The Curriculum Choice

Grandpa’s Box

Oct 202010

Grandpa’s Box: Retelling the Biblical Story of Redemption by Starr Meade

Looking for an overview of the Bible from Creation to Revelation in a fun read aloud? This book might be just what you’re looking for!

Grandpa loves to hang out with his grandchildren, Amy and Marc. He owns a trash-to-treasure shop where the children spend hours playing. One day, he decides to show the children his very own treasure box where he keeps wooden figurines he’s carved over the years. Each of these figurines represents a story from the Bible.

Over many visits, Grandpa tells the children chronological stories from the Bible. Rather than just being the same old retellings the children have heard before, though, Grandpa tells them as a war story. He first intrigues the children by telling them he’s involved in a war right now. When they don’t believe him, he begins with the story of Adam and Eve and the war that began as soon as the serpent entered the Garden of Eden.

From there, each new Bible story is told from the perspective of how it fits into this war that still rages today. The chapter titles are very cute. I’ll give you a few examples which should help you see how the author ties the Bible into the war theme…

Chapter 1o, Commander in Chief – Moses
Chapter 15, A Foreigner Enlists – Ruth
Chapter 19, A Guided Missile – The Death of King Ahab
Chapter 32, Victory from Defeat – The Resurrection of Jesus
Chapter 42, Victory at Last – Revelation

At 42 chapters and 282 pages, Grandpa’s Box is a fairly long book, but most chapters can be read in 5-10 minutes. My children enjoyed hearing the familiar stories in this fresh, exciting format and always begged for one more chapter!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her nature studies at Shining Dawn Books.

Adam and His Kin

Bible, History, Living books 1 Response »

Sep 272010

As a supplement for studying ancient history this year, my children and I read Adam and His Kin.

Ruth Beechick has done a fantastic job retelling the Biblical story of Creation through Abram as he leaves Ur (Genesis 1-11.) Reading like living literature, the author fills in some of her own imaginations about how the characters of the Bible might have felt and what they might have said. This may turn some people off as they decide she has “added” to Scripture, but I wasn’t turned off at all. The additions come from a well-researched background (and make for a very powerful story!)

I certainly would put the book in the category of historical fiction, though. It wouldn’t be right to read this rather than the Bible. We read this as an extension after a very solid instruction in what Genesis actually says.

I was amazed to understand several things I never had before! For instance, the Seed line (those who would directly fall into the geneology of Jesus later) is explained so that you see not simply a timeline of when each person was born and when they died, but you watch them walk together, teach one another and encourage generation after generation. As the story unfolds, you see Adam living even into the time of Methuselah – they knew each other, learned together and preached together.

I know I could’ve looked at a simple Bible timeline and seen that Adam and Methuselah lived some time together, but the story builds a picture in your mind that a simple timeline most likely doesn’t. And this is true for so many other aspects of the book!

I highly recommend adding this to any Bible or ancient history schedule – it was fantastic! In fact, I’m even going to say you really SHOULD add this to your schedule – no homeschooling family should miss it!

(I read it with a 5th and 8th grader. I wouldn’t recommend it for children younger for the simple reason that you really want the depth of the story to be able to sink in powerfully.)

Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her nature study curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.

Charlotte Mason Guides

Charlotte Mason, Encouragement, Living books, Philosophies 1 Response »

Sep 012010

One of the very best things about homeschooling your kids is that you are free to choose any philosophy of teaching you wish. Paying attention to the way your child learns and adhering to his/her needs in the classroom is a huge benefit that homeschooled kids have. Many of you reading this review may have chosen to homeschool for the very reason that your child could not learn the in the style being taught at a traditional school. There are plenty of styles of schooling your kids out there. There’s Classical, Eclectic, Unit Study-based, Unschoolers, and more. But the style that has most worked with our family is the Charlotte Mason approach.

In a nutshell, Charlotte Mason was an educational reformer that live in England in the late 1800′s. She completely disagreed with how school worked and thought it could be better. She had no children of her own, but she made it her life’s mission to improve the educational system as it was. She set to work and started her own school. I love a woman willing to go against the grain!

