Throw Back Thursday

It's Thursday, so here's a throw-back-Thursday post.

Yep, it's me! And, this is how I spent most of my growing up years - upsidedown!

Disneyland Throw Back Thursday TBT: This Day in History

In TBT, Throw Back Thursday, style - This Day in History in 1955, Disneyland opened in California. This would have been a fun event to see live and in person.

This fun historical event got me thinking - What Disney character are you? That is, in terms of how you teach. And, which Disney character is/are your child(ren)?

Do you have a Dumbo? Oh, not in the horrible name-calling sense. But, does your child have a unique trait which is what will carry him, flying through successes in life?

Are you Sleeping Beauty, with a full year's worth of amazing curriculum planned but you're too overwhelmed to breathe, so you're sleeping through what could be your wake up kiss.

Do you often feel like Cinderella, doing all the work and waiting for your fairytale magic to begin?

There are tons of Disney characters to choose from, and far more scenarios as to why you feel like you or your children relate to that specific character.

....I just hope it's not Grumpy or Goofy!

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: American President in Berlin to Bicycles to Beatles

In true TBT (Throw Back Thursday) style, on this day in history (June 26), a wide array of events took place which are fun to study for history's sake or just for fun.

PE TRIVIA

1819 - The bicycle was patented.  This is also important to my family, because we love to bicycle. There is a statewide trail in our town that used to be an old railroad line, along the Missouri River. It's called the K-T trail (Kansas-Texas Railroad is what it stands for, I believe).

AMERICAN HISTORY TRIVIA

1804 - After traveling 400 river miles westward, the Lewis & Clark Expedition reached the mouth of the Kansas River. Lewis & Clark are of extra importance to us, because we live on the outskirts of St. Louis (You know, Gateway to the West marked by this large silver color ARCH).

1844 - John Tyler, the first president to get married while in office married Julia Gardiner.

1963 - President John F. Kennedy announced, "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" while he stood at the Berlin Wall in Germany. His announcement is translated, "I am a Berliner".

THEATER/MOVIE/DRAMA TRIVIA

1925 - "The Gold Rush", Charlie Chaplin's film premiered.

MUSIC TRIVIA

1964 - The Beatles released their album, "A Hard Day's Night"
1977 - Elvis Presley played his last concert before his death.

Throw Back Thursday TBT: Free Learning Comic Download Comic Strips in History and Who Put the "O" in Cheerios

This day in history, for Throw Back Thursday #TBT, there are a couple significant events in the world of comic strips. Now, this might not sound very important in the scope of things seeing as how there are other important things that happened on this day in history, but comic strips can be an amazing teaching tool for children who have a natural aversion to reading long chunks of text, or for those who are creatively and artistically expressive.

My son, for instance, tuned me out when I used to read history to him as a young boy, but when he discovered graphic novels - He read and enjoyed!

This day in history:

1923 - Comic Strip "Moon Mullins" made its debut

Followed by:

1940 - Brenda Starr became the first woman portrayed in a comic strip.

Another unexpected learning tool emerged onto the grocery shelves in 1941. This was the year that Cheerios invented its O-shaped cereal. Today, many toddlers learn more than their pincer grasp using Cheerios cereal. There are books and other helpful tools that allow teachers and moms to use a fairly healthy oat cereal to teach.

Find the Cheerios Play Book

Along with other Cheerios-related counting, costume play, animal fun, or Christmas books that use Cheerios for hands-on read-along learning.

Discover your own comic book or Cheerio book fun to use as learning tools at these sites:

FREE COMIC STRIP LESSON PLAN

FREE MAKE YOUR OWN COMIC USING DIARY OF A WIMPY KID

FREE PRINTABLE SPEECH BUBBLES

Toondoo

Pixton

Bitstrips

Make Beliefs Comix

Marvel Kids

Strips Generator

FREE PRINTABLE COMIC STRIP TEMPLATES

ANOTHER FREE PRINTABLE COMIC STRIP TEMPLATE

FREE PRINTABLE COMIC STRIP TEMPLATE FROM TEACHING IDEAS

All pictures are from Wikipedia or Amazon and are in the public domain for use as book covers or other common use.

