History is such an important subject ~ what we can learn about the past will help us no doubt in the future. To be honest, I never liked studying history or social studies. It seemed way too boring to learn about old dead people ~ who they were, where they went, what they did, when they did it, why they did things, and how they did it! "Who cares?" I thought. Then I matured a wee bit and discovered not only how beneficial it is to know about the past, but that it could also be quite interesting and fun!
The famous words from Miss Frizzle of the Magic School Bus encourage me ~ "Take chances, class. Get messy! There's only one way to find out!" ~ Doing hand-ons activities, learning by doing, visiting historic places, and making interactive projects and lapbooks are the ways I find the most fun, but I'm constantly looking for fresh, thorough, interesting resources for teaching history. Here are some places and things we enjoy in our studies!
Learn by Playing!
Hand-ons playing and pretending!
General History Resources
- History & Science
- Kidipede has many history and science pages for middle school aged kids.
- American History
- US History from Pre-Columbian to the New Millennium at USHistory.org
- United States History Topics
- Lessons, activities, power points, games, kids and teachers sections, and links to materials from Mr Donn
Sections on Creating a Nation, Western Expansion, The Nation Grows, and Other Topics - EyeWitness to History
- 19th Century, Civil War, Old West, Photos, Listening Excerpts, Films
- History's Happenings!
- Kid Safe Web Sites
- HyperHistory Online
- Lots of information and resources.
- American History Curriculum
- Guest Hollow Website used to be known as "Our Los Banos". Great stuff!
- History Central
- Many history topics!
- The History Channel
- Movies, lessons, and resources to use.
- History Section of National Geographic
- Educational Videos and Articles, Historical Photos, World History News, Atlases, and Games.
- Turn Back the Clock through the History of America
- A nice webquest about Native Americans, Pilgrims, Pioneers, Explorers, States, Wars of the Country, Great Depression, Women's Right to Vote, Treaties and Agreements, America Today, Quiz
- American Cultural History: 19th Century America
- History in decade increments on: Art & Architecture, Business & Economy, Books & Literature, Migration & Immigration, Education, News & Events, Music & Theatre, Pasttimes, Science & Technology, Social Movements, Virtual Tour
- American Cultural History: 20th Century
- Same as above but in the next century.
- Class Brain
- All sorts of interesting articles, games, materials, and interactive resources. ~ I especially like their state report section!
Interactive History Games
Great History Sites!
Please share your favorites for teaching history.
Free Educational Clip Art!
Fantastic clip art from Mr. Phillip Martin in many more...0 points
MrDonn.org - Main Index - Lesson Plans, Kids Sections, Interactives
Mr Donn's site is one of my favorites to start sea more...0 points
Mrs. Ruland's Social Studies Page
"Everything You Wanted to Know About Social S more...0 points
Geography & Maps
- United States Outline Maps
- These are very clear, uncluttered, printable states maps that may be used for a variety of purposes.
- Outline Maps of the World
- · USA Maps Overview, States & Capitals, States & Major Cities, Landforms, Political / Physical, Regions, Colonial America 1776, 1790, 1820, 1860
· Western Hemisphere, World Continents, Countries, and Landforms
· North American Countries, South American Countries
· Africa, Europe, Asia & South Pacific Countires - Mapping Tool
- Teaching Latitude & Longitude ~ place a city, state, or zip code in the search box to find the exact latitude and longitude of a location.
- GeoNet Game
- Click on "Play GeoNet", then click on the map of the United States and choose the region of the country you want to review.
- *Growth of a Nation (1790 - 2000)
- Cool! ~ It's a history movie, interactive map, and timeline. Listen to it as a full movie, as sections, or stop to explore the year, place, or event you want. A larger version is for sale, but this one may be used for free!
- Geography & Maps
- Worksheets, books, games, flashcards, and dictionary of geographical terms from Enchanted Learning
Study Atlases
Social Studies Games
Playing games to learn and reinforce are fantastic!
- Constitution Games at JOY Christian School
- ~ "Walk Through the Constitution" Board Game - Board, Game Cards, Player Pieces, Die, Directions, Card Holding Pocket ~ Constitution Vocabulary Matching Game - match words to definitions ~ Preamble Order Puzzles - cut up the Preamble and put in order on the puzzle board ~ Constitution Timeline - cut apart board pieces and try to put back in correct order.
- Canadian History
- Online Games
- The Star Spangled Banner
- Puzzle Strips & Pocket
- Star Spangled Banner Game
- Answer questions about the poem Jeopardy style!
- Election Bingo
- Review vocabulary words about elections.
- Presidential Pathways
- 66 page teacher guide about presidents - include a fun game called "Presidential Pathways" that the children enjoyed!
- Games on History
- Game resources from the History Channel - you may want to preview them ahead of time for your students.
