Learning about the American Civil War through a project based approach can really help kids personalize history in a way that makes sense to them. They're more apt to remember historical events and figures and why they are so important.
American Civil War Projects for kids are also great ways to tackle a subject and event that can either be loved or hated, depending on the student.
All three of our elementary aged Montessori kids absolutely loved their American Civil War projects!
American Civil War Projects for Kids
A Book about Civil War Weapons
Dinomite loves history, specifically the study of war and weapons. When given the opportunity to choose what project he wanted to do related to the American Civil War, he knew what he wanted to do immediately.
Dinomite created a book about Civil War weapons. He found pictures online and then wrote about the specifics of each weapon and how they differed, in a way that others could understand, which was a huge plus for me, who doesn't know much of anything about his topic.
Two aspects that he loved about his chosen Civil War project were the research and computer work. He thoroughly enjoyed researching photos to make sure he found the most accurate depiction of what he wanted to discuss.
Before he looked for images, he visited an American Civil War museum where he could see hundreds of weapons up close.
The final product was absolutely gorgeous. Dinomite really put his all into this project, sharing something with others that is very interesting to him.
The Underground Railroad and Communicating Using Quilts
Princess is not a fan of history in general, but loves arts and crafts. After much research, that included reading the book, The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom, she decided to make a paper quilt with many of the different Underground Railroad communication symbols.
Princess worked incredibly hard designing her "quilt," making sure there was a enough space for each symbol along with an explanation. The detail she put into this project was unbelievable.
When it came time to present her "quilt" she was able to explain what every symbol meant in detail. Her quilt symbols were so incredibly colorful and well made. I was so impressed!
Abraham Lincoln Time Line of Life
Bulldozer tends to become overwhelmed when studying history because there are so many parts. To simplify things, he focused on one person, Abraham Lincoln, and how his choices influenced our world today, creating a time line of his life.
As Bulldozer researched, he quickly learned that there were MANY important dates in Abraham Lincoln's life, he felt needed to be included in his time line.
Instead of using a poster board, he made a large time line with index cards and string that took up half of our living room when set up.
Some may be wondering how I balanced learning about important aspects of the American Civil War with projects.
American History Writing Outline (FREE Printable)
Before the kids decided on and started projects, they were assigned the task of filling out an American History Writing Outline.
I created this printable as a way for the kids to learn about special events in history, understanding all points of view, including those of women, Indigenous people, and Black people.
The kids receive their outline and then spent time researching information through multiple books to fill in the answers.
The American History Writing Outline is a great way to introduce so many different components to history lessons and provides great ideas for projects.
Studying the American Civil War was such an incredible experience as we combined the history outline, research (which included a few field trips), and projects.
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