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.
One of my favorite benefits of homeschooling is being able to customize our educational activities to my kids’ specific interests and skills. One way that we do this is with unit studies. We love being able to choose a theme or a book and to dive deep into it – and YWAM Publishing makes this easy to do with their their digital unit studies that accompany their Heroes of History books. Our most recent pick? The leader of the Corps of Discovery – the Lewis and Clark expedition – Meriwether Lewis himself in Meriwether Lewis: Off the Edge of the Map.
My Little Man has loved explorers for a long time. He’s fascinated with the outdoors and adventure and animals, and so he’s been working hard on a big project centered around Meriwether Lewis. I knew that the YWAM biography of this man would be an excellent way to learn more about him.
The stories in the Heroes of History series really focus on what makes each figure stand out. I liked the way that Lewis’ leadership qualities were portrayed, from the time he was a young boy until the expedition’s end. The authors showed the cause-and-effect of his early experiences and how they played a large role in shaping who he became. This wasn’t said in so many words but in the events and anecdotes that they chose to include, and it was very well done.
My Little Man has been working hard to learn everything he can about Lewis, and his research has been quite extensive. I love having him run to me, excited to share a new fact he’s just learned. With all of this new knowledge, I appreciate even more the way that the authors explain certain events – especially Lewis’ death. With the mystery surrounding exactly what happened, the authors are careful to share the story truthfully but tactfully, keeping it family friendly but real. Knowing that you can trust an author with your kids is important, and that’s definitely true here.
The unit study that accompanies this book is chock-full of great ideas for learning. I love the creative writing projects that are included. I want do to them all! They’re so fun!
My Little Man enjoyed the related resources section. He watched several of the recommended documentaries and read other books about Lewis, too. I like that this provided an easy way for the whole family to take part in My Little Man’s interest and learning. We watched documentaries at night as a family, and everyone could learn together.
My Little Man really liked the quote section. As suggested in the unit study, he made a sign with one of the thematic quotes and decorated it. We love art activities that we can do during our read aloud time, and this was great for that.
Another neat aspect of the unit study is the suggestion of a culminating activity. This is flexible, of course, but could easily be a party or event where your student(s) can share what’s been learned. Think of it as show and tell on a larger scale! The current virus craziness has pushed ours back a little bit, but we’re looking forward to a simple, super small event outside in a few days. My Little Man will bring the items he’s created during this study and will have the chance to share his knowledge with a (very) few others (from a safe distance away). He’s going to dress up a bit and show his stuff, and that kind of wrap-up to a unit provides an authentic audience that’s super important. We’re all looking forward to it!
I love the unit studies and books in YWAM Publishing‘s Heroes of History series. They’re flexible enough to use with your whole family but rigorous – and creative – enough to customize to each person’s needs. There are waaayyyy more ideas than you need, so you can easily pick what works best for you. Best of all, you can trust the authors to have your kids’ best interests at heart: they are truthful and inspirational but kind and mindful of the children who read them.
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Check out my review of YWAM’s Christopher Columbus book and unit study, too!
That sounds like a great resource. One book that really stands out in my mind from when my boys studied this time period was the book Lewis and Clark and Me; they just thought it was such a fun book since it was written by the dog’s perspective.