Tall Tales - week 3

Here is the overview of our Tall Tales & U.S. Geography Summer Camp:

Week One

Febold Feboldson

Paul Bunyan

Finn McCool

Pecos Bill

special guest: civil engineers

Week Two

Stormalong

Mose

John Henry

Johnny Appleseed

field trip: fire department

Week Three

Swamp Angel

Mike Fink

Davy Crockett

Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind

field trip: Cave-in-Rock State Park

Notes for

Mon - Swamp Angel

snack - read Swamp Angel

by Anne Isaacs


activity - play Here Is... Where Is? game using the United States Control Map (unlabeled version)

learn the constellation Ursa Major
What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky, p.69

Find North with the Stars - Ursa Major/Polaris - Celestial Navigation

Find North with the Stars - Cassiopeia - Celestial Navigation


lunch - read Homesteading: Settling America's Heartland by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent


add to MLB


sketch an animal from our taxidermy collection

Tue - Mike Fink

snack - read Mike Fink

by Steven Kellogg


activity - quiz students on the 50 U.S. states

watch Walt Disney's Davy Crockett: "Mike Fink, King of The River"


lunch - read "Mike Fink and the Outlaws of Cave-in-Rock: A Story Told by Boatmen of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers"
from Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller, p.30


add to MLB


book display - Minn of the Mississippi

by Holling Clancy Holling (Newbery Honor)

Wed - Davy Crockett

snack - recall stories from yesterday

read "Davy Crockett"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.3


activity - field trip to Cave-in-Rock State Park


lunch - read "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.15


add to MLB


book display - Davy Crockett: His Own Story
by David Crockett

Thu - Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind

snack - recall stories from yesterday

read Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett

by Steven Kellogg


activity - quiz students on the 50 U.S. states

United States Puzzle Map

United States Location Color Set


lunch - read Dandelions

by Eve Bunting


add to and publish MLB

decorate Portfolio Box for the 2025-2026 school year


book display - Bull's-Eye: A Photobiography Of Annie Oakley
by Sue Macy

Calamity Jane: Her Life and Her Legend by Doris Faber

Gold Rush Women by Claire Rudolf Murphy & Jane G. Haigh

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!

12 Apple Varieties

Back in October 2007, my daughter Natalie came home from Kindergarten and said that her teacher had given them slices of a new apple variety. The children were to taste it and decide what they would name it if they could. She said the class came up with "Sweet Yummy." That is a great name!

"Sweet Yummy"

"Sweet Yummy" Reprise

Turns out the apple in question was actually Honeycrisp. I've never forgotten that activity, and it made me think of something that we could do tomorrow! I'd love to give the children slices of 12 different apple varieties to compare.

Do all apples taste the same? Which one is your favorite?

This is a great Johnny Appleseed activity, but it also ties in with Botany!

For more on this I recommend Granny Smith Was Not an Apple: The Story of Orchardist Marie Ann Smith by Sarah Glenn Fortson.

We will also likely read the New York Times article from Mar 21, 2026:
After Cosmic Crisp, Scientists Unveil an Apple for the Climate Change Era.

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!

Tall Tales - week 2

Here is the overview of our Tall Tales & U.S. Geography Summer Camp:

Week One

Febold Feboldson

Paul Bunyan

Finn McCool

Pecos Bill

special guest: civil engineers

Week Two

Stormalong

Mose

John Henry

Johnny Appleseed

field trip: fire department

Week Three

Swamp Angel

Mike Fink

Davy Crockett

Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind

field trip: Cave-in-Rock State Park

Notes for

Mon - Stormalong

snack - read "Stormalong"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.37


activity - listen to Stormalong (Seán Dagher's Shanty of the Week)

practice knot tying

review the knots the children know:
slipknot
overhand knot
wrap-around-the-needle knot

teach square knot


lunch - read "Old Stormalong: A Yarn of the Yankee Sailors on the Maine to Massachusetts Coast"
from Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller, p.30


add to MLB


read Giant Squid by Candace Fleming

look at picture of giant squid eye in Actual Size by Steve Jenkins



look at 22 inch giant squid plush


book display - Seabird

by Holling Clancy Holling (Newbery Honor)

