Hi all,
I have decided to simplify and only have my two initial blogs:
True North: Our Canadian Homeschool
and
This will mean that starting in May, this blog will no longer be available. I will continue sharing resources, but they will be from one of the blogs above. Thank you so much for visiting, and I hope that you will explore True North: Our Canadian Homeschool and Movies for Learning!
Blessings,
Natalie
“What do Shakespeare, salmon, sled dogs and the Queen of England have in common? They all play a part in Canadian life, and they are just a few of the topics covered in this book. Taking its name from the one-dollar and two-dollar coins in Canadian currency, Loonies and Toonies provides a well-rounded view of the country’s past and present. This virtual tour briefs children on the metric system, as well as on Canada’s ceremonial link to the British monarchy. En route, they’ll be inspired by stories of Terry Fox’s courageous run for cancer research and the undefeated record of the Bluenose sailing schooner. Before the trip ends, they’ll also discover why its not a good idea to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel!” Review by Amazon.
Loonies and Toonies – A Canadian Number Book Notebooking Pages
There is a great teacher’s guide available from Sleeping Bear Press to extend learning! Here is the link. Just download the guide along with the notebooking pages and you will have resources for an amazing Canadian Unit Study!
Blessings! Natalie
B is for Blue Planet: An Earth Science Alphabet by Ruth Strother (in Canada) is a wonderful way to read about many aspects of our amazing planet earth. This book spans many different aspects of earth science. This book is also available on EPIC!
“How much of Earth’s surface is covered by water? How do the northern lights get their colors? Planet Earth has been home to mankind for hundreds of thousands of years and while scientists have learned a lot about it, they’re still unraveling many of its mysteries. B is for Blue Planet: An Earth Science Alphabet explains what we do know about our planet and what more we have to learn. Examine Earth’s diverse ecosystems (deserts), discover geological wonders (karst caves), learn about weather phenomena (hurricanes), and much more. Ruth Strother has been in the publishing industry for more than twenty years and is the author of fifteen books for children.” review by Amazon.
B is for Blue Planet: An Earth Science Alphabet ( in Canada), along with the free notebooking pages above would be a wonderful unit for you and your students! You may want to add in some hands on activities and make it a complete unit study. You can find hands on ideas on my Pinterest board here!
You can read an excerpt from B is for Blue Planet here.
There is a teacher guide available from Sleeping Bear Press. It is very diverse and has many great printables for your unit study.
I hope to do more of these A-Z pages on a variety of topics; you will find them here on my blog, or on my Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook sites.
affiliate links from Amazon and Epic!
W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet (link for Canada) is a wonderful way to study the many aspects of the Ocean.
W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet (link for Canada) has beautiful illustrations as well as engaging information about ocean life. This would make a wonderful unit study! Add in hands on projects, experiments or Inquiry based work – (here is my Pinterest Board to get you started) and this would round out a very interesting and diverse study.
I read this book on EPIC! EPIC! is a wonderful way to access many different books including ones in a read along format. I have been enjoying reading a wide variety of books as I prepare for next year’s teaching and creating more resources for you!
These W is for Waves Notebooking Pages that I have provided have pages with images as well as plain pages without images. I have allowed space for drawing and for writing. I hope that these pages will bless your homeschool!
I hope to do more of these A-Z pages on a variety of topics; you will find them here on my blog, or on my Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook sites.
affiliate links to Amazon and Epic.
I am excited to share with you the new The Voyageur’s Paddle – Pick and Choose Literature Study by Kathy-Jo Wargin.
You can purchase The Voyageur’s Paddle here or you can find it on Epic!
This study spans Bible, Art, Music, Science including STEM, Social Studies and Language Arts. There are a wide variety of learning opportunities for you to pick and choose from. There are also many discussion questions for you and your student. Hopefully it will help you to begin your study of Voyageur’s and the Fur Trade.
This study is in the Creative Commons and is downloadable to your use. Please feel free to share it with others.
It is a joy to create these units for you! You can find other Pick and Choose Literature Studies here!
Blessings, Natalie
Here are the Western Canadian Province Mini Lapbooks that I have created for you, below is a booklist including titles in Canada and the Western Provinces:
Canadian Geography Mini Lapbook
Alberta Geography Mini Lapbook
Saskatchewan Geography Mini Lapbook
Manitoba Geography Mini Lapbook
Take a look at the Western Provinces Booklist available on Epic!
