We are doing three weeks on Ben Franklin...
1. He lived a fascinating life and although people KNOW him I don't think they really give him as much credit as is due. Of course that is good and bad credit!
2. We are working in all the events Historical wise that happened coinciding with his lifetime so we are still "talking alot of history".
3. It is fun and we get to focus on what a single person did, which made such a huge impact on so many others...in so many different areas: science, education, community, quality of living, political and yes even spiritual.
So we started with the birth of Ben Franklin--Jan. 17, 1706
He was born in Boston, MA
Son of Josiah Franklin a candle maker who came to American as a puritan in 1683. He was one 17 Franklin children!
Benjamin Franklin grew up a boy who was extremely curious. He did not take life as it was given.. he questioned everything.
Benjamin Franklin gets a bad wrap for being an Atheist- the is untrue although he did profess at one point there was NO God. He also was said to be a Deist- but he more toyed with the idea of Deism ( God made everything than and then abandoned us to deal with life on our own).
He grew up in the Puritan church, but grew to hate religion. Of course in the day and age his ideals were being formed is the same day and age of such INTENSE religious prosecution that I don't blame him for distrust or anger at the "church". He truly believed that church and state should be separate-- WHICH IT SHOULD. If the puritans had not come to American and begin acting exactly like the Country they left....OUR story might be a horse of a different color- meaning how long would it have taken for this country to truly see that Separation of Church and State was necessary. I do not know!
Now I do not want to in any way say or imply that I think Ben Franklin's choices in life are okay. He made bad choices and turned his back on a relationship with God instead deciding to simply BE A PERFECT and MORAL MAN. But without God there is truly NO morality.
We decided to do a Notebook to put all our Ben Franklin info into rather than a lap book- it is different than I have done before, but I think I like it! No folding file folders for five kids!
Here are a list of SOME of the books I used to read up on Ben Franklin and his life:
By Brandon Marie Miller
Hal Marcovitz (Leaders of the American Revolution)
The Many Lives of Benjamin Franklin by William Down
What the Big Idea Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz
by Gene Barretta
A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin by David a. Adler
Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares by Frank Murphy
Ben and Me by Robert Lawson
We also watched Ben and Me: the video ( I grew up watching this, and it is one of my favorite movies)
Home school Share- Benjamin Franklin
Just Call Me Jamin' - Ben Franklin Lap book- lots of links and info on her page!
Lap book Lessons- Benjamin Franklin
Squidoo- Ben Franklin and Colonies---this is a WEALTH of information!
Download and Go-- Ben Franklin--- I did not pay for this as I had so much other sources of information but it looks really neat!
Currclick-- Hands of a Child -- Ben Franklin---again I did not pay for this but it looks neat
Ben's Guide to US Government for kids
I printed out a ton of worksheets too:
maze
crossword
word search
alphabetical order
color sheet
question and answer
note booking pages
Tic- Tac- Toe
What did Ben Invent
Enchanted learning Worksheets
Teacher File Box- Ben Franklin Worksheets
We will continue working on Ben Franklin's life as we journey though the days leading up to the Revolution, Constitution and beginning of OUR COUNTRY....
1 comment:
Hi,
I'm glad to see you found my book useful for your project.
All the best,
Gene Barretta
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