Her philosophy can be hard to adopt for homeschoolers that were brought up in public (or private) school because it is so different from “regular” school. With a CM approach you use no text books. Everything is taught on a literature-based standard. Instead of having children memorize names and dates and cram for tests, you would read interesting and exciting literature to paint a mental picture that sticks with them…encouraging a love of learning.

So…pardon me for the long introduction. I’ll get the the review now . It can be difficult in the beginning to know how to use this philosophy, but I’ll share some of my very favorite Charlotte Mason guides that really helped me. (Please note: There are TONS of great websites and books to help you learn more, but these are my most “beat-up” CM books…meaning they are dog-eared, highlighted, “coffee-ringed”, and creased!)

Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola: Karen Andreola is a forerunner for starting the Charlotte Mason revival in the homeschooling community. She has written many books about teaching certain subjects the CM way, but this book is a compilation of allaspects of teaching the CM way. The contents include everything you need to know. She includes a background about what drew her to the CM method and bumps along the way. The book is sprinkled with personal stories about her life as a homeschool mom. She stresses the importance of having a support system and possibly even starting your own CM group. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and room for notes.

A Charlotte Mason Education Series by Catherine Levison: These are the books that first got me excited about CM. I love the way Catherine writes and her clear explanation of everything she discusses. Her series is made of three separate titles:

The first book is an overview of each school subject and how to do them the way CM would have. The second book goes a bit more in depth and gives great ideas for your classroom. Both books have great examples, lists, and sample schedules to help you get started.

The third book in the series is a compilation of books that CM used in her teaching and newer books that follow her guidelines of teaching. There are many books reviewed and I use many of them in our homeschool. This book also includes a great scope and sequence of grades K-12. It’s a wonderful way to get started, even if you don’t follow it all the way through high school, it’s a great starting point.

Catherine’s website also includes excellent articles that I’ve read over and over.

Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg with Charlotte Mason helps. A few others that come to mind are:

-Written by Alicia, a Charlotte Mason-loving, mom of three. You can find her blogging at La Famille.

The Royal Diaries Series

Charlotte Mason, History, Living books 1 Response »

Aug 272010

Since I was a little girl, I’ve been an avid reader. I remember coming home from the library, barely able to balance on my 10-speed because of my huge load of delightful reading. Even earlier than that, I remember my mom sighing as I climbed into bed, struggling with the stack of books I expected her to read to me before bedtime. Memories like these come back to me when I take the kids to the library and I pick myself up another couple of books from The Royal Diaries series. I had been searching the library shelves for some good summer reading books for my (now) 3-grader when I found The Royal Diaries: Anastasia. The story of Anastasia has always intrigued me, but as I looked further, I saw there were tons of these books! I went home with two of them and have been reading them all summer.

Each book is based on the life of a young, royal girl. The books are written like a diary would be. They are fictional books, but each one is written based on facts. These stories are all exciting, factual, and chalk-full of learning potential! I’m pretty sure Charlotte Mason would agree

Besides the fact that there are 20 princesses in this series, such as…

…each book offers tons of information at the end of each exciting story. The diaries are written when the girls are around the ages of 12-14, before they are famous. Then the story ends right as something big in their life begins to happen, such as a royal marriage. After the diary, each book includes:

an Epilogue explaining how the story continues or ends
Historical Notes, giving more information about the royal families and the effect they had on that period in time
A Family Tree with continuing pages explaining each person on the family tree and their role in history
Drawings, paintings, photos, or statues of the royalty depending on the point in history
Maps showing the area that the princess was talking about in the story
About the author section where it explains their research for the book (there are several authors in this series)
Pronunciation of difficult words found in the book
Glossary of characters, which is very helpful since many of the books have lots of characters

You can purchase the entire series from Amazon.com here. There are also several VHS tapes based on the books that can be purchased here and here.

Overall, these are absolutely fabulous books to include in your homeschool curriculum. At our house, we are studying the Middle Ages this year so I think I could use several Royal Diaries in our studies. I think these would be great read-alouds for middle-elementary kids and then even better books to assign to upper elementary and middle-school kids to read on their own. Of the several diaries I have read there has been some violence, but very minimal and I tend to over look some of that for the sake of history and learning. I would highly recommend these lovely, historically-rich books!

