Black History Learning

February is Black History Month. Don’t miss this opportunity to use entertainment and learning games to introduce your kids to important historical figures.

Duke DVD

Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones and other celebs narrate new DVDs from Scholastic Storybook Treasures. Duke Ellington… And More Stories to Celebrate Great Figures in African American History features video versions of picture books about Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Another focuses on the Civil War: Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship… And More Stories to Celebrate U.S. History. $14.95. http://shop.scholastic.com

Museum Finds

At the National Constitution Center in Phila., you can learn about black history — and take home learning activities, too. The museum shop carries a Great African Americans Discovery Kit by Dover Publications ($19.99), filled with paperdolls of Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou and coloring books. The shop also sells Knowledge Cards by Pomegranate ($9.95-$12.95), flashcard decks that quiz kids on history trivia, black history or otherwise. “Kids must love them because we sell them by the truckload,” says shop buyer and general manager Anne Caso.

Stephanie Halinski is calendar editor and toy/product coordinator of MetroKids.