Reviews

DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW. I WAS NOT REQUIRED TO WRITE A POSITIVE REVIEW NOR WAS I COMPENSATED IN ANY OTHER WAY.

Men on the high seas, risk life and limb in service to others.  I give you
Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities.  Rebecca Locklear has put together a lovely unit study, geared for upper elementary to highschool, filled with a ton of activities so you can immerse your students into the lives and work of these brave men.  You can find more of her amazing unit studies at Rebecca Locklear.

How Did We Use It?

My son was interested in this review, but found himself really busy.  In talking with him I asked if it would be helpful if I read to him select portions and included him in any art projects, cooking lessons etc.   A huge breath of relief flooded his face.  

Ergo I’ve made decisions about what he learns, focusing on aspects that will enhance his studies of WW2.  He’s in the middle of understanding naval battles and how people survived harsh treatment (Japanese POW camps).  Understanding the fortitude of these early service men and how they survived by sticking together has been an important aspect of his learning. 

In a way, it was kinda funny.  I was excited to see recipes as part of this unit study which comes as a PDF book.  I like cooking and trying new foods.  Reading one of the recipes out loud to my hubby I received the response “oh, that doesn’t sound good at all!”.   I made it anyways and seeing the look of surprise on his face (and on the face of the lad) was priceless.  “This is good, you’re going to make it again right?”  It gave us a great opportunity to talk about how the men would take turns cooking, and how they used what they had at hand.   In fact, this meal has been added into our repertoire!  🙂   So easy AND tasty!

I caught a couple of dastardly squirrels in my backyard this spring, and when we read about the strong use of wildlife as part of their diet, the lad quipped “Squirrel stew I suppose eh mom? They would have enjoyed it with some potatoes!”  Not quite my thing, but perhaps….

About the Author

Rebecca Locklear is the author of Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities.   She has taught multiple levels as a teacher, and uses that experience to create history unit studies for teachers of any sort to use. 

Why did Rebecca Locklear put this study together?   She tells us the following in the opening pages:

What do you get?

120 pages of information, crafts, recipes, activities and more so you can immerse yourself into the lives of the men of the U.S. Life Saving Service. 

The book contains:

• Introduction for Teachers
• Introductory Workshop
• Workshops (4 Units)
  • life at the station house
  • working together at the station
  • the culture of character
  • relevance today
• Expanding the Life-Saving Vision through the Arts
• Research Areas Relating to the U.S. Life-Saving Service
• Appendix 1 & 2
• Glossary
• Sources
• Acknowledgements

Questions pepper the pages.  You’ll find them mixed into the text, or following a section.  I love how they are mixed in, making them an easy part of reading through the materials. 

Pictures fill the pages.   Sometimes full pages, other times wrapped in amongst the text.  All are placed appropriately and add to the text.  Most were in black and white, some few in full colour. 

Variety in Activities

Most of the activities were geared toward classroom work with groups of children, as opposed to individual work by single students.   Some would be able to be adapted easily, and others are simply group activities.   You’ll find pictures, discussion questions, games, recipes, skits, music, stories, art and critical thinking activities.

Some could be adapted quite easily.  I think my son would have enjoyed this one if I could have convinced him to give it a whirl.  🙂   14 year olds who are sick of Covid-19 shut-in and wanting to spend time with friends…. they aren’t always so easy to convince.  🙂  “Just read mom, I like when you read to me and just ask questions.  I can do that and still do this too!”

I  really appreciated that a few of the activities were meant for individual work.   

The sheer volume of information present in such a good variety of ways makes me want to take this into my co-op group!  It meets the needs of every learner that I can think of.   Hands-on, interactive, research, tactile, and discussion.  AND if you are into following rabbit trails… learn to make knots, explore cooking with wild game, play tricks on each other, tell stories to pass the time, ship profiles, flags, survival skills, etc.

One of the biggest things I appreciated about this unit study was that the human element was emphasized.  Character qualities, work ethic, strength of will and bravery. All these aspects were pointed out numerous times in various ways to help us understand what it really took to be part of this service.  

Should You Get it?

While we struggled with the group aspect of many of the activities (kinda difficult to do a group with just one student) my son enjoyed listening to the history of the U.S. Life Saving Service. Such fascinating information.  

The materials are presented in a user-friendly manner and are easy to listen to and remember details of.  He could be playing Minecraft or his other game with his friends, listen and even answer questions.  He mentioned he would like to read some of the lessons himself and asked I send the file to his laptop.   That’s got to tell you something eh?