-Alicia can be found either reading classic literature to her three busy kids or blogging over at La Famille.

History Comes Alive

Charlotte Mason, Literature, Living books, Unit study resources 4 Responses »

Aug 182010

As a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, teaching with living literature is imperative to me. And considering that I like to package much of our history and science learning into unit studies, incorporating living literature into our current unit makes awesome connections for my children.

The History Comes Alive books written by Barbara Greenwood fit both the CM and unit study aspects of our homeschool perfectly! Written about four major eras of North American history, the books are a wonderful mix between historical fiction, factual snippets and simple hands-on activity ideas.

I’ve used these books with my children from 2nd grade on up. They’re each well over 200 pages, but are illustrated in black and white pencil drawings to keep children intrigued. It’s very easy to skip around and only read certain parts, too, if you’d rather not go through the entire book.

A Pioneer Story introduces you to Sarah and Willy Robertson, Canadian pioneer children of the 1840′s who must be hard-working members of their family in order to survive. Breaks in the story-line turn to more factual information about such things as what a typical log house would’ve looked like, how a farm might be situated, the maple sugaring process, the process of weaving and much more. Activity breaks are also included in the story which will give step-by-step instructions for making cheese, making a homemade balance scale, stenciling and many others.

There are two smaller books available by the same author on the subject of pioneers, too – A Pioneer Thanksgiving and A Pioneer Christmas. Both are written in the same style as the above book, but only have about 48 pages each.

The Last Safe House (our very favorite) is a story of the Underground Railroad. Two preteen girls, Eliza (an escaped slave) and Johanna (a daughter in the home of a safe house) become wonderful friends. Johanna is introduced to the world of slavery, escape, fear and freedom in this wonderful tale. On the factual side of the story, you learn about famous slaves, slave labor, the Underground Railroad and even a few slave songs. The activities teach how to make corn-husk dolls, tin lanterns, gingerbread cookies, and how to spin a good story.

Gold Rush Fever is set in the Klondike in 1898. Thirteen year old Tim sets off with his older brother on the dangerous journey through the Yukon territory in an attempt to get rich during the gold rush. This book not only takes you on the hunt for gold, but starts at the beginning in Seattle where you start the trip through treacherous conditions. It’s a good view of the entire sacrifice and determination on the part of those who left home in search of gold. The factual snippets teach you about gold mining equipment, boat building, mining towns, what happened when gold was found and more. The activities introduce you to a sour-dough biscuit recipe, knot tying, playing solitaire and other ideas that are particularly boy-friendly.

Factory Girl brings you face to face with the reality of children working in factories in the early 1900′s. Meet 12 year old Emily as she works long hours in a unsafe, dark, overcrowded sewing factory where she is treated poorly by her demanding and unfriendly boss. Don’t be fooled, this story isn’t just for girls. The informational sections take you on a photographic journey through all sorts of child labor conditions of the times including coal mines, housemaids, and other factories. You will learn about immigration, living in large cities in the early 1900′s, schooling, women at work, and laws that changed child labor and working safety.

Although this books is unlike the others in that it doesn’t include activity ideas, it’s still our second favorite in the series. This is an issue that’s harder to find literature about for children, so we were very excited to dive in!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and you can find her nature studies at Shining Dawn Books.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Living books, Science, Unit study resources No Responses »

Aug 062010

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess is a delightful blend of storytelling and nature study.

Published originally in 1919, Burgess meticulously weaves the non-fiction details of bird life into the fictional account of a curious rabbit named Peter. As Peter explores his surroundings, the Old Orchard, the Green Forest, the Green Meadows and even the banks of the Big River and its tributaries, he also pursues his longing to find out more about his feathered friends. Their ways intrigue Peter, so he sets out to discover them, interviewing Jenny Wren and dozens of other birds commonly found in the United States.

Peter is the secret to the book’s story-telling success. He is sometimes prideful, generally curious, and always growing. Peter’s personality especially appeals to children, as he flits around his world encouraging his friends, meeting new birds, and generally enjoying the whole experience. His antics and manners reflect a joy of learning and life. In addition, he is a good role model, one who chooses to learn from his mistakes and who appreciates those around him even though they are different from him.

