Review: Heritage History

Ever since purchasing a Kindle, I’ve been looking for ways to utilize it in our homeschool.  Of course, as many e-reader owners have discovered, there are plenty of free resources out there.  Websites such as Project Gutenberg keep e-reader users happily loading up their device with free reading material.
I now have many classical histories on my Kindle that could easily be integrated into our history studies.  The problem is, I don’t always know the best way to go about that.  Heritage History, a history curriculum using classical titles, has taken much of the legwork out of utilizing these great resources in your homeschool.

I was sent the Ancient Rome Classical Curriculum on CD for this review.  Adaptable for most ages, this history curriculum includes 45 completely illustrated books, over 60 maps, timelines, battle dictionaries, reading recommendations, geography terms, short biographies, historical era summaries, and study guide resources.


All of the books are available in their entirety for viewing and reading on the Heritage History website, though there is a small fee to individually purchase titles as a download. While all of the titles included are public domain and available for free elsewhere as well, the value in this curriculum is in both the Study Aids and the convenience and organization of the titles, which are provided on the CD in two downloadable formats.

The titles in the library are easily organized by reading level.  Included are 8 introductory, 16 intermediate, and 21 advanced level titles.  Titles can also be organized by genre, summaries, and series to help users locate appropriate titles to read. For example, the genre categories include: Comprehensive History, Episodic History, Biography, Christian Antiquity, Legends and Literature, Historical Fiction.

Once I found the title I wanted, getting the e-book on my Kindle was very easy. Directions for transferring the available MOBI or EPUB files (both are included on the CD) to various devices are provided. If you don’t own a reader, titles can be read on the computer or printed.


Worth mentioning is the easy navigation of all the resources on the CD. While you do not need an internet connection to use the CD, web browser tools are utilized to organize all of the information in a familiar website presentation.  One of the things that frustrates me about digital products is I always feel like I’m scrolling through pages trying to find information.  I really appreciated having a sidebar menu with categories and use of familiar browsing tools.

The curriculum does not provide an assignment schedule of readings nor learning activities, but rather groups related readings, characters, and events and provides age specific core reading recommendations. This falls in line with the interest-driven history study approach of the curriculum.  The Curriculum User Guide provides detailed information on Heritage History’s particular living books approach, their philosophy and structure of the curriculum, and recommendations for history study. Below you will also find samples of each of the Study Aids provided to users.

• Age specific core reading recommendations.
  
• Dozens of historical maps.
  
• Outline maps and geography terms.
  
• Summary of each historical era.
  
• Battle dictionary listing all wars, battles, and conflicts.
  
• Short biographies of famous characters.
  
• Timelines describing major events of each era.
  
• Hundreds of high quality images.
  
• Accountability records

While the curriculum as designed to serve the needs of a wide age range, the focus is on intermediate and general-interest readers.  There only a few titles below the 4th grade level and no analytical texts at the college level. However, younger children could be read the titles aloud, and overall the program is designed to be quite flexible to work for many ages and approaches.

The recommended weekly time to go through the program is 3 hours per week.  There are worksheets,  busywork projects, or concrete assignments. The guideline is to have each student read the core selections, at least three supplemental books for depth, and three or so substantial free-choice books over the course of the year.

Developed with a focus on providing a strong library of resources rather than another core curriculum, Heritage History encourages use of their program as a resource for other traditional history programs. Some of those specifically mentioned that would work well with Heritage History include Ambleside, OId Fashioned Education, Living Books, Tapestry of Grace, Story of the World, and Veritas/Omnibus.

The Study Aids on the CD are also available separately in both printed and downloadable versions as a Study Guide.  The PDF version of the Study Guide is identical to the resources on the CD, so there is no need to purchase a separate Study Guide if you own the curriculum CD.  Its availability is for those families who would prefer to read the recommended books directly from the Heritage History webpage or purchase individual books.

Overall, I feel Heritage History is a well-organized, easy-to-use, and value-priced history curriculum. I love that everything comes on a CD, rather than being required to download to my hard drive. My son enjoyed taking my Kindle off to a cozy corner for his history studies, so there were no complaints on the student end either!