I freely admit, he didn’t have a lot of interest in doing any of the activities, but he did enjoy listening and learning and isn’t that what really matters?   Should you get it?  YES… it’s such an interesting part of history and gives a good basis for the rescue services we have today. 

Ms Locklear does an excellent job of meeting her purpose.  You will find
Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities to be a fun and useful addition to your historical studies.

Read Other Reviews

63 Members of the crew reviewed Rebecca Locklear’s materials.   After you read various reviews, remember to visit her site to sign up for her emails. 

Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities

The Mayflower at Cape Cod – Stories, activities, and research that connect 1620 with life today

Do you understand the nature of the earth we live on?  The layers and how it operates?   Albert Hopper, Science Hero will help your elementary students understand the basics of our world with humour, frogs, and great illustrations.   I can only hope this is the first in a long series of science book adventures!  🙂 

What I am Reviewing

John Himmelman uses liberal doses of humour to teach facts about the nature of the earth in Albert Hopper, Science Hero.  I received an advanced readers copy from Raincoast Books to share with you today.   Running at 144 pages and published by Henry Holt & Company Books for Young Readers, youth aged 6-8 will laugh their way through to the centre of the earth.  

Albert Hopper, Science Hero is on a mission: to travel to the center of the earth! With his wormlike ship Wiggles and the help of his niece and nephew, trusty Junior Science Heroes Polly and Tad, Hopper is ready to go where no frog has gone before.       Thick layers of rock and rubble, tunnels of lava, and temperatures of 6,000 degrees stand between our heroes and their prize. Will they make it? Find out in this funny and informative adventure.

The Details on Albert Hopper, Science Hero

Albert Hopper is uncle to Tad and Polly and he has a mission… Travel to the centre of the earth.  Can he do it, along with some help, in the Wiggles ship?

John Himmelman illustrates his own books, and in this first in a series book, the frogs are done in green against a black and white illustration. 

Using humour, Himmelman teaches words like stalagmite, sedimentary, and fossil.  Digging toward the centre of the earth, young scientists zip through the different eras of the earth.  

Throughout the 11 chapters this family of adventurers face various troubling circumstances. The question is always… will they make it?  What will they learn and see along the way?

I can’t say that all 6-8 year olds will be able to read this early chapter book easily.  There are some large words, but the large font and generally easy reading would make it decent read for them. Being challenged by larger words isn’t always a bad thing either as it encourages asking for help and/or using reading skills. 

Should you Get it?

Albert Hopper, Science Hero: worming to the centre of the earth would be an excellent book for any young scientist. An excellent primer into the geography of the earth and plate tectonics. 

It would be very useful in a study on the layers of the earth, old earth science, and earthquakes.  As I said on instagram, it’s a fun, goofy read and young scientists should thoroughly enjoy it. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed it…but most of the literature about the moon landing is all focused on the U.S.A?  But there’s this funny thing about the moon landing, it was a global effort.  People and materials from all over the world worked together.  In For All Humankind author, Tanya Harrison makes sure we know about the global impact of the moon landing. 

What I am Reviewing

For All Humankind: The Untold Stories of How the Moon Landing Inspired the World was inspired by the author’s desire to see the Moon Landing from the vantage of non-USA people.  8 chapters over 200 pages. Written by authors Tanya Harrison and Danny Bednar and published by Mango.

These previously untold stories reveal the impact of the moon landings around the globe, and what having a “man on the moon” meant to the international community.
In this exciting new book, For All Humankind, readers will:
* Get to read interviews with eight non-Americans to get their perspectives
* Be inspired by their memories of the event as they saw it
* Have a unique opportunity to learn more about one of the most historic events in human history

The Details on For All Humankind

8 stories from all over the world.  We meet men and women, boys and girls, from places such as Chile, Canada, Iran, England, Sudan, Mexico and India. Some faced disbelief, others had shared joy from family members, but always, there was excitement and wonder about a man being on the moon. 

These stories are personal, speaking to how they were impacted by the moon landing. Boys, girls, men, women…the impact of the moon landing was felt worldwide. 

Images in black and white dot the pages showing us scenes from the moon landing.  The whole book is done in shades of black and white. 

I really enjoyed the preamble before we got to the stories from around the world.   Did you know that “a Canadian company built the legs for the Eagle ….. Australian radio telescopes received the live footage“? (p.11)   Rather cool eh?  Even the work that others did before Saturn V was built enabled the Moon Landing to happen. 

Should you Get it?

For All Humankind is an informative, eye-opening read.  It was really interesting reading stories from all over. If I were truly into the Moon Landing and outer space and wanting books, I would definitively add this to my library.  Otherwise, I would be just as happy borrowing it from the library.  It’s definitely worth a good read.