Peter is joined by a numerically formidable group of his feathered brethren. Each bird—91 birds total—has a name created by Burgess that is intended to reflect the bird’s personality and characteristics. It is combined with the commonly used name (names in some cases) of the bird. The non-fiction nature study component for each bird includes the birds’ descriptions, male and female, and generally also discusses the bird’s diet, call, nesting practices, migration tendencies, and daily habits. The sharing of these facts does not become tedious or mundane, however; Burgess utilizes story to maintain interest. Each bird becomes a true character in his own right, engaging the reader and informing at the same time.

Burgess’s method works amazingly well. My lower elementary-aged children never failed to request “one more, please” as we worked our way through the short chapters. Though the language is not particularly difficult, it is typical for the time in which it was published and uses phrasing that is not commonly used today. This was not an issue, even though my children are young. In fact, they have retained information from the book, sometimes regaling me with their bird knowledge at unexpected times.

There are great possibilities for study with this book.

●Use it as a read-aloud. Enjoy both the story and factual elements.

●Use it as the foundation of a bird unit study. Add a field guide and some library books for an amazing nature-based science unit covering birds.

●Use it to teach the masterful combination of fiction and non-fiction in story form. Have your student give it a try.

●Use it as independent read for an older student. Expect a bird-centered project at the end.

●Use it to encourage bird watching and general nature appreciation for the whole family.

●Use it to painlessly learn the details of bird life in the United States. A field guide and audios of birds singing their tunes would complement the book nicely.

●Use it for art. Ask students to draw and color the birds from the book’s descriptions and then compare their work to photographs. For younger kids, print coloring pages.

●As you read, use it for copywork and narration. The short chapters lend themselves to this approach.

●Discuss character lessons drawn from Peter and the other creatures as you read. Collect Bible verses that illustrate similar character values and virtues.

●Use it seasonally, returning to it each spring as the birds return.

For the most part, we just read the book and loved it. It is a book that teaches without trying; a “living book” to which we will return for more in-depth study as my kids get older.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is available for purchase from Dover for $8.95. It can be found for free at Project Gutenberg and LibroVox. A quick search of the internet will provide a number of useful sites, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds guide. There are also quite a few homeschool mamas out there who have used this book and share their ideas.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is really not just for children. It is a book that will encourage and engage readers and listeners of all ages. Don’t be surprised if you learn something, too!

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and that wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

Living Books for Art

Art, Charlotte Mason, Living books 2 Responses »

Jul 212010

As a Charlotte Mason educator, some of our homeschool time is spent learning about artists and completing picture study. And, continuing in Charlotte Mason style, I try to only use living literature in our homeschool. Luckily, I’ve found several wonderful children’s books about artists including the Getting To Know the Great Artist Series and Smart About Art Series.

But my most favorite living art books are the Anholt Art Books for Children. Beautiful illustrations and lovely story lines tie the artist and his art into a fictional stories that are lighthearted, but captivating. I’m a huge fan of clever stories, and these are very clever!

The main character in the stories, other than the artist himself, is always based on a real person whom the artist knew. Even though the storyline is fictional, at the end of each book, you will find a non-fiction biography about the artist and how the main character of the book relates to him.

If you’re looking for a mostly factual selection, then one of the series mentioned in the first paragraph might interest you more. However, don’t push these aside before giving them a chance. At least see if your library has any of the titles – you and your children are sure to enjoy them!

There is no age range given on the publisher’s website, but I found them appropriate for children 5-12. I’m listing a few books below that I haven’t read, but I wanted to give you a complete list of the Anholt titles available. Note that not all of these are authored by Laurence Anholt, but all have a similar style.

Do you know of any living art literature that I haven’t mentioned? Please share!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her nature studies at Shining Dawn Books.

Read for the Heart – A Book about Books

Elementary, High School, History, Junior High Language Arts, Language Arts, Literature, Living books, Preschool, Unit study resources No Responses »

Jul 122010

I have yet to meet a homeschool family that did not love books. On my quest to find wonderful books to be read to or by my children I have read quite a few ‘books about books’. One volume has earned a place on my personal shelf to be used often. That book is Read for the Heart: Whole Books for Wholehearted Families by Sarah Clarkson.

