This is our second time going through a living US History Curriculum with picture books and experiences. I’ve learned so much from homeschooling this way for seven years now.
Our First time
The first time we went through US History, my twins were 7 years old and the littles were 3 and 4. We lived in the Washington, D. C. area at that time, and made the most of all the wonderful Smithsonian museums. Most of them have interactive websites, or some of the art online. Definitely check them out:
All of the roadtrips we took that year included stops at Civil War battlefields and historical sites such as Harpers Ferry and Appomattox Courthouse. We also started collecting Junior Ranger badges at the National Historic Parks.
It was during this year that I discovered the wealth of historical fiction in children’s picture books! I completely rediscovered history as a fun and fascinating subject. OUT with the dry textbooks of my youth!
Our Current Living US History Curriculum
We started in January 2023 with colonial and Revolutionary War history. We now live in an area filled with Revolutionary War history, so we seriously slowed down to explore all of those stories through living history events and field trips. It felt like we attended a colonial living history event every other weekend in the spring and summer of 2023.
After this, we began to read picture and chapter books featuring each state, beginning with the 13 original states. Rather than going in order of ratification, we are studying adjacent states by region. Part of the reason for this is that we are also studying the indigenous tribes of North America. The regions occupied by various tribes usually cross state lines.
What books do I use for a Living US History Curriculum?
For each state, I check out picture books featuring famous people from that state. This includes artists, composers, and poets as well as historical figures. Having multiple stories, each with a different focus, gives a more diverse picture of the state. I prefer this to having one textbook written by one person with dry information and dates.
I found one series of picture books especially chock-full of information. This was “Discover America State by State.” The charming rhymes give a light overview into the states, but it’s the sidebars that add more interest. I usually skim the sidebar paragraphs and read interesting parts aloud, or my younger ones completely lose interest. When reading the sidebar information aloud, I think the book is best spread out. I take five days to read the alphabet book and snippets of the sidebars aloud, doing 5-6 consecutive letters each day. You could also hand the book to an older child who might easily be able to read everything in one sitting.
Matching States to History
We studied the New England and Mid-Atlantic states along with stories of the early presidents. By the time we reached Georgia and Florida, we were studying Andrew Jackson and his role in the Seminole Wars and the Trail of Tears.
Then, the state studies of Kentucky and Tennessee lent themselves to learning about Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, the Cumberland Gap, and slavery in the south.
In the fall, we jumped ahead a little in the timeline to learn about the Civil Rights Movement while studying the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. This was because we had an amazing chance in the fall to visit family in the south and explore the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Over Christmas, we continued learning about the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance. That era came alive with picture books featuring Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite and the resulting Harlem Nutcracker.
We’ve currently jumped back in our historical timeline to fill that previously mentioned gap. We matched our state study of Ohio with stories of the Underground Railroad and slaves fleeing from Kentucky across the Ohio River. Moving west to Indiana and Illinois, we studied the pioneer life of Abraham Lincoln who lived in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.
And that brings us to the present, January 2024. We’re studying the Civil War and then fully diving into pioneer life of the late 1800s and the 1900s along with the midwestern states.
Not every book aligns with the overall time period, but for the most part, they have been.
I hope this gives you an idea of how we do our living US history curriculum! Follow along as I post about each of our state studies.