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Has anyone ever used the dolls and the history etc. as the basis for a unit study at school? What do you think of the idea?!! I think the kids would be really keen.... We could use the Welcome to ----'s World books and the stories as the springboard. My children are girls by the way!! [img]smile.gif[/img] I wonder if there's any info. out there on the internet about this.
Nicole, American Girl used to make guides for teachers so that they could teach using the books. You could check with American Girl to see if the teacher guides are still available.
Yup, I certainly did use them and I'm homeschooled. I also got a lot of learning out of simple, made up plsy with stuffed animals. I learned politics, about the suffrage movement, and much more through creative play.
I don't remember ever doing a unit study on an American Girl, exactly, but the dolls and books have helped me a lot with my history! Every time I used to put something on the time line, I would look and see which AG it was closest to, and "before or after" which. Also, before we went on a field trip to Williamsburg, my mom read aloud all the Felicity books, and when we studied the Civil War she read aloud the Addy books. I, of course, had already read all the books multiple times, but she read them for the benefit of my brothers.
Aimee
I got some AG teacher's guides this summer at a teaching supply store. They are really cool because they have the "World" maps in the back! If you have a teaching supply store in your area, maybe you could call and ask?? The one we use has a big AG display!
If the teacher's guides are out of print, I have noticed that you can find some of them on amazon. Powells.com might have them as well.
Teachers guides for the AG books are also on the Barnes and Noble site.
I think the biggest advantage of homeschooling in first grade is being able to adjust the pace to the child instead of rushing through a fixed classroom schedule. At this age, strong foundations in reading, writing, and math are more important than trying to cover a huge number of subjects. I would look for a curriculum with clear lesson sequences, short activities, regular practice, and enough flexibility to slow down when something needs more attention. Check Best Homeschool Curriculums for First Grade For math especially, I like approaches that focus on understanding numbers rather than simply memorizing answers. A first-grade curriculum can also be mixed by subject, so families can choose different resources for reading, math, science, or history based on what works best for their child.