Tue - Mose

snack -read "Mose"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.51


activity - quiz students on U.S. states learned last week

continue to add to our maps! find and label states in the
Northeast Region: New England and the Mid-Atlantic
13 states (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, WV, VA)

field trip to fire station


lunch - read Molly, by Golly! The Legend of Molly Williams, America's First Female Firefighter

by Dianne Ochiltree


add to MLB


book display - The Great Fire

by Jim Murphy (Newbery Honor)

Goliath: Hero of the Great Baltimore Fire by Claudia Friddell

Fire-fighting Vehicles 1840-1950 edited by Bart H. Vanderveen

Wed - John Henry

snack - read "John Henry"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.87


activity - listen to John Henry Song (Tennessee Ernie Ford)

recall steamship, steam fire engine, steam locomotive (and steam thresher from Great-Grandma Tells of Threshing Day by Verda Cross)


lunch - read John Henry

by Julius Lester


add to MLB


read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

by Virginia Lee Burton


book display - Locomotive

by Brian Floca (Caldecott Winner)

Great Railroad Paintings edited by Robert Goldsborough

Thu - Johnny Appleseed

snack -read "Johnny Appleseed"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.25


activity - taste 12 apple varieties to see if they really are different

finish our maps! find and label states in the
Southeast Region: Southeast and the Mississippi & Ohio Valleys
15 states (NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MI, LA, AR, TN, KY, OH, IN, MI, WI, IL)


lunch - read Johnny Appleseed

by Steven Kellogg


add to MLB


book display - Abraham Lincoln

by Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (Caldecott Winner)

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!

The Aqualibrium Challenge

Many thanks to the two SIU faculty, Dr. Prabir Kolay and Dr. Sangmin Shin, who came in today to teach the children about Civil Engineering!

Besides the classic spaghetti-and-marshmallow-tower challenge, they also led the Aqualibrium Challenge. This one was new to me! It was really cool.

Basically the idea is that a reservoir of water is placed at a height above a "city" and three plastic containers are arranged to represent different buildings in the city. There are measurements on the sides of the containers.

YouTube video - How to Run the Aqualibrium Challenge

Given different lengths of plastic tubing (two different diameters are permitted, blue and red) and various connectors, can the children work together to set up a system so that when they turn on the valve from the "water tower," water flows at the same rate to each of the "buildings" and the containers each fill up with water to the same level at the same time?

this group used blocks of different heights to adjust the flow of the water through the pipes!

Both teams were successful in the end, and they had a GREAT time!

Tall Tales - week 1

Here is the overview of our Tall Tales & U.S. Geography Summer Camp:

Week One

Febold Feboldson

Paul Bunyan

Finn McCool

Pecos Bill

special guest: civil engineers

Week Two

Stormalong

Mose

John Henry

Johnny Appleseed

field trip: fire department

Week Three

Swamp Angel

Mike Fink

Davy Crockett

Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind

field trip: Cave-in-Rock State Park

Notes for

Mon - Febold Feboldson

snack - read "Febold Feboldson"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.63


activity - make rainstorm music with frog rasps and giant rainstick

pass out blank U.S. state maps; can you find Nebraska?

find and label states in the Midwest region
10 states (MN, IA, MO, KS, NE, SD, ND, MT, WY, ID)

useful Montessori resources:
United States Puzzle Map
United States Location Color Set




lunch - read "The Sad Story of Febold Feboldson and His Enormous Load of Sand: A Popular Tale of Nebraska"
from Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller, p.226


add to MLB


pop popcorn and make Old Fashioned Popcorn Balls with Molasses

Molasses Popcorn Balls - video

How to Test Candy in Cold Water - photos

Tue - Paul Bunyan

snack - read "Paul Bunyan"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.97


activity - make ox finger puppets with blue wool felt



find and label states in the Northwest region
3 states (CA, OR, WA)


lunch - read "Big Paul Bunyan and His Blue Ox, Babe: A Tall Tale of the Forests of Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota as told by Loggers in the Lumber Camps"
from Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller, p.200


add to MLB


read "Paul Bunyan Goes West: A Tall Tale of North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington"
from Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller, p.314

Wed - Finn McCool

snack - read Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill

by Tomie dePaola


activity - look at pictures of the Giant's Causeway

find and label states in the Southwest region
7 states (TX, OK, CO, NM, AZ, UT, NV)

visit from our Civil Engineering Special Guests


lunch - read "Finn MacCool, the Greatest of Civil Engineers: A Tale of the Grand Canyon of Arizona as Told by Irish Work Gangs and Civil Engineers"
from Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller, p.283


add to MLB


book display - Grand Canyon

by Jason Chin (Caldecott Honor)

Thu - Pecos Bill

snack - read "Pecos Bill"
from American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne, p.73


activity - listen to Roy Rogers sing Git Along Little Dogies (1940)

cook some traditional cowboy pinto beans over a campfire and/or make Foil Packet Baked Apples


lunch - read "Pecos Bill, the Cowboy: A Tall Tale of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado as Told by American Cowboys"
from Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller, p.259


add to MLB

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!

