are shown below:
Here we studied the Medical Practices, Letters and Mailings, Victorian Scrap Cards, and the Division of Troops during the Civil War.
David (age 8) and Levi (age 5) joined Stephen in preparing the Union and Confederate uniform overlays…
…and later helped with the lapbook, which contains multiple activities to complete over many lessons.
For those who are frightened by the site of a lapbook, each activity can be converted into notebooking pages by simply pasting the activity to a piece of card stock. [Note: Although the boys completed the lapbook pieces to show everyone what it looks like, we have not yet completed started the writing within the lapbook (nor have we used the newspaper writing assignments or copywork because we are currently still completing our IEW assignments!).]
Projects and Games
Finally (and perhaps best of all?), the study includes intriguing projects, such as this box of leaders of the Civil War…
…and “The War Across Five Aprils” game to review some key facts pertaining to the Civil War.
- 13 Lap Book Projects, including layered books, moving parts, and other activities for Causes for Conflict, U.S. Christian Commission, Carpetbaggers, Accoutrements, “The North Star” abolitionist newspaper, Antietam: The Bloodiest Day, “Fort Sumter, the First Conflict,” Battle of the Ironclads, “Gettysburg – The Turning Point,” Women of the Civil War, Weaponry of the war booklet, and the Assassination of Lincoln
- Maps: Map of the Underground Railroad, Mapping slave and free states, and Map of Civil War Battles
- Notebooking activities, including Notebook Timeline, Division of the Troops, Uniforms of the North and South overlay, Medical Practices, Corps Badges, Signal corps flags, Victorian scrap cards, the aftermath: letters from war
- Newspaper Writing Activity – “The Camp Kettle”
- Penmanship – “Words Remembered from our Civil War Leaders”
- Factfile cards (vocabulary flashcards)
- Pivotal papers, such as “Lincoln’s and Davis’s First Inaugural Addresses,” “Emancipation Proclamation,” and “Gettysburg Address”
- Library of Leaders
- Looking back… a photo scrap book
- Make a safe house lantern
- Make a set of Corn cob checkers
- Make a soldier’s “Housewife” (repair kit)
- Make a carbine cartridge box
- Make a Civil War journal
- “Hoops and Graces” game
- Civil War cooking
- Civil War costumes on a shoestring budget
-
“Civil War Jamboree” (with suggestions for food, décor, and invitations): a celebration for child to display their projects, play the games, and create recipes offered in the unit.
This study can be used as a stand-alone study for an in-depth look at the Civil War, or you can reference the resource lists that are included for additional reading and research. It also offers a great review of the Civil-War-related memory work for Classical Conversations (Weeks 8, 9, 11, and 12).
A few important notes about these studies:
We do not do all the projects in each unit study (especially the ones involving skills in cooking or sewing). A lesson is also not necessarily completed in a day. Sometimes we spend several days (or weeks) parked at a certain lesson; sometimes we skip around and complete projects out of order. The Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers Studies includes a variety of activities so that you can custom-fit the study to the needs and wishes of your family.
Each lesson contains readings (text provided) and projects (detailed instructions provided), many of which are completed and stored away to include in a lapbook at the end of the study. The advantage of this set-up is that we slowly and steadily work through the projects over several weeks and eventually have an organized display (in lapbook format) of everything that has been completed.
While younger students need much more assistance with the projects, upper elementary (through middle school) students are able to handle the majority of the unit study independently, which is the reason our family has been able to incorporate this into our school day.
Drawbacks? Preparation time is required, as these studies are only offered in digital format (via CD-ROM or download). It requires a time investment to sort through the collection of files and follow detailed instructions on how to print on white paper, colored paper, white card stock, and colored card stock. I usually print everything up front, which takes 1-2 hours. For this reason, I implore anyone reading this review to download and try the free sample(s) so you can determine if it is a good fit for you and your family. Click here to download the Civil War Study Sample, to view additional photos of completed projects, and to download the entire scope and sequence of this study!
A trip through what a lesson looks like
Recommended for grades 3 through 8, the Civil War Time Travelers study comes as a CD-ROM or download and includes lesson plans, teacher helps, resource lists, teacher keys, and a “guide-at-a-glance,” in addition to the reading text, project masters, detailed instructions, and photos/drawings to help illustrate the directions for each activity.
Reading text… (reading that goes along with the projects)
Timeline notebook pages and timeline figures…
Lesson project pages with detailed instructions…
Project Master Pages (Penmanship pages, newspaper writing assignment, notebook projects, maps, etc.)…
Any questions? Be sure to jump down to the comments and let us know!
To see other Homeschool in the Woods Studies we’ve completed:
American Revolution Study
Early 19th Century Study
Homeschool in the Woods 20th Century Lap Pak
Benjamin Franklin Unit Study (for grades K-2)
Renaissance & Reformation by Homeschool in the Woods
Middle Ages Project Passport by Homeschool in the Woods
Review: Homeschool in the Woods New Testament Activity Pak
Industrial Revolution through the Great Depression
WWII Wrap-up
We received this product in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed herein are my own and have not been influenced by any outside source. Affiliate links are used in this post. Click here to read our full disclosure.