Eli and I have just begun our ancient history studies for the year - and I'm very glad to report that I might have another history lover on my hands! This post contains affiliate links. Oh, how I have missed Story of the World. It's just such a well-rounded program. The living text, narration questions, maps, timeline cards and great book suggestions make this eclectic Charlotte Mason homeschooler happy. I mentioned in this post that we would be going through the curriculum at our own pace and may or may not linger over the hands-on activities. My little guy isn't about time fillers, so any hands-on activity we do has to have real purpose. I found a hands-on activity last week ... Read More
Search Results for: ancient history
10 Living Books to Teach Ancient History
(This post contains affiliate links.) Being a Charlotte Mason homeschooler with a Classical flair when it comes to history and science, I love living literature that teaches history in rich and meaningful ways! Over the years, we've hit ancient history three different times and each round has included new and exciting literature. I tried to make a Top 10 list, but it turned into a Top 11 list. I could have added so very many more, but these are the books that were the absolute most wonderful. I have ordered them chronologically for you. You can find all the posts in my Loving Living Literature series here. Living Books for Ancient History Adam and His Kin is an awesome work of ... Read More
Ancient History Helps
This post contains affiliate links. We're more than half-way through our study of ancient history using Ancient Civilizations and the Bible by Diana Waring. As we've gotten to know the curriculum, I've found a few things to be extremely useful in helping my children "see" and understand the material. By no means are they necessary in order to complete the program, but they've proven to make the difference in understanding, especially for my 5th grader. A visual Bible timeline has helped us make connections between what was going on in the Bible during the growth of major world civilizations discussed in the text. This one is not exactly like the one below, but looks very similar. We ... Read More
Snapshots of Ancient History
Ancient Civilizations and the Bible continues to be a huge hit - with me AND my children. There is so much more than we could ever use contained in the pages of this book! Since I last wrote about history, we've been on a journey through Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. Below are a just a few highlights from our studies. We're finishing up a study of Ancient Israel this week that includes lots of fun, hands-on activities. I'll write a post soon! ... Read More
The Four Year History Cycle: Slightly Revised
You may have heard me say before that we follow a four-year cycle of chronological history in our homeschool. Well, we used to. My littlest man will be in 3rd grade this coming school year and we're just now getting into ancient history - year 1 in a four-year cycle. I still plan to follow a four (or five) year cycle, but he'll only go through it twice before he graduates - several years from now - which is one less time through the cycle than most classical models. (This post contains affiliate links.) Why only twice through the cycle? My big kids didn't really need the 3rd cycle by the time they got into high school. We had studied world history thoroughly twice before and ... Read More
Why Timelines Matter When Teaching History
When I was in school, I learned a lot of piecemeal history. While I could remember small bits of the lessons, I always felt like history was some giant puzzle that I would never put together - and I hated it. That's the main reason I decided our homeschool would follow a four-year cycle of chronological history. I knew if someone had just taken me through history from start to finish, I wouldn't be so confused. Wait. History Isn't Awful? So, you can imagine my surprise to find how wonderful and exciting the history of our world really is when it's taught well! Not to mention, how much sense it makes. In fact, I LOVE teaching history now - and my children think it's one of THE most ... Read More
10 Living Books to Teach Modern American History
(This post contains affiliate links.) Well, now...quite a lot happens in the time period known as Modern American History! In order to cover everything from slavery and the Civil War to WWI, WWII and following, it would take a much bigger list than this. Rather than a Top 10, I've chosen to give you a Top 12 today. These books just tip the iceberg of various important events in modern history. They're the best of the best, though! You'll likely notice that a few of these have nothing to do with America, per say (like a book about concentration camps), but the events played an integral role in the shaping of our country which is why I included them. The list is ordered chronologically ... Read More
10 Living Books to Teach Early American History
(This post contains affiliate links.) We love learning about the beginnings of our great country! We've spent much time in books, perusing museums and attending reenactments to get a good picture of everything from the Native Americans and Pilgrims to the Revolution and Westward Expansion. As usual, when it comes to historical living books, it was very hard to narrow this list down to a Top 10. Um, in fact, I simply couldn't...so you get a Top 15 today! The list is ordered chronologically for you. You can find all the Loving Living Literature posts here. Pocahontas is d'Aulaire book, which pretty much means it's going to be good because the authors write biographies in such ... Read More
10 Living Books to Teach Medieval History
(This post contains affiliate links.) Ah, the middle ages - kings, knights, castles, art, politics, plagues and more. What an exciting time in the history of our world! It was hard to narrow my favorite living books into a Top 10 list, but below you'll find the best of the best. Be ready for adventure! The list is ordered chronologically for you. You can find all the Loving Living Literature posts here. Living Books for the Middle Ages Otto of the Silver Hand is historical fiction that takes place in early western Europe. Otto, the main character, is a sweet boy who has grown up in a monastery after the death of his mother and the barbarian life of his father. Upon the return ... Read More
I {heart} History Revealed
(Understanding the challenges of creating an accurate flat map when the world is round. Balloon mapping activity, Chapter 1, Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries.) Aaahhh! We've been back into Diana Waring's History Revealed curriculum for about a month and history just "feels" right again! We used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible last year and LOVED it. {See those posts below:} Ancient Civilizations and the Bible Review Ancient Civilizations and the Bible Unit 1 Snapshots of Ancient History Ancient Israel Ancient History Helps Anyway, I got sidetracked with glittery (and less expensive) things this year. We literally bumped and plodded through history daily ... Read More