The Great Depression – American Girl Kit Unit Study
Welcome to the 7th Unit Study in the American Girl History series!
It’s the time of America’s Great Depression !
Hear the stories of hardship and hope through the eyes of American Girl Kit Kittredge…
In this Unit, we will learn what daily life was like during the days of the Great Depression.
We’ll discover what the shocking “crash” on Wall Street was all about and how American life changed overnight… we’ll travel across the country by rail with families looking for work, and imagine ourselves facing the “black blizzards” in the dry and dusty midwest.
If you’ve been traveling through history with the American Girl Unit Studies, you know by now that every part of time we’ve studied has included great hardships… we’ve seen the changing world of the Native Americans, the fight for independence in the first colonies, the rugged settlers in the American frontier, the Pioneers who paved the way west, a not so “civil” war, and the trying times in the turn of the century melting pot!
Woven throughout the difficult days however, we’ve heard the amazing stories of courageous people who have seen their circumstances as a challenge to change the world for better! This study will be no different!
Welcome to Kit’s World 1934!
**IF you’d like to have a copy of this unit all in one convenient printable place (no ads, and written in day by day lesson plans), be sure to grab the Printable PDF Version of this unit study-
???What’s The Difference Between The PDF Version and The Printable POWER Pack???
Click the link above for a full video explanation!
*The Great Depression (American Girl Kit) Unit Study- PDF Version
*The Great Depression (AG Kit) Printable POWER Pack
*ALL of The Great Depression – AG Kit Resources… so far!!
*FREE The Great Depression Unit Study- AG Kit
+The Great Depression (Kit) Unit Study- PDF Version
+The Great Depression (Kit) Printable Printable Power Pack
+Great Depression Books and Resources List
+Kit- The Great Depression Pinterest Board
Definitely check out the TOP 10 HISTORY HELPS series for even more ideas!
There are ideas for every type of learner and every age student!
+Top 10 History PODCASTS
+Top 10 History SONGS
+Top 10 History TIMELINES
+Top 10 History AUDIOBOOKS
+Top 10 History MOVIES
+Top 10 History BOOKS (Seriously the ULTIMATE history book list!!)
+Top 10 History GAMES
+Top 10 History HANDS-ON
+Top 10 History PRINTABLES
+Top 10 History FIELD TRIPS
And a bonus…
+Top 10 History for the HOLIDAYS
*Note: I am in no way affiliated with, or compensated by the American Girl Company. This post does contain a few links to products on Amazon (just for some extra fun resources and books). If you choose to purchase any of them, I’d really appreciate if you clicked through these links ! There is NO extra cost to you whatsoever, and I will get a small commission from each sale. Thanks friends! 🙂
*The Great Depression- American Girl Kit Unit Study
*Core Reading Outline For This Unit:
*Week 1: “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″– Kit’s World
1. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Meet Kit (p. 1-3)
2. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Crash!!! (p. 4-9)
3. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- The Depression (p. 16-17)
4. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Struggles for Everyone (p. 10-13; 26-29 )
5. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Dustbowl!! (p. 20-25)
*Week 2: “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″– Kit’s Days
1. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Creative Cures (p. 32-33; 46-47)
2. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Family, Friends & Neighbors (p. 34-37)
3. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Fun & Games (p. 30-31; 38-39)
4. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Reads & Radio (p. 40-41)
5. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- The Cinema (p. 42-43)
*Week 3: “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- The Great Hope
1. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- President Hoover (p. 8-9)
2. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- The Roosevelts (p. 18-19; 56)
3. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- FDR’s ABC’s- Back to Work (p. 48-49)
4. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- Strike!! (p. 54-55)
5. “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″- The Depression Ends (p. 56)
*If you have some older children as well and would like to be on a similar history cycle, or if you’d like to stretch this unit out even further, you can find even more resources in my FREE Modern American History Curriculum.
Scroll down to Week 3 to begin!
*Read It…Watch It…Explore It…Try It! Week By Week*
*Important Note!
Below you will find just the Week 1 outline for Daily Reading, Videos, Online Activities, Coloring Pages, etc that are directly related to the core reading for each day. Continue to scroll down to find the other section for each week’s Writing, Copy Work, Vocabulary, Bible, Science, Geography, and Art plans!
*Week 1: Kit’s World
– American Girl Kit Series (6 Book Set), Book 1, “Meet Kit”
(There are 6 books in this series, so you could choose how much to read each week (and which books) depending on your child’s level and interests. I just listed one book per week.
+Day 1: Meet American Girl Kit
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 1-3)
– “Meet Kit”
*Meet American Girl Kit Kittredge
– “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” (Full length Kit movie! Amazon)
OR you can watch it HERE on YouTube… the quality isn’t great.
– American Girl Video introducing Kit & her family !
– Meet Kit and try some fun activities on the interactive American Girl website.
– Introduction to some of Samantha’s friends & family here
– All About Kit Interactive Games & Activities
– Meet Kit Comprehension Questions and Activities
*The Roaring 20’s-
-Watch “A Kid Explains the 1920’s” (about 5 minutes)
-Watch “Daily Life in the 1920’s” (Great photos! About 5 minutes)
-The Roaring 20’s Quick Facts
-Read- Country Life & City Life in the 1920’s
-The 1920’s in Pictures
*Explore More
– The Roaring 20’s interactive games and more!
– What was the Charleston?
– Learn How to Dance the Charleston !
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
– Kit’s Life Lapbook from Homeschool Share
– 1920’s Printable Book from 123Homeschool4Me
– 1920’s Coloring Pages from Dover
– 1920’s Printable Paper Dolls
– 1930’s Paper Dolls
+Day 2: The Stock CRASH!!!
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 4-9)
-“Meet Kit”
*Read More!
*The Stock Market
– Watch- What is The Stock Market? (about 5 minutes- BrainPop)
– Read How the Stock Market Works
– Watch Stock Market Rap (Fun for older students)
*What was Black Tuesday?
– Read about What Led Up to Black Tuesday
– Watch History Brief Black Tuesday (about 4 minutes)
– Read How the Great Depression Began
– Read What Happens When Banks Collapse
*What were Hoovervilles?
– Read what it was like to live in the Hoovervilles
– Watch this short video about Hoovervilles of the 1930’s
*Explore More
– Wise Pockets
– Try your hand at investing in this interactive Stock Market Game
– Play Hit the Road Financial Adventure Game and see how far you can go!
– How frugal can you be? Try this fun Grocery Shopping Math Game !
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
– Wall Street coloring page
– Hooverville house sketch
– Stock Market Crash! coloring page (scroll down to #8 to print the sheet)
+Day 3: The Great Depression
*Core Reading-
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” – (p. 16-17)
-“Meet Kit”
*Read More!
– What was the Great Depression?
– What caused the Great Depression?
– Daily life during the Great Depression
– Depression Daily Life in the City
– Life in the Country During the Depression
– The Great Depression and America’s Dust Bowl
(This is a history textbook sample overview of this era…Scroll to page “680” for a good visual map of the regions most affected)
*Watch
– The Great Depression Rap
– Time Traveler – The 1930’s
– What was life like in America in the 1930’s ?
– The Great Depression Explained in One Minute (This is good to get a worldwide perspective!)
– The Great Depression from Brain Pop (animated)
– Listen to ‘Born and Bred in the Great Depression‘ read aloud
*Explore More
– Play this Great Depression Jeopardy game to show what you know!
