How To Teach Kids

(THIS COULD ALSO BE USED AS AN INTEREST CENTER.)

This is a very interesting project!  I imagine most people know someone who lived through WWII and have heard stories of what life was like during that  period in history.   What made this particular project interesting was that the student (actually my son) interviewed several people who lived during this time period.  He received first hand information about what life was like and how so many people pulled together for the good of our country, even though they had to ration items and do without some items.  Interviewing these people helped make this project come alive for him.  We knew someone whose best friend was killed at Pearl Harbor on the USS Arizona.  It was such a sad time in history for all those involved!

Another interesting factor was that we had actually been to Pearl Harbor, saw the short movie (which made it seem like we were really there and brought tears to my eyes), went through the museum, and bought memorabilia such as a copy of the newspaper which showed the headline “WAR!”

TIPS FOR THIS PROJECT:

• Interview people who lived through WWII and get a first hand account of what it was like.
• Get copies of pictures of people who served in the war to add to the project.
• Read children’s books about Pearl Harbor.  See list below.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS ON PEARL HARBOR:

• Pearl Harbor: A Primary Source History by Jacqueline Laks Gorman. Good for ages 8-12.
• The Attack on Pearl Harbor (Cornerstones of Freedom Series) by Tom McGowen.  Good for ages 9-11.
• Attack on Pearl Harbor by Shelley Tanaka.  Good for ages 10+.
• Air Raid – Pearl Harbor!:  The Story of December 7, 1941 by Theodore Taylor.  Good for ages 12 and up.
• Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Harry Mazer & Triston Elwell.  Good for ages 12 and up.
• Pearl Harbor: Day of Infamy by Stephanie Fitzgerald.  Good for ages 12 and up.
  

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Large piece of heavy cardboard or plastic foam for the base
• Assortment of cardboard boxes to form the levels of the garden
• Heavy-duty tape to tape the boxes together
• Modeling clay – white
• Acrylic paint – blue & green
• Piece of plastic greenery that has many small removable pieces on it
• Coat hanger
• Wire cutter to cut the coat hanger

PROCEDURE:

• Make the basic shape of the varying levels with the assorment of boxes that you have.
• Tape them together securely with heavy-duty tape
• Tape the boxes securely to the base
• Cover the entire area of the boxes with white modeling clay
• Remove many small pieces of greenery from the large piece.  Shorten if necessary.  Place in rows in the modeling clay while the clay is still soft, securing with a small mound of clay at the base of each piece of greenery (tree).
• Paint the green grass in rows.
• Paint the blue waterfall, stream, and pond of water.
• Cut the coat hanger to make the irrigation line to take water to the top level.  Bend the coat hanger two inches from the end at a 90 angle to make the coat hanger not touch the ground.  Do this on both ends of the coat hanger.  Secure both ends of the coat hanger to the project with a mound of modeling clay.
• Touch up with paint where necessary.