Read for the Heart is 384 pages full of information and ideas. The first four chapters give the reader an in-depth look at the author’s personal view of books, a guide for becoming a reading family, as well as a chapter on the state of literacy in America today.

The next eight chapters are booklists divided into the following topics:

Picture Books
The Golden Age Classics
Children’s Fiction
Fairy Tales and Fantasy
History and Biography
Spiritual Reading for Children
Poetry
Music, Art, and Nature

Each chapter begins with a story and treatise by Miss Clarkson on the book genre at hand, giving you an even better idea of what qualities she has used to select books for that chapter. I love this part. It makes me feel like I’ve just sat down to chat with a good friend, and she is sharing adventures she has had with books. The lists in each chapter are generally arranged alphabetically by author, with the main exception being the history and biography section arranged by time period. That has been a big help when I am looking for books to go along with our current history studies. Most of the books have a review telling more about the story, awards won, general age guidelines, and any cautions if necessary.

The end of Read for the Heart has six appendices of book lists such as Newbery and Caldecott Award winners and special favorites of the author. There are two indexes, one sorted by author and illustrator, one by title, giving a quick way to check on a specific book or to find more by an author or illustrator my children enjoy.

You can view a 32 page excerpt from Read for the Heart on the Apologia website. The book can be purchased there or on Amazon for $17.00. I bought mine through Amazon with some gift cards I had.

My only complaint about Read for the Heart is that she stopped at 384 pages! Sarah Clarkson’s guide has been a huge help as I have navigated the library catalog searching for books to share with my children. I would love if she made a second book with reviews of even more titles.

Written by Tristan, mom to 5 going on 6 children, homeschooling through unit studies with a side of lapbooks. You can visit her at her blog, Our Busy Homeschool.

Classic Starts

Literature, Living books 3 Responses »

Jul 012010

Since we’ve starting homeschooling, I’ve been so surprised at how much I learn right along with my kids. I’ve always loved to read, but I feel like I wasn’t exposed to the classics as much as I should have been as a child that went to public school. So, I’ve made it my goal to once again, learn right along side my kids and read tons of classic literature. When we first started out a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure they would be able to comprehend what we were reading, but I was so wrong! Even my then 3-year-old would sit and listen and ask questions.

Although I want to incorporate more classics, a 400-page book and three little kids just doesn’t seem like the best match sometimes. So, I was really excited to find the “Classic Starts” series. They are abridged versions of TONS of classics that are very easy to read and understand for little ones. Even though they are abridged versions, not exactly like the original, they are extremely close and very well written. They’re very affordable and available in hardback and audio versions. They are also sprinkled with illustrations here are there too, adding a visual element for younger kids listening.

This series is very large, featuring almost any children’s classic story you can think of…like:

Treasure Island
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Black Beauty
The Secret Garden
Oliver Twist
Robinson Crusoe
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (We are reading this right now and my boys are totally digging this book!)

We read Treasure Island at the end of the school year as a ‘fun read’ and my boys loved this book! You can click here to see how we used this book to delved deeper into our classic literature.

At the end of each book is a list of discussion questions, which can be read as you go along or when you’re done with the book. This is a great addition because you can really get some good narrations from your kids and know that they are grasping what they’re reading.

Since summer is now in full swing, I would recommend adding some of these books to your summer reading lists!

Alicia can be found either reading classic literature to her three busy kids or blogging over at La Famille.

TruthQuest History

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, High School, History, Literature, Living books, Preschool, Writing 3 Responses »

May 132010

TruthQuest History guides by Michelle Miller are among my favorite, most valued homeschool resources; a gem that I am so thankful to have found. You see, we haven’t ever read our history solely from a textbook (though I have actually found a favorite one recently- that we’re reading from as a spine at the moment!) and since I’m usually designing our history and literature reading plans by pulling from a variety of sources, from the best book lists of literature and biographies to primary sources to documentaries and movies, etc., I began to realize early on that I really needed help- a way to help me tie it all together, to mindfully keep the big picture of our LORD’s Sovereignty over the affairs of men before us as we learn.