– The Great Depression Time Zone X Game
– Try working through this Great Depression activity and see how you survive!
– Solve this Great Depression Online Crossword Puzzle
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
– 1930’s The Great Depression Printable Booklet from 123Homeschool4Me
– The Depression Begins coloring page
– Bread Lines of the 1930’s Coloring Page
+Day 4: Depression Struggles for Everyone!
*Core Reading-
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 10-13; 26-29)
-“Meet Kit”
*Read-
+Hobos
– Riding the Rails
– Read the story of Willy Howard
– What was the Hobo Code of Ethics?
+ The Okies
– Who were the Okies?
– Pictures of Dust Bowl “Migrants”
+ African Americans
– A Very Real Struggle
*Watch-
– The Depression Okies
(NOTE: There is one contextual slur in this video… you may want to preview first!)
– Okies of the Great Depression
– Who Were the Hobos? (One minute history)
– African Americans in the Great Depression
– The Big Rock Candy Mountain (Did you know this was a hobo song?)
*Explore More!
– Hobo Codes Game
– Decipher Hobo Codes
– Listen to some Hobo Music- Riding the Rails
– Make a Hobo Dinner
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
– Child Hobo coloring page (just click on the picture to enlarge and print)
– Easy How to Draw a Hobo
– Boxcar Train coloring page
+Day 5: Dust Bowl !
*Core Reading-
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 20-25)
-“Meet Kit”
*Read-
– What was the Dust Bowl?
– Black Sunday
– ReadImogene Glove’s own story of growing up during the Dust Bowl
– Lesson plan on Soil Conservation and the Dust Bowl
– Tall Tales from the Dust Bowl
*Watch-
– What was the Dust Bowl?
– Black Blizzards! (Wait until you see these real photographs!)
– FDR and the Dust Bowl
– The Great Dust Bowl (song by Woody Guthrie)
*Explore More!
– Play Up From the Dust from Mission US
(If the above version does not work, you can also play it HERE !)
– My American Farm Stewardship Game
– How much do you know about the Dust Bowl? Take this Dust Bowl Quiz and find out!
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–Wind Storm Coloring Page (ok… so this is a tornado, but it could pass as a dust storm 😀 )
*Week 2: Kit’s Great Depression Days
* American Girl Kit Series, Book 2, “Kit Learns A Lesson ”
*NOTE:
If you are working through this, or any of the other American History unit studies during the holidays, you might want to check out my Christmas School post. There are TONS of hands-on ideas, movie suggestions, book lists, craft ideas, homemade gift ideas, recipes, etc… for early American history up through the Great Depression era!
This is an excellent way to incorporate FUN holiday activities, homemade gift making, AND school all into one !
+Day 1: Depression Days Creative Cures
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934“- (p. 32-33; 46-47)
– “Kit Learns A Lesson ”
*Read-
–Creative ways that people survived during the Great Depression
+Frugal Food:
–What did people eat during the Depression?
-A sweet story from a Grandma’s Kitchen During the Depression
–Gardening
->Try your own backyard garden and check out my fun Family Garden Planner!
–Canning
–FUN Food Inventions of the Depression
+Creative Clothing:
–What did people wear in the 1930’s ? or 1930’s Fashion
–Kids Clothing in the 1930’s
–Sewing
–Feed Sack Fashion of the Great Depression
–Creative Clothes and Hand-Me-Downs
–Hollywood High Style
*Watch-
-Popcorn with milk for dinner? Check out some of the Strange Dishes of the Depression
-Learn how to cook “Poorman’s Meal” and about the Great Depression with Ms. Clara
(Ms. Clara has many Depression Era videos on YouTube if you want to learn more!)
–Why Were Flour Sacks So Important During the Depression?
-Watch this fun Fashion of the 1930’s video
*Explore More!
-Take a tour of the FDR Presidential library with American Girls Kit and Molly
and try the President’s own recipe for Christmas Cake!
-Try making one of these Depression Era recipes
* Kit’s Cincinnati Chili
* Kit’s Pasta and Peas
* Kit’s Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup…CAKE! (scroll to the bottom for the recipe)
–“Can” your own strawberry jam with this kid friendly recipe!
-Want some more recipes from the Great Depression?
Taste of Home has a whole collection of Easy Depression Era Recipes
– Try one of these fun and frugal sewing projects for kids!
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–1930’s Fashion coloring pages
–Color your own 1930’s fashions & dress a paper doll!
–Canning Coloring Page
–Jello Mold Coloring Page
–Bread Line Coloring Page
+Day 2: Family, Friends, and Neighbors
*Core Reading-
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 34-37)
– “Kit Learns A Lesson ”
*Read-
–10 Beautiful Stories From the Great Depression
(How friends, family and neighbors, some from very far away, helped one another survive the Great Depression)
–The Story of B. Virdot and His Gift
–Sharing Memories: Short Stories from the Great Depression
–Community Churches
–Neighborhood Potlucks
–Community Relief Gardens
*Watch-
–Survival Skills– How people worked together through the Great Depression
(This video is made by a survivalist, but the majority of the video is lessons learned from the Depression)
–Taking Care of Farm, Family, and Friends
-A sweet video about a Community Garden (for your Littles)
-One modern community garden helping both young and old
*Explore More!
-Here are some creative ways that one community Rotary Club helped their neighbors during the Great Depression!
What “fundraisers” can you find happening in your own community? I have seen a mini food pantry like this one set up in a nearby town, and also there is a mini library like this one in my neighborhood. What ideas do you have?
-Watch this Kid’s Creative Garden video… grab some friends and start your own community garden!
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–Love Your Neighbor Coloring Page
–Community Coloring Page
–Serving One Another Coloring Page
–Gardening Together Coloring Page
–Gardening Coloring Pages
+Day 3: Depression Fun and Games ?!?
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 30-31; 38-39)
– “Kit Learns A Lesson ”
*Read-
–Croquet and Fireflies
–What did children do for fun in the 1930’s?
(This is a British site, but the information is still accurate…AND it might be a great time to explain that the “Great Depression” affected all different parts of the world, not just the United States)
–What did people do for fun during the Great Depression?
–Rockefeller Center
–Radio City Music Hall and The Radio City Rockettes
–The Empire State Building
+Games
–Board Games
+Toys
–Kids Toys from the 1930’s
–Comic Books
+Outdoor Games
–Baseball
(Watch the story “The Babe and I” – begins at 1 minute mark. Great pictures and perfect for this whole unit!)
–Roller Skating
–Ice Skating
–Dancing
*Sometimes Dancing During the Depression was for more than fun!
*Watch-
–What did kids do for fun during the 1930’s?
(Hear the MacIntyre’s tell about their childhood!)
-Watch this original video of a 1930’s dance marathon!
–Rockefeller Center
-> You might also enjoy these AMAZING pictures and the stories behind them!
–Learn How to Play the Card Game Bridge!
*Explore More!
-Watch some (or ALL!) of the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular!
-Have a Depression Era Family Game Night
(Scroll down to Activity #1 for lots of fun ideas!)
-Play Charades!
(You can find another Charades word list here)
–How to Play Old Maid (with a standard deck of cards!)
–Learn the Card Game- Crazy Eights
–Create your own comic book online
(Parents PLEASE preview this site!!
