Animated Hero Classics, Biographies for Kids

Updated 3/24/2020.

This is an animated biography series for kids that can be used for teaching history and character training. They can be hard to find online, though sometimes you can google for them and find them. Many libraries carry them and I highly recommend looking for them. The series focuses on the lives of 20 historical figures and their contributions to history. Here is more from the distributor's website:

"The Animated Hero Classic Series consists of 20 inspiring and educational stories of heroic men and women, with the emphasis placed on their accomplishments in world history and social sciences. The series focuses on the role in which they contributed to developing social, economic and political structures as well as in establishing and spreading ideas that helped to transform the world forever."

The best part is they each have a great activity guide! You can get them here.

1. Abraham Lincoln - Teaches Honesty, Friendship, Love, Peacemaking, Faith, Patriotism, Judgment, Wisdom, Fortitude, and Dedication.
2. Alexander Graham Bell - Teaches Kindness, Dedication, Idealism, Concentration, Endurance
3. Beethoven - Teaches Persistence, Dedication, Courage, Diligence, and Overcoming Obstacles.
4. Benjamin Franklin - Teaches Curiosity, Duty, Frugality, Patience, Industry, Discipline, Humility
5. Christopher Columbus - Teaches Courage, Humility, Persistence, Faith, Leadership, Optimism
6. Florence Nightingale - Teaches Sacrifice, Compassion, Charity, Goodness, Courage, Kindness, Persistence, Empathy, Justice
7. Galileo - Teaches Integrity, Confidence, Education, Patience, Humility, Endurance, Wisdom
8. George Washington - Teaches Integrity, Commitment, Love, Peacemaking, Faith, Humility, Courage
9. Harriet Tubman - Teaches Indomitable Spirit, Faith, Courage, Trust, Love, Sacrifice, Loyalty, Hope, Compassion, Confidence
10. Helen Keller - Generosity, Patience, Love, Kindness, Discipline, Dedication, Perseverance
11. Joan of Arc - Teaches Humility, Kindness, Love, Wisdom, Virtue, Generosity, Observation, Work, Persistence, Dedication, Commitment
12. Leonardo da Vinci - Teaches Humility, Kindness, Love, Wisdom, Virtue, Generosity, Observation, Work, Persistence, Dedication, Commitment
13. Louis Pasteur - Teaches Sacrifice, Work, Compassion, Initiative, Observation, Concentration, Diligence
14. Maccabees: The Story of Hanukkah - Teaches Courage, Patriotism, Integrity, Faith, Obedience
15. Marco Polo - Teaches Trust, Faithfulness, Obedience, Courage, Honesty
16. Marie Curie - Teaches Selflessness, Sacrifice, Love, Kindness, Generosity, Work, Education, Enthusiasm
17. Pocahontas - Teaches Peacemaking, Love, Sharing, Kindness, Loyalty, Unselfishness
18. Thomas Edison - Teaches Persistence, Industry, Inventiveness, Leadership, Hope, Faith, Patience, Enthusiasm, Work, Optimism
19. William Bradford, The Father of Thanksgiving - Teaches Sharing, Gratitude, Faith, Leadership
20. The Wright Brothers - Teaches Persistence, Work, Inventiveness, Faith, Ambition

A No-Fuss, No-Cutting Timeline for Mystery of History

Updated 3/24/2020.

In 2015, I started using Mystery of History and I thought it was great. I like the approach of mixing Bible events and other historical events into the same timeline so you can see when they were in relation to each other. But to be honest I was a little intimidated by the extras the texts calls for by way of flash cards, and timeline and timeline figures, even though I think they add a lot to the topic. So, I decided to make it easy on myself and bought the flash cards and timeline figures offered. Totally worth the little bit of extra money, in my opinion. That just left the timeline. Again I was intimidated. (Can you tell I am not always enthused about getting crafty?) So, I did a little hunting around and I feel like I came up with a usable and easy alternative to the lovely timeline suggested by the author.

I bought a BIG tri-fold poster board and some bulletin board borders and voilà, timeline! Here's what I got:

1 Elmer's Premium Tri-Fold Foam Display Board, 36 x 48 Inches, Black (These come in white, too.)
https://amzn.to/2vJKW3o

1 package Carson Dellosa White Borders (These come in lots of colors.) These fit perfectly on the Elmer's board without cutting! http://amzn.to/2b7vQcO


And that's it! I glued the borders to the board with a little Elmer's glue and after letting them dry under some heavy books, it was ready to go. Here is a picture of my board with some figures on it. I fold it flat and store it under the sofa when not in use.

So good luck and enjoy!