Well-Trained Mind Press

06/05/2026

📣Freebie Alert!

Juneteenth, which celebrates the day when the news of emancipation reached enslaved people in the last corners of the Confederacy, is a joyous holiday that is rich in tradition, food, and history. It’s been celebrated in Texas since the 1860s, and spread across the country until Congress declared it a federal holiday in 2021.

Well-Trained Mind Press has created this FREE downloadable resource with lists of suggested books for various age levels, history lessons with discussion and review questions, and activities to help you and your children learn more about this important day.

The details: you can find this free download available now on our website! (we'll put the direct link in the comments). That one download will give you THREE separate files -- one for elementary learners, one for middle grade, and one for high school. The high school edition is also great for adults who want to learn more for themselves. Each of the level has the same lessons, but written specifically for each level. The discussion questions are also of increasing difficulty across the levels. The book lists and activities are also tailored to each age group.

Do you have a mixed-age family? You can mix-and-match the packets to create the right blend of material for your children.

Note: this is not a comprehensive unit; rather, it's two lessons to get you started. Check out the book lists to round out your learning!

06/02/2026

Need a fun way to learn American history? Or maybe you need something to keep your little possums busy when it’s too hot to go outside! Either way, our Famous Figures are always a hit!

Our latest release, Famous Figures of the American Revolution, 250th Anniversary Edition, is jam-packed with 15 different historical figures to learn about and play with!

There’s a full-color version of each figure, as well as a ready-to-color version for your budding artist!
My kids love reenacting what we learn in our history lessons, and they also love making up their own stories (hence the dinosaurs 😅)

They make a perfect addition to Story of the World or any history curriculum, or a fun stand-alone activity. You’ll want to collect them all! Just make sure you also get the dinosaurs-every kid seems to love adding them to stories from every time period 🦕🦖

Find the link in our bio!
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06/02/2026

TimelineTuesday: 6/2/1929, birthday of Norton Juster, author of "The Phantom Tollbooth," which is one of our favorite books. What moments or scenes or quotes from that book do you love?

06/01/2026

Join the Revolution! "Famous Figures of the American Revolution" has been expanded with 5 additional moveable figures, plus the 10 from the previous edition. Your child can cut out, assemble, and move these figures to create new stories about our nation's founding struggle. Each figure includes a mini-biography and suggested books for further learning.
[Follow the link in the comments! Available now in paperback or PDF at a low introductory price!]

Includes:
--Benjamin Franklin
the Marquis de Lafayette
-George Washington
-John Adams
-a soldier of the Continental Army
-a soldier of the British Army
-Daniel Boone
-Paul Revere
-Thomas Jefferson
-Phillis Wheatley
-Molly Pitcher
-Two Kettles (Tyonajanegen)
-Patrick Henry
-Betsy Ross
-Mohawk leader Joseph Brant

05/30/2026

We're at the Homeschool Yo Kids Expo in Norfolk today! Stop by to browse our materials, buy books at a discount, ask questions, and get free stuff!

05/29/2026

This past Monday, the pope apologized for the Catholic Church's role in legitimizing and supporting slavery, calling it "a wound in Christian memory." The church has previously apologized for its involvement in the slave trade, but this statement specifically targeted the 15th-century papal bulls like "Dum Diversas" and "Romanus Pontifex." These proclamations gave Portuguese monarchs theological cover not just for taking prisoners in their wars against Muslims and pagans in North Africa--that was already a common practice--but for enslaving them "forever," and with no geographical limits on where in Africa (or elsewhere) the Portuguese could find new slaves.

Theology [theo-logos, "god-words"], what humans say about who God is and what God wants, can kill or enslave human beings, which is one reason to be very, very careful with it.

(These 15th-century papal proclamations about slavery, and what they gave rise to, have a section of their own in the 25th Anniversary Expanded edition of "The Story of the World, Volume 2," coming next year.)

https://apnews.com/article/pope-apologizes-slavery-role-holy-see-vatican-78df993c5604eb098b19f255b89b3155

05/26/2026

TimelineTuesday: 5/26/1908, the first major deposits of oil in the Middle East are discovered in Persia (present-day Iran). The world breathes a sigh of relief: finally, an endless supply of environmentally-friendly energy that definitely won't cause any political problems or national conflicts!

05/21/2026

California folks! We'll be at the Northern California Homeschool Convention in Rocklin (near Sacramento) on June 12th-13th. Kate Snow (of Kate's Homeschool Math Help and Math with Confidence) will be speaking, and we'll have a booth where you can browse our materials, buy books at a discount, get your questions answered, and get free stuff!

05/19/2026

TimelineTuesday: 5/19/1643, the Battle of Rocroi results in the defeat of the once-invincible Spanish legions. For the 2006 Spanish movie "Alatriste," actor Viggo Mortensen not only spoke fluent Spanish and became an expert musketeer; he also built a time machine and went back in time to participate in the actual battle to ensure full authenticity.

[Not really. But did you know that when he kicked the Uruk-hai helmet in "the Two Towers," he broke his toe??? If you're just now learning this, you are now obligated to yell it out to fellow spectators the next time you watch that film.]

05/18/2026