Wow Canada by Vivien Bowers
My Canada, An Illustrated Atlas by Katherine Dearlove
Exploring Countries: Canada by Colleen Sexton
Canada: The Land by Bobbie Kalman
British Columbia by Vivian Bowers
All Aboard! by Frieda Wishinsky
Alberta Alibi by Dayle Campbell Gaetz
Amanda in Alberta by Darlene Foster
Something Suspicious in Saskatchewan by Dayle Campbell Gaetz
L is for Land of Living Skies by Linda Aksomitis
(affiliate links to Amazon.ca and Epic)
With Canada’s 150 just around the corner, you may want to add some of these Canadian Flyer books into your summer reading! Below are teacher guides from Teaching Books that might help you with some extensions of the books. These books by Frieda Wishinsky are all about Matt and Emily as they get transported to different times and places in Canadian history. This Pinterest Board has many Canadian History and Geography resources and may help you with all of your Canadian history studies. Blessings!
All of the Canadian Flyer series is available on EPIC!
Teacher Guides from Teaching Books:
Booklist:
In this exciting debut title, we meet Emily and Matt, and are transported back in time with them to the year 1577. Matt and Emily find themselves aboard Martin Frobisher’s ship The Aid, anchored in Frobisher Bay. Adventure beckons!
This second title in the series fulfills every child’s fantasy of getting up close with a dinosaur — well, maybe not quite this close! It’s off to the Cretaceous period, in the Alberta Badlands. Maiasaura, Lambeosaurus, and T-rex, oh my!
It’s the late 1800s and gold rush fever has taken hold. Matt and Emily join the Klondike gold rush for a rich adventure. Will they find gold or lose their shirts? The people are colorful, the land is rugged, and this adventure is unlike anything else Matt and Emily have ever experienced.
Matt and Emily have the incredible experience of joining the famous Viking Leif Eriksson and his crew on their historic journey to Vinland in the year 1001. The kids’ ingenuity saves the day when crew members get lost in the new land.
On February 23, 1909, before a crowd of astonished onlookers, Alexander Graham Bell’s Silver Dart took flight. Emily and Matt are on hand and caught up in the thrill of witnessing this amazing story of first flight in Canada.
Emily and Matt arrive on the Canadian Prairies in 1910. They visit a one-room schoolhouse where they try to help a new friend deal with a classroom bully. But when a raging fire erupts, it’s Emily and Matt who need rescuing!
The Canadian Flyer takes Emily and Matt on their most important journey yet — to the Canada-U.S. border in 1858 to travel along the Underground Railroad. They befriend famous abolitionist Dr. Alexander Ross and a group of runaway slaves he’s helping escape to Canada. With slave catchers in close pursuit, will Emily and Matt be able to help their new friends cross the Niagara River to safety?
It’s 1778, and the sled takes Matt and Emily to the west coast, where they meet a Nootka boy about their age. When he takes them out in a canoe they get close (too close!) to a grey whale. Their actions raise the ire of the Nootka chief, who has enough to deal with, with a visit from Captain Cook that coincides with the kids’ visit.
Emily and Matt are excited to land on an old train. What’s more, this one’s heading for Craigellachie, British Columbia, where the last spike will be driven into the rails celebrating the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Will Emily and Matt make it in time for that historic occasion? Hop on the rails and explore another exciting piece of Canada’s past with Matt and Emily.
Matt and Emily are off to Quebec in the mid-1600s. There they meet Marie, whose father is about to marry one of the filles du roi, the women the King of France is encouraging to go to Quebec to marry settlers. Marie doesn’t want a new mother. Distraught, she stomps out of her house as heavy snow begins to fall. Emily and Matt race out to follow Marie. Can they find her before she’s lost in the snow?
Matt and Emily meet Kate and her brother John on a ship carrying World War II evacuees from Britain.The siblings are worried about their family in England and then John disappears. Can Emily and Matt help find John and help both kids adjust to life in Canada?
Matt and Emily land in a rough, tough western town simmering with tension between the Ktunaxa people and settlers. Will they be able to help Mountie Sam Steele clear two innocent men charged with murder, and stay out of danger themselves?