TBT Throw Back Thursday: A Tribute to Father's Day

Since Sunday is Father's Day this year, today's Throw Back Thursday blog post is going to be a tribute to Father's Day.

Fathers don't always get the honor and respect that a good father deserves. Today's culture often makes dads look like numb skulls. While, other males who are responsible for a human life are actually far from deserving of the title: Father.

The Bible sets forth an example of what a loving father should be:

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;    ...Psalms 103:13

A real father is loving and tender without sacrificing his masculinity. This complex idea of being tough, yet tender is not something that is easily fathomable by our little human brains. Yet, it is completely possible. And, many men actually fulfill this calling.

       

So, what role does a father play in your homeschool?  In ours, dad is:

• Funny
• Main Bread Winner
• The Principal
• Creative
• Entertaining
• Eyes Fixed on God
• Devotion Leader
• In Love With His Kids

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: Wisconsin and other important facts

History doesn't have to be one long boring text book. It is, in fact, a series of documented events that really happened and form our story. We can either learn from it, or ignore it.

I decided that Throw Back Thursday was a great time to look back on these stories that make up the fabric of our lives. Not every day holds significant major life-changing noteworthy events. Though, I will pull from what I uncover and present enough interesting (at least I hope it's interesting to someone other than myself) historical events from this day in history that you can create a lesson plan of the core subjects.

Perhaps, it's said best by someone born on this very day several years ago, Patrick Henry - "I know of no way of judging the future but by the past."

So, here goes:


But, there's more:

Social Studies:

On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin was admitted to the Union as the 30th state in the United States of America.  To my family, this makes us very happy.  We really love touring in Wisconsin every year. So, we are happy for this day in history.

In 1917, John F. Kennedy was born.

Believe it or not, other things happened on this day in history as well:

Science:

On this day in 1886, a pharmacist introduced America to Coca-Cola by placing his first ad. The soda drink became associated with being almost as American as baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet.

On this same day in 1919, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity was tested.

English:

Poet Gerald Massey was born May 29, 1828.
Poet, journalist, writer G. K. Chesterton was born in 1874.

Read, learn, use for copywork quotes from G. K. Chesterton, or other people born on this day.
Quotes from John F. Kennedy is a well-known place to start. Another famous person born on this day is Patrick Henry, war hero and politician.

Math:

There is a blog I discovered that has interesting facts about things that happened throughout history which relate to math.  Discover what happened today in Math History on this day, May 29.

Music and the Arts:

In musical and entertainment news:

In 1939, Bob Hope was born on May 29.
In 1942, Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott trotter Orchestra recorded Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" which became the best-selling Christmas single - We watched this movie with my children awhile back, and it made for some fun musical trivia discussions.

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: Memorial Day

No, as far as I know, the first Memorial Day did not occur on May 22 (This day in history). However, with Memorial Day rapidly approaching this upcoming weekend, I thought it appropriate to talk about Memorial Day on Throw-Back-Thursday.

For starters, I wanted to share my very first post with Knoji - What is Memorial Day?

And, finish it off with a Memorial Day Quiz.

How much do you really know about this national holiday?

When you celebrate this weekend with BBQs, picnics, and parades - Remember those who are no longer this side of heaven.

Maybe it's a member of the military who gave his or her life for your freedom.

Maybe it's a family member, like a grandma or an aunt, whom you will never forget and never stop missing.

Maybe it's a friend who you said your final good-byes to.

Maybe it's your savior, who gave the ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

Whoever you are remembering, honor these special someones on Memorial Day!  And, then also enjoy some laughter, some get-togethers with friends and family, and some BBQ.  Remembering isn't all somberness. It's also memorializing the joy and special reasons you miss them!

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: McDonald's Hamburgers, Auschwitz, and Young Sailors

On this day in history, for Throw Back Thursday (TBT):

Throw-Back-Thursday is a fun time to reach back into history and pull out interesting topics to study, especially if you're having a rough day homeschooling or just are a history buff.

