Oh, American Girls! For the longest time I tried to convince myself they were nothing but expensive dolls. I have never read an American Girl book because I assumed there were nothing more than meaningless twaddle. Boy was I wrong! These books have sparked a love for history in my otherwise science-loving daughter!
As good as the books are, wouldn’t it be even better to use them as a way to learn about history? Justine Gamble has already done that very thing for you! She put together some great unit studies for each of the American Girls with her Girls of American History Curriculum. Each unit is $7.95 but there are discounts if you buy packages of the units. For this review Aurora chose Caroline.
Each unit study includes such a variety of activities. There is a suggested weekly plan and schedule which we followed pretty closely to make sure we stayed on track. The unit is meant to last 6 weeks in order to have time to read all of the books. You can always take longer, and it order to get all of the activities done that may be a good option.
Some of the activities covered include: history, arts & crafts, field trips & activities, biography suggestions, geography, character studies, language arts, and some extras. Although we did use this as our main history curriculum you would probably need to supplement for most of the other areas.
The unit study also includes a resource list, which I found to be very helpful. It is broken down into required items, suggested items, extra reading books, craft resources, and field trips. This way you know exactly what you need to get everything done! I love it when this type of thing is already put together for me…it makes homeschooling so much easier!
Aurora has had so much fun working through this unit study! She is ready to get another one! Although I think 7 may be a little bit low on the age range I would typically use this for if you want your child to read the books independently, she did great. We read the books together which really helped, and was a lot of fun too! We had some very special bonding time doing some of the crafts and activities. We may be in the market for another Girls of American History unit study on Marie-Grace since that is the doll she just received for her birthday!
Think your children might be interested in studying history this way? Head on over to Girls of American History and check it out!
Water on the Floor 
Oh my gosh! I just have to tell you that Aurora’s “grand finale” picture here bears such a striking resemblance to the new American Girl Rebecca book, “The Glow of the Spotlight.”