This program series is designed to enrich basic learning in the classroom. Each of the 26 history lessons can stand alone. In addition, the lessons and learning activities often cross the boundaries of other curriculums such as math, science, and language arts. They can be used to supplement early phonics programs and are designed to be used by the teacher. The following gives a brief overview of each lesson.  Each box contains a teacher’s guide, recommended activities, touchable objects—real and/or reproduction, and most contain a book or story for reading aloud.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

• A — Armadillo and the Acorn: Students observe differences between the shells of the armadillo and the acorn.

• B — Beavers: Students learn details about beavers, including how they make their home from logs and limbs.

• C — Candles and Cabins: Students learn the process of candle making. Discussion includes what types of dyes were used in the mixing of primary colors to make secondary colors.

• D — Diamonds in the Dust: The lesson, told in rhyme, reviews the five regions of Arkansas as well as various minerals that are derived from each region.

• E — Eagles and Elephants: Students review geography as they learn about the time that the train brought the circus to Rogers.

• F — Frogs and Fiddles: The sound of the fiddle is enjoyed as students listen to the music, “Froggy Went A’Courtin’.”

• G — Gourds and Geese: The wanderings of a little goose lead to observations of crops growing in the garden. Students see that silhouettes of gourds and geese are similar.

• H — Hats and Hatters: By reading Boss of the Plains:  The Hat that Won the West by Laurie Carlson, students will learn the history of the Stetson hat and how it came to replace the many different hats worn by early settlers and travelers.  An account of a local hatter, James Ricketts, is also given.

• I — Itse Selu: Green Corn Festival: The book Itse Selu by Daniel Peniington celebrates the Cherokee harvest festival.  This holiday celebrated two things:  the successful corn harvest and the beginning of a new year. 

• J — Jams and Jellies: Various types of berries are reviewed and students learn about the jelly-making process.

• K — Kettles in the Kitchen: Old-fashioned cooking methods and cookware are studied.

• L — Logs and Loaves: Students learn about life in a log cabin by reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Winter Days in the Big Woods. Laura is given little pieces of dough to shape into bread and cookies. Real images of the bread-baking process are featured in Bobbie Kalman’s book, Food for the Settler.

• M — Mountain Music:  Along with Barbara Shook Hazen’s storybook, Turkey in the Straw, this lesson includes cassette tapes of “Ozark Folk Music” and “Mountain Dulcimer” so students can hear the “Turkey in the Straw” song as well as the many instruments found in the rural landscape of Arkansas.

• N — Needles and Nests: Students learn that the pine tree is native to Arkansas and look at the various types of nests that birds of Arkansas make for homes.

• O — Opossums and Outhouses: The outhouse seemed like a palatial home to the opossum.  In addition to the story, students look at many different types of outhouses.

• P — P is for Peanuts: The history of the peanut and the life of George Washington Carver are presented.

• Q — Quilts and Quills: Students explore the process of making early quilts using Janet Bolton’s book, My Grandmother’s Patchwork Quilt. The quill pen, the common writing instrument years ago, also is studied.

• R — Rooster’s Gift: Students look at a typical early morning wake-up call from the perspective of the rooster.

• S — Strings and Straw: Using Bonnie and Arthur Geisert’s book, Haystack, students look at the haystack of long ago, before hay baling was common, and observe how much string was used in the life of early settlers.

• T — Tops and Toothpicks: Students observe different types of wooden tops and toys, as well as the wooden toothpicks manufactured in Arkansas long ago.

• U — Ulysee’s Underwear: Students enjoy hands-on observations of
old-fashioned undergarments after laughing at the adventure of Zachary the Zebra in Mary Elise Monsell’s book, Underwear.

• V — Vera’s Vittles: The term “vittles” is introduced and students learn how families moving west fed themselves by trapping, hunting, harvesting food from the forest, and growing crops when they finally settled in an area.

• W — Wool and Weaving: Students look at the process of bartering and how involved making a winter coat can be when you go from raw material to the finished product.

• X — Signature X:  Early signatures were often nothing more than an “X” because many people did not receive even a basic education. This is a brief look at how people often received land from the government.

• Y — In Search of Yams: A stranger steps off the train and into Huckleberry Wink’s produce store in search of yams. “But what are yams?” wonders Huckleberry as he wanders the store with the stranger, trying to sell him something.

• Z — Zoe’s Zinnias: Students consider what moving to Arkansas might have been like many years ago. In her garden Zoe plants mysterious seeds and each day as she tends to them she remembers the grandparents she left behind.