Unless otherwise noted, I have previewed all YouTube clips to ensure that I would feel comfortable showing them to my own children before I recommend them to you and yours! But feel free to preview yourself to make sure clips are right for your family if you have any concerns. Enjoy!
Special Event: Caroline Starr Rose, Author of May. B
Note: This event was designed to be watched BEFORE reading May B. as a family!
Click the image below to enjoy the replay:
May B. Book Trailer (an enticing 30 seconds to get your kids hooked! ages 7+)
Links to Learn More:
- Order your copy of May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
- Download your May B. Reader’s Guide here!
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Spotlight: African American culture —>
Picture Book: Shades of Black by Sandra Pinkney (3 min; ages 3-6)
Picture Book: The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (8 min; ages 6+; for when your child is ready to learn about segregation–see below for Ruby Bridges today!)
The breathtaking courage of Harriet Tubman (5 min; ages 8+)
Follow the Drinking Gourd (5 min; ages 9+–so interesting!)
Conclusion of Martin Luther King Jr’s final speech–full text here (2 min; 12+)
Ruby Bridges Shares the Key to Overcoming Racism (10 min; powerful to discuss with your teens)
And That’s My Story with LeVar Burton (2-3 min each; stories of racism that are important to discuss with your teens, yet tough to hear; find the entire series here. Would be rated TV-14 for language/violent references. Preview first if concerned.)
Links to Learn More:
- Online Game: Play “Flight to Freedom,” for ages 11-14 from Mission US (requires creating a free account first; also includes other US history games)
- Audiobook: If you have access to the library app Hoopla, Harriet Tubman by Janet Benge is available there–click here to check it out (for ages 10+)
- Destination: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC via Google Maps
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Destination: Canada —>
Picture Book: Goodnight, Canada by Andrea Beck (2 min; ages 3-6)
Picture Book: Canada ABC by Paul Covello (3 min; ages 3-6)
Travel with Kids: Canada Stampede (7 min; ages 4-7)
An Introduction to Canada (3 min; ages 6+)
Two familiar faces visit Prince Edward Island, Canada back in 2016 (4 min; all ages)
Understanding the Levels of Canadian Government (3 min; ages 8+)
Geography Now: Canada (13 min; fun and so informative for teens/adults, but does contain a bit of “PG” language, so preview first if that’s a concern)
Links to Learn More about Canada:
- Enjoy this extensive virtual field trip to Prince Edward Island that I created a few years ago after my visit!
- Color Your Way Through Canada & learn a bit about each of its 13 provinces/territories!
- What’s it like growing up in Canada? Read this post to your kids to find out!
- Enjoy watching for Orca whales with this live cam from British Columbia
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Spotlight: Native American Culture —>
Picture Book: Ten Little Rabbits by Virginia Grossman (3 min; ages 3-6)
Picture Book: Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard (5 min; ages 3-6; enjoy this book, and then make fry bread in our North American recipes!)
Native Americans for Kids (5 min; ages 5-8)
Picture Book: Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Smith (5 min; ages 6-10)
Learn to do the Jingle Dance yourself! (3 min; all ages)
The true story of Sacajawea (3 min; ages 10+)
How the Brutal Trail of Tears Got Its Name (3 min, ages 12+)
What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist (3 min, ages 12+)
Links to Learn More:
- Free Audiobook: The Birchbark House (first book in a lovely series compared to the Native American equivalent of Little House for ages 9+; currently free to listen here on Audible)
- Cherokee Nation virtual field trip (ages 9+)
- Native American History Timeline
- Read Chief Powhatan’s address to Captain John Smith from 1609 (for teens)
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Destination: United States —>
Picture Book: This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie (6 min; ages 4+; stunning illustrations)
Picture Book: The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller (10 min; ages 5-10)
United States – Tour the United Nations (7 min; ages 4-8)
Tour the States – Official Music Video (4 min; amazing for all ages!)
How It’s Made – Fireworks (5 min; ages 8+)
America the Story of US: Declaration of Independence (4 min, ages 10+)
What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence (4 min, ages 10+)
History of the 4th of July (5 min, ages 13+)
Links to Learn More about the United States:
- Why Do We Celebrate the 4th of July – National Geographic Kids
- Free Independence Day coloring pages from Crayola
- Printables: Declaration of Independence activity & word search (ages 9+)
- Take a virtual tour of the Statue of Liberty
- Learn more about the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives
- Take a peek at the original documents from the Library of Congress
- Patriotic Music Playlist: Wee Sing America (We listened to this SO many times when my kids were little!)
- The bald eagle is the USA’s national bird–enjoy these bald eagle livecams!
- An interesting article about the oldest buildings in each of the 50 states