Wednesday, September 19, 2012

American Girl Unit Studies

Following the American Girl theme I'll share with you some free resources and not-so-free resources.




American Girl books, dolls, activity books, it all reminds me of my childhood.  My favorite was Samantha from 1904.  Mostly because it was the only one I ever got to read because at the time it was the only one my local library carried.  I remember getting the catalog and daydreaming about having my own American Girl doll.  I never received one because it was well out of my family's means but I always dreamed about having one.

Fast Forward 15-20 years and I still love American Girl and now I get to share them with my daughters.  My 8-year-old loves them and checks out as many AG books a the library as I will allow each week. She loves them all but her favorite is Marie-Grace from 1854.

Next year we are planning an AG Unit Study and I'm already coming up with plans and extra books and resources as it comes together.  Later this year I'll have lesson plans posted that you can use with Portraits of an American Girlhood.  It is an already put together Unit Study that follow the American Girl books.  The book doesn't cover Marie Grace, Cecile or Kaya since those books were published after the PoaAG came out.

Free American Girl Resources
Kaya Unit Study Has links and resources for doing a study on Native Americans.  You can also follow the Learning with American Girl Pin Board on the site.


Kaya Study and Homemade Lapbook from Shower of Roses

Kaya Lapbook that a homeschool mom has created using the Homeschool Share Templates.

Another Kaya Lapbook another hs mom created lapbook.  If nothing else it will give you ideas on creating your own AG lapbook for other AG characters.

American Girl Unit Study by Heart of the Matter. Great ideas for the frame work of planning out your study.

Meet Addy Study Centered around the Civil War and slavery.  Book list included for more in depth reading.

Unit Study themes to go along with specific characters from Homeschool Helper Online.

Unit Study Ideas to go along with all the AG characters from the Unlikely Homeschool.  Each character has a 3 week study.  While this is not a very "fleshy" study, it is a good start for planning your own.

Kit Kitridge Lapbook from Lapbook Lessons.

Felicity Lapbook and Study from Shower of Roses.  Also check out her Colonial Life Unit and Lapbook along with her American Revolution Unit and Lapbook to go along with your Felicity study.

Make your Own AG to-go Book.  Not a lapbook but more like a holder for little sticker paper dolls.  Just a fun craft to do with your little girl.

American Pioneer Party.  Could spark some ideas to add to your Kirsten Study.

American Girl Lapbooks for all characters except Marie-Grace, Cecile and Rebecca by Homeschool Share.





Not Free Resources
Portraits of an American Girlhood like I mentioned before is an already put together unit study for grades 2-5 for one whole school year.  I do have this book but have not used it yet.  It will be used next year.  I bought my copy used on Homeschool Classifieds.  

Lapbooks from Knowledge Box Central. They are currently on sale for $5.00 each.  I do own the Felicity and Kit lapbooks but haven't used them yet.
Meet Kit            


Lapbooks from Gear for Learning  with different American Girl characters for specific books.  I do not own any of these so I can't comment on their quality.


Pleasant Company published Teacher Guides for all the original American Girl characters in 1995.  They are a little on the pricey side and sometimes hard to find.  Keep watching them on ebay and Amazon and you may catch a good deal.  I don't own any of these but have been told they are worth the price (maybe).

You may also enjoy the AG World Books.  Each Character has her own book (except Marie-Grace, Cecile and Rebecca).

This is an exhaustive list that I've complied for my own personal use.  I hope you get a lot out of it and it enhances your American Girl study with your children.  If you know of any other resources, let me know and I'll research it and update my blog. 


 Happy Homeschooling!


2 comments:

  1. Hi Ruthie ~
    This is a great resource list ! I realize this is an oldish post, but I'd love to include a link to my American Girl Units too. They are complete with lots of cooking, crafting and fun learning activities and games. They cover reading, writing, science, geography, art, Bible, and more! All FREE too :)
    Thanks for sharing so many good ideas here!
    http://fieldsofdaisies.com/summer-school-fun/
    or
    https://www.pinterest.com/willowchenoah/

    ReplyDelete