While Math and Science are not my favorites, History is something I can get excited about!
I have a household of History buffs (can you say millions of random facts?) that would rather spend the day in a museum than most other places. While I admit I did not pay as much attention in my school day's history classes, I have since caught up and moved forward while learning with my kids through the years.
We have used lots of different programs through the years, but today I want to stop and highlight a few I think you shouldn't miss!
Sonlight- We use Sonlight most years as our jumping off point for school, to include History. I love that the Literature provided as well as the read alongs are tied to the time in history you are studying and the actual History reading is a mix of texts, historical fiction, and numerous non-fiction books. It is A LOT of reading, but hey, that's why we love it! My oldest two who have since graduated from college will pick books off the school shelves to read again and even get excited when they see their brothers reading an old favorite!
Veritas Self Paced History- This is one of those programs you just cannot stop talking about. A friend exposed me to it at first, and then we had the opportunity to review it. We ended up doing the full 5 year cycle and were so disappointed when we finished it last year. It is online based and very interactive. Be sure to read my review on this program and ask me anything you can think of! THIS IS THE BEST OF THE BEST!
Notgrass History- We have used two of this series for the middle school age and was very pleased with them both. Uncle Sam and Me covers government and America the Beautiful covers US History. There are activity books you can use (we liked them) and you can also incorporate literature and Bible in as well. Exploring Government is a high school level and a great 1/2 credit course as well!
Masterbooks- This year is our first year using this series and a week in I can tell you I like it. The reading is good, the pictures help bring the information to life, and the accompanying, short workbook pages cover the information you need without becoming busy work. Like Veritas, each book covers a period of time in History.
Some extras that just add to the fun-
Heirloom Audio Dramas- We have reviewed more than several and my boys love listening to them. For an auditory learner this is a great way to get in your history! They also come with study guides if you want to expand them as true curriculum.,
YWAM Books- If you have readers in your house, they will love these. There are two separate series- Heroes of Faith and Christian Heroes: Then and Now. Both are equally good. They are written more at a middle school level, but even high schoolers and adults will enjoy them. I will not admit to how many we have, but here are reviews for a few we have used.
Drive Thru History- It is no secret that we are huge Dave Stotts fans! There is just no one out there on video who is more knowledgeable and more entertaining! He make learning history fun for the whole family. Not only does he have regular history DVD series, but also several Biblical history sets, and a new Adventures Series on FB and the web. Check it out, especially if you are schooling multiple ages at once. Another amazing resource for auditory and visual learners!
Again, I am not getting anything for recommending these products! These are just some of our family's favorite that we wanted to share with you. Enjoy the history search, but more importantly, enjoy HISTORY!
Blessings,
Also in this series-
Let's Talk about...Science
Let's Talk About...Math
So glad you've enjoyed Notgrass History, Michele!
ReplyDeleteWe have never used any of these program, but we did use BookShark (the secular version of Sonlight) over the last few years. We absolutely loved all the reading! This year my two older children will be using Build Your Library since BookShark does not have more high school levels available currently. Thank you for the recommendations. I will definitely be looking more into all of these options!
ReplyDeleteHi fellow history buff! I love all the resources you shared. We have a few of the Heirloom Audio tales and also love Drive Thru History. I just got one of the older series for our family.
ReplyDeleteSonlight and Drive through history were favorites when I was in high school myself! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWe also enjoy Sonlight and Veritas (the physical paper editions) :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! I always struggle to find history resources I love.
ReplyDeleteSo many great history resources! Some I'm very familiar with... others not so much. Thanks for sharing!
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