Homeschool Happenings: YWAM Publishing ~ A Review

YWAM Publishing has two amazing series of books that are both inspiring and motivating. The first series is called Christian Heroes: Then and Now and is comprised of 47 books in the series. The second series is called Heroes of History. This complete set has 29 books. My daughter and I had the privilege of reading, Milton Hershey: More Than Chocolate. This book is 192 pages in length and is written for ages 10 and above. Along with the book we were given access to the companion study guide via downloadable pdf file.

Who was Milton Hershey?
I am sure that everyone is familiar with Milton Hershey from the famous chocolate bar 🍫 that is a household name. But I am sure than most people are not familiar with the very humble beginning of Milton Hershey and what it took him to make it to be a famous chocolatier. Milton's father, Henry Hershey, known to the family as a "dreamer" constantly kept his family in debt. Henry constantly read books and was always seeking the next greatest thing to gain wealth. It was Milton's mother, Fanny, and her family, a conservative Mennonite family that again and again rescued Milton and his mother out of debt and crisis. Actually it was Mattie, Milton's aunt, along with Milton's mother that never gave up on Milton and his dreams. Aunt Matttie would continue to loan Milton money for years to come to support her nephew. Fanny and Mattie would work for Milton to help his various job endeavors come true. The Snavely's, Fanny's family, would give up on Milton. They would see Milton as no different as his father, Henry, looking for the next "make it rich scheme" that would eventually go bust and bankrupt not only Hershey but run down the Seavely's resources too. The first true light in Milton's carrier was when he got a job at Royer's Ice Cream Parlor and Garden on West King Street in Lancaster. Both his mother and aunt knew that this job would be the perfect fit for Milton. And a perfect fit it was! Eventually Milton would learn the art of making caramels. Eventually Milton would open up his own caramel shop. Upon visiting the Centennial International Exhibition Milton's dreams grew bigger as he was exposed to new and inventive machines. Milton soon learned that using milk instead of paraffin made caramels last much longer! Soon he was making the best caramels in America. At the next Exhibition in Illinois, Milton visited J. M. Lehmann Company's Chocolate Exhibit in the Palace of Mechanical Arts. It was here that Milton Milton realized that caramel was just a fad and that chocolate would be a permanent thing! Milton set fourth to make a Million Dollar Business in Chocolate!

This is what my 10 year old had to say about the book,

Who read this book?

I chose to read aloud this book to my daughter who is 10 years old. I was actually interested in the life of Milton Hershey. What a perfect opportunity to spend time cuddling and reading about a great Hero in History. Our Children grow up so fast and before long they don't want to sit and be read to anymore. She did read parts of the book on her own as well. I love both the Christian Heroes: Then and Now as well as the Heroes in History series. Over the years I have read many of the titles with my children who range in from 22 down to 10.

Study Guide

Milton Hershey: More Than Chocolate covers the time period of 1857-1945 and is under the subtitle The Inspiration of a Nation. The Social Study Topics surrounding Milton Hershey include:

History of chocolate
Business and enterprise
Production and Manufacturing
Apprenticeships in American History
Mennonites in America
The Great Depression
U.S. and Cuba Relations

Character Qualities that stand out in this book are determination and generosity.

There is both a Parent-Directed Study format as well as a Student-Directed Study format available for the homeschooler. Both formats include the following content:

Key Quotes
Display Corner
Chapter Questions
Student Explorations
Community Links
Social Studies
Related Themes
Culminating Event
Books and Resources

What is great about the Homeschool Study Guide is that it is set up for students of varying academic abilities as well as learning styles.

In Chapter 18 it discusses The Great Depression. Most young students are totally unfamiliar with rations and what it would be like to only be able to buy certain amounts of foods or not be able to buy some foods at all. One of the questions posed to the students is, "What specifications did the military require Hershey's Field Ration D bar to meet?" This would definitely be a great rabbit trail to research to find pictures of ration coupons, what the Ration D bar looked like, and what it was like to eat during this time. I remember my grandmother telling me stories about The Great Depression and what it was like. She showed me ration coupons and what it was like to live through that time. Luckily they lived on a farm so that helped.

If one had the financial means it would be amazing to be able to tour the Hershey factory in Pennsylvania!

So much about this era is "foreign" to the younger generations. What is not foreign to them is that still today it takes hard work and determination to be successful. Failure happens and it is how you react to failure that determines your future. The story of Milton Hershey is definitely a great example of where hard work, determination, generosity get one.

I love the idea of making a story quilt using index cards to tell the story of the Hero. By utilizing creativity through painting, drawing and writing the student can create an amazing tribute to their hero.

There is a large list of books for various age ranges that the student can read to learn more about Milton Hershey.

This unit study has a plethora of incredible activities covering science, geography, writing, art, history, reading, vocabulary, math, business, projects, and so much more.