The Elucidating Grannies Follow Whispering Bones to Historic Jamestown

July 6, 2021/in Finding Myself in History, Teaching History

The Elucidating Grannies chose Jamestown as the first stop on our exploration of colonial life in Williamsburg, Virginia. The whisper of a young girl’s bones lured us there. For background on the origins of the Elucidating Grannies, see my previous post.

To show marks on bones that have been cannibalized

Cut marks on Jane Doe’s jaw bone

British colonists erected a fort on the James River in 1607, making Jamestown the first permanent British settlement in North America.

Jamestown was the logical first step on our quest to understand the nation’s colonial roots. But Liz and I also thought Jamestown would pique the interest of our grandkids–Eva, Abby, and Aydan. Because of research I’d done for my book Tomb Raiders: Real Tales of Grave Robberies, I knew Jamestown’s bones had a grisly story to tell about desperate people trying to survive in a desperate time. Read more

The Elucidating Grannies

June 17, 2021/in Finding Myself in History, Teaching History

The Elucidating Grannies

On June 12, 2021, my sister Liz and I launched the inaugural journey of the Elucidating Grannies. Joining us were my nine-year-old granddaughter Eva and my sister’s two oldest grandchildren, Aydan, age 11, and Abby, age 10.

The Elucidating Grannies Inaugural Adventure

Our destination: The Historic Triangle at Williamsburg, Virginia.

Our goal: to take our progeny on a time travelling adventure in which they explore colonial and revolutionary era American history.

Our mission: Through travel experiences, we will help our grandchildren learn history and social issues through the soles of their feet and the connections they make with their hearts.

Becoming the Elucidating Grannies

Taking on the role of expanding our grandkids’ minds was a natural evolution for Liz and I. We both have three children. When our kids were young, and money was lean, my sister and I took our collective clan on summer camping adventures with a distinct historical and sometimes literary bent.

Liz and I grew up devouring the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. When we became mothers, we read them out loud to our kids. So our first adventure in the late 1990s was on the trail of Pa Ingalls’ “itchy foot.” We traveled from the banks of Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, Minnesota to De Smet, South Dakota.

Dioramas in the Classroom—Fun and Effective Project Based Learning

September 20, 2018/in Teaching History, Time Traveler's Toolbox

In the digital world of the 21st century, are dioramas an effective teaching tool? Some educators want teachers to abandon sugar cubes and shoe boxes for more high tech activities, insisting dioramas do not require students to engage in complex problem solving and critical thinking. However, there is no reason to dump the diorama. With a well-structured lesson, building a diorama requires students to analyze primary sources, deeply understand content, support a thesis, and solve engineering challenges to build a structure that incorporates key elements of design. Dioramas are sophisticated stuff.

Why History Matters: A Teacher’s Rationale

February 6, 2018/in Teaching History

When I was working on my undergraduate degree in the early 1980’s, a boyfriend questioned my choice of major. “Why does history matter anyway? What’s a history degree going to get you besides winning at Trivial Pursuit?”

Although I relished beating this guy every time we played the board game, my pursuit of the past had loftier aims. For 26 years I taught history to high school students. Now I write history books for children and teens. You see, I knew all along what my boyfriend didn’t. Understanding history isn’t trivial. It’s vital.

New Narrative Nonfiction for Middle Grade Readers

December 28, 2017/in Reading History, Teaching History, Writing History

Watch out! More Mayhem & Mystery is heading your way.

These true narrative nonfiction history books feature gore, greed, tragedy, and courage guaranteed to grab the interest of readers aged 9 to 12. Release Date: February 1, 2018 Read more

Through Their Eyes—Letters from Soldiers in the Civil War

November 11, 2017/in Teaching History

Glimpse war through the eyes of soldiers.

Soldiers’ letters offer students an intimate view of the impact of war. In this lesson, students analyze letters written by soldiers during the Civil War.