The Lighted Rose Homeschool

Our carefully curated July playlist introduces topics in a gentle, intentional sequence. Pop it on in the background during morning time, car rides, or sensory play:

• Welcome to July: Exploring July as a month of the year and celebrating summer days
• American Heritage: Patriotic songs, history, and melodies celebrating America
• Olympics & Sports: High-energy tunes highlighting athleticism, global games, and teamwork
• Around the World: Musical passports traveling through international cultures and global rhythms
• Engineering, Machines & Construction: Playful tracks exploring how things are built, tools, and structural wonders
• Transportation in Motion: Upbeat songs about trains, planes, cars, and things that go
• Rest & Reset: Winding down with mindful summer, hammock, and busy city meditations

🔗 Ready to listen? [Find July’s Amazon Music Playlist here.]

These books have been such a joy for us. I’ve included links if you’d like to add them to your home collection, which is a lovely way to keep them ready for when these themes come back around each year. Of course, I also encourage you to check your local library—it’s a wonderful place to let your children browse, explore, and find their own quiet treasures.

📖 Family Read-Alouds (Chapter Books)

Perfect for gathering around to share a longer, immersive story.

• Biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Robert E. Lee, George Washington
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• American Girl stories
• Heidi
• Mary Poppins

📖 Illustrated Picture Books

A mix of illustrated stories for all ages covering our July themes: Transportation, Around the World, America, and Machines & Construction.

• Tootle, by Gertrude Crampton (transportation)
• Sluggers Car Wash, by Stuart J. Murphy (transportation)
• Vacation Time, by Alan Roger (transportation)
• The Boats on the River, by Marjorie Flack (transportation)
• Scuffy the Tugboat, by Gertrude Crampton (transportation)
• I’m Flying, by Alan Wade (transportation)
• Amazing Airplanes, by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker (transportation)
• Where’s Our Mama? by Diane Goode (transportation)
• Freight Train, by Donald Crews (transportation)
• And To Think That I saw it on Mulberry Street, by Dr. Seuss (transportation)
• The Berenstains’ B Book (transporation)
• The Bike Lesson, by Stan and Jan Berenstain (transportation)
• Big Joe’s Trailer Truck, by Joe Mathieu (transportation)
• Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!, by Dr. Seuss (transportation)
• Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, by Richard Scarry (transportation)
• Railroad Toad, by Susan Schade (transportation)
• The Tortoise and the Hare, by Janet Stevens (movement)
• Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss (movement)
• Pecos Bill, by Steven Kellogg (U.S. History)
• Yankee Doodle, by Patti Goodnow (U.S. History)
• Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett, by Steven Kellogg (U.S. History)
• Abe Lincoln’s Hat, by Martha Brenner (U.S. History)
• Abe Lincoln, The Boy Who Loved Books, by Kay Winters (U.S. History)
• A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr., by David A. Adler (U.S. History)
• George Washington’s Breakfast, by Jean Fritz (U.S. History)
• The Story of America’s Birthday, by Patricia A. Pingry (U.S. History)
• The Olden Days, by Joe Mathieu (U.S. History)
• George Washington A Picture Book Biography, by james Cross Giblin (U.S. History)
• I Pledge Allegiance, by June Swanson (U.S. Culture)
• Snoopy for President, by Charles M. Schulz (U.S. politics)
• The Scrambled States of America, by Laurie Keller (U.S. Geography)
• There is a Bird, Guided Science Readers (B) (U.S. symbolism)
• She Persisted, by Chelsea Clinton (History)
• Home Place, by Crescent Dragonwagon (history)
• The House on Maple Street, by Bonnie Pryor (history)
• I Am Responsible, by David Parker (leadership)
• I Am a Leader, by David Parker (leadership)
• Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss (cities)
• Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton (machines & construction)
• Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld (machines & construction)
• Build, Dogs, Build, A Tall Tail, by James Horvath (construction)
• A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse, by Charlotte Zolotow (around the world)
• The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, by Arthur Ransome (transportation, around the world, Russia)
• Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans (around the world, France)
• Strega Nona, by Tomie dePaola (around the world, Italy)
• Little Nino’s Pizzeria, by Karen Barbour (Italian Foods)
• Play Ball Kate, by Sharon Gordon (Sports)
• Treasure Map, by Stuart J. Murphy (Mapping)

Grab some blankets and cozy snacks! These fun watches pair perfectly with your lessons this month:

• American Journeys & Classic Tales: An American Tail, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Bye Bye Birdie, and Mary Poppins
• Global Cultures & World Adventures: Ratatouille (France), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (France), The Road to El Dorado (Central America), and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
• Transportation, Machines & Racing: Cars, Up, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• Sports, Teamwork & Coming-of-Age: Brink!, The Color of Friendship, Cadet Kelly, Stuck in the Suburbs, and Spy Kids
• The Ultimate Theme Tie-Ins: The Magic School Bus (Plays Ball / Revving Up / Taking Flight / Under Construction / In the City)

Bring your learning to life out in the real world with these seasonal excursions:

• American History & Community: Finding a local spot for firework viewing, listening and viewing an American band or orchestra, touring historic battlefields, exploring local history museums, visiting a courthouse, or touring historical architecture and historic homes
• Around the World at Home: Planning dinner nights at local ethnic restaurants or attending diverse community farm festivals
• Transportation, Flight & Engineering: Booking local train rides, attending an air show, or taking a city architecture tour to look closely at local bridges, tunnels, and skyscrapers
• Summer Sports & Heritage Trades: Catching a live baseball game, playing a round of mini golf, enjoying a boating tour, or watching a live blacksmithing demonstration

If you want to add rigorous, free textbooks to our hands-on resources, we highly recommend matching this month’s activities with these specific units:

🧪 Core Knowledge Science

• Grade 7 Unit 1: Chemical Reactions and Matter
• Grade 7 Unit 2: Chemical Reactions and Matter

🌍 Core Knowledge History & Geography

Around the World

• Grade K Unit 1: Let’s Explore Our World!
• Grade 1 Unit 1: Continents, Countries, and Maps
• Grade 5 Unit 6: England and the Golden Age
• Grade 6 Unit 7: Immigration
• Grade 5 Unit 6: England and the Golden Age
• Grade 6 Unit 4: The French Revolution and Romanticism

America

• Grade K Unit 4: The Mount Rushmore Presidents*
• Grade 2 Domain 5: The War of 1812**
• Grade 2 Unit 10: Immigration and Citizenship***
• Grade 2 Unit 6: Making the Constitution
• Grade 3 Unit 7: The Thirteen Colonies
• Grade 4 Unit 7: The American Revolution****
• Grade 4 Unit 8: The United States Constitution
• Grade 4 Unit 9: Early Presidents

✏️ Core Knowledge Language Arts Units

• Grade K Domain 12: Presidents and American Symbols*
• Grade 2 Unit 6: Second Grade Skills—The War of 1812**
• Grade 2 Domain 11: Immigration***
• Grade 4 Unit 7: American Revolution****
• Grade 4 Unit 8: Treasure Island
• Grade 5 Unit 9: Chemical Matter
• Grade 6 Unit 1: Flying Lessons & Other Stories
• Grade 6 Unit 7: The Blessings of Liberty, Volume 1

💡 Teacher’s Note: For the absolute best learning flow, we recommend reviewing any Science or History & Geography units marked with asterisks before you jump into the paired Language Arts unit!