October Learning Calendar with DVD Resources
by Diane Flynn Keith
Author of Carschooling
There are historic and important events to commemorate nearly every day of the
year. This Learning Calendar will help you note events and people that impact our
lives with recommendations for DVDs, CDs, books, and websites to further learning
and boost your student's knowledge of the world. All of the DVD, CD, and book
recommendations are available through our affiliation with Amazon.com -- just
click on the links to make a purchase that allows us to continue to provide this
resource for free.
Homefires' October Learning Calendar
- James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the U.S., born 1924.
The History Channel Presents The Presidents
is a box set of DVDs depicting the lives and times of 43 U.S. Presidents including Jimmy Carter.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, India's great spiritual and political leader, born
1869. Gandhi is commonly known in India and across the world as Mahatma Gandhi. The DVD,
Gandhi is an unforgettable academy
award-winning film that examines Gandhi's life, principles, and ability to lead his entire country to
freedom. Cast includes Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi, Candice Bergen, and John Gielgud. [Rated PG]
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- James Herriott, author of All Creatures Great and Small was born in
1916. Through his many stories, enjoyed by readers of all ages, he described his adventures
as a veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire, England.
All Creatures Great and Small, became
a television series inspired by the book. Available on DVD, it includes 13 episodes that bring the world of
the beloved veterinarian to life with all the warmth and humor of his original stories.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the U.S., born 1822.
The Presidents Collection is a PBS box
set of DVDs depicting the lives and times of 41 U.S. Presidents including Rutherford B. Hayes.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Ray Kroc, the entrepreneur who founded McDonald's born 1902.
In the DVD, Winning and Reinvention with Howard Schultz and Ray Kroc,
Howard Schultz and Ray Kroc discuss destiny, hard work, reinventing your career and believing in yourself
and your dream as ingredients of success. Kroc was a high school drop out and a middle-aged salesman when
he discovered McDonalds.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- George Westinghouse was born in 1846. A frequent truant from
school, he received his first patent for the rotary motor that he invented at age 15. He also invented the
air brake (a breakthrough for the railroad industry), and he invented a way to control AC (alternating
current) electricity. Find out more about electricity and how things work with The Children's DVD
Encyclopedia - Tell Me Why, Electricity & Electric Safety.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Niels Bohr, Nobel prize-winning physicist was born in 1885.
Bohr was best known for his work with atomic structure, quantum mechanics, and nuclear reaction. Learn
more about physics with the Standard Deviants School - Physics Parts 1 & 2
DVD. Whether you need help with high school physics, need to review for a college physics class, or you're
studying for the AP Physics Exam, this physics tutorial will help you understand the basics, such as Newton's
Laws, the Law of Universal Gravitation, Kepler's Law and more.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Chicago fire started and burned for 27 hours in 1871,
destroying 17,000 buildings. Legend has it that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a kerosene lamp that
started the fire. Explore the science of fires from the smallest burning match to uncontrollable,
landscape-sized conflagrations when you watch Nova's Fire Wars.
The DVD includes materials and activities for educators.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- John Lennon, controversial founder of British rock group, The Beatles, born
1940. The DVD, A Hard Day's Night,
starring The Beatles is arguably, the first music video ever made.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Giuseppe Verdi, Italian opera composer, born 1813. Rent the DVD,
Verdi - Aida, and watch a spectacular
production of Verdi's most popular opera.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Eleanor Roosevelt, born in 1884, was the wife of U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and social/political activist. Watch the PBS film
American Experience - Eleanor Roosevelt.
Drawing on interviews with her closest relatives, friends, and biographers, as well as rare home movie footage,
the film reveals the hidden dimensions of one of the century's most influential women.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus, searching for a route to
the Orient, landed on San Salvador in the Bahamas in 1492. His explorations gained him credit (arguably)
for the discovery of America, as well as for proving that the Earth was round and not flat. Watch the 1949
production Christopher Columbus on
DVD. In this movie classic, you can follow Columbus' incredible journey as he battles mutiny, exhaustion,
and desperation on his way to the ultimate discovery...the new world!
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Continental Congress authorizes American Naval Force, 1775.
Learn all about the father of the American Navy, John Paul Jones, by watching the Biography Channel's
John Paul Jones: Captain of the High Seas.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the U.S., born 1890.
This A&E Biography of Dwight Eisenhower
is an authoritative, feature-length profile of one of the most important men of the 20th century. He was a
boy from Abilene who grew up to command the largest fighting force ever assembled. He rode his military
accomplishments all the way to the White House. Recordings capture Eisenhower's own words, and the
recollections of dozens of friends, colleagues, family members and political insiders add rich dimension
to this multi-faceted portrait.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Virgil the poet-author of The Aeneid, born 70 B.C.
The Aeneid DVD depicts Virgil's
epic of the founding of Rome beginning with the fall of Troy and the adventures of the Trojan prince,
Aeneas.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Eugene O'Neill, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, born 1888.
