Let's Talk About...History

Welcome back to week 3 of our Let's Talk About...Series!

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.,

• Under Drake's Flag
• With Lee in Virginia
• Wulf the Saxon
• In Freedom's Cause 

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.

• Ronald Regan
• C.S. Lewis
• Milton Hershey
• Harriet Tubman 
• Douglas Macarthur

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

Learning About New York City

The last time I did a review for By the Way, it was for their book on Florida.  It was a perfect fit for this east coast family who lived in Florida for several years.  We are back to the By the Way Book Series and this time around we got to review New York City- By the Way.  Pretty perfect since we have a NYC loving daughter who has gone twice and will try to get anyone she knows to go with her again.

 Ironically she is at school finishing up her senior year, so her youngest brother, age 11, and I have gotten to read this cool book before her- shhhh, don't tell!

The By the Way book series has an ever growing title collection including Ireland, Alaska, Indiana, Colorado and more.  These books are indeed a story, following Alex and Lexi on an adventure to a specific location, but they are also so much more.  Each book is packed full with information; the newest ones even more so than before.  Inside each hardback book you will find geography, history, science and more.  Each page has engaging color pictures to hold the interest of younger children, but the facts you will learn are perfect for your whole family.

Within each book, written by author Joy Budensiek, is the intent to teach kids about God and His world and His truth.

"Discovering Biblical Truth in Everyday Life"

Scripture is quoted often, but in a natural, conversational way.  It is way to present a Christian worldview and open up conversations with your children about God in a relaxing, non-threatening environment. 

New York City- By the Way is a 48 page book of fun!  Alex and Lexi are joined by their classmates on a three day trip to New York City with their teachers. Each day is packed with activities where they learn that, despite being in a busy city, they can still see evidences of God in nature.  While exploring they see many animals including squirrels, ducks, and pigeons. 

They also learn about turtles, coyotes. and butterflies. When trivia is mentioned throughout the book you will often find side boxes with facts about that specific thing.  Consider it a mini encyclopedia lesson!

Also included in the New York book is a whole lot of geography and history.  As the class travels to all 5 of the city's boroughs, they learn about the 175 zip codes that are there and check off as many as they can find as they explore.  They also learn about the history of each area and other neat facts.

How we used this book and what we thought of it-
Like usual, Colby (6th grade) grabbed this book and read it before I had a chance to.  This is NOT a one sitting book!  It is more like a chapter book, but without the chapters.  I think he read it over the course of a few days and he is a pretty voracious reader.  If you are using it as a read aloud, I recommend you take it in chunks- there is so much to absorb and talk about.

I did finally manage to read it on my own and did so in one sitting.  Colby had mentioned several things he thought were interesting, but it was more fun to engage him in conversation after I had read it too!  Sometimes what I find neat is not always what interests him.  Some topics we learned about include-

• The Subway System
• The Statue of Liberty
• 9/11
• Street Vendors
• Tube Mail
• Central Park
• Chinatown and Little Italy
• Fanny Crosby
• The Empire State Building
• Geo-caching
• The Bronx Zoo

Of course, this list is just the tip of the iceberg!  I told you these books were a wealth of information!

So my favorite part- hard to choose!  I loved reading about some of the older history of the city, especially about the immigrants who came by way of Ellis Island.  Did you know that in one single day in 1907, almost 12,000 immigrants were processed.  That absolutely amazes me.  Another thing that blew my mind- there are 138 languages spoken in Queens alone!  Can you just imagine what it would be like to hear even just a fraction of them all at once?  No wonder the city is so loud!

And Colby's favorite parts?
Colby LOVED ready about Winkie! She is actually a pigeon, one of 32, that was awarded the Dickin Medal for serving in WWII.  When the ship she was on went down in the North Sea, Winkie flew 120 miles back to her owner and is credited for saving the lives of all the men on the ship.

He was also shocked to learn that there are 5.2 million trees in NYC, with 592,130 on city streets.  Like he said... "who knew?"
There is also a fun picture search where you find 10 pictures hidden throughout the book to entertain and challenge your younger kids.  It might be a way to help keep them engaged if the story gets a bit long for them.

Whether you are a unit study kind of mom, a history and geography fact kid, or just looking to add beautifully illustrated books that teach God's word, you will love this By The Way book series!  The only problem- choosing which one to start with!