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–Children Riding a Bike
–Babe Ruth Coloring Page
–Ice Skating Coloring Page
–Monopoly Coloring Pages
–Swing Jazz Dancing Color Page
–Comic Book Coloring Page
+Day 4: Great Depression Radio & Music
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 40-41)
– “Kit Learns A Lesson ”
*Read-
–Moments of History- The 1930’s
(This is a great overview in pictures- including music, radio, entertainment, and lots more of the defining moments of the 1930’s)
–Radio Days
–Short History of Radio
– The War of the Worlds… Radio Panic!
*Popular Music of the 1930’s
+Jazz Music
– 1930’s Dance and Jazz… “You can’t be sad and dance at the same time!”
–Louis Armstrong
–Ella Fitzgerald
–Charlie Bird Parker
+Swing and Big Band Music
–Benny Goodman
–Duke Ellington
–Glenn Miller
+Musicals (See more in Day 5!)
–Judy Garland
–Irving Berlin
–Shirley Temple
*Watch-
–Watch the Story of Shirley Temple for Kids
–Radio in the 1930’s
–Big Bands & Swing Music
–Top 5 Musicals of the 1930’s
–Watch this story about Irving Berlin
*Explore More!
–Create your own Old Time Radio Show!
–Top 20 Songs of the 1930’s
(This is a great collection representing all the different genres that were popular during this decade!)
-Try these Lyric Analysis Pages
(More fun than it sounds 😀 !! Scroll to the last 2 pages to find them!)
–Listen to this old time radio program- The Lone Ranger!
(Start with #6 in the menu)
-Listen here to Little Orphan Annie (Original radio show!)
–The War of the Worlds (original broadcast- PLEASE use your judgment!)
–Shirley Temple Printable Paper Dolls
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–Duke Ellington Coloring Page
–Louis Armstrong Coloring Page
–Shirley Temple Coloring Page
–Printable Judy Garland/Wizard of Oz Coloring Pages
–Old Time Radio Clip Art
–Lone Ranger Coloring Pages
–Little Orphan Annie Coloring Page
+Day 5: The Golden Age of Hollywood
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 42-43)
– “Kit Learns A Lesson ”
*Read-
–A Very Short History of the Movies
–Movies, Popcorn, and the Great Depression
–What Were Movie Theatres Like During the Great Depression?
–Movies and the Great Depression
–The Golden Age of Hollywood
–Hollywood & The Stars
*Watch-
–Movies and the 1930’s (History Brief)
–Why did people still go to the movies during the Great Depression?
–The Golden Age of Hollywood
(From Crash Course History- best for older kiddos)
*Explore More!
– Listen to the podcast, Trains & Movies from The Past & the Curious History
–Create Your Own Movie
-Watch the movie “The Little Princess” (Full length movie on YouTube)
-Watch one of Walt Disney’s first animated movies- Silly Symphonies
-See what the beautiful theaters of the 1930’s looked like!
+ Coloring pages and printables to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–1930’s Hollywood Coloring Page
–“A Little Princess” Coloring Page
–Movie Theatre Coloring Pages
–Cinema Coloring Pages
–Popcorn at the Movies Coloring Pages
–Snow White Coloring Pages
*Week 3: The Great Hope
* American Girl Kit Series, Book 3, “Kit’s Surprise ”
+Day 1: The President Hoover
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 8-9)
-“Kit’s Surprise ”
*Read-
–Who was Herbert Hoover?
-Read all about Herbert Hoover’s Life & Times
-Did you know that Hoover’s Vice President, Charles Curtis, was the first Native American Vice President in our country’s history?
-What is The Hoover Dam?
*Watch-
–Quick Introduction to President Herbert Hoover for Kids
–History Brief- Herbert Hoover
–Water Into Electricity- The Hoover Dam from Dr. Nagler’s Laboratory
*Explore More!
-Play these Herbert Hoover & The Great Depression Games Online
–Word Scrambles, Spelling Finds, and Other Printable Worksheets for Herbert Hoover
-Explore the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library (nice photos !)
-Try playing “Hooverball” !
-Watch this Herbert Hoover Video made by a kid!! Try making your own short video!
-TONS of fun Herbert Hoover word searches, cryptograms, puzzles, etc. to print
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–President Herbert Hoover Coloring Page
–All About President Hoover Coloring Page
–Hoover Dam Coloring Page
–Hoover Dam Info Coloring Page
+Day 2: The Roosevelts
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 18-19)
-“Kit’s Surprise ”
*Read-
–Kids Biography and Activities- All About Franklin D. Roosevelt
–All About Eleanor Roosevelt- Biography and Activities
–Franklin Delano Roosevelt Biography for Kids
–Eleanor’s World
–Why Was the Food SO BAD at the Roosevelt’s ?!?
*Watch-
–Disney’s American Presidents- Franklin D. Roosevelt
–Eleanor Roosevelt
–Brain Pop- Eleanor Roosevelt
–Hot Dog! Eleanor Throws a Picnic (book read aloud)
–Nothing to fear but fear itself- Video clip
*Explore More!
–Time Zone X- Franklin D. Roosevelt Game
–Roosevelts’ Math Challenge!
–Roosevelt Fun & Facts Sheets
–The Roosevelt Family Photo Album
–Learn the Roosevelt Rap !
(Be sure to see if you can answer the questions after you listen to the rap!)
–Franklin D. Roosevelt Jeopardy Game Online
–FDR Game Online
–1930’s Interactive Timeline
–Take a Virtual Tour of the FDR Library and Museum
(Be sure to click on the Audio Guide if you want to hear the history!!)
–FDR’s Stamp Collecting Hobby… History and How To Start Stamp Collecting!
-Try Baking FDR’s Birthday Cake from the Great Depression!
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–President Roosevelt Info Coloring Page
–9 Roosevelt Coloring Pages (including a Fala one ! 🙂 )
–Eleanor Roosevelt Coloring Page
–FDR & Eleanor Coloring Page
–Hot Dog Coloring Page
+Day 3: FDR’s ABC’s…Back to Work!
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 48-49 )
-“Kit’s Surprise ”
*Read-
–The First New Deal
–The Second New Deal
–The New Deal- For Kids!
–New Deal Agencies and ABC’s
–FDR’s Alphabet Soup
*Watch-
–The New Deal (try making notes of all the “ABC’s of the New Deal)
–The New Deal Rap OR This New Deal Rap
–TedEd – The New Deal (Best for older students- but fine for all ages)
–The WPA
–The CCC
–The TVA
*Explore More!
-Play The New Deal Game Online
-National Museum of American History- History in Pictures ‘The New Deal’
-Time Zone X- The New Deal Game
–The New Deal Worksheets (Free Printables)
–The New Deal ABC Game (Free Printables)
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–Alphabet Soup Coloring Page
–The New Deal Coloring Page
–President Coloring Page
+Day 4: Strike!
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 54-55 )
-“Kit’s Surprise ”
**NOTE:
Not everyone in the United States like President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Some were concerned that the government was taking too much control of the everyday lives of American citizens. Communism was spreading through Europe, and many people feared it would soon do the same in the US. The rise of FDR’s social programs (changing from local charity to federal charities), as well as the explosion of social activism fueled this concern as many of the activists openly supported Communism.
