Does anyone have some great recommendations on resources for Civil War study?

[sadiegirl]

We are getting ready to study the Civil War. I would like to know your favorites as well as your kids' favorites books, videos, audio stories, workbooks, activity books etc...There is soooo much out there that it is a bit overwhelming trying to pick things out on my own! Also, do you know of any interactive sites as well?

[Alphabetika]

We are studying Civil War, too (high school student) and I'm hearing great things about the Ken Burns Civil War documentaries, so we plan to watch those. Definitely look up recipes for hardtack and different food that Civil War soldiers ate. There is a book called The Boys' War that is very affecting, the story of young boys who fought in the war or were otherwise involved. Also, read the book Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco.

 

Just a few thoughts!

[Hoggirl]

The Civil War for Kids (great book! Chapters alternate between battle/war stuff and life & times - has cool projects, too)

Rifles for Watie

Behind Rebel Lines

Across Five Aprils (this was NOT ds's favorite...not enough action)

 

HTH

[sadiegirl]

sorry, I forgot to put ages....they are in 6th and 7th grade.

[mom22722]

My 6th grader has loved listening to With Lee in Virgin which is a G.A. Henty book. They also liked Turn Homeward Hannalee and I really liked Shades of Gray.

[Heather in VA]

My 8th grader is just finishing up a Civil War study. She loved the Ken Burns series. She read Narrative of the life of Franklin Douglass and enjoyed it. She's finishing up (and LOVING) Gone with the Wind. Previously she has really liked Behind Rebel Lines and Turn Homeward Hanalee the latter of which might be too young for your kids.

 

She also memorized 'Oh Captain, My Captain' and 'The Gettysburg Address'.

 

Heather

[dorothy]

ok for all ages? If not, what ages and why? Thanks.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Not "fun" per se but this was helpful to us.

 

Also, books we loved,

Rifles for Watie

Across Five Aprils

Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to Whitehouse by Sterling North

Gettysburg by MacKinlay Kantor

Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

Undying Glory by Clinton Cox as well as the film

With Lee in Virginia by G.A. Henty

Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns

Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, the films

 

We also went to Old Sturbridge Villages "From Redcoats to Rebels" weekend and had a ball, it is worth the trip. It is in the summer and would be on the website for OSV, maybe you could plan the trip having studied it this year!

[sadiegirl]

thanks for all the ideas...I've made my list for the library.

Where do you get the Ken Burns series? that one is looks to be a no-go thru our library.

[mommaduck]

You don't have to agree with the title of the book, but there are interesting statistics in the book "The South Was Right".

[Carol in Cal.]

If you are interested in exploring the ante-bellum period as well, "Sounding Forth the Trumpet for Children" has a very engaging portrait of those years. It is HEAVILY Providential in outlook, and I had avoided that until now, but felt that combined with other more mainstream resources it would be a good book to read. "Life on a Southern Plantation--1853" was a good docu-book, as was "The Last Safe House," about the underground railroad. For a very well-written view of Northern slavery, you can't beat "Amos Fortune, Free Man," which is based on a true story but is fiction. There is an outstanding children's book called "Amistad" which documents the Middle Passage very well, and I recommend it highly.

 

Lousia May Alcott wrote a short book called "Hospital Sketches" about her experiences as a Civil War Nurse. That qualifies as original source work, if you are interested, and it is pretty easy reading. I really liked the volume of Critical Thinking in US History that deals with the ante-bellum period, but don't think that it's as useful with just one or two kids as it would be in a coop. YMMV--it's valuable either way, but there are a lot of great classroom activities that would work great in a group.

 

I recommend looking for a Civil War reenactment event locally. They seem to be all over. We attended a local one in May, and have visited several in years past. I have noticed, though, that the Southern POV tends to dominate--I think maybe it's a function where they get their volunteers. As a Northern Californian, it was a little startling to get the Southern POV over and over here in Silicon Valley.

[Ali in OR]

We have been enjoying the Colonial Life CD from Home School in the Woods. I remember putting their Civil War CD on my mental wish list for us next year, but a quick check of their website shows it won't be out until this winter--probably too late for you, but you could e-mail them and check for sure.

 

The CD has lots of wonderful hands-on activities that make the history come alive. I think it would be a perfect fit your kids' ages--mine are a little on the young side, but we just choose the activities more carefully and they require my help a lot! Anyway, here's the link to the website:

 

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TTS/

[LisaNY]

My 8th gr dd is reading Fields of Fury by James McPherson as an overview text.

 

She is also reading:

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Across Five Aprils (The Glencoe Literature site has an excellent study of this book, with background history, comprehension questions, and essay/writing ideas.)

 

And I plan to have her read Rifles for Watie.

 

I watched the Ken Burns Civil War series a few years ago, and it was excellent. We will be watching it next week.

[plansrme]

This is available through Netflix if you can't get it through your library. Two CDs count as one selection. Some episodes include many images of dead bodies that may disturb younger children. My 10 yo took it in stride, but my 8 yo wouldn't watch it.

 

A really fun movie is The Great Locomotive Chase, which closely follows the true story of the stealing of a Confederate locomotive in 1862. It's also available from Netflix or many libraries. My 5 yo LOVES this one. We live very near where much of the action took place, so that may help, but it's a good old Disney movie.

 

I second the recommendation to look around for reenactments or museum exhibits. We're just north of Atlanta, so we're awash in CW history, but perhaps Illinois has some Underground Railroad sites that you can visit. There are several virtual tours of Underground Railroad stations available on the internet. From our house, we could visit 2 major battlefields and 2 CW museums in a single afternoon, but we have to visit the Underground RR on the 'net--your experience will probably be just the opposite.

 

Terri

[plansrme]

It occurred to me during a bout of insomnia last night that, depending on the ages of your kiddos, they might enjoy all or parts of The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West as a read-aloud. It takes place in Indiana (not Illinois, I know, but close), and portions of it are set during the Civil War. The young men in the Quaker community wrestle with whether to join the Union effort because of their abolitionist leanings or to follow their church's pacifist teachings. I think there's also a reference to a Confederate raiding party (sorry--I haven't read it in 25 years, details are a little fuzzy).

 

It is a lovely book, suitable for all ages (though the last chapter always makes me cry), but older elementary and middle school would probably get the most out of it.

 

Terri