Homeschool - Black History Month

Though we've been highlighting a variety of cultures, races, and religions throughout this school year, I decided Black History month would be the perfect opportunity to delve a little deeper into the lives of some of the movers and shakers of the black community.  Having the chance to talk to my kids in depth about the issues of racism and inequality has been a major perk of this time spent at home.  They would not have learned this in their traditional classroom at their elementary school.  It's one of the many reasons I have been very grateful for this bonus time with them this year.  

We found so many wonderful books highlighting black heroes throughout history at our local library.  We owned several also, giving us a great foundation of resources for learning.  

We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his I Have a Dream Speech.  

We made our own anti-racist posters.

We watched a really fantastic movie called, "Hidden Figures," about three amazing black women who worked at NASA and helped John Glenn get into space.  Both Nolan and Olivia were so impressed by them and were amazing/horrified to get a glimpse of what it might have been like to be a black woman in the 60s.  

The kids really enjoyed the music of Ray Charles, especially "Georgia on my Mind."  Nolan had the idea to make a piano craft.

Nolan and I spent a lot of time reading,  "What Was the Underground Railroad?"  We read it aloud together and he did different activities after he finished each of the nine chapters.  This book was so eye opening for him.  It told the harrowing tales of some of the brave men and women who escaped on the Underground Railroad, including Harriet Tubman, Henry Box Brown, and Ellen Craft.  We both really enjoyed learning about this together.  

We also read, "Who Was Nelson Mandela?"  It was another great story of a man who endured unthinkable hardships because of his race and overcame them to become a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a revolutionary.  It was very inspiring to delve into his story. 

Nolan finished Volume One of his Math Book this month!

We studied Dr Mae Jemison, the first black women astronaut in space.  We read Mae Among the Stars and the kids designed their own paper plate rockets.  Nolan also made his own construction paper solar system!

We studied black poets, Maya Angelou and Amanda Gorman, both of who wrote poems for presidential inaugurations.  The kids wrote their own poems using a formula I found online.  I love how they turned out and how they gave a glimpse into the personality, likes, and hopes of each kid.

We made an awesome Black Heroes poster.  For each black person we studied, the kids added their name and a symbol to help remember them.  Both kids could tell all about each person on this board if questioned.  I am really proud of their hard work on this.

Olivia is reading so well.  She is reliably reading level C books without difficulty.  We are spending a little time working on blends and she is doing great with that too.

This was such a fun, educational, and important month to dedicate to the study of black influential figures.  I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go more in depth on this topic with my kids because of the pandemic.  I hope this sticks with them always!