Books to Inspire Homeschooling Girls
Although books on history and science have gotten better recently, there is still a tendency to emphasize men and leave out prominent and important women in these areas. Fortunately, there are a number of excellent resources to introduce young girls to these women and help inspire and show them what possibilities exist.
My Name is Not Isabella:
My Name is Not Isabella:
Isabella likes to dream big. As her mother wakes her up, calls her to breakfast, and tells her it's time to catch the bus, Isabella points out that her name is not Isabella. She is Sally, Annie, Rosa, Marie, and Elizabeth. Each reference contains a short description of one of these prominent women and why Isabella wants to emulate them. At the back of the book are more detailed descriptions of the women presented in the book that includes Sally Ride, Annie Oakley, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, and Elizabeth Blackwell. This is a good book for younger girls and provides a nice way to being introducing them to these important women.
Grace for President:
Grace for President:
It seems quite likely that for girls who are now homeschooling, there will come a time in their life when a woman is elected president of the United States. This book explores how that could play out when Grace decides to run for as part of a school project. The book provides a nice introduction to the process of getting elected including a description of the electoral college process. There is an author's note at the end of the book with a more detailed description of this process. This book would pair nicely with the Hail to the Chief board game.
Ballots for Belva:
Ballots for Belva:
Speaking of running for president, this book chronicles the presidential bid of Belva Lockwood in 1884. The book provides a very good introduction to her story as well as a detailed author's note that discusses the history behind her bid for election and whether she was truly the first woman to run for president. IN 1827 another woman named Victoria Woodhull was nominated for president but there are disputes about whether she received any votes or was on many ballots. In any case, this is an excellent example of some important historical events that are not usually discussed in conventional history books.
A is for Abigail:
A is for Abigail:
This is an alphabet book that provides a good reference to many influential American women throughout history in all walks of life. There are entries for Mary Katherine Goddard and other women journalists, Marie Kies and other inventors and entrepreneurs, as well as performers, artists, scientist, mathematicians, and more.
Herstory:
Herstory:
This book focuses on 50 women and girls in history and provides a more detailed account of each of them than is given in the A is for Abigail book. Some of the women included in this book are the fossil-hunter Mary Anning, Rosalind franklin, the chemist who discovered the structure of DNA, Katherine Johnson the NASA mathematician, as well as other historical figures such as Hatshepsut the Egyptian pharaoh, Isabella I the Spanish queen, Elizabeth I, and Indira Gandi.
Rejected Princesses:
Rejected Princesses:
This book goes beyond the usual princess stories we've all heard to examine 100 more obscure and sometimes forgotten figures both fictional and historical. But, as the introduction points out, "this book doesn't pull punches. It's not censored. Sometimes there's rough content. Not every entry is suitable for every reader." The book contains a rating system of sorts that categorizes the entries according to maturity levels 1-5 with a green-yellow-red color categorization as well.
"Green is simple. Good beats evil, the world is moral. Think PG.
Yello is more complex. No black and white, just shades of gray. Think PG-13.
Red requires maturity. You must be your own moral guide. Think R."
With that mind, there are some excellent stories in this volume to generate interesting discussions and shed light on some often unknown history.
These are just a few of the wonderful resources available to inspire young girls to dream big and do challenging things.
This article contain links to products on Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
"Green is simple. Good beats evil, the world is moral. Think PG.
Yello is more complex. No black and white, just shades of gray. Think PG-13.
Red requires maturity. You must be your own moral guide. Think R."
With that mind, there are some excellent stories in this volume to generate interesting discussions and shed light on some often unknown history.
These are just a few of the wonderful resources available to inspire young girls to dream big and do challenging things.
This article contain links to products on Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.