If you have older children, this would be a fantastic time to review some basic types of government-
Capitalism
Communism
Socialism
*Read-
–The Flint Sit Down Strike
–The Women’s Emergency Brigade
(Note to parents: Many of the organizers of this brigade were Socialists)
*Watch-
–What Are Unions? (Made for Australia, but a very good and pretty balanced presentation)
-Interview with the women of the first Women’s Emergency Brigade
(This is a long clip, but it might be fun to watch at least part and hear these women’s stories)
*Explore More!
–The Flint Sit Down Strike Interactive
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–Picketing Laborers Coloring Page
–Strike Coloring Page
+Day 5: The Depression Ends
*Core Reading:
-“Welcome to Kit’s World 1934” (p. 56-58 )
-“Kit’s Surprise ”
*Read-
–What were FDR’s Fireside Chats?
–Read or listen to one of President Roosevelt’s first fireside chats
–Read excerpts from “My Day”
Eleanor Roosevelt also worked to comfort the American people. Every day she wrote a short bit of her thoughts for newspapers around the country.
–The “End” of the Great Depression
–How the Great Depression Changed America
–The Great Depression Ends With World War 2
–Did the New Deal end the Great Depression?
(This is best for older students, or to read together with your student)
*Watch-
–FDR’s First Fireside Chat
–How Did the Great Depression End?
–Listen to Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” Speech
*Explore More!
–Interactive Great Depression Timeline
–FDR Virtual Museum
–Explore the Start of World War 2
+ Coloring pages to use for notebooking, lap booking, etc…. or just for fun!
–Roosevelt on the Radio Coloring Page
–Fireside Chats Coloring Page
–FDR Fireside Chat Coloring Page
–Listening to the Fireside Chats
–The Great Depression “Ends” and World War II Begins
*Reading Comprehension Ideas: Show what you know!
This is the same list for each week! Choose which ideas you’d like to work on and come back!
Show what you know about Samantha and the Turn of the Century!
*Comprehension Questions, Quizzes, & Activities
-Check out the The American Girl website .
It has some nice worksheets including comprehension questions. You will also find some free printable activities as well.
-You can find interactive quizzes for many American Girl Doll books, including the series of American Girl Kit books.
*Add to your History Notebook, Lapbook, Scrapbook, or Timeline…
-Keep a running list in a notebook of important people, important places, important events, and important ideas as you study this period of time. Use these lists later for writing prompts, notebooking, lapbooking, creating a timeline, etc…
-Create a notebook, lapbook, scrapbook, folder, etc…to show what you’re learning. This is a fantastic way for the kids to articulate creatively what they have learned! Need some inspiration? Notebooking , Lapbooking , and Folders Templates
–>–>How To Make A History Binder (I made a video if you’d rather watch than read 🙂 )
-Make a History Timeline!
Timelines can be a constant visual review as you study through history!
If you are continuing on with the rest of the American Girl Units, you can just keep adding to your timeline and you will end up with a really solid visual for Early American History! I wrote a post recently on how to Create Your Own Timeline… there are ideas for pretty much every personality of family… creative, tech loving, small spaces, hands-on, etc…
*Book Reports (made a little more fun!)
This family made a book report poster from the Kristen series, but you could easily just adapt this by adding to the poster what we study each week for Kit.
*Get Creative! Find whatever creative outlet that excites your kids!
-Try making a diorama.
You could create one for Kit’s home, her neighborhood, the Dust Bowl, or any part you find interesting about the life and times of the Great Depression…OR you could make several and display the many parts of life during this time in history!
*Make your own history museum!
This would be a great project to work on throughout this unit study, adding the most interesting parts to your “museum” each week. Here are some ideas on how to make your own history museum (not history specific, but you’ll get the idea)!
*Create a short video showing what you have learned about some aspect of life during the Great Depression.
+You could be a kid reporter, reporting on news of the year 1934.
+Print out a small picture of Kit (or other characters you’ve learned about), inventions, buildings, or whatever else you’d like to focus on, affix them to popsicle sticks, and use the diorama as a background, and film a short video. Get creative!
*Write a song using a familiar tune. Change the lyrics to one of the folk songs that were popular in the 1930’s.
Here is a Folk Song called “The Great Dust Storm” by Woody Guthrie.
*Host a Great Depression themed “Surprise Party”!
What ?!? Does this sound too morbid?! It actually isn’t at all! (see “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934″, page 31)
* Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this unit to see a list of some of the fun crafts, cooking activities, & other creative ideas!
*Language Arts/Grammar Ideas-
*Grammar Practice-
+You may choose to use your regular grammar curriculum, add just a few of the ideas below into the mix, or use it all. Isn’t homeschooling wonderful sometimes? 🙂
+Here’s a website of very short daily grammar reviews
+Fun Grammar offers interactive online games, and Education World has fun editing worksheets.
+Choose a sentence, or photocopy a page of the reading. Depending on what skill you want to emphasize, have your child diagram a few sentences, or find all the verbs, nouns, etc…, or whatever grammar skill needs work.
*Unit Study Vocabulary ideas-
+Teaching multiple ages-
Start with the lists below taken from each week’s core reading. You could add more words, easier or more difficult related words, or choose a list of words from some of the other Samantha or Turn of the Century/Industrial Revolution History Books that suit your needs best! You can find a great list of suggested books for this unit American History Book Lists and Early American History Curriculum .
+If your child is old enough to be proficient in using a computer, it might be a fun activity to include copy & pasted images along with some of the particularly foreign words. (ex. debutante, parasol, antiseptic, etc…)
+You will also find a Vocabulary Word Search and Vocabulary BINGO in the Turn of the Century (AG Samantha) Printable POWER Pack.
+Choose any list of vocabulary you’d like to use for this unit. I have included a brief list for each week from the core reading.
Try keeping a notebook of your own words!
1. decade 2. economy 3. depression (economic) 4. despair 5. poverty
6. drought 7. crisis 8. stocks 9. prosperity 10. discrimination
1. creativity 2. recycle 3. mortgage 4. unemployed 5. fiction
6. martians 7. panic 8. glamorous 9. musical 10. boarders
1. inauguration 2. communism 3. politics 4. national 5. civilian
6. strike 7. union 8. brigade 9. progress 10. survival
*Copy Work/Narration ideas-
*Week 1: Kit’s World
*John Steinbeck Quotes-
–“Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts… perhaps the fear of a loss of power.”
-“A sad soul can kill quicker than a germ.”
-“The bank is something more than men, I tell you. It’s a monster. Men made it, but they can’t control it.”
*Poem from “Welcome to Kit’s World 1934”, page 23-
“I arise in the morning,
greet the world with a grin.
Ten minutes later,
I’m in dirt to my chin;
I grab up the broom,
I grab up the mop,
I start cleaning and never stop;
I don’t dare stop,
’cause if I do,
Sure as heck,
we couldn’t wade thru.”
* This week’s Scripture verses-
*Galatians 6:2
*Matthew 11:28-30
*John 13:34
*Ecclesiastes 4:12
*2 Corinthians 1:3-4
*Week 2: Kit’s Days
*Shirley Temple Quotes-
-“Don’t forget to tell your favorite people that you love them.”
-“Time is money. Wasted time means wasted money, means trouble.”
– Lyrics to “Good Ship Lollipop” would be fun (and fun to illustrate!!)
“I’ve thrown away my toys, even my drum and train
I want to make some noisewith real live aeroplanes
Some day I’m going to fly, I’ll be a pilot, too
And when I do, how would you like to be my crew?