Emily and Matt experience the hardship of pioneer life as they travel through the wild of Upper Canada. They encounter uncharted forests, untamed rivers and rough roads. Will they be able to endure the trip and help their new friend, Thomas, get his mother safely to their homestead before she has her new baby?
Friends Matt and Emily land on the Titanic hours before it hits an iceberg. Can they save the ship by telling the captain of its fate?
In Make It Fair!, Emily and Matt travel to Winnipeg in 1914 and meet Nellie McClung, a woman who was most instrumental in the battle for women’s right to vote. They get invited to a play that is being performed a few days from then, a play which Nellie hopes will change everything for women in Manitoba. Can Emily and Matt help Nellie stand up to all the people who want to stop her fight for fairness and equal rights?
(reviews and affiliate links from Amazon.ca and EPIC!)
Oscar Lives Next Door: A Story Inspired by Oscar Peterson’s Childhood is a story about a great Canadian musician living in Montreal during his childhood. As a child Oscar has to overcome personal challenges to become a Canadian music legend. Oscar Peterson shows us that overcoming adversity is a possibility for us all!
With this Oscar Lives Next Door: Pick and Choose Literature Study I suggest that you read the story through with your child and choose the activities or discussion questions that best meet your families needs. You may want to read the book more than once with your student as you unfold the aspects of the story from the study. This study could be geared to your younger students or could be used for students in older grades. There is much to explore! Blessings! Natalie
(This study is under the Creative Commons and free for your use)
Oscar Lives Next Door: A Story Inspired by Oscar Peterson’s Childhood by Bonnie Farmer is also available on Epic!
Duke Ellington – The Piano Prince and His Orchestra
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat – Ella Fitzgerald
(affiliate links to Amazon.ca and Epic)
Fairy Tale Lapbook Pieces as well as several others are great for your ongoing study of Fairy Tales. They are general and can be used for any fairy tale. We enjoyed many of Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books over the years. Especially the Blue and Red Fairy Books.
You can find Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books free to download here.
You will be able to find many Fairy Tale unit study ideas in this Pinterest Board.
You can find many Fairy Tale books available from EPIC! Here is just a sample from my EPIC Fairy Tale Collection. Epic is a wonderful way to access a wide variety of books for your next unit study! I am excited to share many more collections and resources from EPIC! EPIC! has many of the Andrew Lang Fairy Books in their collections.
I hope this will help you with your next Fairy Tale study! Natalie
The Booklist below will allow you many opportunities to learn more about The News. These books along with the resources below would make a wonderful News Unit Study for your K-1 students.
This The News Unit Study Resources pack is free and includes resources for Bible, Math and Language Arts. This Pinterest Board has many more ideas to add to your study of The News. Choose a variety of projects and create a hands-on unit for lots of bible, reading, writing, math and science!
(This study is under the Creative Commons and free for your use)
The Daring Nellie Bly: America’s Star Reporter by Bonnie Christensen (for US)
The Daring Nellie Bly: America’s Star Reporter by Bonnie Christensen (for Canada)
The Furry News by Loreen Leedy (for US)
The Furry News by Loreen Leedy (for Canada)
Extra! Extra! Fairy Tale News from the Hidden Forest by Alma Flor Ada (for US)
Extra! Extra! Fairy Tale News from the Hidden Forest by Alma Flor Ada (for Canada)
Deadline! From News to Newspaper by Gail Gibbons (for US)
Deadline! From News to Newspaper by Gail Gibbons (for Canada)
Fairytale News by Colin Hawkins (for US)
Fairytale News by Colin Hawkins (for Canada)
Momma, Did you Hear the News? by Sanya Whittaker Gragg (for US)
Momma, Did you Hear the News? by Sanya Whittaker Gragg (for Canada)
Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki (for US)
Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki (for Canada)
Breaking News: Bears to the Rescue by David Biedrzycki (for US)
Breaking News: Bears to the Rescue by David Biedrzycki (for Canada)
Meet my Neighbor: The News Camera Operator by Marc Crabtree (for US)
Meet my Neighbor: The News Camera Operator by Marc Crabtree (for Canada)
The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey (for US)
The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey (for Canada)
(affiliate links to Amazon)
Creative Homeschool Mom 