- Interactive History Games
- Many Ancient History Games at School History
- Social Studies Games
- Online games from Gamequarium ~ Game Categories ~ Olympics, Economics, Canada, US Geography, Black History, Australia, World Geography, Africa, Egypt, American History, Presidents, Women's History
- Games & Activities
- from Colonial Williamsburg Kid's Zone
- History Games & Animations
- "Best of History Websites" by EdTech Teacher
- History Mystery
- Games in several categories from Scholastic
- Quia Web
- Make your own personal games or quizzes in the teacher section, or, play a game from the student section.
- Digital History
- American History game listings from several sites.
Games Make It More Fun!
History Reference Materials
- World Factbook & Reference
- from Yahoo Kids!
- Dictionary, Thesaurus, & Encyclopedia
- Great source to look up vocabulary, check spelling, enhance writing, and research numerous topics.
- Bible Gateway
- Search for a passage, verse, or word with several versions to choose from.
- Historical Dictionary
- Look up history terms here.
- History Reference Sources
- A Student's Online Guide
- Kids Online Resources
- Kindergarden to College
- Atlas, Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Timelines, Countries ...
- from Info Please
- Facts Encyclopedia - Kid's Stuff
- Alphabetical list of research areas
- Fact Monster
- Online Almanac from Information Please
Puzzle Maps
School House Rock
What a fun way to learn and remember history!
Schoolhouse Rock - No More Kin...
Schoolhouse Rock - Elbow Room
Schoolhouse Rock - The Great A...
Schoolhouse Rock - The Shot He...
Schoolhouse Rock - Fireworks
Electoral College - Schoolhous...
The Preamble ONLY!!! - Schoolh...
Schoolhouse Rock - Three-Ring ...
Schoolhouse Rock: Let Freedom ...
American History Pockets Are So Cool!
Another way of hands-on learning!
Historical Movies & Videos Online
- History Channel
- The home page of the History Channel on YouTube.
- American Experience
- PBS Series on American History
- History Detectives
- Another fascinating PBS Series
- History in the Movies
- Find Ancient, Medieval, & Modern Movies ~ Names of videos related to historic events - links to purchase. (I use this resource to give me suggestions what to rent at the library.)
Liberty's Kids Videos
United States Colonial and Revolutionary Time Period Cartoons for Kids
Liberty's Kids: "Midnight Ride...
Liberty's Kids Theme
Liberty's kids Lafayette Arriv...
Liberty's Kids: "The Turtle" 1...
Liberty's Kids: Complete Serie...
Liberty Kids Theme Song
Liberty's Kids: "Midnight Ride...
Liberty's Kids- New York, New ...
Check Yes Juliet [JamesxSarah]...
Great Stuff on CafePress
Eastern USA Field Trips
Did you say, "Field Trips"? Whaaa hooo! (Remember, think 'Miss Frizzle'!)
- Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center
- Relive history, learn hands-on about corn grinding, soldiers outfits, canons, and more!
- Plimouth Plantation
- 1627 English Village ~ It is wonderful here! Walk among the villagers as they demonstrate what daily life was like in the 1600's colony.
- Colonial Williamsburg
- Feel like you are in the 1700's! See the sights, buildings, and people ~ taste the food ~ wear the clothing ~ hear the music ~ make it come alive!
- Philadelphia
- Visit Philadelphia's Historic District - Independence National Park, The Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's Home, and many more historic places!
- Boston, Massachusetts
- National Historic Park
- Valley Forge
- National Historical Park - museum center, movies, tours, activites, costumed actors, online study materials and teacher resources.
- National Constitution Center
- Learn about the history and meaning of the United States Constitution.
Middle America Field Trips
Please enter places you recommend for a field trip!
I obviously live on the east coast, but wouldn't it be great to have a list of other top historical field trip places?
Western USA Field Trips
Please enter places you recommend for a field trip!
The Alamo - San Antonio, TX
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Ancient History Pockets
Worldwide Fieldtrips!
Louvre Museum Official Website
The official site of the Louvre Museum (Paris, Fra more...1 point
Virtual Fieldtrips
- Philadelphia
- Take a virtual 3-D tour of old historic Philadelphia and the surrounding area! This was fantastic while studying the Colonies, the American Revolution, and Early America!
- Philadelphia 360
- Explore Independence Mall with a 360 degree view!
- Gettysburg National Military Park
- Civil War Page for Kids
- Midnight Rider Virtual Museum
- We really enjoyed this one! Read the famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, check out vocabulary, compare the real ride of Mr. Revere with the poetic version, and more. There are 5 "Halls" to explore, each with information to research and document. Some worksheets are included. Have fun!
- Rome, Italy
- Take a virtual trip through the city!
Where have you traveled virtually?
British Museum - Welcome to the British Museum
Welcome to the British Museum website. The Museum more...0 points
History in the Arts
- Biographies of Classical Composers
- Short simple biographies
Historical Webquests
The coolest ones are where you can travel to a certain time or place, or be a detective searching for clues to a mystery!