It’s a sweet trip to a candy shop
Where bonbons play
On the sunny beach of Peppermint Bay
Crackerjack bands fill the air
And there you are
Happy landing on a chocolate bar”
* This week’s Scripture verses-
*Ephesians 6:7
*Matthew 20:28
*1 Peter 4:10
*Acts 20:35
*Hebrews 6:10
*Galatians 5:13
*Week 3: The Great Hope
*The Roosevelt’s Quotes-
–“Above all, try something”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
-“Among American citizens, there should be no forgotten men and no forgotten races.”
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
-“The giving of love is an education in itself.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
-“You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
* This week’s Scripture verses-
*I Thessalonians 5:11
*Hebrews 10:23-25
*Ephesians 4:29
*Hebrews 3:13
*Romans 15:5-6
*Writing Ideas-
* Week 1- Kit’s World
*Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
Write the front page news story for October 29, 1929.
You can use this blank newspaper template to create your front page!
*A picture is worth a thousand words!
You don’t have to write a thousand words for each picture, but write a few about what you notice, how it makes you feel, what the people living then must have been thinking, doing, or feeling.
You can print this Great Depression writing activity -> HERE.
*Helping Friends and Neighbors
This week we read about the kindness of family, friends, and neighbors helping each other get through the tough times of the Great Depression. They shared their houses, gardens, chickens, and even their clothes sometimes! Imagine yourself living during this time. Think about YOUR family…do you live in a big house? Do you have extra pairs of shoes? Are you good at something that could be helpful to a friend or neighbor? Make a list of things your family might have done for your community during this time.
*Radio Days-
Write a radio script for your own fireside chat.
Think of what you would have said and done if YOU were the President of the United States during the Great Depression.
What would you tell the people everywhere listening to you? Would you tell them what they could do to help during the Depression? What would you say to encourage them?
OR
Write a fun radio show!
It could be a mystery, a funny story for kids, or any story you’d like to write! THEN, get someone to make a recording of your show!
*Bible Study: Love One Another
*Week 1: Carry One Another’s Burdens
*Week 2: Serve One Another
*Week 3: Encourage One Another
*NOTE:
While most of these American Girl Unit Studies can (after review) be completed independently by older children, the Bible studies would be most enjoyed together !
To begin this Bible study, I want you to imagine yourself in Kit’s shoes… as a child growing up in 1934 during America’s Great Depression. Even if this is your first day learning about this difficult time in history, you can probably picture how hard life was for just about everyone. Many people lost their jobs, and most families could barely afford to buy necessary things like food, clothing, shoes, and medicines. Some children even had to stop going to school and find work. Almost overnight, life had changed. But God was there.
This isn’t the first time in history that there was such great need and such great sadness.
It has happened over and over again actually. If you’ve been studying American History through these American Girl Units, you will know that the Native Americans, the Colonists, the Pioneers, those who pushed westward into the Frontier, the slaves and soldiers of the Civil War and the Underground Railroad, and the immigrants who flooded into America at the turn of the century, ALL faced some pretty tough challenges! And if you go way back… even further… and learn about the lives of the people of “Ancient” history, you’ll find the very same to be true.
And guess what?!? God was there too.
You may be wondering HOW God was there all along when people were suffering and struggling so much.
It’s a very good question. Lots of adults ask this too!
Well, it all begins with His great plan to rescue all of us and set the world RIGHT once again.
You see, all of the sadness, fear, and evil in this world were not at all what God had in mind when He created a perfect home on this earth for Adam and Eve. Rather quickly however, humans destroyed God’s creation work, mostly by their bad choices. Adam and Eve made a terrible, horrible, awful choice to listen to the serpent instead of God’s very own words to them. They chose NOT to believe God. –>You can watch a short video about Adam and Eve HERE. <–
As a consequence of their choices, Adam and Eve had to leave the beautiful perfect home God had made for them. From that day on, their lives were much harder and filled with troubles.
Again however, God was there.
AND He had a plan…Can you guess what it was?
Jesus! Of course!
God LOVED the whole world so much, even with all it’s bad choices, that He sent Jesus to rescue it!
And so He made an offer- if ANYONE would just make the CHOICE to BELIEVE Him, He would rescue them.
And, He would rescue them FOREVER! This was very, very good news!
As Jesus went and shared God’s offer with the people of His hometown, the cities around His town, and in Jerusalem, He made some very close friends. These friends loved Jesus very much, and their hearts were filled with JOY that the God who had created everything, loved them enough to send Jesus, the Rescuer to them!
Strangely, not everyone appreciated God’s offer of great love!
As a matter of fact, they were filled with HATEFUL ANGER that this Jesus, who claimed to be God’s Son, had the nerve to suggest that their bad choices were separating them from God! So they refused to listen to the truth. They refused God’s rescue plan.
And just like what happened with Adam and Eve… there was a terrible, horrible, awful consequence as a result of their decision not to BELIEVE God. Not only did they reject God’s offer, they even killed Jesus, the very One who had come to rescue them! Much like what happened to the people on the morning that the Great Depression began, life for the friends of Jesus changed in an instant. Sadness, fear, confusion, and pain filled them. The world was not the same. Because of their friendship with Jesus, they were hated by some of their friends and even by their own families. In their terror, they were tempted to scatter, run away, and hide.
But God was there with THEM too!!
HOW?
All of a sudden their hearts were filled with peace as they remembered some of the very last words their Friend, Jesus, had spoken to them. It was almost as if Jesus Himself was still there talking to them.
A new command I give to you, love one another just as I have loved you! So instead of running and hiding, the friends of Jesus gathered together. They cooked together, and ate together, and prayed together, and talked about Jesus together. They helped each other find work, homes, and help. AND they went into their communities to CONTINUE to share God’s amazing rescue plan, and the great love of Jesus, the Rescuer! And it’s why I’m sharing this story with you today!
You see, all those who have received God’s offer of help and His love, deep in their hearts, have enough to share! And as we share HIS LOVE with one another, He is right there with us…even in the hardest times in our lives!
During the Great Depression, God was there…standing in the middle of all the people who received His love and were sharing it with others! This week we will learn just a few ways that we can practice Jesus’ command to love one another!
I’m glad you’re doing this portion of the Unit today .
I hope you will learn how loved YOU are by God, and how He wants to love other people through you !
*Week 1: Carry One Another’s Burdens
*Reading/Watching–
+We Can Carry Each Other’s Burdens
*What Does It Really Mean To Bear One Another’s Burdens?
(This is good to be read together!)
*The Weightlifters
*Circle of Friends
(The importance of ‘one anothering’. This is a complete children’s lesson including a video, etc…)
*One of the best ways we can carry another’s burden is to help them know Jesus!
Watch this short story to see an example of this from the Bible-> Jesus Heals the Paralyzed Man
+Jesus Carries Our Burdens As We Carry Other’s
*Come To Me
*Spill Not!
(Fun science object lesson- read more about centrifugal force to add more fun!)
*An Easy Yoke
(What does this mean? Yoke yourself with Jesus so you can help others!)
*Related Scriptures for Further Reading-
*Galatians 6:2
*Matthew 11:28-30
*John 13:34
*Ecclesiastes 4:12
*2 Corinthians 1:3-4
*Ideas to Think About & Discuss-
*What does the word ‘burden’ mean?
*Do you have any burdens that you are carrying? What are they?