It's a wide span, but three years of noteworthy happenings in history occurred on this date years ago:

In 1940 - McDonald's opened their first restaurant in California, in a town called San Bernardino.

In 1944 - 14,000 Jews sent to Auschwitz.  The same day, a D-Day plan was discussed by Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Montgomery, and George VI, and in comparison far less important news that happened the same day was that Clyde Shoun of the Cincinnati Reds played a no-hitter against the Boston Braves.

In 2010 - Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail solo around the world, unassisted.

Any of these years' worth of events from history could spark an entire unit study's worth of fun activities and learning, from making your own newspaper boats and having a floating race contest to studying about Jewish history, or how World Wars began and ended.

In celebration of McDonald's, grill your own burger or treat the kids to a restaurant meal. If you're a vegetarian, enjoy a garden burger or a salad. Just have fun with whatever you choose to learn about history.

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: Mother's Day, Coca-Cola, The US Post Office and More

On this day in history, 1794, the US Post Office was established. Since that time, the cost of one postage stamp for a First Class letter has gone up several times. However, through it all, I for one am happy that they are still around. I am a seller on eBay, and if it were not for the USPS, I'd be paying a lot more to have my packages shipped....  Well, usually that is.  Sometimes other places beat the price.

In 1886, a pharmacist named Dr. John Styth Pemberton invented the formula for what we would eventually call Coca-Cola.

1914 - The United States Congress passed a Joint Resolutionthat would designate the second Sunday in May as Mother's day.

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: National Day of Prayer

Today, in Throw Back Thursday, and current day events, is the National Day of Prayer.

Of course, every day is a great day to pray, but the National day of Prayer has brought the entire nation together before God for years.

The National day of Prayer is held every year on the first Thursday in May. Since its creation in 1952 by a joint resolution of the US Congress and signed into law by President harry S. Truman, the day has been celebrated by people of all faiths to come together in prayer for our nation.

According to the National Day of Prayer organization's task force site, there have been 142 presidential national calls to pray, 65 Presidential Proclamations for a National Day of Prayer, and at least 1,259 state and federal calls for national prayer since 1775.

Will you be celebrating the National Day of Prayer?

The National day of Prayer site lists community events across America that are open for you to join others in prayer. Of course, you are also welcome to silently pray alone or as a family.

What will you pray about today?

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: Hersheypark Opens

Another TBT, Throw Back Thursday, means another chance to learn some fun tidbits about history. And, today in TBT, "tidbits" might include delicious chocolate.

This day in history, in 1907, Hershey Park was founded by Milton S. Hershey. It was originally intended to be used exclusively by his employees. According to Hershey history, the park opened on April 24 with a baseball game.

Today, it is a thriving tourist hot spot in Pennsylvania.

Before you visit, it would be fun to learn a little bit about the product that put Hershey and Hershey Park on the map for this day in history.

Some interesting facts about Hershey include:

Milton S. Hershey only completed the 4th grade
He was the only surviving child of his parents
The original appeal of the Hershey Park was its simplicity
A merry-go-round was the first ride at the park
The ampitheatre was described as a "model of excellence" and considered to be one of the most acoustically perfect buildings of similar structures.

Read more about a brief history of chocolate from the Smithsonian.


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TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: Passover and Easter Holy Week to Resurrection

On this Throw Back Thursday, TBT, it is a special Holy week edition.  While, Holy Week is often associated with the Catholic Church and Lent, Passover is also being celebrated. And, one Holy Week thousands of  years ago, Passover had just been celebrated by Jesus and His disciples when the events that would change the world began to transpire.

The Jewish Faith remembers the Passover, when the Jewish people were freed from slavery. After God sent several plagues to Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let His people go, the final plague would do the trick.  The final plague came with a warning and instruction to the Israelites, to place blood of a lamb on their doorposts. That night, when the death angel arrived in Egypt, if the death angel saw the blood on the doorposts, he would pass over that household. However, grief came to the households of those without the lamb's blood, because the first-born son of each household without the blood was killed.

