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Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

Are you looking for ways to bring the revolutionary war to life? Do your older kids love music? Did you know you could combine the two with books and chalk pastel art to provide a hands-on learning experience? Use these ideas to create your own Hamilton the musical homeschool study! And don’t miss the free Hamilton the Musical art lesson included, below.

Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study:Are you looking for ways to bring the revolutionary war to life? Do your older kids love music? Did you know you could combine the two with books and chalk pastel art to provide a hands-on learning experience? Use these ideas to create your own Hamilton the musical homeschool study! #Hamiltonthemusical #Hamilton #AlexanderHamilton #revolutionarywar #chalkpastelart #homeschool #unitstudy

What Is Hamilton the Musical?

I was excited to watch Hamilton: An American Musical when it first came to Disney+. I had heard so many great things about this Grammy and Tony Award winner. 

What is Hamilton?

It is a musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda which follows the life of one of our founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton.

The musical is filled with rap and hip-hop that takes you back in time to show how Alexander Hamilton arrived in this country as an immigrant and became one of the most influential men in American history.

I thought I was the only one interested in watching the Hamilton musical. Still, within a few moments, the whole family was sitting beside me watching the story of Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton is now a family favorite!

*Hamilton, the musical, does contain swear words and other content that may be viewed as inappropriate for children. I felt that my children’s enthusiasm for history, reading, and music far outweighed my concerns. Please preview the content and use your best judgment on whether it is appropriate for your kids and family.*

Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

Adding Music And Art To Homeschool History

Folks, my son LOVES history. He’s been obsessed with WWII for years, but with the introduction of the Hamilton musical, he has also become interested in the revolutionary war!

Why?

The musical brought the story of Alexander Hamilton to life! My son didn’t realize that Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton didn’t like each other. But after watching the show, my son wanted to learn more.

The American revolution was suddenly fascinating! Why did George Washington trust Hamilton? Was Aaron Burr truly a villain? Why did James Madison criticize Alexander’s financial plans for the new country when he supported them at first? What about King George III? Was he really mad?

“THE TEN-DOLLAR FOUNDING FATHER WITHOUT A FATHER, GOT A LOT FARTHER BY WORKING A LOT HARDER, BY BEING A LOT SMARTER, BY BEING A SELF-STARTER.”

Aaron Burr, Hamilton Musical
Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

Imagine our delight when I discovered Nana had a Hamilton musical chalk pastel lesson AND oodles of lessons on American history that coincided with the revolutionary war and American presidents!

With the You ARE An Artist Clubhouse you have access to 700+ chalk pastel video art lessons, including:

  • George Washington silouette
  • Revolutionary War Uniforms – Continental soldier and British soldier
  • Boston Tea Party
  • 13 Colonies – the gathering storm
  • The Constitution
  • Paul Revere
  • Three Branches of Government
  • Alexander Hamilton
  • King George, III
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • James Madison
  • George Washington
  • plus so much more!
Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

Hamilton The Musical Lessons

We listen to the Hamilton soundtrack in the car and when we’re doing chores around the house. It’s not uncommon for one of us to break out into song at random moments throughout the day.

“Da Da Da Dat Da Dat Da Da Da Da Ya Da!”

King George III is one of our favorite characters, and we have the t-shirt to prove it.

“AND WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, I WILL SEND A FULLY-ARMED BATTALION TO YOU REMIND YOU OF MY LOVE.”

King George III, Hamilton Musical
Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

The Hamilton musical brought all of these historical figures to life in a fun way while also giving us an education in music and pop culture. We looked up the lives of the main characters as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda. There was so much to learn!

“I AM NOT THROWIN’ AWAY MY SHOT.”

Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton Musical
Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

Hamilton The Musical Art Lesson for Your Homeschool

Enjoy Nana’s Hamilton lesson with your American history homeschool studies! Suggested supplies:

Yellow construction paper, set of chalk pastels (our favorites are here), baby wipes or damp chalk pastels for easy clean up.

If you enjoy Nana’s Hamilton video art lesson, please share a photo of your painting and tag @chalkpastelart on social media! Nana would love to see and to comment.

Related Resources For Your Homeschool History Study

History isn’t black and white. It is shades of grey and usually told from the point of view of the winners.  So, I like to pull information from multiple sources.

For my 9-year-old daughter we learned more about Hamilton with these books:

  • Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
  • Aaron and Alexander: The Most Famous Duel In American History

For my son we used the books:

  • King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn’t Tell You About the American Revolution
  • The Duel: The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr

With both kids I used:

  • Who Was Alexander Hamilton?
  • DK Smithsonians Timelines of Everything
  • History Year by Year: The History of the World, from the Stone Age to the Digital Age
Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

We didn’t just learn about Alexander Hamilton but many of the founding fathers, including their triumphs and faults. Combining music with art and books was a perfect way to make history hands-on and fun! It provided us with lots of topics and rabbit trails of interest. Nana provided excellent lessons with some of our favorite historical and musical characters of the revolutionary war that won’t soon be forgotten.

“AMERICA, YOU GREAT UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, YOU SENT FOR ME. YOU LET ME MAKE A DIFFERENCE. A PLACE WHERE EVEN ORPHAN IMMIGRANTS CAN LEAVE THEIR FINGERPRINTS AND RISE UP.”

Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton Musical
Hamilton The Musical Homeschool Study

Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. Her blog is filled with information to help you explore a child led education while making meaningful connections with your children. Discover favorite read alouds, seasonal books, games, art projects, hands-on activities, and learn to just breathe through the ups and downs of life. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.