*How do you take off your “burden backpack”?
*What does it mean to “carry one another’s burdens”?
*Name some problems that were a burden for people during the Great Depression.
*What are some ways that friends and neighbors helped to carry each other’s burdens?
*What are some burdens that people you know are carrying today?
*Brainstorm and make a list of some ways that YOU can help carry a friend’s burden.
*What does Jesus have to say about the burdens we carry?
*What is a yoke?
*How does He help us carry OUR burdens?
*Can you tell about a time that Jesus helped you with a burden?
*How does being “yoked” with Jesus make our burdens lighter?
*How does He help others carry their burdens?
*Activities–
*Make a List of Burden Bearers
Brainstorm and make a quick list of ways YOU can help bear your friends burdens. This list ->How To Carry Each Other’s Burdens, is for grownups, but it might help you make your own list!)
*Sharing Burdens Object Lesson
*Bear One Another’s Burden Backpacks
*How Heavy? Object Lesson
*When Your Load Is Heavy Cross Word Puzzle
*Rest For the Weary Decoder Puzzle
*Through the Roof
(Printable activities)
*Lots of ideas for Matthew 11:28 activities, snacks, and more
*Songs-
*Galatians 6:2
*Cast Your Burdens On Jesus
(This would be an excellent time to think about the fact that there are even people all over the world with some very heavy burdens that we can HELP! I found this video randomly, but it touched my heart. Notice how many children are in that very small school room, and all share a bench (no chairs) together…but I would guess that these children are all very happy to be there! There are lots of amazing groups of Christians who work together to HELP carry the burdens of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world as well!)
*Give All Your Worries to God
* Coloring/Activity Pages-
*Galatians 6:2 Coloring Page
*Come To Me Coloring Page
*Matthew 11:28 Coloring Page
(Scroll all the way to the bottom for the printable page)
*Yoke
(Print this out and use it for your Bible notebook, copy work, or whatever you’d like! It comes from the fun site saskschoolsinfo.com -> read more about how yokes were used !)
*My Yoke Is Easy Coloring Page
*Through the Roof Coloring Page
*If you’d like extra coloring pages or printable activities to go along with any of the stories from the scriptures listed above, you can find them here:
– Calvary Bible Curriculum (Scripture, Activities, Coloring Pages, and more!)
*Week 2: Serve One Another
*Reading/Watching-
*We Serve One Another
*Love In Action
*Jelly Beans – Serving Each Other
(A fun object lesson you can do along with a teacher on YouTube)
*The Lion and the Mouse
*Galatians 6:7… Serving God By Serving Others
*At Your Service
(A complete lesson on serving one another)
*Dirty Jobs- The Ultimate Servant
*Serving God and Serving Others
(Complete lesson)
*Flip Flops
(Object Lesson)
*A Neighbor In Need
(Berenstain Bears book read aloud)
*How Can I Help?
(This is a good lesson for older kids- also if you scroll down there are a list of good discussion questions about what it means to serve others)
*Game & Devotional on Serving Others
*Scriptures-
*Ephesians 6:7
*Matthew 20:28
*1 Peter 4:10
*Acts 20:35
*Hebrews 6:10
*Galatians 5:13
*Ideas to Think About & Discuss-
*What does it mean to “serve” others?
*What are some ways that Kit and her family served their friends and neighbors living during the Great Depression?
*What did Jesus have to say about serving people?
*What are some ways Jesus served people?
*What kinds of gifts do you think God gave you to serve His people?
(1 Peter 4:10-11)
*Who can we serve?
*How can we serve those people?
*What does Ephesians 6:7 mean?
*Activities-
*Read this story about Lottie Moon, and bake a batch of her special cookies!
*Make a 3D Hand
(Put this somewhere to remind yourself to serve others!)
*Need some ideas on where to start? 30 Service Ideas For Kids!
*Maybe try having a Family Lemonade Stand (or coffee, baked goods, or crafts, etc) like this one!
*Servanthood Word Search
* Songs-
*Go Serve Our World
*Shine and Serve
*Serve One Another In Love
*What a Mighty God We Serve
*Gonna Serve
*Serve One Another In Love
*Coloring Pages-
*SHARING the love of Jesus coloring page
*Serve One Another Coloring Page
*Helping Others Coloring Page
*Galatians 5:13 Coloring Page
*Show Kindness Coloring Page
*The Lion and the Mouse Coloring Page
– Calvary Bible Curriculum (Scripture, Activities, Coloring Pages, and more!)
*Week 3: Encourage One Another
*Reading-
*Friendship- At All Times
(A complete lesson on friendship and the importance of encouraging one another)
*Barnabas- Son of Encouragement
*The Story of Barnabas
(Great for younger kids too!)
*Kids Bible Study on Encouraging One Another
*Cheer Up Chamy
(A devotion on HOW to encourage a friend)
*A Heart For the Hurting
*Encourage One Another Devotion For Kids
*Cheer Each Other On
*Encourage One Another- Like Watermelon!
*Eternal Encouragement Object Lesson
*Related Scriptures for Further Reading-
*I Thessalonians 5:11
*Hebrews 10:23-25
*Ephesians 4:29
*Hebrews 3:13
*Romans 15:5-6
*Ideas to Think About & Discuss-
*What does the word “encouragement” mean?
*Tell about a time someone really encouraged you!
*Have you ever encouraged someone else? How?
*WHO should we be encouraging?
*How can we encourage them?
*What is hard about encouraging people? Why?
*What does the Bible have to say about encouraging others?
*How did Jesus encourage people?
*What were some ways Jesus used that surprised you?
*What is one way that God’s own words have encouraged YOU?
*Why is it important to encourage one another with the TRUTH?
(Ephesians 4:15-16)
*Think of someone you know that needs some encouragement.
Can you find a verse from the Bible that might encourage them?
*Activities–
*Make a list of ways that you (and maybe your whole family) can encourage others!
Here is a list of 21 Creative Ways to Encourage Others to give you some ideas
*Play the Encouragement Game
(This would be a fun activity to do at the dinner table!)
*Make this super easy recipe for Encourage-Mints and share them with someone!
You could include a little note in the baggie of mints too!
*Encourage a Missionary family!
Here are some ways your family might be able to encourage missionary families as they’ve left their homes to serve others!
Our family would 100% agree with the list above! We loved receiving a can of pumpkin in the fall SO MUCH!
For moms & dads-> 10 Ways to Help Your Kids Love Missions
Also there is a wonderful resource called Window on the World– our family used this book for years to pray for families around the globe! (The link is to amazon!)
*Songs-
*Speak Life
*Encourage One Another
*Try this1 Thessalonians 5:11 memory verse song
(You’ll be thanking me alllllll day long 😀 , but you’ll remember it!!)
*Encourage
*Coloring & Activity Pages-
*1 Thessalonians 5:11 coloring page
*Encouraging One Another Coloring Pages
(scroll down just a bit to find them)
*1 Thess. 5:11 Coloring Page
*Barnabas Coloring Page
*Calvary Bible Curriculum (Scripture, Activities, Coloring Pages, and more!)
*Great Depression Science Ideas:
*Week 1: Ecosystems & Biomes
*Week 2: Garden Science/Creative Gardening
*Week 3: Aviation/Amelia Earhart
*Week 1: Ecosystems & Biomes
* Read-
*What is an ecosystem?
