Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
My kids are both in scouting-type clubs and love being outdoors. They love the water and the beach and solving the kinds of problems you encounter when working on your own outside. That’s why we were interested in Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities by Rebecca Locklear.
This curriculum comes in both digital and print formats – I like that flexibility for our school resources. Even better, the program comes with 17 workshops and 120 activities.
If you’re a by-the-book, check-off-what-you-have-to-do kind of person, this isn’t the curriculum for you; but if you like to dive deep into your studies by doing fun, cross-curricular projects, then you’ll love Locklear’s work!
As the descendant of a member of the US Life-Saving Service, Locklear has firsthand information about it, and she includes stories about the nitty-gritty details of life in one of these stations. These are interesting to read and provide a wealth of information about what it was like to live and work in one. My Little Man really liked reading these stories – as a big reader, it was one of his favorite parts.
One of my favorite aspects is that it’s a very well-researched interactive history book. The pages of stories and information are full of photographs and cited information, proving that it’s both reputable and well-documented. I really liked looking at the pictures – I think there can be lots of information hidden in a photograph that you may miss at first glance, and as a very visual person, I like to stop and study them.
I also really like how interactive the lessons are. There are prompts for having students act out the pictures mentioned above, for baking, for playing games, and much more. This gives great potential for anyone who wants to teach these lessons to a class or group – the work has been done for you! These lessons are written as formal lesson plans and have everything you need to get started. On the other hand, if you’re using them with a single student, as I was, it may be much less fun – or impossible – to role play or play some of the games.
My Little Man enjoys baking – who wouldn’t? – and so he was excited to try his hand at making gingerbread muffins. The recipe prints a bit small, but he did a great job and was able to make them independently from start to finish. Making the muffins, when combined with the firsthand stories about molasses and the use of gingerbread, made for a fun and relevant history lesson.
U.S. Life-Saving Service by Rebecca Locklear is a history book, but it’s not your typical one. It’s not a textbook, and it doesn’t look like a workbook, either. Some of the pages are for student use, and some are clearly for teacher use, with directions written right into the material. The activities are very interactive and creative, with many printables, games, and opportunities for students to discuss and engage with the material. This may sound a bit jumbled, and I would recommend planning out what you intend to do in advance, but shouldn’t teachers do that, anyway? I think that it’s surprisingly well organized for having such a wide variety of information and materials all in one document. It’s easy to pull out what you need and what you want to use, and it would be great for family or co-op use as the material has been geared for a wide range of ages. With the entire thing intended for grades six to twelve and parts suitable for grades four to five, you have a lot of leeway; if you’re comfortable adapting materials, then I think this could easily work for kids of any age.
U.S. Life-Saving Service is all about this particular group, of course, but Rebecca Locklear has also published a book about the Mayflower that I think sounds fascinating. I would have loved to have those materials when I taught about the first Thanksgiving to my first-graders!
If this kind of engaging, creative, and interactive learning style sounds like a good fit for your kids, visit Rebecca Locklear’s website. Consider signing up for her email newsletter to stay on top of what’s new.
Of course, there’s no need to take my word for it. Read more reviews by the Homeschool Review Crew of Rebecca Locklear‘s books by clicking on the graphic below.