Heritage Classical Curriculum CDs are available for $24.99. The Study Guides are available in color print for $24.99 or as a download for $12.99. Also available are Heritage Classical Libraries, which are collections of related titles, for $19.99.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool. You may read more reviews on this product by visiting here.

Review: TruthQuest History

When I first started homeschooling, I selected a popular history program that utilizes living books.  I loved the books that came with the program, but I had trouble keeping up with the schedule.  To be honest, it wasn’t the program at all.  I’m sort of an all or nothing personality, and that schedule simply fell into the nothing category.  Those books, though, still hold a spot on our shelves and have for many years.  I often send my son to that particular bookshelf for his reading selection and mark “history” off the list of material covered for the day.

Though he’s being fed lots of great historical literature, I often feel it isn't enough and he’s still missing some framework that a more structured program would provide. I recently was given the opportunity to review a history program that is very flexible, but provides a framework to build understanding -  TruthQuest History. There are total of ten TruthQuest History guides for grades 1-12. The guide I received was Age of Revolution II (American/Europe, 1800-1865), for grades 5-12.

The guide is broken down into 50 sections of various topics within the time period. You can find a Table of Contents for each available guide at the website.  Each section begins with a commentary, written by author Michelle Miller, intended to set the stage for the topic and time. TruthQuest History approaches history not as the story of mankind, but rather “the story of God’s initiation and our response”. The commentaries explain key influences, both historical events and spiritual conditions, of the time. This information is presented in a very casual and conversational manner and is anywhere from a few sentences to a couple of pages in length. Scripture from a variety of translations is often included.

Following the commentary is a selection of titles covering the topic of that section.  Michelle Miller weaves her commentary around interesting people and many of the sections are biographical. For example, in the section about the California Gold Rush, a sub-section with several titles on Levi Strauss, who started out selling pants to miner, is included. One of my children really needs unusual and interesting stories of people to pull together the big picture of history, so seemingly insignificant sections like this are very useful.

Even though the guide I received is for grades 5-12, recommendations for as early as K-3 are provided among the more advanced titles. A handful of sections even include audio and video recommendations, as well as titles with hands-on activities.It is not the expectation that all titles are read nor even all sections are covered.  In fact, even the author has not read all of the titles.  Notations are provided on whether or not the book was in print at the time of the writing of the guide, the independent reading grade level, as well as particular recommendations or content warnings. 

For those that prefer to follow a “spine” text, several suggestions are made and integrated into the suggested readings.  The spine listing for Age of Revolution II is here.

In addition to the readings, there are eleven ThinkWrite writing exercises. Many of these exercises don’t have “right” answers, but require the student to reflect and think.  An appendix does include suggestions of the points some answers should include.  A couple of example exercises are:

Find a good definition of free enterprise, but then go beyond to give a quick explanation for the basis of that freedom as we’ve discussed.  Can you see how it contributes to scientific and industrial creativity?

You’ll be old enough to vote before you know it!  Any thoughts on how you’ll handle this precious and awesome responsibility?

You can find a sample of the Age of Revolution II guide, which includes some suggestions on how to use the guides.

What I most like about TruthQuest is the flexibility it offers, while still providing framework for the student.  There are no suggested schedules, no daily reading assignments, no questions to answer, and no tests.  It is very much a history resource buffet – take what you want, leave what you don’t, and feel free to sample.

Another point for flexibility is the multiple levels offered in one guide. The guide I received is targeted to grades 5-12, an already wide span.  However, books for younger grades are included in every section.  Even though younger siblings may not benefit as much from the commentary, the guide provides title suggestions helps coordinate the younger kids with what the older kids are studying.

There are a few disadvantages. Advance planning will be needed to acquire the titles.  Since the guide is not dependent on any one particular title, availability of certain titles isn't detrimental.  In fact, it is suggested that after reading the commentary any title of the topic is just fine.  Regardless, the interloan service through your library will definitely be utilized.  In the case of the Levi Strauss section mentioned earlier, five of the six titles listed were available through our library system, but none were at my particular library.  I would suggest planning several weeks ahead in order to make sure all your titles arrive in time.  Also, some kids (or parents) may not appreciate the conversational tone and loose structure, especially if they are used to textbooks and comprehension questions.

