Know Your Presidents and Their Wives

Seems like all of my kids had a fascination with the presidents at some point, and my daughters were especially interested in the First Ladies.

We've owned several books about presidential history; this is one of the best, because the biographies are brief and well-illustrated, so they hold the attention of younger kids.

This particular 1963 edition has a supplement that was added soon after President Kennedy was assassinated. It includes the complete text of his inaugural address, the sad story of his assassination, and bios of President Johnson and his wife.

This book is softcover, was printed in 1963, has 76 pages and is in very good condition. Sorry....this one's sold.

Our Living Constitution, Then and Now

This book has been a really useful one for us, as I used it to teach all three of my older kids about the U.S. Constitution.

It goes through the Constitution a step at a time after giving some of the historical background of how it was written. Articles and amendments are explained in clear terms and punctuated with illustrations, so as not to overwhelm the reader. There are many pages of exercises, plus several more with fun activities. An answer key is included. There is also a Constitution trivia game with "game cards" you can photocopy and use.

The book says it's written for grades 5-8+. I think older students (grade 8+) would get a lot more out of it than younger students. I used it when mine were in high school, primarily because I kept postponing a study of the Constitution because there were so many other subjects we wanted to cover.

This book is softcover, has 158 pages, was printed in 1987 and is in good condition. Sorry....this one's sold.

American Government: Puzzles, Games and Individual Activities

I'm not sure you can still buy these Hayes reproducible activity books anymore, and that's too bad. I really liked these because they're great for independent work, and they're blackline masters, so they photocopy beautifully.

This particular book (I already sold the geometry and algebra versions) has crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blank activities, and unscramble-the-word activities that are great for reinforcing vocabulary growth. There is also a page that requires the student to agree or disagree with statements about the U.S. political process as it relates to young people.

I used this book along with an activity book about the U.S. Constitution, which I'll be posting tomorrow, when my kids studied the Constitution. This book is paperback, 24 pages plus answer key, printed in 1982 and in excellent condition. Sorry....this one's sold.

God's Grace Bible Studies (Set of Three)

I happened to find these last summer while visiting my son at the Christian bookstore he manages. They are unique because they combine Bible study and history.

The books were written to be adult group Bible study guides, but I used them with dd17 last fall and winter, and they worked fine just for two people.

These guides include many photographs and editorial cartoons from the time periods studied, as well as brief stories and comments from people who lived during those times. The selections from the Bible chosen for each section are especially applicable when examining the events of the decades covered in these books: the 1940s, 1960s, and the 1970s (those are the only books they had left; I wish I could have gotten them all).

These books are softcover, printed in 1999 and 2000, have 40-48 pages each, and are in excellent condition. Sorry, these have been sold.

The Mayflower Pilgrims

This book is a reprint (by Christian Liberty Press) of the classic textbook of the same name. It details the lives of the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower, and is appropriate for grades 8-12, or can be read aloud to younger children.

This book was printed in 1993, is softcover, has 256 pages and is in excellent condition. Sorry....this one's sold.

Narcissa Whitman, Pioneer Girl

This book is part of the "Childhood of Famous Americans" series. It was originally in a school library, and once we got a hold of it, my daughter apparently decided it needed to have a title on the cover and not just on the spine.

This book is hardcover, printed in 1953, has 192 pages and is in average condition (no loose pages). Sorry....this one's sold.