First off, this is NOT a curriculum. It is a series of scheduled bedtime readings for my daughter and myself on the topic of Canadian history. This year takes us from Canada's earliest days to the Rebellions of 1837. Next year I hope to complete part 2, which will pick up where we left off and take us all the way up to 1997 (APEC). I have not designed this schedule with any particular religious or moral objectives in mind, beyond covering Canadian History thoroughly and entertaining both of us in the process.
There are eight units, each of which is twenty days long. Each night's reading should be between half an hour and an hour long, depending on how fast you read and how long you spend discussing things and answering questions. I've tried to work assorted historical novels and "fun stuff" into each unit. All of the books I've used are in print, and most should be available from your public library. I've also worked in a handful of readers which are meant for my daughter to read on her own. They are short, easy and fun. If they don't get read, no big deal.
Assorted recommendations -
After you finish a unit, take a break and read something which is not related to history for awhile, such as a fantasy novel. Your child might have some ideas on what she'd like to listen to next.
Purchase a good Atlas, keep it handy, and refer to it frequently.
Begin a time line (either taped to your wall or in a notebook), and have your child keep track of important dates and people in Canadian history.
Main Book List:
Beginnings, Stories of Canada's Past, edited by Ann Walsh
The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich
The Boy With an R in His Hand, by James Reaney
Canadian History for Dummies, by Will Ferguson
With Nothing But Our Courage: The Loyalist Diary of Mary MacDonald, by Karleen Bradford (from Scholastic's "Dear Canada" series)
Footsteps in the Snow: The Red River Diary of Isobel Scott, by Carol Matas (from Scholastic's "Dear Canada" series)
First Folks and Vile Voyageurs, by Claire Mackay
Great Canadian Animal Stories, edited by Muriel Whitaker
Jeremy's War: 1812 (also titled, "1812: Jeremy and the General) by John Ibbitson
The King's Daughter, by Suzanne Martel
Life in Acadia: Marie-Madeleine Maisonnat, by Barry Moody
Sooshewan, Child of the Beothuk, by Donald Gale
The Spirit of Canada, edited by Barbara Hehner
The Story of Canada, by Janet Lunn and Christopher Moore
Viking Quest, by Tom Henighan
White Mist, by Barbara Smucker
Wow Canada!, by Vivien Bowers
Units Include the Following:
The Conquest and the Aftermath (plus and overview of modern Canadian geography)
Canada and the American Revolution
The War of 1812 and the Red River War