ABC's and Sweet Tea: Cooking up History with the Founding Presidents by Homeschool Legacy ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

I love short little unit studies that don't take up a lot of time, but also have quite a bit of valuable information. For the last few weeks, we have been doing a Once a Week Micro-Study called Cooking Up History with the Founding Presidents by Homeschool Legacy.

If you've never heard of Homeschool Legacy, it was started by Sharon Gibson, a veteran homeschool mom of 16 years who used unit studies with her own family. She quickly learned that the short interactive lessons worked well for her children and brought them closer together.

What is a Micro-Study?

These are basically short unit studies. Don't let that fool you though. I found this study to be packed with information, and it isn't dry and boring. These studies are great for grades 1-8. These short studies provide you with a topic that you can touch on throughout the week, or just work on one day a week. They are flexible, so it's something that you could add into a study that you are already covering, or if you just want to have a little something extra to learn that week.

Which Micro-Study did we cover?

We have been using Cooking up History with the Founding Presidents, and I am so glad we got this one to review. The kids and I love learning about the Presidents, and the first First Ladies.

The Micro-Study is broken down into 4 weeks. Each week you will learn about and discuss a President, and if you want to go the extra mile, cook one of their favorite things.

Week 1 - George Washington and the recipe that goes along with him is of course, cherry pie
Week 2 - John Adams and his recipe is Apple Pan Dowdy
Week 3 - Thomas Jefferson and his favorite recipe is macaroni and cheese
Week 4 - James Adams is last but not least and his recipe is "Thomas Jefferson's vanilla flavored ice cream" (sounds much better than oyster ice cream which was Dolley Madison's favorite)

This study was very easy to understand and did not take much time to do every week. At the beginning of the study she gives you facts about each President, which we would write on our white board to see throughout the day. I also love the fact that she lists the supplies you will need that week so that you can have it prepared. She gives you great information to read about each President such as history, language, government, and of course the recipes.

You can print out all of the pages so that you have it in front of you, but I found it also good to follow along on the computer so that you can easily access the links. She gives you awesome videos, and links to some very valuable information.

We didn't get to do any of the recipes because my son was just diagnosed with some major food allergies that affects his esophagus. I didn't want to make all of those yummy things that he couldn't eat. Otherwise I think these Micro-Studies are great, and I think that they would be a great addition to any homeschool.

If you are interested in any of her unit studies she also offers: