Happy Fourth of July!

The Fourth of July is the biggest community-wide celebration in my little coastal town every year. Marblehead was founded way back in 1629, and is well known for its role in the American Revolution. As such, this town loves to celebrate its history with colonial reenactments, a three-day long arts festival, live music performances, and of course, fireworks. Not just any fireworks, though, the best fireworks. 

The show begins with the harbor illumination:

{via}

And then, this:

{via}

 Our town really shines when it comes to its history, and I love that children here get to have such a personal learning experience. I wanted to find some literature that can help explain the details, so that young readers realize how truly inspiring the American Revolution can be.

I've come up with a short booklist of informational texts that help give children the full picture. What were people like back then? What did they wear? Why was the idea of a revolution so important to them? When they rallied together and cried, "Liberty or death!", what did they really mean? 

{on Goodreads}
Liberty or Death: The American Revolution, 1763-1783 by Betsy Maestro

{on Goodreads}
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore

{on Goodreads}

If You Were There in 1776 by Barbara Brenner

These texts will give children an introduction to reading non-fiction and historical books, and will hopefully help to spark their interest in the history of our country since 1776.

Enjoy the long weekend!



P.S. You may remember my bestie Allie from our Memorial Day collaboration back in May. Allie's blog, The Little Prince Project, inspires me to bring more American history and civics into my reading and I'm sure will be a great resource for me when I curate lesson plans for my future classes. Today she's featuring a lovely list of things to do on Independence Day to make the holiday a more educational and more mindful experience. She even managed to sneak in a book recommendation for adults! I encourage everyone to check out her post and explore her blog a bit!