The Civil War is one of the most important events in American history. It’s a time period that should be studied by all Americans, not just those with ancestors who fought in the war. By learning about the causes and effects of the Civil War, we can gain a better understanding of our country and its people.
If You Lived in the Time of the Civil War
In the book If You Lived in the Time of the Civil War by Kay Moore, kids can learn all about what life was like during this turbulent time in history. The Civil War-era was a unique one for children, as their family members were often absent fighting the war, their food was limited, and life was a lot more serious. Grab this book and take a trip back in history with your child, then give these hands-on activities a try. They are a great way to understand this time further!
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Craft a Civil War Word Wall
You will find a lot of new and interesting words when you explore this book. Take the time to walk through the book and create a word wall so you can better explore and understand these words.
What you need:
Posterboard
Markers
Directions:
Take a word walk through the book and point out any unfamiliar or important words that are relevant to the text.
As you do your word walk, here are some of the words you might want to point out: North, South, Succession, Slavery, Abolitionist, War, Fighting, Canons, Soldiers. You can use as many or as few words as you wish.
On your poster board, write down these new words.
Take the time to talk about these new words and define them. Talk about how they are relevant to the text and the Civil War.
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Eat Some Soldier Snacks
One of the most common food items during the Civil War was called TACK. It was a flavorless flatbread that soldiers ate with soup or just alone. It was not very nutritious but a cheap way to fill up. Create your own soldier snack with this recipe.
What you need:
How to Make Tack
In a bowl, mix the ingredients until the dough forms. Add some more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Flatten the dough out onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake the dough at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes until brown and crispy.
Remove and allow the tack to cool. Break apart and enjoy as is or with butter.
So, how do they taste? Could you live off of tack during the Civil War?
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Mini Felt Flags
Flags were a huge part of the Civil War. During that time the Union and Confederate flags could be seen everywhere. See how to make your own mini felt flags.
What you need:
Red, white, blue craft felt
Scissors
Craft glue
Wood crafting sticks
How to make felt flags
Begin by cutting out two red rectangles to serve as the base of your flags.
For your Union flag, you will add strips of white felt to create the red and white striping. Finishing it off by adding the blue square in the top left corner. You won’t have room to add all of your white stars, but small white specks of felt can do!
For the Confederate flag, you will have two blue strips of felt. Create an X across the red flag with the blue felt.
On top of the blue strips, add some small white stars.
Once your flags are complete and the felt is dry in place, you can glue them to your woodcraft sticks and display.
Are you ready to explore the Civil War era? Consider these Civil War-themed crafts and try completing them along with your read along!
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Tack Recipe
The Civil War is an important event in American history, learning about the causes and effects gives an understanding of our country.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of white flour
- ¾ cup of water
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the ingredients until the dough forms. Add some more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Flatten the dough out onto a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake the dough at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes until brown and crispy.
- Remove and allow the tack to cool. Break apart and enjoy as is or with butter.
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We hope this article has helped jumpstart your own personal journey into learning more about America’s past. Do you have any tips for further researching the Civil War? Leave them in the comments below and help others learn more about this fascinating era in American history.
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