Going on an Adventure With Carole

My boys love History, Geography and adventure!  There are days they exhaust me with their constant need to tell me everything they know about those subjects, honestly.  But let's face it- there is much worse knowledge to have and when they can get it by reading amazing books from Carole P. Roman, this mom is happy!  We have been blessed to review Carole's books before but for this review we were blessed with the books If You Were Me and Lived In...Peru, If You Were Me and Lived In... Brazil and If You Were Me and Lived In...Scotland from the Carole P. Roman Books and Collections.


 

Carole recommends her culturally based book for ages 4-9ish, but I would most definitely extend that age range.  My son is 10 and at a higher reading level and loves these books and their format.  While the reading level and stories may be at that 4-9 age range, the information is most definitely not and can be enjoyed by a much wider target audience.

Traditions, vocabulary, geography, and more are presented in each book and at the end of the story you will find a pronunciation guide that gives not only the pronunciation, but also definition of unfamiliar or location-specific words.  Your child will learn the words for "mom"and "dad" in each country, visit famous places, see what foods are popular, and even see what kind of celebrations take place there.

We were so excited to add these to our growing collection-

If You Were Me and Lived In...Peru- 

My son, Colby, chose Peru because of its location in South America.  Because he was born in Guatemala, he loves learning about nearby countries and seeing people who look similar to him.  Although all of the pictures are drawings, they are colorful and the skintones of the local people are realistic.  In this 25 page book we learned that the capital of Peru is Lima, that the currency is called Nuevos Soles, and a little about the ancient city Machu Picchu. Colby's favorite part of the book was about the celebration Carnival in which people celebrate in the streets with squirt guns, water balloons, and even buckets of water to pour on people.  Go figure!

If You Were Me and Lived In... Brazil-

We chose Brazil for the same reason, it's located in South America.  I will tell you though, because the people in Brazil speak Portuguese, the vocabulary in this 26 page book was harder for us to pronounce! Thank goodness for the pronunciation guide, although I am pretty sure we are still messing up a few words.  In this book we learned that a country can actually decide to move its capital city, as Brazil has done, as well as about the Amazon Rain Forest and the Brazilian Grand Prix.  We decided we would like to try their dessert, called Brigaderos, since it involves butter, milk, sugar and cocoa powder!

If You Were Me and Lived in...Scotland-

This one we asked for in honor of Colby's two older sisters who traveled to Scotland this past summer.  It was so fun to read about places they had been able to visit and things they had taken pictures of for us such as the capital of Edinburgh and the famous dish Haggis, made of meat and spices cooked in a sheep's stomach.  And yes, my daughters actually ate some!

And did you know that the unicorn is the official animal of Scotland?  Who knew?

Whether you enjoy exploring the world from the safety of your own home, or just love finding books you can read together as a family, I have no doubt you will love adding  Carole P. Roman Books and Collections to your home.  There are many to choose from- have fun!

   

Drive Thru History Adventures

I am here to tell you, if you want to learn history the fun way, look no further than Drive Thru History, and their new brainchild, Drive Thru History Adventures.  We have had the opportunity to review this Dave Stotts gem for the past month or so with the Homeschool Review Crew and are loving every minute of it.

Let me start by saying we were already big fans of Drive Thru History and its founder, Dave Stotts.  We own several of the original history DVD sets, including the most recent the The Gospels which we reviewed last year.  Our family loves anything history and my boys especially are walking encyclopedias when it comes to dates and facts.  Add to that the fact that one is an auditory learner and the other loves anything on a screen, and well, let's just say we are Drive Thru History groupies.

So what's with this new Drive Thru History Adventures?

Well, I am so glad you asked!

Drive Thru History Adventures has taken the fun and yet informative Drive Thru History DVDs, made them available in an online subscription, and....wait for it...added curriculum.  While this curriculum is targeting high school students, it can easily be adapted for younger kids and family learning.

The curriculum for each 30 minute video segment includes readings of historical documents, worksheets that you can print off (don't worry, answer guides are provided), copies of artwork from that particular time period and more.

At this time, three time periods in history are available-

• Bible History (18 weeks on the Gospels, with an additional 18 weeks being developed which will cover the book of Acts through Revelation)
• American History (12 weeks on early American history)
• Ancient History (12 weeks on early Greece, Rome, and Asia Minor)

You can choose your favorite and work your way through the course, or skip around, depending on your mood for the day.

