Historic Sites
Learn through history by visiting interesting historic sites around the state of Minnesota. Historic sites let you put a real face on the history that you've read about, making it more exciting for you and your children.
Historic Sites in Minnesota
Pipestone National Monument
The story of this stone and the pipes made from it spans four centuries of Plains Indian life. Inseparable from the traditions that structured daily routine and honored the spirit world, pipes figured prominently in the ways of the village and in dealings between tribes. The story parallels that of a culture in transition: the evolution of the pipes influenced - and was influenced by - their makers' association with white explorers, traders, soldiers, and settlers. Plains Indian culture has undergone radical change since the era of the free-ranging buffalo herds, yet pipecarving is by no means a lost art. Carvings today are appreciated as artworks as well as for ceremonial use. Once again, as commanded by the spirit bird in the Sioux story of its creation, the pipestone here is quarried by anyone of Indian ancestry. An age-old tradition continues in the modern world, ever changing yet firmly rooted in the past.
Grand Portage National Monument
Located on the magnificent northshore and within the boreal forest of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota, Grand Portage National Monument preserves a vital center of 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st century fur trade activity and Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) heritage. The monument is enclosed entirely within Grand Portage Indian Reservation, which Anishinaabeg families have called home for centuries. Kitchi Onigaming, "the Great Carrying Place" or Grand Portage, connected the summer headquarters compound of the North West and other French and English fur trade businesses on Lake Superior to smaller posts located on the Pigeon River eight and one-half miles away which also linked to the pays d'en haut, the up-country of northwest North America. At the historic site overlooking Lake Superior, a stockade wall, and a great hall and kitchen complex have been reconstructed over their original archeological footprints. Nearby, a canoe warehouse protects vessels on exhibit, crafted from birch, cedar and spruce raw materials, which were so essential for travel along the east-west fur trade routes.
Featured Resources
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Idea Book For Cuisenaire Rods At The Intermediate Level
Grades 2-5. Idea Book designed for use with Cuisenaire Rods.
Why We Homeschool
It is a common misconception that most parents homeschool due to bullies, school shootings, or bad teaching content. While these things are important, there is a higher purpose for choosing to home education your children. Even if all those things were corrected, there are stronger reasons to stay committed to the homeschool model. So why do you homeschool? This book looks at the meaning and significance of a true Christian education.
A Child's Story of America
This text reads like a story book more than a history textbook. This book has a decidedly Christian bent. Students are given a comprehensive overview of U.S. history from Columbus to the present. Review questions are included throughout, as well as helpful maps. The text contains numerous pictures and large print. An optional test packet and answer key is available.
Smart Mouth
Ages: 8 years and up; For 2 or more playersSmart Mouth is a quick-thinking shout-it-out hilarious word game that helps build vocabulary skills. It includes variations of the rules for category play and for younger players. Players slide the Letter Getter forward and back to get two letters. The first player to shout out a word of five or more letters using those letters wins the round. The game includes tips for teachers. This is a fun game to play with children and adults together.
Classical Education & The Home School
Classical education is an idea whose time has come again. When parents see the failures of modern education, they look for better solutions and classical education is one that has been tested in the past and found to be good. For the Christian home educator, the classical education model is a path to joy and success.