The Civil War for Kids: A History with 21 Activities Volume 14

My son wanted a book about the Civil War, and this book is just perfect!

I got this for some friends of the family, and they absolutely loved it, especially the activities. They are reenactors, like myself, so that may be part of why they enjoyed it.

I recently used this book with my students who have both learning disabilities and emotional disturbances. I used it in conjuction with the state mandated US History book. I found the extra information I was able to inteject into my lectures to be interesting. My students enjoyed the extra tidbits. They gathered around the book to look at the 9 year-old soldier. They wrote letters as if they were soldiers with the ink they made from the book's recipe. I think it helped to enrich the Civil War lessons I had planned. I recommend this book to other teachers. With a little tweaking, I think that the activities are appropriate for students in elementary school as well as in high school.

The two main elements of "The Civil War for Kids: A History With 21 Activities" work independently of each other. In the main text Janis Herbert provides a concise history of the Civil War that provides a more in-depth look at that period of American history than what young students are likely to find in their textbooks at school. Herbert begins with the turmoil preceding succession and the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, the battles fought on land and seas, up to the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. The text is supplemented with dozens of sidebar stories providing details on everything from Lincoln's beard and Johnny Clem to what Army engineers did and what "Chickamaugua" meant. The book is illustrated with historic photographs and drawings, as well as battlefield maps. There is a time-line of the Civil War up front and a glossary, guide to officers, list of resources, bibliography and index in the back. The other key part of this book are the 21 activities that are scattered throughout its pages and provide a wide variety of experiences to give young readers in or out of class. Some of the activities are fairly detailed, such as making a North Star Safe Quilt or your own soldier's uniform, and acting out the battle of Antietam (really, but you need 30 kids). Others are fairly simple, like making a coffee can drum and having a Rebel yell contest. Several of the activities are specific to the fighting of the war, such as creating a code, signaling with a wigwag, measuring the depth of a pond or river, building a lean-to- shelter, and making battlefield bandages. A few of the exercises are duplications of things people would have actually done during the war, such as making berry ink, a housewife sewing kit, homemade butternut dye, and hardtack. Teachers would not be expected to use even half of these exercises, but those teaching a unit on the Civil War can certainly find a couple of choice activities to use with their students. The same is true for all of the other books on history and the arts with 21 activities that you can find.

We are using this book for a homeschool unit on the Civil War with eight-year-old twins. The chapters give them an interesting overview of this history of the war, but the hands on activities have really made them excited about what they are learning. We have made hardtack (recipe included in the book), facsimile uniforms, lean-tos, and quilts. Most of the activities can easily be accomplished by one or two kids, but some are more appropriate for an entire classroom. The graphics and photographs are exceptional. I am eager to use other books by Chicago Review Press to supplement our study.