Want to change it up a bit?  Each week Dave posts a "week in review" with all kinds of project updates, answers to questions, and new articles.  Like always, his humor will keep you and your children entertained.  There is a "behind the scenes" section that shows some great blooper clips, as well as a "Side Roads" section.  Here you will find smaller chunks of information about, well, anything on Dave's mind.  Our favorite so far has been the history of Ground Hog Day.  Colby, who is 10, rewinds and watches one section over and over again.

A "dig deeper" section further explains points mentioned in the main videos and is a great way to go into more detail for your older students.  Under the Suggested Readings tab you will find PDF files to original documents mentioned for further reading as well.  New content is added weekly, so you will not run out of things to watch and read for quite a while, I promise.


Also available in your subscription is a Drive Thru History Adventures App you can download that allows you to access the videos from your iPhone or iPad.  It is a perfect way to allow your kids to watch top quality history videos while in the car or sitting in a waiting room.  History on the go?  Yes, please!

You can also join a private Facebook group just for subscribers.  I admit I was slow in doing so, but am so glad I did.  As a member you get weekly updates, as well as extra pictures and convos from Dave himself.  Plus a fun welcome when you join!

So how have we used this and what do we think?
By now you probably realize we love it.  No surprise there.  Dave has a way of bringing history to life that just pulls you in.  Without watering down the facts he explains things in terms that kids seem to be able to take in.  The videography is amazing and you finish a video adventure feeling like you have been on a trip with him.  

One of the things my boys like best about Dave is his humor.  He is just plain funny!   In the middle of some pretty serious history lessons, his fun puns, jokes, and silliness break up the lesson a bit and keep you interested.

Since we recently watched The Gospels series, we decided to revisit the American History Adventures.  My oldest son, age 16, has watched them via our DVDs, but our youngest has not seen more than a few.  He has chosen to watch them without me, though I do have to limit him to about once a week or he becomes a bit obsessed and will watch them for hours.  Because he is currently studying American History with our current curriculum, this has been a perfect supplement to what he is already learning.  Again, the curriculum is geared to high schoolers so we have answered the questions orally.  A few he has struggled with, but most have been easy to talk about conversationally.  He doesn't love all of the documents (I do think they are better aimed at the older students) but he LOVES all of the pictures. 

Cool story about this picture featured on episode three, Beginnings of Revolution. Colby had just finished studying about the artist John Trumbull in his daily history lessons when we were excited to see one of his paintings featured in this lesson. Trumbull painted many paintings we still enjoy today, a huge feat for a man with one eye!  We are still working our way through the sessions, watching to see if there are any more familiar things mentioned.

Of course, Colby's favorite parts of Drive Thru History Adventures are the videos and DAVE!  He laughs out loud, insists on watching parts again and again, and shares stories with the family at dinner time.  Oh the stories!

What's not to love about a history program that does that and more?!  While we have yet to use this with our teen, he is looking forward to free time in the summer that he can use to re-watch his old favorites!  Just don't tell him he has questions to answer, too! ;)

DEALS and MORE DEALS-

Currently, Drive Thru History Adventures is running a special that includes a free DVD The Gospels set with your subscription. Drive Thru History Adventures is offering 20% for readers of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. Check out page 19 of the winter edition for details!

     

                   

YWAM Book Homeschool Review Crew Review

I own quite a few books from YWAM Publishing.  I can't help it, they are great.  Until recently they have all been from the Christian Heroes: Then & Now collection, but recently my history loving family has discovered the Heroes of History collection.  Yes, we just got to read, review and add Ronald Reagan to our collection!

Heroes of History -Ronald Reagan: Destiny at His Side is a 224 page paperback about Ronald Reagan, our 40th president.  But it is a book about so much more.  Beginning with his early days growing up under an alcoholic father, authors Janet and Geoff Benge tell of a young man who was a problem solver, determined, caring, and hard working.  From his childhood, to his early days as an actor, to his years as President, this wonderful book paints the picture of what a true hero looks like.  Despite the fact that his family moved multiple times during his childhood and making new friends was difficult at first, Ronald, known as 'Dutch" by those who knew him, was well liked by most who met him and prone to success in most of what he did. 
The intended reading level is about ages 10 and up, but our whole family enjoys these books and they can easily be used for family read-alouds for families with younger children.