After this, Pharaoh let God's people go, free from slavery.  But, they wetre sent off in a hurry, with no time for even their bread to rise.  That is why God commanded them to remember Passover each year by purging the leaven (yeast) from their houses and not eating anything with yeast in it for 7 days.

The traditional Seder meal takes place during Passover, and each part of the meal holds a special remembrance.

Christians believe that the symbols of Passover pointed to Jesus Christ, who has fulfilled these prophecies.

Those of the Jewish faith believe that there is still a savior and an Elijah yet to come.

In Christian households this week, the Holy Week of Easter (or some prefer the term Resurrection Sunday) is being celebrated.  The week typically includes a Thursday evening communion service, which is symbolic of the original Passover that Jesus attended before heading out to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he wept and prayed that the salvation of mankind could transpire some other way.  In the end, He would be obedient to the Will of his Father, God, and be brought before Pilate, tried and convicted for blasphemy claiming to be the Son of God, and finally crucified between two thieves. Christians honor this as Good Friday.

BUT, THAT IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY

Sometime before dawn on Sunday morning, the first day of the week, the Bible tells us that two women came to the tomb where Jesus was laid after his death. But, when they arrived there was an angel awaiting them who asked them:

WHY DO YOU SEEK THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD.  HE IS NOT HERE. HE IS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID!

BUT, THAT IS NOT EVEN THE END OF THE STORY

Christians also celebrate Jesus' transfiguration and ascension into the heavenly realms where He now sits, on the right hand of His Father God, pleading for us and our salvation - For those who believe and call on the name of Jesus.

This Throw Back Thursday is a great time to remember your faith with special activities and devotions with your children and family.

Take a break from logging core subjects to give complete focus and reverence in jubilation to what Jesus Christ, our Savior, has done for us!

HE IS RISEN...

HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

TBT Throw Back Thursday This Day in History: Titanic, Pulitzer, Salvation Army and Other Events

Last week, I decided to jump on the Throw Back Thursday bandwagon and post some historic photos of my family on Facebook.  When I was rummaging through old photos, the thought occurred to me - WHY NOT USE THROW BACK THURSDAY AS A WAY TO LEARN HISTORY.

So, here you have it! As part of #TBT, this Throw Back Thursday blog section helps to teach about This Day in History - An attempt to make history learning fun!

And, there's something for everybody.  There's science, math, language arts, history, art, music, religious studies, Bible, and more. Any historic event can easily be transformed into an entire unit study that fills up your lesson plans. Just use a little creativity, and explore the subjects that interest you and your kiddos the most.

This week, in 2014, Thursday falls on April 10:

Wikipedia

This week -

On April 10, 1790, the US Patent system was formed. With this knowledge, it would be fun to spark a unit study on inventions. Be creative, and see what your kiddos will invent. Is it something that would be worthy of applying for a patent?

April 10, 1872 - The first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska.  Celebrate by planting a tree, or creating artwork with tree designs.

April 10, 1887 - President Abraham Lincoln was re-buried.  That's right....  A second burial.  This time so he could be next to his wife in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln holds a special place in my heart because I have a child who was born on his birthday. Studies about Abraham Lincoln are almost limitless.

And, if you like to travel and have the budget - Today would be a great day to celebrate the first hotel that opened in Hawaii, today in 1825.

One of the biggest news for this day in history:

1912 the Titanic left the Southampton Port on its maiden voyage, which would be its last. In reading about the Titanic on History.com, I learned some interesting facts. Of course, there's the obvious history lesson, along with:

Math - Determine dimensions of the Titanic, determine how many lifeboats would have been sufficient to save the entire ship full of people, calculate the coordinates at sea. Determine the estimated temperature of the water.  There is plenty of math to be learned from the Titanic. For the advanced, want-to-be-challenged: Design your own replica of the Titanic, by mathematically recreating its specs. For the rest of us...ENJOY AN ART PROJECT of creating your own boat. Create something as simple as a newspaper boat, or something more complex.

Science - Learn about icebergs and rescues at sea. Learn about the ocean life that would have been active in this part of the world. Host sink or float experiments using your created boats, or just use household objects.

