Book Review
Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915
17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities
by Rebecca Locklear
Reviewed by Debbie Allyn Jett, Editor, The Journal of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association, Vol. 21, No. 1 2020
What a unique and fun book this is! Many, many books have been written about the Life-Saving Service, but none so novel as this one!
Rebecca Locklear is an explorer, an educator, a teacher and a descendant of surfmen from the Chatham and Orleans areas of Cape Cod. Her love of her subject shows on every page, as well as her desire an determination to share the stories, the history, and the lives of those she writes about.
Designed to get students on their feet and actively participating, the book is chock full of exercises, ideas, questions and answers, recipes, family stories, songs and short plays that the students can perform. All can learn about what the men (and women) ate, what they did on the job, how they hunted, fished and grew their own food, and how they rescued those who were at peril upon the waters of our nation. We learn what it was like to live at a life-saving station, what duties were performed each day, how much the men were paid, and even what was in the medicine chests (first aid kits) at each station, relating this information with modern-day rescue techniques and treatments.
The book is recommended for grades 4 through 12 and has activities designed to be understood and enjoyed by students in this range, although I find many of the activities to be interesting to adults as well, especially the short skits.
Useful to any teacher looking for something fun and educational for
students, this book can easily be utilized by scout troops, theatrical directors, church camps, day and summer camps, and anywhere groups of kids come together. It is also a great read all by itself!
Thanks Rebecca!!
Published by Skaket Books and Art, 2019, Printed by Kelley Imaging, Redmond, OR, ISBN 13-978-1-7335915-0-8
More reviews for Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service: 49 teacher reviews are in with photos of students doing projects! Go to this blog RIGHT HERE.