Watch the PBS presentation, American Experience - Eugene O'Neill: A Documentary Film.
This production tells the turbulent story of his life including information about his plays such as
The Iceman Cometh (rated: pg) and
Long Day's Journey Into Night that
are also available on DVD. Eugene O'Neill was an award-winning playwright. And while his work is for older
children, younger students might enjoy marking O'Neill's birthday with one-act plays.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Authur Miller, playwright who wrote Death of a Salesman, born 1915.
Rent the DVD, Death of a Salesman,
the Pulitzer Prize-winning modern tragedy about Willy Loman, the middle-aged salesman at the end of his
emotional rope. Shattering and unforgettable this production features a terrific performance by Dustin
Hoffman. (Recommended for middle school ages and up.)
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- U.S. takes control of Puerto Rico, 1898. Take a video tour
of Puerto Rico by watching The Sights and Sounds of Puerto Rico.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- General Charles Cornwallis surrendered to Americans at Yorktown in 1781,
ending the American Revolution. Explore all of the facets of the war by watching the History Channel's
The American Revolution.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Tolkien's The Return of the King was published in 1955
as the last part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Watch
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
on DVD. The highly acclaimed 2003 movie by award-winning director Peter Jackson depicts the final battle
for Middle Earth.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel prizes, was born in 1833.
Inventor of dynamite, he made a fortune selling explosives. His will established a fund for Nobel prize
awards given each year for the most important work in 7 categories: physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine,
literature, peace and (as of 1969) economics. The prize winner receives a gold medal, a diploma, and prize
money. You can watch the DVD (in German) titled
The Alfred Nobel Story, or read
The Nobel Book of Answers: The
Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Shimon Peres, and Other Nobel Prize Winners Answer Some of Life's Most
Intriguing Questions for Young People (ages 9-12).
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Cuban Missile Crisis begins in 1962. President John F. Kennedy
announced the discovery of Soviet Union nuclear missile bases in Cuba. Tense days of political posturing led
to dismantling the missiles. The story was recounted by Robert F. Kennedy in his book, Thirteen Days.
Watch the DVD Thirteen Days, based
on the book.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Soccer great, Pele, born 1940. Watch the DVD
Pele - The Master & His Method
in which Pele discusses his training techniques, his emphasis on practice and his "feel" for the
game.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- In 190l Anna Edison Taylor became the first person to successfully go over
Niagara Falls in a barrel. Watch the History Channel's DVD,
The Falls of Niagara.
Discover this natural wonder that served as a meeting place for Native Americans in ancient times,
and as a place where in a more modern era author Charles Dickens said he saw God.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Johann Strauss, Jr., Austrian composer, was born in 1825.
He was dubbed "The Waltz King" for his waltz compositions such as "The Blue Danube".
Watch Johann Strauss Gala - An Evening of Polka, Waltz, and Operetta
celebrating the life and music of this acclaimed master.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- The Erie Canal, connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River, opened in
1825. Watch Along The Erie Canal
and take an armchair tour of the history and geography of this timeless attraction.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- James Cook, British explorer credited with discovering Hawaii and chartering
much of the South Pacific, was born in 1728. Watch the DVD
PBS Home Video: Hawaii's Last Queen.
Liliu'okalani ruled Hawaii in the late 1800s but struggled to maintain power as the American business
community in Hawaii moved to gain control of the island nation. Anna Deveare Smith narrates.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Statue of Liberty dedicated, 1886. A gift from France
celebrating 100 years of America's Independence. Watch the DVD
Ellis Island and learn about
immigrants of every ethnic background who risked everything for a chance at the American Dream. Learn
more about the Statue of Liberty by viewing these additional titles:
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- "Black Tuesday," the day of the great stock market crash of
1929. This event was the beginning of The Great Depression. Watch
Historic Travel US: In the Grip of The Great Depression
that chronicles the resilience of people in a small town in South Dakota.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- John Adams, the 2nd President of the U.S., born 1735.
Watch John and Abigail Adams
(American Experience). This movie was scripted by relying heavily on the original correspondence
between the second president and his wife. It sheds light on the characters of two remarkable people
whose lives impacted U.S. history.
Further the Learning with These Resources:
- Chiang Kai-shek, the first constitutional president of China, born
1887. Help your children learn more about China with
Baby China (baby signs and learn Chinese for children).
This award winning and critically acclaimed new DVD is designed for babies and children (0-6) in
families with little or no Chinese background. Using natural speech development order, it uses sign
language to provide non-Chinese speaking little ones a light-hearted early exposure to Chinese. It
takes children through a fun journey of Chinese language, culture, and music. Children may also enjoy:
Further the Learning with These Resources:
Do you have young children?
Check out the Preschool Learning Calendar!
Going on a Road Trip?
Carschool on your next trip! If you like this calendar, you'll love the Carschooling Calendar for learning history on
the go! You can get it delivered to your email inbox every month by subscribing to the Carschooling
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