Tall Tales Booklist

Really looking forward to our Summer Theme! Here are some of my favorite resources for U.S. Tall Tales. Do you have a book title that is not on this list?

Pro tip: Always check your local library! The call number for Folklore is 398.

Main Text

Heroes, Outlaws & Funny Fellows of American Popular Tales
by Olive Beaupre Miller

list of all the stories that are included

Supplemental Resources for

Midwest Region
10 states (MN, IA, MO, KS, NE, SD, ND, MT, WY, ID)

States & Capitals List
Minnesota - St. Paul
Iowa - Des Moines
Missouri - Jefferson City
Kansas - Topeka
Nebraska - Lincoln
South Dakota - Pierre
North Dakota - Bismarck
Montana - Helena
Wyoming - Cheyenne
Idaho - Boise


"The Sad Story of Febold Feboldson and His Enormous Load of Sand"


Febold Feboldson
by Ariane Dewey


Febold Feboldson: Tall Tales from the Great Plains
compiled by Paul Beath


"Big Paul Bunyan and His Blue Ox, Babe"


Paul Bunyan
retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Northwest Region
3 states (CA, OR, WA)

States & Capitals List
California - Sacramento
Oregon - Salem
Washington - Olympia


"Paul Bunyan Goes West"


The Bunyans
written by Audrey Wood, illustrated by David Shannon

Southwest Region
7 states (TX, OK, CO, NM, AZ, UT, NV)

States & Capitals List
Texas - Austin
Oklahoma - Oklahoma City
Colorado - Denver
New Mexico - Santa Fe
Arizona - Phoenix
Utah - Salt Lake City
Nevada - Carson City


"Finn MacCool, the Greatest of Civil Engineers"


Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill
retold and illustrated by Tomie dePaola


Finn McCool and the Great Fish
retold by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Zachary Pullen


"Pecos Bill, the Cowboy"


Pecos Bill
retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg


Pecos Bill and Lightning
retold by Leigh Peck, illustrated by Kurt Wiese
available for FREE at Internet Archive

Northeast Region (New England and the Mid-Atlantic)
13 states (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, WV, VA)

States & Capitals List
Maine - Augusta
New Hampshire - Concord
Vermont - Montpelier
Massachusetts - Boston
Rhode Island - Providence
Connecticut - Hartford
New York - Albany
New Jersey - Trenton
Pennsylvania - Harrisburg
Delaware - Dover
Maryland - Annapolis
West Virginia - Charleston
Virginia - Richmond


"Old Stormalong"


Stormalong: The Legendary Sea Captain
retold by Eric Metaxas, illustrated by Don Vanbderbeek


Mose


American Tall Tales
retold by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Michael McCurdy


"John Henry's Contest with the Big Steam Drill"


John Henry
retold by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney


"Old Johnny Appleseed"


The Story of Johnny Appleseed
retold and illustrated by Aliki


Johnny Appleseed
retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Southeast Region (Southeast and the Mississippi & Ohio Valleys)
15 states (NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MI, LA, AR, TN, KY, OH, IN, MI, WI, IL)

States & Capitals List
North Carolina - Raleigh
South Carolina - Columbia
Georgia - Atlanta
Florida - Tallahassee
Alabama - Montgomery
Mississippi - Jackson
Louisiana - Baton Rouge
Arkansas - Little Rock
Tennessee - Nashville
Kentucky - Frankfort
Ohio - Columbus
Indiana - Indianapolis
Michigan - Lansing
Wisconsin - Madison
Illinois - Springfield


Swamp Angel


Swamp Angel
by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky


"Mike Fink and the Outlaws of Cave-in-Rock"


Mike Fink
retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg


Davy Crockett


American Tall Tales
retold by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Michael McCurdy


Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind


Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett
retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!