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7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

Are you looking for fun ways to incorporate American history homeschool lessons? Maybe you already have a history curriculum, but you’re looking for ways to make it more hands-on and engaging. Chalk pastels may be just what you need to get your kids to fall in love with history!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love: Are you looking for fun ways to incorporate American history homeschool lessons? Maybe you already have a history curriculum, but you're looking for ways to make it more hands-on and engaging. Chalk pastels may be just what you need to get your kids to fall in love with history!

Folks, my son LOVES history.

Well, he loves specific periods in history.

He’s just obsessed with World War II.

What’s a mom to do when her kid is only interested in one particular point in history OR, like many moms, have kids not interested in history at all?

I decided to let my kiddo dive as deeply as he wanted into the periods that interested him. While I occasionally strew other periods about for his delight. And guess what? It’s working! Strewing books, games, and even art, works! Sometimes it can be something as random as listening to the Hamilton musical or watching a documentary on current events that sparks a question that leads to a rabbit trail of discovery. The more questions asked, the more answers we lookup. Before you know it, we’re diving into George Washington, Paul Revere, Lewis and Clark, the Louisiana Purchase, Slavery, the Underground Railroad, and even John F. Kennedy!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

You ARE AN Artist Clubhouse American History Online Art Lessons

I’ve found that our You ARE An Artist Complete Clubhouse Membership to be a wealth of resources! They have online chalk pastel lessons from early American history through modern American history and everything in between, with new lessons added each month! There are 700+ lessons of all sorts to choose from. Then, there is the Companion I Drew It Then I Knew It History workbooks! These are perfect jumping-off points for a quick history study!

All you need are a cheap set of chalk pastels, a pack of construction paper, and the You ARE AN Artist Complete Clubhouse Membership.

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

George Washington Homeschool Art Lessons

I gathered up all of our encyclopedias and history books and laid them out on the table. My son casually mentioned George Washington. Sure enough, Nana has several George Washington lessons to choose from and 19 other American history lessons!

  • Revolutionary War uniforms – Continental soldier and British soldier
  • Boston Tea Party
  • Early colonists
  • 13 colonies – the gathering storm
  • White House
  • The Constitution
  • Women in War
  • Paul Revere
  • Lewis and Clark
  • Native Americans – Midwestern Tribes Headdresses
  • Napoleon
  • French Flag
  • War of 1812
  • Columbus
  • Harriet Tubman
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • Three Branches of Government
  • Alexander Hamilton
  • King George, III

This American history homeschool lesson silhouette of George Washington was super fun. We enjoy silhouettes because they’re easy enough for anyone to do. There is no detail to put in. Just draw the outline and then shade it in black! As we draw, we talk about who this historical figure was. What were his accomplishments? What were his faults? 

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

Revolutionary War Online Art Lessons

Tea Party, anyone? How about the Boston Tea Party? My son asked how much the tea was worth that was thrown into the bay that fateful night. It turns out those 342 chests of tea were worth around $15,000!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

Paul Revere’s Ride is another famous event! But we like to dig a little deeper when we find an interest. Did you know that on April 26, 1777, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington set off on a 40-mile ride to muster the militia in response to a British attack? She rode twice as far as Paul Revere. Did you also know that General George Washington personally thanked this brave girl after the battle? I didn’t realize until my son, and I discovered this gem of history. This is the kind of tidbit that gets my kiddo excited! We can pretend this hat, and lantern lesson is Paul Reveres or Sybil Ludington!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

Lewis and Clark Homeschool Lessons

We explored the Lewis and Clark homeschool lessons after talking about the Louisiana Purchase. The journey and adventure they had were truly astounding. So many new discoveries were made on that trip! Thomas Jefferson was indeed pleased with his purchase after that!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

And then my son asks an all-important question, ” How can the Europeans just arrive somewhere and say that it belongs to them now? How can they buy and sell land like that? The Native Americans were there first.”

Great question.

But, that is just another reason why it’s so important to learn about different periods of history and not just stay in the one period of history that interests you. All periods of history offer learning opportunities.

Also, you’ll notice that he wrote “Swamp” instead of Spain on Florida… I laughed so hard when I saw what he wrote!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

Harriet Tubman American History Homeschool Study

My son’s favorite American history homeschool lesson was that of Harriet Tubman. He’s read several books about her and watched several documentaries about her. He loved the I Drew It Then I Knew It History workbook about her too. It offered some fast facts and a short biography that he thoroughly enjoyed. Harriet Tubman was indeed a remarkable woman! Now my son is excited to learn more about the Civil War and the Underground Railroad!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

John F. Kennedy Modern U.S. History Lesson

The You ARE An Artist Complete Clubhouse Membership also has a plethora of American Presidents art lessons to choose from, including:

George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln Portrait – Aaron Copland
Ulysses S. Grant
President Benjamin Harrison – First Christmas Tree in White House
Theodore Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy
Franklin D. Roosevelt

 I asked my son if he was interested in learning more about any of them, and without skipping a beat, he said, John F. Kennedy. Lucky for us, there is a chalk pastel lesson of him hunched over a writing desk. You can see the weight of the nation on his shoulders. 

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

While American history isn’t always pretty, it does need to be explored by young and old alike. It’s important to understand where we came from, what decisions got us to where we are now, and how we move forward. It’s essential to learn about key historical figures and even some that, while not as famous was just as instrumental in weaving the tapestry of our nation.

Encourage your kiddos to ask questions. Help them to find answers. Continue to dig a little deeper for as long as they are interested. Let Nana’s chalk pastel lessons make learning about American history fun and engaging even if history isn’t your child’s favorite subject!

7 American History Homeschool Lessons Your Kids will Love

Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. Her blog is filled with information to help you explore a child led education while making meaningful connections with your children. Discover favorite read alouds, seasonal books, games, art projects, hands-on activities, and learn to just breathe through the ups and downs of life. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.