Enter TruthQuest History… these guides have helped me to do just that, providing me with the perfect balance of structured commentary from a purposefully Christian world view synchronized with chronologically listed book suggestions! As we’re watching HIS-story (history assimilated with a Providential understanding) unfold before us, these guides have enabled me to draw more deeply from the well of thoughts and questions inspired by so many wonderful living books and other sources that we’re finding recommended along the way. Learning history together in this manner has become a rather serendipitous adventure, always interesting and no doubt has partly been the catalyst of our 14 year old son’s love for history (which he pursues even more in depth on his own time). These TruthQuest guides are so much more than just literature guides or book lists, though they are an exceptional source in that regard as well.

The input I’ve received from these guides has given me the confidence I needed to approach a subject that though I love, I know very little about (thank you public education!), in the manner which my children and I most love to learn about it, through the reading of great, living books (chosen at our own disgression)! With Michelle Miller’s help, I’m better able to assimilate our (eclectic) history lessons into a cohesive strand of meaningful discussions (and thus, narrations) and purposeful planning. I am enjoying having the daily, helpful input of these amazing guides, learning history with Michelle Miller as my mentor. Most of all, I’m just love, love, loving that I am re-learning history right along-side my kids in such a wonderfully fascinating, informative and meaningful manner!

Please take the time to read here if you would like to know more, in Michelle’s own words, about What is TruthQuest History?

We began our journey with TruthQuest a few years back, when I bought our first guide, American History for Young Students I (Exploration – 1800) to supplement our studies of American history. We just read through it at our own pace, selecting various book titles to read as we went along, from our own collection, favorite book lists and according to what we found at our library.

I will tell you that there are SO many amazing books suggested, that one could easily get overwhelmed or bogged down in an era, if they actually tried to read them all… you’re not supposed to, there’s just way too many to choose from here! Michelle even recommends that you skip some topics as you deem best, mentioning those that are safely omitted. However in my mind, this is really a strength of the program, as you’re bound to find plenty of inspiring recommendations suitable to your family, even at your local library. Michelle has included as many suggestions as possible, “leaving the executive decisions up to you!”

I’ve found that using Truth Quest is sort of like a buffet of some of the richest living books arranged chronologically for you to choose from (along with age appropriateness listed beside each one) as you journey on this Quest for TRUTH with a most helpful and insightful guide to point out the sights and ideas not to be missed!

Now that our kids are older, and the years are flying by faster than I can hardly keep up, I’m finding that my planning of our journey through the corridors of HIStory is more purposeful and scheduled than it used to be. There’s just so much that I’d like to be able to cover and learn alongside of our kids during these preciously few years I have left to focus on our studies with them. Thus I’m synchronizing our TruthQuest guides with our scheduled history and literature reads from Ambleside Online (though for the record, these guides would stand alone beautifully with only a few of their recommended books for each period, or they could work with just about any other history curriculum or homeschooling method for that matter). They mesh beautifully and the Ambleside advisory has even recommended these guides in their HEO (highschool) line-up. Looking ahead, I’ve seen that I will be doubly thankful for Michelle’s invaluable help in navigating our studies and world-view discussions as we adventure through our history, literature and philosophy readings during highschool!

Now that we have recently finished up our study of Ancient Egypt, we are digging deep into Part II of this particular guide, “pursuing the vast breadth and depth of Ancient Greece in a chronological investigation enlivening its history, art, culture and ideas.” We’ve chosen to read from one or more of the recommended spines for each time period (history is our favorite subject!), though these spines are purely optional. Over the years I’d tried quite a few different (literature-based) history guides/programs and this is the only one that I’ve absolutely fallen in love with and have kept. I anticipate gleaning from them with my children for years to come, regardless of what other books/curricula we may or may not use, thankful for an ally as we proceed in our Quest for HIS Truth!

I love how a Biblical worldview is strengthened as relevant scriptures and spiritual concepts are woven seamlessly throughout all of the commentary Michelle’s written for each time period. For instance, take a moment and check out this sample portion excerpted from the first chapter of our Guide to Ancient Greece. Notice how it sets the tone for our studies of Greek Mythology: Greek Beliefs (Mythology) Wonderful, isn’t it?!

