History Project Books

My favorite part about going to the Book Expo was being able to wonder around the exhibit room and find publishers that I wasn't as familiar with. I really enjoyed exploring the aisles and checking out new book titles.

One publisher's booth that I came across belonged to Nomad Press. Their booth was a little piece of Heaven on earth for me - being that I love history and intend to homeschool my kids. But even if I didn't plan to homeschool my kids - I would still be a big fan of these books and would look for ways to utilize them in my own time and in my own way. Why? Because they are fantastic!

Nomad Press was generous in sending me three of their titles to take a peek at. I was excited about these books in the first place, but now that I've had a chance to browse through them more thoroughly, I'm even more interested and happy to introduce them to you (if you've not yet heard of them.)

Do you want to introduce your children to different time periods in history and help them to understand what it would be like to live in a different era? Look no further. Filled with craft activities, geography lessons, vocabulary lessons to fit the history lesson, fun facts and - of course! - history itself, these books offer a marvelous opportunity to delve into our past.

I took a look at three different titles:

1. Great Pioneer Projects You Can Build Yourself - Earmarked for ages 9-12, this book contains a variety of activities which range from easy to more difficult. (You can make your study as engaging as you like!) There are some fun ideas, such as creating and having the children go on a treasure hunt. As the book notes, "Many pioneers were following directions written in guidebooks giving information about where the trail went, where the good places were for water and grass, where rivers needed to be crossed, etc." It could be tricky getting to where they needed to be, so the idea behind the hunt is to make the children to recognize what the pioneers were up against!

The book also provides information on the Transcontinental Railroad, how pioneers built their homes, and pinhole cameras! (They give you instructions on how you can make your own pinhole camera also, should you be feeling so adventurous.)

2. Explore Colonial America!: 25 Great Projects, Activities, Experiments is designed for children ages 6-9. I really liked this book for the simplicity it offers in teaching the youngest generation how our country came to be. It includes basic maps of the original 13 Colonies that you can copy and have your children color.

There's an activity in here that I think we're going to have to try sooner, rather than later. Want to make an edible log cabin?! (Think thick pretzel sticks. Awesome!)

Because it is geared for younger children, there are a few jokes include to produce chuckles from the children (and likely groans from the adults.) Like the history books for the older kids, it also includes various vocabulary words to make our past more familiar. It also provides information on each of the colonies and the "major players" involved in founding America (i.e., Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, etc.)

3. For the older kids, they also provide Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself! which, again, is designed for ages 9-12. This title provides a more in depth look at early colonial life, offering "Spotlights on Famous Colonists." The crafts and projects are more age appropriate.

A time line is also laid out so that you can get a clear picture of what significant events happened and in what time frame.

I think these books are fantastic and I plan on putting these, and others in Nomad Press's line of books, to good use during our school days. Here are a few of the titles which I know would be of interest in our household:




As you can see, Nomad Press offers a variety of books through which you can explore your world - both the past and the present. The nice thing is, they make it easier for you to explore the world, by making their books available on Amazon (which I know is how most of us order our books!) You can also order from Nomad Press.

I'm now delighted to let you know that Nomad Press is extended their generosity to one of you. They have offered to giveaway one of their titles to a Reading to Know reader. To win? Click over to the Nomad Press website and select the title that you would like to win. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know which one it is! It's that simple! (Except, if you are like me, you'll spend a lot of time clicking through the books and thinking about which titles you want to go through with your kids.)

This contest will be open through Thursday, July 1st and is open to U.S. Residents only.

Again, I think these books are probably going to hold the most appeal to home school moms. However, any parent could find a good way to put these books to use, especially during the upcoming summer holidays. Learning doesn't just happen in the classroom - and that's true no matter who you are!

Here's to making learning fun!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED