Books in Hands on History series

This exciting new series is designed not only to bring history to life for your students, these activities actually bring history into your classroom! Cowboys riding their horses across the prairie taking huge herds of cattle to market, sleeping under the stars as coyotes howl in the night—it's a scene familiar to all and especially beloved by children. Almost all boys, and many girls, at some point in their young lives dream of being cowboys. But most don't have any idea how hard those cowboys had to work or what dangers and discomforts they faced along the trail. This book will help students put themselves in the place of the cowboy and learn some of the details behind the exciting life-style. Students will learn how to make and throw a lariat (lasso) and how to read a cattle brand. They'll make a wanted poster, work together on a cattle drive mural and discover how important the right equipment was (cowboy hat, chaps, etc.). They'll cook and eat chili, cowboy style, play rodeo games and learn special cowboy words. Teachers are provided with background information, source materials and resources. All the little pardners in your class will enjoy spending some time in the old west learning about the rough and tough life of the cowboy. So, get along, little doggies, for a western adventure that's real!

When your students watch commercial airliners flying high in the sky, do they realize how much it took for that common sight to become a reality? When they see military jets blasting through the clouds, do they know how far flight has come in the last 100 years? Creative activities, games, action rhymes, songs, a skit and more involve students in discovering for themselves how the Wright Brothers dreamed of man in flight and worked diligently to bring their dreams to life. They'll learn about the almost ridiculous fragility of the first airplanes, the crazed and driven men who risked their lives trying to be the first to successfully fly and the success of two brothers who refused to give up.

All boys, and most girls, are intrigued by dinosaurs. They sit through movies about these huge creatures wreaking havoc on people, and the kids cheer for the dinosaurs! Some young children who can barely pronounce their own names can correctly say Brachiosaurus with no difficulty! Your students will love Dinosaur Dig. The difficulty may be getting them to move on to other subjects of study. If children love dinosaurs so much, you might as well bring them into your classroom! That's what the hands-on activities in this book help you do. Charts, time lines, diagrams, models they make themselves, dramatized stories, maps and much more will help students discover what dinosaurs looked like, what they ate and when and where they lived. They'll also learn about dinosaur hunters (paleontologists) and what they do, including some impressive discoveries of famous dinosaur hunters who lived many years ago. Dinosaurs may be dead, but interest in them is very much alive. Of course no one knows for sure why dinosaurs became extinct, but at the end of this book students are given an opportunity to express their opinions and discuss them. The discovery, exploration and investigation required by students in this study will be useful in their other schoolwork and in everyday life.

In Mexico and other Latin American countries, people celebrate the Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2, days when, according to tradition, the spirits of departed loved ones come back to visit the living. Sugar skulls are a colorful and popular way to celebrate El Día de los Muertos. People craft sugar skulls of sugar and other materials, but they’re also fun to color with markers and crayons! Are you ready? Includes 25 unique designs plus blank templates so you can design your own sugar skulls.

Color your own Celtic masterpiece!The word "mandala" is based on an ancient Sanskrit idea for "circle," but this circular form has come to stand as a symbol of unity, wholeness, and cosmic order in many cultures around the world. Visually, a mandala aligns with the traditional imagery of Celtic patterns, crosses, symbols, knots, and designs drawn from the centuries-old history of Celtic art. Kids of all ages will love to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day or any time of the year with 25 mandala coloring pages based on authentic Celtic designs.

Do your students consider taking a trip on an airplane an amazing, exciting adventure? If they don't now, they will after learning about how Charles Lindbergh ushered in the age of commercial flight in an historic flight from New York to Paris. They'll discover how Lindbergh's early flying experiences uniquely qualified him for his flight across the Atlantic. They'll learn how he prepared for the flight, and they'll climb into the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with him and share his thoughts during the 33 1/2 hour flight through discussion, games, creative writing, art, songs, rhymes and more. They'll even learn some French, which Lindbergh did not do, and they'll compare his small plane with small planes of today. It's a flight they won't forget, and it will teach them to appreciate their next flight experience as they never have before.

The Hands-On! Series is designed with any classroom in mind, aiding teachers and students both in the school environment and the at-home classroom by educating children about the amazing subjects of science, math, art, and nature, and more importantly, giving young learners the tools they need to explore and learn about those subjects on their own. Each project in this book is specifically designed to place the ability to discover in the hands of young minds. Simple text provides an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to each project, a brief explanation to why it works, and ideas for further activities. In addition, every single project is accompanied by colorful illustrations and appealing photographs, aimed to enhance children's understanding and engage the reader. Each book in the series also comes equipped with a comprehensive glossary and index, enriching and aiding the learning experience. We are sure our readers will finish these books with a new understanding of each subject matter, and newfound abilities to explore and discover their world on their own.