So far we have mostly used the Think Write writing exercises (which mostly consist of a lot of open-ended questions prompting the student to consider his/her own thoughts and formulate a response to what they’re learning) scattered throughout the guides as oral discussion prompts, however as my kids are older and we’re entering into meatier guides and discussions, we’ll be doing more writing with these too.

Another thing I’ve really appreciated about these guides is their versatility. We’re covering Greece in 12(ish) weeks and will be doing the same with Rome (we school through the year), though this study (each guide) could certainly last an entire year if one wanted it to. Our kids have already learned a lot of ancient history over the years, and so we’re doing a sort of formal survey, bringing it all together within the context of our discussions and TruthQuest readings, before moving on to our much anticipated study of the Middle Ages. We have lots of reading selections scheduled into each week. I’m hoping to spend a full year with each of the Age of Revolution guides (which I’ve heard are not to be missed in highschool- and have been told really do almost require a year each, especially the last two!).

You can slowly meander through a particularly interesting era, or if in a hurry, you and your students would benefit greatly simply by reading the commentary and background information Michelle’s written on each time period. I’ve even heard of older students reading through a guide or two independently, covering more ground quickly, and thus gaining an overview of an era(s) before settling into a desired spot in the chronological history cycle.

However one goes about using them, I would think that the amount of learning one gains from the use of these guides (both factual and ideological) is priceless.

Here’s more on How to Use TruthQuest History and other FAQ.

Here’s a thorough Product Description of TruthQuest History from Christianbooksdistributors.com

This thorough compendium of living books and picture books is arranged by subject and date, with grade levels clearly notated. Commentaries summarize and tie topics together as you go from book list to book list, analyzing what is called “life’s two most critical questions: Who is God? And who then, is mankind?” Written directly to students in a very informal tone, they’ll move through history in chronological order; you have all the freedom in the world to pick and choose what books to use and how to integrate activities (reports, newspapers, building demonstrations…).

History may seem murky, but only because we wrongly focus on the long corridor of human actions. History is really a door to God Himself!God created mankind and his times. He is the initiator; we are the responders. So, it is first God’s truths and then our responding beliefs which shape all of history: government, philosophy, art, architecture, literature, scientific thinking, economics, law, and the value placed on human life itself.

TruthQuest History opens the door to it all by bringing together worldview wisdom, literature recommendations, and chronology… all in a fascinating storyline of spiritual context!

How? Picture your family reclining in a comfy boat. The current of TruthQuest History carries you… because each topic has its own powerful commentary and reading list. Your children do not just visit times… they understand them! They do not just read… they see cause-and-effect truth!

Whatever your style, TruthQuest History can benefit you. It follows key Charlotte Mason and Classical resources, and assists unit-study and unschooling familes exploring an era. TruthQuest History even helps you teach your own theology and choose your own resources! Adaptable for all grades.

I also appreciate TruthQuest’s 6-year history cycle, the merits of which are explained here by Karen Glass, an Ambleside Online advisory board member: Classical Education and Four-Year Cycles

However, if you don’t start TruthQuest with six plus years left before your child’s graduation, Michelle has provided a helpful guide with suggestions for figuring out where to jump into the history cycle, according to how many years of schooling you do have left with your kiddos, among other variables such as placing multiple children here, TruthQuest History: How to Choose.

There is also a very large, active yahoo group of families using this history curriculum which I’ve found quite helpful in the past: HIStoryQuesters

Curious as to what’s inside?

Here’s a listing of the various guides’ Table of Contents, along with Sample Chapters (in pdf format) from each guide:

American History for Young Students I, II, III: Grades 1-5

American History for Young Students I (Exploration – 1800)

Table of Contents

Sample Chapter

American History for Young Students II (1800-1865)

Sample Chapter

American History for Young Students III (1865-2000)

Table of Contents

Sample Chapter

Ancient Civilizations: Grades 5-12 (Recommended age-range, though book recommendations ARE provided for elementary grades as well.)

The main TruthQuest History series (seven guides which begin with ancient history and fully cover European and American history to just after the year 2000) are designed for Grades 5-12.