- Recommended Webquests & Thinkquests for History
- From the Center for Teaching History with Technology
- US History Webquests
- From London Towne School, Fairfax Country, VA
- Social Studies Webquests
- 3 Categories ~ High School, Middle School, and Elementary Listings
- List of Webquests
- Several in history and science ~ Also contain information about how to create your own webquest.
- World History Webquests & Internet Projects
- Created for AP World History classes by Mrs.Ruland
- United States History Webquests & Internet Projects
- Several wonderful projects also collected by Mrs. Ruland
- Canadian History Webquests
- Elementary & Secondary Levels
History Lenses
Other history based lenses I have written ~ Please take a look. :)
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Joyful Songs Lensography
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Hello world ~ I'm very glad to meet you! Writing lenses here on Squidoo has been so much fun for me. I truly am becoming addicted to writing and reading the wide range of lens topics throughout Squidoo. I am a performing musician and teacher who...
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Patriotic Music Lesson
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A country's music can tell you much about the country. Music can shape one's emotions, sense of nationalism, and give a feeling of pride of one's home. Our leaders and other countries share national anthems and other patriotic music in diplomatic eve...
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The United States Flag
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"This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation. The choices are ours. It floats in ma...
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Constitution Lapbook
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As young future American voters, children need to learn about forms of government, laws, and choices we can make in America. The following is a unit my children and I studied this spring to help them make wise decisions in the coming years.
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Community Helpers ~ Labor Day
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Lesson Ideas & Resources for Teaching about Labor Day, Community Helpers, & Neighborhoods
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The French Revolution
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A series of revolutions have occured throughout the world during all of history. Groups of people seeing things differently have unfortunately ended in too much bloodshed. The French Revolutions is one of these wars that took a toll on many people ~...
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Lewis & Clark Expedition
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The Lewis & Clark Expedition ~ how exciting! Doesn't it send tickles down your spine? A journey on the way across a broad new land! Who knows what they will see, who they will meet, what dangers await, which obstacles they may come across? The...
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Western Expansion
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Travel back in time to the western frontier of the United States with us to learn about the brave men and women who traveled the hard trails to make the west their new home! Why would they move far from their families and homes, push through the unk...
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Pioneers & the Oregon Trail
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Imagine going back in time to visit the pioneeers traveling across the country. So many exciting adventures they must have had! Let's step into their world and learn about what everyday life was like during the 19th century. You will find lessons...
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United States in the 1800's
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So many things can happen during a short century of history! Exciting people interacting positively and negatively upon each other ~ changes in governments and geographic borders ~ artists, musicians, authors, and architects recording their time and...
God's History ~ His Story ~The Bible
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" Genesis 1:1
The primary incredible source of world history is the Bible. It is the most reliable, the oldest, and contains amazing stories of life, death, people, countries, kings, relationships, wars, romance, poetry, and of God's sacrifice of his Son to show us His love for you and I! If you are not familiar with the Bible, please consider reading some of it, or finding a friend to talk about it with. :) I will be praying that all who visit here will learn of God's history and His future for believers! :D
Please Bookmark This Lens
I'd love to hear from you! :D
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Reply
- bygproductions bygproductions Oct 25, 2009 @ 10:37 pm
- What a great lens, will be coming back again and lensrolling it to some of my lenses. Thanks for stopping by my OCC lens.
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Reply
- lravidlearner lravidlearner Sep 27, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
- Love the history videos, webquests and sites you have listed here. Thanks for sharing them. I've lensrolled your lens into my K12 Top 12 Lesson Plan Websites.
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Reply
- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Aug 7, 2009 @ 4:27 am
- This lens is now featured on Unit Studies: Fun, Creative Hands-On Leaning Group.
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Reply
- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Aug 6, 2009 @ 4:47 pm
- Welcome to the Lesson Plans Group. Be sure to add this lens to the Plexo.
Please consider adding this lens to the Unit Studies: Fun, Creative Hands-On Leaning Group.
My Bio
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs! Psalm 100:1-2
Hi! My name is Pamela and I am a Christian homeschool mom to three awesome children and wife to a darling man for 19 years. I love teaching and working with children! Before homeschooling, I was a music teacher in a Christian school and truly enjoyed it! I still teach private piano, flute, clarinet, and saxophone lessons in my home, along with group music lessons in music theory, music history, and student ensembles. This is my 20th year! I have been blessed with so many wonderful students. I also perform in several local churches, ensembles, and orchestras in a variety of settings. Thanks for stopping by! :D Come visit me sometime at our homeschool blog - JOY Christian School, or my music education blog - Joyful Songs!
Squidoo is so much fun! It allows me to create, share, and learn while meeting many fascinating people and earning a little side income. If you are interested, join Squidoo with this link!
by JoyfulPamela
Hi! My name is Pamela an... (more)
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