The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) [Paperback]

Janis Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: For Kids series

Heroes, traitors, and great thinkers come to life in this activity book, and the concepts of freedom and democracy are celebrated in true accounts of the distinguished officers, wise delegates, rugged riflemen, and hardworking farm wives and children who created the new nation. This collection tells the story of the Revolution, from the hated Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party to the British surrender at Yorktown and the creation of the United States Constitution. All American students are required to study the Revolution and the Constitution, and these 21 activities make it fun and memorable. Kids create a fringed hunting shirt and a tricorn hat and reenact the Battle of Cowpens. They will learn how to make their voices heard in “I Protest” and how Congress works in “There Ought to Be a Law.” A final selection including the Declaration of Independence, a glossary, biographies, and pertinent Web sites makes this book a valuable resource for both students and teachers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Joining the ranks of those books recently published that combine history with crafts and hands-on activities, Herbert's book is one of the best of its kind. Reading it and doing some of the activities, or even just reading the activity directions, brings the character of this period into focus. Achieving a good balance between textual material, illustration, and projects, the book immerses children in the milieu of these years. The text discusses in detail the causes of the Revolution, the personalities involved, the formation of the new national government, and life in 18th-century America. The activities cover every aspect of revolutionary life, from making clothing, brewing root beer, and coding messages to battle reenactment, games, and dancing the minuet. The directions are detailed enough and adequately illustrated with pencil drawings to make them exciting and easy to follow. Short biographical sketches and portraits bring to life the notable people of the period, both male and female, European and American, and black and white. Numerous sidebars, such as the one analyzing the song "Yankee Doodle," add to the interesting details. Full-page art, as well as smaller illustrations, depict the battle scenes, people, and clothing of the day. The appendix includes the full text of the Declaration of Independence, four pages of thumbnail biographies, Revolutionary War sites to visit, and major Web sites. Whether they are studying the Revolution and need a project idea or are personally curious about this country's origins, children will be fascinated by the scope and detail of this book.
Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. In a series of brief articles, this appealing book traces the colonists' struggle for independence beginning with initial rebellions against taxation by George III and concluding with the Continental Congress' ratification of the Constitution. Copious photos and biographical sidebars add dimension to the chronologically recorded events. Besides highlighting major historical figures, the biographical entries supply information about groups of unsung heroes, including women, blacks, and frontier warriors. Sidebars introduce related items of cultural and historical significance--the Liberty Bell, Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," and The Electoral College. The book also includes activities, clearly meant for a classroom setting (supervised by an adult), that add a cross-curricular element to the text. From brewing root beer and dancing a minuet to creating rebuses and compiling a community almanac, the 21 projects give young people a hands-on view of colonial life. A time line, a glossary, annotated biographical lists, and a list of Web sites are among appended materials. Roger Leslie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556524560
• ISBN-13: 978-1556524561
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 11 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Children's Books > History > Military & Wars
  • #15 in Books > Children's Books > History > United States > Colonial & Revolutionary

More About the Author

I love history! And I hope my books will inspire kids to feel the same way. Find out more about me and my award-winning books at www.janisherbertforkids.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun activities for teaching the American Revolution to kids, February 1, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) (Paperback)

"The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities" sets up the two complementary halves of Janis Herbert's book right in the title. On the one hand we have a fairly detailed history of the American Revolution for young students, with much more of a sense of the ebb and flow of the war itself, in terms of the specific battles, than they will find in their history textbooks. On the other hand there are almost two dozen activities, which will give kids a chance to make this particular period of American history come alive.

The seven chapters start with George III becoming king of England in 1760 and end with the ratification of the Constitution: (1) Sons and Daughters of Liberty looks at the taxation issues that sparked revolution; (2) Who Were the Colonists provides a sense of what these early Americans were like and what they did; (3) "We Must All Hang Together" details the early part of the war through the Declaration of Independence and the battles of Long Island and Trenton; (4) An Eventful Year covers 1777 and the pivotal battle of Saratoga and the winter at Valley Forge; (5) "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" looks at who the soldiers were on both sides and what military life was like for them; (6) "The World Turned Upside Down" covers the end of the war with the surrender at Yorktown; and (7) A Good Peace, a New Nation starts with the Treat of Paris and ends with the Constitution being adopted.

Many of the activities are things colonials would have actually been doing back then, such as brewing a batch of root beer, making Liberty Tea Punch, creating a sampler or papyrotamia, baking Boston Brown Bread and Churned Butter, or playing various colonial children's games (Skin the Snake, Stool Ball, and I Sent a Letter to My Love). Several of the activities are specific to the Revolution, such as making a tricorn hat or fringed hunting shirt, creating a power horn, and trying to get ready in a minute. There is even an activity for reenacting the Battle of Cowpens (requires far less bodies than doing the Battle of Antietam in the Civil War volume of this series). However, there are also activities specific to more contemporary concerns, such as protesting current issues of public concern and making a law. I cannot imagine that any class or individual student would take advantage of all of these activities, but certainly teachers could find a couple that would spice up a class unit on the American Revolution. What you find here can also inspire teachers and students to come up with their own activities.

Still, you want to remember that this book is also informative, and teachers can find additional information to work into their classes as well as the activities. Sidebars throughout "The American Revolution for Kids" are devoted to key figures, topics, and issues from the period. The back of this volume includes a Glossary, A Guide to Officers on both sides, short Biographies of key political and military figures, the Declaration of Independence, a list of Web Sites to Explore, Revolutionary War Sites to Visit, a Bibliography, and Index. You can find additional books combining history and activities on the Civil War and World War II as well as significant art movements such as Monet and the Impressionists and Dali and the surrealists, all of which are worth at least a serious look by anyone teaching this material to younger students.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 25, 2005

By 

John Hamill (Roanoke, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) (Paperback)

This book is an excellent introduction to the American Revolution. Children will undoubtedly find it entertaining and activities like making a tricorne hat or hunting shirt enjoyable. The American Revolution was one of the most important times in world history. Readers will clearly grasp this, and along the way, they will be treated to amusing incidents or myths like Israel Putnam's powderkeg duel. Although there are minor errors concerning the military aspects, they do not detract from the narrative. The book's greatest strength is in dealing with the political aspect of the war, showing the origins of English liberty at the beginning of the book - and the framing of the Constitution at the end.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun activities and a text that pulls the kids in, November 26, 2007

By 

Carolyn Diana (Arizona) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) (Paperback)

My boys are 6 & 4, not the target age for this book but don't tell them that. We've had the book for nearly a year, we've read it front to back twice and favorite sections of it repeatedly. We've done several of the crafts including making fringed hunting shirts, making powder horns, and re-enacting the Battle of Cowpens (we did it with the boys' Playmobils)and everything has been a big hit. The boys aren't the only ones who enjoy it, I've learned a lot as well.