Introducing the White House Holidays Curriculum Series!

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Silverdale Press is thrilled to announce our brand new homeschool curriculum series: White House Holidays. Designed for students in grades K-12, these unit studies will enrich your students’ learning about the history of our national holidays. They will inject fun into your yearly homeschool routine and help your family make memories that last a lifetime. 

We wrote these unit studies to solve some problems. I (Jill) went to public school from grades K through 12. Some of my fondest memories were celebrating the holidays with my classmates. I remember the parties and crafts. I especially remember the excitement that came with a celebration, break from routine, and a change of pace.
 
While we did mark the holidays, I do not remember learning much about the rich history behind those holidays. I believe the same is true for many school-age children today. This is a shame because our holiday history really is so rich.
 
Learning about our holidays is important for children. For younger children, holidays are a way to mark the seasons of the calendar and the progress of time. For children of all ages, holidays bind us together as a nation. They instill in us a sense of patriotism, unity, and togetherness.
 
I have also heard parents of middle and high school kids lament that when their students phase out of elementary school, holiday celebrations end. I found this to be true during my own schooling. I think this so sad. Holiday celebrations should continue on through the upper grades. For older kids, the holidays can be a time for deeper learning and understanding—and for developing a greater sense of meaning in history.
 
As a homeschool mom, I know that the holidays can be overwhelming. We do our best to celebrate them, but it is up to us to invent holiday lessons and come up with fun and creative activities. Sure, we can check out a book or two from the library. But coming up with objectives, lesson plans, and enrichment activities? That’s up to us. And that’s a good deal of work to pile onto our already busy lives. 
 
As a presidential scholar, I also know that so many of our holidays and traditions are tied to American presidents. That is why I wanted to invent a holiday curriculum with a unique twist—one that uses the American presidency as a window into the holidays. 
 
I also know how important primary sources are to our students’ learning. That is why I weave primary sources—like speeches, posters, letters, and photographs—throughout the lessons and activities. 
 
Holiday history, presidential history, and fun and meaningful activities—these unit studies have it all. Not to mention, they are easy for parents to use—complete with lesson plans, teacher scripts, and primary source material. 

Over this summer, fall, and winter, we will be releasing the first in our series of White House Holidays Unit Studies:

• Labor Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Valentines Day
• Presidents Day

And there are more in the works! 

And so I began writing these holiday unit studies—first for my own children, then for families with children of all ages. They have enriched my kids, and they have enriched me. Our hope is that they will enrich your entire family as well. 

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for updates, as well as for ideas and tips for learning about the holidays. 

​Posted by: Jill

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