Hands on American History Projects for a Civil War Unit Study

With the world in tumultuous times, there may be no more important time to study history and to learn from past mistakes and triumphs. To fully learn from history, I believe you need to consider more than just dates, events, and famous names. You need to consider the motivation and the context behind it all.

American history need not be a dull subject, no matter how you felt about it in your own days of public school. Using living books, immersive hands-on American history projects, and field trips whenever possible can truly bring the topic to life.

Hands-on History Projects from Home School in the Woods

With the current state of affairs in the United States, I decided it was a good time for a hands-on American history study on the Civil War. Home School in the Woods had just the resource I wanted in their Time Travelers series of U.S. history studies: The Civil War in America.

My daughters know that when we do a project from Home School in the Woods, it’s going to be good. It will be thorough, engaging, and memorable. We still have our finished projects from other studies we’ve done (Ancient Egypt and a la carte projects) and have included them in our yearly homeschool portfolio reviews.

What is the Time Travelers series?

The Time Travelers U.S. History Studies bring history to life through immersive projects and hands-on study. There are currently seven title available in the series:

New World Explorers
Colonial Life
The American Revolution
The Early 19th Century
The Civil War
The Industrial Revolution through the Great Depression
World War II

Read more specifics in this post: What are the Time Travelers U.S. History Studies?

I also recommend learning more about using Time Travelers to teach American history.

What is included in the Civil War in America history study?

This history study is very comprehensive. There are 25 lessons included, along with tips and instructions for use, a teacher’s answer key, a list of additional resources for further study, and all the printables and instructions you’ll need to do the activities and assemble a lapbook. You can access the study via instant download or you may purchase a CD-rom through the mail.

The Civil War history study is aimed for third through eighth graders. It is a great way for the family to learn together since it can be adjusted for a wide range of ages. Two of my daughters (ages 10 and 12) worked on this together.

Lessons include:

Slavery in America
Causes for Conflict
Fort Sumter and the Union Blockade
Bull Run/1862 Valley Campaign
The Merrimack and the Monitor
Shiloh
The Peninsular Campaign
The Second Bull Run
Antietam
Fredericksburg/Chancellorsville
Gettysburg and Vicksburg
Frederick Douglass
The 54th Massachusetts
The Gettysburg Address
Chickamauga and Chattanooga
Wilderness/Petersburg
Sherman’s March to the Sea
Surrender at Appomattox
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Before, During, and the Aftermath
Reconstruction

There is a suggested calendar included with the lessons broken up over 5 weeks. They suggest 4 days of study and the 5th day is scheduled specifically as a project day to catch up on loose ends from the week.

We didn’t follow this schedule exactly, but it was nice to see the breakdown to help me keep track of what we had covered and what we hadn’t yet.

Supplies needed

You’ll need the basic supplies you would use to put together any lapbook, including:

For some of the projects you’ll need felt, material, and a sewing kit.

You’ll also want a three-ring binder with a clear insert cover and spine to keep all of the reading material and other papers and maps in order.

My daughters’ favorite part was learning about the women of the Civil War. From spies to women who disguised themselves as soldiers to nurses and writers, women played important roles during the war between the states. I was glad to see this included in the study since it’s not always covered in other resources.

We also enjoyed learning about Frederick Douglass and his newspaper in New York. We had learned about him while studying the suffragette movement and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The women’s suffragette movement had its roots together with the abolitionist movement. It’s fascinating to see how these struggles for basic human rights work alongside each other throughout history.

One of the things we covered in this study was the 54th Massachusetts, which was a black regiment. I don’t remember learning this information in my public school experience, so it’s another thing I’m glad they included. I want my daughters to see the whole picture of history and the significance of standing up for the right thing.

Another favorite lesson included the role of Christianity and the Bible during the Civil War. We learned about Bible tracts and “The Silent Comforter.” One of the projects is to make these embroidered Bible verses that were handed out to the wounded soldiers to comfort them and help them to find peace if they were dying.

The timeline of events and notable people is an excellent visual aid to show the span of the war across five Aprils. The maps are another important part of the project. Identifying which states were part of the North, South, and the path of the Underground Railroad are included. There are 40 activities so it’s difficult to do them all justice in just one blog post. That’s why we have extended our studies beyond 5 weeks.

My daughters liked the copywork of quotes from notable people of the Civil War, too. There really isn’t any “twaddle” or busywork amongst these projects. If you like a Charlotte Mason influence in your homeschool, this would definitely fit into your learning style well.

We’re currently reading aloud Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt to enrich our study, too. We just finished reading Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers by Jean Fritz to learn more about the “little woman who started this great war,” as Abraham Lincoln reportedly called her.

Points to consider

Prepare to print. A lot. If you don’t want to print it all at home, then I suggest using a service like the Homeschool Printing Company or Staples to print it all out for you.

Prepare to do a lot of cutting, taping, gluing. This would be the hands-on part, obviously. These are big projects with many activities. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do every single activity included. Doing just half of them would make for a very comprehensive study.

There are 40 activities so it’s difficult to do them all justice in just one blog post. That’s why we have extended our studies beyond 5 weeks as well. We haven’t yet completed our newspapers that are part of putting all the projects together. There is a file folder game, handicrafts, the lapbook base, Victorian scrap cards, and more. As I said, this study is thorough and so engaging. My girls have loved all the projects we’ve done so far.

Admittedly we did not do all of the activities. For example, we didn’t make uniforms or the felt regimental badges. Depending on how much your children enjoy sewing projects or creative activities such as costume play, you may or may not include these. There are photos included so that you can look at all the projects even if you don’t complete them. You can still include them in your discussions that way.

I’m mentioning these things not to scare you off or deter you from the projects, but so that you fully understand that this is intensively hands-on, just as the name and description suggest.

I believe these projects are worth the effort. If you really want history lessons to stick and become meaningful, these hands-on projects are the way to go. I can guarantee your children will retain more information by learning this way. When they retain more information, they gain not only in knowledge, but in the wisdom to use that knowledge through critical thinking skills.

If I had to sum up The Civil War Time Travelers hands-on study in one word, it would be thorough. After completing the included projects, your children will have a solid grasp of the battles, important figures, politics, moral issues, uniforms, medical care, the Underground Railroad, and more during the time of the Civil War.

Learn more about Home School in the Woods

Home School in the Woods has a U.S. Elections Lap-Pak, which is ideal for this election year. You can learn more about it in this post: Studying U.S. Elections Hands-on with an Incredible Lapbook.

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Sara

Author/Speaker/Consultant at Heart and Soul Homeschooling

Sara is a homeschool mom to 3 creative girls. She holds a degree in Social Work specializing in early childhood development, which led to her interest in individualized educational options like homeschooling. She believes that learning should be a lifelong adventure, not just a checklist to get through. She is a writer, avid reader, introvert (INFJ), and dreamer of dreams.