*What’s the difference between a biome and an ecosystem?
*Kids Discover Biomes
*10 Interesting Things About Ecosystems
*Kids Discover Biomes
*Watch-
*Ecosystems!
*What Are Biomes?
*Ecosystems and Biomes
*Home Sweet Habitat
*Biomes of the World
* Discovering & Doing-
*Play Build A Biome !
*Create Your Own Ecosystem Online Game
*Try one of these 10 Ecosystem Projects!
*Go on Mission Biomes!
*Explore World Biomes Interactive
*Play this Interactive Ecosystems Game Online
*Beat the Clock! World Biomes Online Word Search
*Explore all the different types of biomes/ecosystems
(Click on the blue links on the page to explore more about each one!)
*Biomes Printables
*Biomes Word Search
* Coloring Pages-
*Biomes Coloring Book
(Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to download this free coloring book!)
*Biome Booklets, Coloring Pages, Word Searches, and more
*Biomes Coloring Pages
*National Geographic Ecosystem Coloring Pages- hover over page and you can download and print!
*Deep Sea Ecosystem Coloring Page
*Rocky Shore Ecosystem Coloring Page
*Mangrove Ecosystem Coloring Page
*Arctic Ecosystem Coloring Page
*Sandy Shore Ecosystem Coloring Page
*Coral Reef Ecosystem Coloring Page
*Kelp Forest Ecosystem Coloring Page
*Week 2: Garden Science/Creative Gardening
Many people planted gardens for food during the Great Depression. This was one more creative way that people used to survive and help their friends and neighbors. While we may not need to plant a family garden today to have food to eat, it is a fun and healthy way to live! AND we can definitely share our harvests with our friends and family! Garden science is a fun way to garden in some pretty amazing and creative ways. Check it out!
* Reading-
*Garden Habitats
-> Also, here is a complete Lesson Plan for Garden Habitats
*Parts of a Plant OR Interactive Parts of a Plant
*Hydroponics
*Compost
*Growing Food the Thrifty Way
(How to grow a garden from kitchen scraps!!! Seriously AMAZING! ONE potato can regrow a whole bunch!)
*Watch-
*Who Needs Dirt? Hydroponics
*Garden Pests & Helpers
*Soil “Composition”
*Pizza Garden!
*Plant Parts & What They Do
*How Compost Is Made- A Field Trip
* Discovering & Doing-
*Plant a Butterfly Garden
*Plant a Pizza Garden
*Make Your Own Hydroponic Garden
*Plant Window Beans!
(I’ve done this with FANTASTIC results! And after planting them outside, the bean harvest was delicious!!)
*Plant a Refrigerator Experiment Thrift Garden
(SEE the “Growing Food the Thrifty Way link under the reading section!)
*Keep a Garden Journal
(This could make a great scientific data project! Think measuring growth, watering, hours of sun, rainfall, what plants did well and what ones did not, etc…)
*Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies with this DIY Feeder
(All made with things you likely have around your house already!)
*Take a Neighborhood Garden Survey Stroll
*Compost In a Cup
*My First Garden Planner- Interactive
*The Great Plant Escape
* Coloring Pages-
*Parts of a Plant Coloring Page
*Composting Coloring Pages
*Kids Gardening Coloring Pages
*Gardening Coloring Pages
*Can You Dig It? Coloring Page
*Week 3: Aviation and Amelia Earhart
* Reading-
*Who Was Amelia Earhart?
*The Story of Amelia Earhart
*Amelia Earhart Biography & Activities
(Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for printables and more online activities)
*The History of Flight For Kids
*Aerodynamics For Kids
*The Four Forces of Flight
*Watch-
*NatGeo Kids- Amelia Earhart (Book read aloud!)
*Amelia Earhart- History
*How Do Airplanes Fly? Explained By a Kid!
*How Do Planes Fly?
*The History of Flight (animated)
* Discovering & Doing-
*Play this Amelia Earhart Online Game
*Try this super fun Clothespin Airplane Engineering Challenge!
*Interactive- Pilot the Wright Brothers’ Flyer
*Draw Amelia Earhart
*Step By Step to Draw An Airplane
*6 Flight Activities for Kids
*11 Hands-On Science Experiments On Flight
*How to Fold A Paper Airplane
*14 Different Paper Airplanes To Make!
(This would make a GREAT experiment! Your child could make each airplane (or some), using the scientific method, predict the outcomes for each one, fly each plane, record observations (distance, push, drag, weight, etc)!)
* Coloring Pages-
*Free Printable Amelia Earhart Lapbook!
*Printable Amelia Earhart Coloring and Activity Book
*First In Flight Coloring Page
*Airplane Coloring Pages
*Great Depression Geography ideas-
*Week 1: Ohio
*Week 2: Oklahoma
*Week 3: New York and Eleanor Roosevelt’s Park
*Week 1: Ohio
+Reading-
*Ohio
*All About Ohio- Just the Facts
*History of Ohio for Kids
+Watch This!
*Top 10 Facts About Ohio
*2 Minute Tour of Ohio
*O Is For Ohio (YouTube Read Aloud)
*How to Draw Ohio’s Flag
+Mapping & Printables-
*Blank Map of Ohio to fill in
*Explore this Interactive Map of Ohio
*Ohio Map Quiz
*Ohio Map Activity
*Ohio Notebooking Page
*Printable Word Searches, Writing Pages, Crosswords, etc…
(Be sure to look at the ‘Memorable Ohio Events’ !)
+Hands On-
*Try this kid friendly recipe for Cincinnati Chili !
*Play this Ohio Word Scramble Game online
*Explore the 50 States- Ohio!
*All About Ohio- Interactive
*Play these Ohio Online Learning Games
*Take a Virtual Tour of the Places of Ohio
+Coloring Pages-
*Facts & Fun Ohio Coloring Page
*Ohio State Seal Coloring Page
*Color the Ohio Postage Stamp
*Ohio Quarter Coloring Page
+ Start a diorama. You may like to create several, one for each week’s theme, or just add on each week to make one larger diorama. I have included lots of links to coloring pages & paper dolls that would be good to use.
*Week 2: Oklahoma
+Reading-
*Oklahoma for Kids
*All About Oklahoma
*The Dust Bowl of Oklahoma
*History of Oklahoma
*The Great Depression in Oklahoma
(You can also download this as a PDF which makes the reading a bit easier!)
+Watch This !
*Watch “Oklahoma!”
(This is a link to watch on Amazon Prime… you may also find it to check out in your local library!)
*Oklahoma For Kids
*Who Were the Oakies?
*50 States Rap- Oklahoma
+ Mapping & Printables-
*Oklahoma Map & Printable
*Blank Labeling Map- Oklahoma and HERE
*Enchanted Learning- Oklahoma!
*Printable Oklahoma Bingo Game
+Hands On-
*Explore Oklahoma – Interactive Maps & Games
*Try making this recipe for Oklahoma Onion Depression Burgers
*Online Oklahoma Learning Games!
*Take a Virtual Tour of Oklahoma
+Coloring Pages-
*Oklahoma Coloring Page
*LOTS of Oklahoma Printable Coloring Pages
*State of Oklahoma Coloring Page
(Loads very slowly)
*Week 3: New York and Eleanor Roosevelt’s Park
+Reading-
*All About New York (NatGeo Kids)
*New York State Study from Encahnted Learning
*Geography of New York
*New York Unit Study (from Ben and Me – This is one in a great series of US States Units!)
*Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt ? (Biography, activities, and lots of links !)
*Eleanor Roosevelt National Park (Photo tour)
*Val-Kill History
+Watch This!
*New York: The Empire State (about 3 minutes)
*A Photographic Tour New York City 1900 (Colorized Photos- YouTube)
*New York- 1896-1901
*Side by side photos of NYC landmarks (Then & Now- late 1800’s/early 1900’s and 2014)
*Top 10 Best Places to Visit in NY State (Just a good reminder that the state is much
bigger than NYC !)
*New York City Video Guide
*Eleanor Roosevelt (about 4 minutes)
*Val-Kill Eleanor Roosevelt National Park (about 3 minutes)
*Video tour of the grounds and the Val-Kill Estate
+Mapping & Printables-
*State Notebooking Pages (from Notebooking Nook)
*Printable Maps and Labeling Worksheets from Enchanted Learning
*NY Maps, Printables, and Online Activities
*Printable NY Worksheets
+Hands On-
*Take a virtual field trip to Lyndhurst Mansion (A beautiful Victorian mansion!
Perfect for this Unit Study !)
*5 New York Crafts Ideas
+Coloring Pages-
*NY State Coloring Page
* Maps: NY Printable Map with Writing Space
*NY Coloring Book (free printable)
*More NY State and Symbols Coloring pages also HERE
+ Diorama.
You may like to create several, one for each week’s theme, or just add on each week to make one larger diorama.
*ART- Dorothea Lange
*Reading-
*Dorothea Lange Biography for kids
*Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother
*The History Place- Dorothea Lange
*The History of the Camera
*Basic Photography For Kids
**NOTE:
Here is an article on The REAL Story Behind the ‘Migrant Mother’ Photo (according to this author). It might be a GREAT time to talk to your older students about topics such as the power of the media (and art!) to sway public opinion, gain support for a cause, or the topic of bias… as we know it is in everything we see and read.
* Discovering & Doing-
*Watch this short, animated art lesson about Dorothea Lange
(This is great for everyone to view, but definitely enjoyed by elementary aged children)
*Picturing America- Dorothea Lange
(View ‘Migrant Mother’ with Dorothea’s granddaughter- best for middle school and older)
*How To Analyze a Photograph
(This is more fun than it sounds! Think of it like detective work!)
*FUN Photography Intro (and activities!) for Kids
(The scavenger hunt looks SUPER fun and there are also printables to enjoy!)
*How Does a Digital Camera Work? (for kids)
*Simple Explanation of How Cameras Work (Animated)
*Make Little Things Large!
(Photo fun how-to’s video for kids!)
*Try Making Your Own Camera
*Ideas for Photography Projects For Kids
*11 Photo Projects Kids Can Do
(This is a super fun list of ideas! From your Littles on up, I think anyone could enjoy these!)
*Photography Projects For Kids
*Create a Flip Book Based On Early Photography
*Coloring-
*‘Migrant Mother’ Coloring Page
*Cameras Coloring Pages
*Photography Coloring Pages
*Misc. Recipes, Crafts, Activities, and other Fun Stuff
Remember these unit studies are designed so that your family can enjoy them for FREE anywhere there is internet access ! There are so many wonderful books that you could add to these studies, please by all means use as many as you have access to. 
Check out my favorite books for each of the unit studies HERE or you can check my Pinterest “EXTRAS” for the American Girl Kit Unit HERE. IF you are using this unit during the holidays, I also have Christmas Ideas for each American Girl Unit on Pinterest as well. You can find the Kit’s Christmas Ideas Board —> HERE
If you decide to purchase any of these extra books, I would appreciate it greatly if you could click directly from my links. Amazon will pay me a small commission for it, and it will NOT cost you anything additional. THANKS FRIENDS !!
*I hope you have enjoyed the
America’s Great Depression- American Girl Kit Unit Study !
Come back soon for
—> World War II – American Girl Molly Unit Study <—
This unit took me about 6 months to create, and I’m SUPER excited to share it!
If you have been blessed by these FREE unit studies, would you share some love and help me keep offering them to other homeschooling families for free? Many thanks friends!
*Other FREE American Girl History Units from Fields of Daisies~
*Overview of All American Girl Unit Studies
(An outline of the scope and sequence covered in each of the AG Units)
*FREE Native America Unit Study- AG Kaya
+Kaya Printable Power Pack (Free!)
+Native America (Kaya) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Native America (Kaya) Printable HISTORY Cards and Bingo Game
+Native America Books and Resources List
+Kaya Native America Pinterest Board
*FREE Colonial America Unit Study – AG Felicity
+Felicity Printable Power Pack
+Colonial America (Felicity) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Colonial America Books and Resources List
+A Colonial America Christmas- Hands-On History (Free)
+A Colonial America Christmas- Printable Power Pack
+Felicity- Colonial America Pinterest Board
+Colonial America (Felicity) Christmas Pinterest Board
*FREE Southwest Frontier America Unit Study – AG Josefina
+Josefina Printable Power Pack
+Southwest Frontier (Josefina) Unit Study- PDF Version
+America’s Southwest Frontier (Josefina) Books & Resources List
+Christmas Southwestern Frontier- Hands-On History (Free)
+Josefina’s Southwestern Frontier Christmas POWER Pack
+Josefina’s Southwestern Frontier Christmas PDF Version
+Josefina- Frontier America Pinterest Board
+Southwestern Frontier (Josefina) Christmas Pinterest Board
*FREE Pioneer America Unit Study – AG Kirsten
+Kirsten Printable Power Pack
+Pioneer America (Kirsten) Unit Study- PDF Version
+FREE* Kirsten’s Swedish Pioneer Christmas Unit
+A Pioneer Christmas- PDF Version
+Kirsten- Pioneer America Pinterest Board
+Pioneer America (Kirsten) Christmas Pinterest Board
*FREE Civil War America Unit Study – AG Addy
+Addy Printable Power Pack
+Civil War (Addy) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Civil War Unit Book and Resources List
+Addy- Civil War America Pinterest Board
+Civil War (Addy) Christmas Pinterest Board
*FREE 1900 Turn of the Century America Unit Study – AG Samantha
+Samantha Printable Power Pack
+Turn of the Century (Samantha) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Turn of the Century Books and Resources List
+Samantha- Turn of the Century Pinterest Board
+Turn of the Century (Samantha) Christmas Pinterest Board
*FREE The Great Depression Unit Study- AG Kit
+The Great Depression (Kit) Unit Study- PDF Version
+The Great Depression (Kit) Printable Printable Power Pack
+Great Depression Books and Resources List
+Kit- The Great Depression Pinterest Board
*FREE World War 2 Unit Study- AG Molly
+World War 2 (Molly) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Molly Printable Power Pack
+WW2 File Folder Game
+World War 2 Unit Study Printables BUNDLE!
+World War 2 Books and Resources List
+Molly- World War 2 Pinterest Board
*American Girl Christmas School- Homeschooling Through the Holidays
–> Check out all the American Girl Printables in the Book Store!
If you loved this Unit Study, check out the Printable Power Packs and the live PDF Versions of the American Girl History Units all in a neat BUNDLE!
And nicely DISCOUNTED of course!
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Civil War Books, Movies, and Resources List For Kids!
American Girl Unit Studies Overview