These guides will take you deeper than you ever dreamed you’d go, but the learning is so lively, so personal, and so incremental that the students hardly realize all they’ve absorbed until the truths begin to meld in their hearts. The depth of commentary and topics increasingly advances as the series progresses, so your graduating seniors are fully prepared to understand and minister to the needy world they are inheriting. Younger siblings can often tag along (see further discussion of this below), and though the commentary and ThinkWrite™ exercises are deeper in these upper guides, the reading lists include all the book titles for the younger set as well. These upper TruthQuest History guides can be used by non-Americans as well, for all are interested in ancient and medieval history, and even the three guides which cover American history (Age of Revolution I, II, and III) have about half of their material on European history.

~ excerpt from TruthQuestHistory.com

Ancient Egypt/Ancient Greece

Ancient Rome

Laurie Bluedorn, co-author of Teaching the Trivium, has this to say of these guides:

Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome: These two study guides, which can be used by students of all ages, contain short, concise historical commentary along with exhaustive book recommendations (both in-print and out-of-print) for every key person and event covered. Also included are writing exercises placed throughout the commentary. These guides, which are thoroughly Christian in their worldview, can be used as your sole history curriculum for these time periods, or as a supplement to any other history curriculum. I love the cautions that Mrs. Miller gives us. At numerous points she suggests that we be careful in our study of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilization, and she shows us which books would not be appropriate for young children or even some older students. There is just enough commentary throughout the books to guide us and keep us on the correct path so that we won’t leave out any important historical events or people. A family is free to spend as long or as little time at each stop on the timeline as they wish. Mrs. Miller recently revised these two guides including: citing our “Ancient History from Primary Resources” book/CDs set and showing when to use it; adding more ancient writers and more in-print spine books; numbered the sections and subsections; included more Ambleside Online spines/books/resources; and there is a corresponding “Table of Contents” which makes planning and using the guides easier. With these additions, Mrs. Miller has made a wonderful curriculum even better. I wish my children were young again so we could use it.

Middle Ages: Grades 5-12 (Recommended age-range, though book recommendations ARE provided for elementary grades as well.)

Middle Ages (500-1400)

Table of Contents

Sample Chapter

Renaissance-Reformation: Grades 5-12 (Recommended age-range, though book recommendations ARE provided for elementary grades as well.)

Renaissance/Reformation/Exploration (1400-1600)

Table of Contents

Sample Chapter

Age of Revolution I, II, III: Grades 5-12 (Recommended age-range, though book recommendations ARE provided for elementary grades as well.)

Age of Revolution 1 (US/Europe, 1600-1800)

Sample Chapter

Age of Revolution II (US/Europe, 1800-1865)

Sample Chapter

Age of Revolution III (US/Europe, 1865-2000)

Sample Chapter

Our son has been particularly enamored with Alexander the Great over the last couple of years, reading many wonderful, mature books about him. I was so thrilled to have found this poem contrasting that world-famous king with the King of Kings in our guide to Ancient Greece, p. 64. What a beautiful reminder it’s been of Jesus’s own words:

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

~ Matthew 16.25

Jesus and Alexander (Anonymous)

Jesus and Alexander died at thirty-three;

One lived and died for self; one died for you and me.

The Greek died on a throne; the Jew died on a cross;

One’s life a triumph seemed; the other but a loss.

One led vast armies forth; the other walked alone;

One shed a whole world’s blood; the other shed his own.

One won the world in life, and lost it all in death.

The other lost His life to win the whole worlds faith.

Jesus and Alexander died at thirty-three;

The Greek made men slaves; the Jew made all men free.

One built a throne on blood; the other built on love.

The one was born of earth; the other from above;

One won all his earth; to lose all earth and heaven.

The other gave up all; that all to him be given.

The Greek forever died; the Jew forever lives;

He loses all who gets, and wins all things who gives.

(Quoted from: Varner, Williams “The Greeks” Israel My Beloved, Aug/Sept 1994:14.)

Written by Beth Brewer, a Charlotte Mason inspired, Spirit-led, relaxed-eclectic homeschooling Mama of 3. She’s also an author at The Homeschool Post and blogs her photos, musings, hopes, fears, faith and falterings as she lives, loves and learns with her family at the brew*crew adventure.