What we did and what we thought-
As always, my kids grabbed these books as soon as they arrived! (As Crew leadership, we actually received several!)  It is no surprise that Colby, age 9, chose Ronald Reagan.  For the past 6 months Colby has become slightly obsessed with presidents.  Although my original intent was to use this book as a family read along, that has yet to happen since he finished it on his own in about a week.

The reading is a little heavy for a nine year old, but because of the subject matter Colby plowed through it, determined to get to the "president part."  Luckily for me, the first chapter is a attention getter with a scene from the assassination attempt on President's Reagan's life.  The action packed chapter (which ends in a cliff hanger) was enough motivation to keep our 9 year old reading, although he did get a little lost in a few sections.  He said the school parts were boring.  9 year old boy- go figure!

That's where the Unit Study Guides got put to use! 

Doing research for the timeline!

Each YWAM book has a Downloadable Unit Study Guide.  The Ronald Reagan study guide is divided into two parts.  The first part is 82 pages long and is a wealth of information.  It includes writing exercises, hands on projects, historical information, and even geography ideas.  There are also 6 questions for each chapter, the first 3 targeting younger students while the the last 3 are more difficult.  For further study, a biography of related resources is included that covers books, magazines, movies, and more.  The second part has four downloadable sheets- a Ronald Reagan summary sheet, two maps, and a timeline.

Also included is a 24 page overview guide for homeschool parents on how to better use the book and unit study together.  Guides for small groups and classroom use are also on the downloadable PDF.
Because we are using this book as merely a fun read and a good source of information, we have used the study guide pretty loosely, but because Colby read the book alone it is the perfect help for me to know what he understood and what he did not.  By reading the questions for several chapters at a time, we were able to discuss things he enjoyed and clear up any things he did not understand.  He did LOVE doing the time line, as this boy has a head filled with dates and facts.  It amazes me.

If we were doing an actual unit study with the YWAM books, I would do things a bit differently.  For younger kids, I would read a chapter at a time together and then answer the corresponding questions orally.  Older students, upper middle school and up, I would have read independently and then answer questions in their own notebook.  To make it a compete unit study, I would personally require two to four additional projects to be done, as well as have my child read an additional book from the resource list and do a short book report.  Maybe a reward at the end for a job well done could be to watch a movie staring Ronald Reagan!

I know it sounds like a lot, but that is the beauty of these study guides.  You are the teacher and you can pick what works for you and what doesn't!  If you want to use these amazing books for your literature OR history unit, go for it!  There is plenty of information there to get you started.  If you just want to enjoy a summer read (or spring, fall, or winter) you can do that too!

Either way,  I know you are going to enjoy YWAM's  Heroes of History and Christian Heroes: Then & Now.

Drive Thru History- Homeschool Review Crew Review

Not going to lie- it was EASY to say yes, please to Drive Thru History®'s new DVD series Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”.  We are a history buff family who likes watching videos together and hey, who doesn't love Dave Stotts?

Don't know who he is?  Dave is a big wig in production and video media, working behind the scenes as editor of numerous video productions.  He now works with ColdWater Media in front of the camera in their Drive Thru History Series.  He is a master story teller with a sense of adventure that draws you in and brings to life whatever historical event he is telling you about.  That, combined with his quirky humor, tends to entertain the whole family, making you forget you are getting a history lesson.  

In this latest DVD series, "The Gospels", Dave and his crew traveled to over 50 ancient sites in Israel in an old, but trusty Land Rover, to bring the story of Jesus alive.  Taking accounts from the first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Dave walks you through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in a very factual way, citing not only scripture but other ancient writings and history accounts as well.  

Three disks are divided into 18 episodes (almost 9 total hours of watching):

• The Historical Landscape
• The Announcements
• Jesus is Born
• Jesus Grows Up
• Jesus Starts His Ministry
• Jesus Returns to Galilee
• Jesus Begins His Miracles
• Jesus Teaches with Authority
• The Sermon on the Mount
• Jesus Travels the Sea of Galilee
• Jesus Travels North with His Apostles
• A Final Trip to Jerusalem
• Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem
• The Last Supper
• The Trail of Jesus
• The Crucifixion of Jesus
• The Resurrection of Jesus
• Who is Jesus?

Included in the set is also a 118 page study guide.  The study guide begins with a key scripture and summary for each episode.  The following pages have additional pictures from Dave's journeys, additional Bible readings, and 5 study questions for you to use with your family or even in a group setting.  A small section called Side Roads also gives more historical information.

Our Experience-
The timing was such that when these first arrived at our doorstep we were headed out on a long road trip so we popped them in the car for the kids to watch.  That worked for about two episodes.  After that my husband and I called foul, because we actually want to SEE, not just hear, what was playing.  They were that exciting!  We saved the rest until we got home and have been watching them during our family movie nights, usually one to two at a time.  The discussion questions are mostly "were you paying attention" comprehension type questions so we have not stuck to reading those as much.  I do think those questions would be a great addition, however, if you were leading a small group through the series, to help you get the conversations flowing.  What has pushed our conversations truly though have been just the videos themselves.  There is so much information and especially historical facts presented that there has been no lack of discussion on our part.  From Geography, to customs and traditions, we have had a lot of fun discussions.

I love that "The Gospels" series is suitable for all ages.  We are a family of 6, ages ranging from  9 to 47, and we ALL enjoy them.  Finding videos we can all watch and enjoy together is a rare treat for us.  I love that we can enjoy learning history with our our faith based world view, and that while it is presented in a very matter of fact way, it is backed with scripture after scripture.  

I love the these are done with such professional quality.  The videography is stunning and flawless.  No second rate filming here!  The narrative is factual, but easy to understand and the scenery alone is enough to take your breath away.  As one of my children said, it is much easier to envision a particular Bible scene in your head when you are actually looking at the very location it took place. 

We love Dave's humor.  Let's face it, history can get tedious at times.  And when talking about the life and DEATH of Jesus it can also get very heavy at times.  We appreciate that Dave sprinkles in his dry humor here and there allowing for some tension relief.   From when he cooks ribs in foil on his car engine to his video man correcting his pronunciation, he gets you to laugh a little and that is just plain fun.

We love the accuracy.  Because Drive Thru History is not about opinion, but based on historical facts, it is not easily disputed or can really be seen as controversial in my opinion.  When facts are presented they are usually backed with a reference and when the Bible is quoted it always includes the scripture reference.

Can you go wrong with  Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”?  I think not.  Whether for use in your home or for teaching a small group of any age, I think you will learn a lot, be entertained and most certainly be blessed!

You can watch an episode for free by clicking here!

Curriculum for Sale

Because we have the privilege of reviewing homeschooling material, our shelves get full rather quickly around here.  In an effort to lighten our load a bit I am going to sell a few of the things we have.  All of these items are in excellent condition, from a non- smokers house.  Shipping is included in the price!  I have added the links to the material where I could so you can see the details of what is included.

If you are interested in any of these great sets, just leave me a message with a way to get a hold of you.

Illuminating Literature- When Worlds Collide  $40.00
This is a great Literature program for high schoolers, and I have the first two books you will need to begin.  If you have not used Sharon Watson for anything literature related, you are in for a treat!  We love her stuff and I think you will too!

Science Shepherd Biology    $85.00
OK friends, think college prep here!  This is no skim through it course!  Very complete, very organized, and somewhat challenging!  The lab video alone sells for $50.00, so this is a deal.  Expect a heavy box to show up at your door!

Apologia's Exploring Creation Through Astronomy- (older edition) $10.00
This is the first edition of this book, but still a great resource for elementary and early middle school kiddos.  I have included a daily schedule guide that I used and loved!

Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers- $10.00
What a fun book with all kinds of experiments in it.  The first 10 chapters are geared towards kiddos 4-7 and the next ten chapters are a bit more challenging for up to early teens.  We had a lot of fun with this book!

 

Vision Forum's The History of Christianity and Western Civilization- $20.00-

Regardless of the fate of the company, we still love the resources they put out for years.  This includes the DVD, CD and study guide!

"Filmed and recorded on the 2010 European Faith and Freedom Tour, this interactive study course is perfect for use by high schoolers, as a discipleship tool for church leaders, and as an adventure to be shared by entire families-all wrapped up into one power-packed resource."

 

There may be more coming, but let's start with that!  It is hard to let stuff go, but I know others can be blessed with these amazing products!  I am blessed daily by the companies we review for!

Blessings,