Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service from Rebecca Locklear Review

{Disclaimer:  I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.}


I am interested in maritime rescues so it was awesome to receive Rebecca Locklear's digital eBook Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities to review with the kids.  While this program is intended to be parent-directed but not necessarily parent-intensive I jumped into it with the kids because I wanted to 😉.

Rebecca Locklear

The author of our book, Rebecca Locklear, homeschooled her children and she has taught other homeschooled children in large groups settings for over 20 years!   She writes material for teachers using her extensive multi-level teaching experience.  She encourages students to discover, create, and overall think.  She loves to incorporate engaging activities within her books as she has a very hands-on and activity based style.  I really appreciate this in our home because my kids love hands-on learning!

The cover of our new eBook.

Our 117 page book is geared for students 4-12 grade.  This book can be used individually (middle school or high school for example) or it can be used with multiple grades together.  As a mom of a large family I really appreciate this large grade span incorporated into our book.  Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service takes you on a journey where you will investigate early search and rescues and the U.S. Life-Saving Service.  Students see how many men risked their own lives to save others.  Activities include games, dramas, cooking, music, stories, science, research and art.

Above is a quick look at the contents of our book.  The Workshops are divided into 4 main Units: Life at the Station House, Working Together, The Culture of Character and Relevance Today.

And here is an at-a-glance overview chart of our material.
{If you know me then you know I love these kinds of charts.}

 You can see recommendations for various grades.

The very first thing to start with is the Introductory Workshop.  This is important because it gives students basic information about the U.S. Life-Saving Service.  This is the springboard that you will use to jump into workshops and activities.  I really like how it has recommendations for different grades.

 Above you can see the nine photos.  I laminated them for durability.

One activity is to create a museum walk with nine given photos and captions.  Students are asked to find details within the photos that give clues to the given time period.  They then write a question they have about the photo on a sticky note and place it next to the photo.  Students move around the museum trying to answer other students questions - it's fun!

Our Matching Activity Cards and Questions

We also enjoyed the Matching Activity: Who Am I?  Students divide into teams.  The picture cards are spread out so that they are visible to everyone.  The question cards are placed upside down.  One team picks up a question card and reads it to the other team.  That team will then choose the photo card that they think is the correct answer to the question.  If they get it correct, they keep the card.  If it's wrong, they have to put it back.  It's a simple game but we also had fun playing it.

Playing Who Am I?
 
The "little ones" came over to play too.

One of our activities was to create an anchor design with the objective of connecting with the life-savers through a creative experience.

A constructed a wire anchor sculpture.

Rock Painting Instructions

Another activity that we really enjoyed was rock painting.  We used topic 2 so the assignment was to think of an animal that could represent a surfman and create a rock painting of your chosen animal.  Our rocks include a turtle, sea star, jellyfish, narwhal, and sea bird.  We also have a few beach scenes which fall into the symbol category.


This has been a really unique and enjoyable program for us to use.  I really enjoy the interactive aspect of this curriculum in getting students involved.  I look forward to completing more of the projects and activities with the kids.  If you are curious or interested in maritime rescues like me, this eBook is a great place to start.

Are you looking for engaging and multi-curricular ideas for your students or homeschool?  Please visit Rebecca's website and sign up for her email newsletter, you won't regret it!

Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of Rebecca Locklear.

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