Language Arts - Research poems that have been written about the Titanic. Look up old news accounts of the events, as they were reported in 1912. Compare what the public opinion was before the ship set sail, and how it changed after the sinking.  Read historic accounts, either online or from your local library.

More events that took place on this day in history (Throw Back Thursday), after the Titanic set sail, are as follows:

April 10, 1916 - The first professional golf tournament was held. (Do you like golf? If the weather is nice, take the kids to a mini golf course. Or, if you already know how to golf, go for a full 18 hole course.

April 10, 1925 - The Great Gatsby is published (If you don't already have a copy of this book, head for your local library to pick up a copy and get reading). It's probably more appropriate of a reading level and content for high school students, or possibly upper middle schoolers. Use your own judgment.

April 10, 1945 - Allies liberated the first Nazi Concentration Camp in Buchenwald. As historic as this event is, this could obviously spark other Religious Studies lessons as well as lessons from Science and genetics and what was once thought, by Hitler, to be the Superior Race through genetic selection.

April 10, 1953 - First 3-D movie released. But, it may not be what you want to show your kids. It was a horror movie, called House of Wax. The fact that a 3-D movie was released on this date, however, does make for a fun art or theater lesson. Celebrate by taking in your favorite 3-D movie that is currently showing at a nearby theater, or learn more about the art of 3-D viewing. Make your own 3-D picture, and don't forget the glasses.

Some Famous People Born on this day:

1829 William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army was born on April 10. This recognition of his birth day could easily spark lessons in Bible and Religious Studies, but it could also spur on your homeschoolers to learn about community service or even start a fund, used clothing, or can drive to contribute to the Salvation Army. Read more about his life on Wikipedia, and explore the Salvation Army website for more information. Here's what he looked like at about the age of 33:

Wikipedia

1847 Joseph Pulitzer was born on April 10. You may be familiar with his name as part of the "Pulitzer Prize" for newspapers. Learn more about his life at Wikipedia. Locally, he has been associated with the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper, as depicted in this #TBT pic:

Wikipedia

1915 Actor Harry Morgan (M.A.S.H. and Dragnet) was born on this date. While the TV show, M.A.S.H. is not 100% true to historic fact, it can be used to pique interest in real, factual, wartime events. Read more about Harry Morgan on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia

TBT Throw Back Thursday Turns This Day in History Into Visual Learner Fun

#TBT Throw Back Thursday Turns This Day in History into Visual Learner Fun from Pics of Yesteryear

Every TBT, that's Throw Back Thursday for all of you unaware of abbreviated Hashtags, I see all these amazing pics on Facebook from yesteryear.  Every TBT, I miss out on finding one to post. Today, I got an idea:  Wouldn't it be fun to use TBT to learn about history?

So, I checked it out.  Did anything special happen on this day in history that would be interesting to learn about for Throw Back Thursday?

Though, it would take years before the phone was established as a household item, on this day (March 27) in 1884, the first long-distance telephone call was made between Boston and New York.

Read more about this first long distant call at hightechhistory.com

The concept of a newly invented telephone is odd enough to kids today seeing as how even a dial phone with a cord attached throws them into a possible laughing fit trying to imagine how it is to actually be tied to a phone, unable to walk away to hold a conversation.

Now, the fun begins.

Science:  Learn about copper and how inventors discovered it to be a better conductor of sound than iron, which was previously used.  For Minecraft fans, mine some copper and create your own on-screen inventions.

Language Arts:  Look at the TBT pic, and write a paragraph about what you would have said in your first long-distant phone conversation.

History: Learn about Alexander Graham Bell and how he contributed to getting phones into houses.




Math:  In 1881, the cost to connect a phone between Boston to Providence was $2 Daytime and $1 Night-time. Determine what that would be equivalent to in today's monetary system.  Also, talk about how we used to be able to make an emergency call on a pay phone. Operator calling was free, you could call collect and have the receiver pay for the call. Or, other calls cost a dine, then a quarter and kids were always told to carry enough change to make a phone call.