Overall, I really like the approach of TruthQuest and the flexibility it provides. In addition, a very active Yahoogroup, HIStoryQuesters, is available as support and a source of ideas for using TruthQuest in your home. The guides are available for $19.95 - 34.95, depending on the guide and format, at www.truthquesthistory.com.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool. You may read more reviews on this product by visiting here.

Review: Marshall Publishing (George Washington Carver DVD)

Quick...what do monster trucks and George Washington Carver have in common?

Give up?

They are both topics covered on DVDs by Marshall Publishing!

You (or your kids) may already be familiar with some of Marshall Publishing's AS SEEN ON TV product lines covering topics such as jets, trains, fire trucks, and yes, monster trucks.   What you may not realize, however, is that Marshall Publishing also has a number of award-winning historical and educational DVDs.  Of these, I received George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work for review.

Recommended for grades 8-12, this 30-minute DVD covers George Washington Carver's life from his beginnings in slavery through his final years at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.  The story of Carver, with his perseverance and insatiable appetite for knowledge, is sure to be inspirational to all who view this DVD.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work begins with quotes of Carver while various still pictures and short clips are shown.  This style continues through-out the DVD, with the narrator taking the viewer through the various periods and accomplishments of Carver's extraordinary life. 

My 7th grade son and 9th grade daughter both watched the DVD. My son briefly studied George Washington Carver about 6 months ago, and thought the DVD was a great review with some new information, too. My daughter, who is currently studying U.S. history, said it was informative and interesting, but the found the accompanying visual presentation just ok. While definitely not boring, it isn't a presentation with a lot of flash.  Even if this isn't your student's style, the narration is quite good and enough to maintain interest alone. I personally found the photography, clips, and musical score to be a nice compliment to, while not detracting from, the narration. A study guide with discussion questions is also available at the website under the product description. This documentary style and approach, however, probably won't appeal to younger kids.  While the DVD is recommended for grades 8-12, I'd say that kids as young as 4th or 5th grade would probably enjoy learning about George Washington Carver in this format.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work is the type of educational resource that I would hope to see on the shelves of my local library. It would be a nice addition to a homeschool co-op library or a personal library as well. Be sure to visit the Marshall Publishing website for more educational titles.

George Washington Carver: His Life and His Work is regularly priced at $24.94, but is currently available for a web sale price for $19.95.  If you use coupon code TOSC1, you will also receive an additional 15% off this title. And while you are at it, add a DVD to learn about monster trucks to your shopping cart, too!

 Read more reviews of this product by visiting the official TOS Crew blog!

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: Civilize This! (Griddly Games)

Needing to inject your studies of cultures with a little fun?  Griddly Games' recently released Civilize This! presents "cultural trivia with an adventurous twist."

Civilize This! covers topics and civilizations from three categories: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern.  The card game with one die can be used as a stand alone game, or as an expansion pack of the Wise Alec Family Trivia Game.  The play rules are very similar either way.

Each person rolls a die on his or her turn.  Rather than numbers, the die has six different colors.  Red indicates the player draws a card from the Ancient category, green is Medieval, and yellow is Modern.  There is a purple side that prompts a draw from the Wise Alec card pile (explained below).  The blue side of the die allows the player to pick which category and the orange side means his or her opponent can select.  The bonus with the latter is that if the player answers correctly, double points are earned!

Each card has two levels of questions on a similar topic, earning 3 or 7 points, with the higher being the more difficult.  The player can select which level question, or game rules can be structured such that players of certain ages get a certain level question.  A winner is determined either by a predetermined point goal or time limit. There are no real hard and fast rules with this game and it is completely open to customization (you tweakers will be pleased!).

I played several rounds of this game with my son one afternoon while we were stuck upstairs for the day while some work was being done on our house downstairs. The age on the box says ages 8 and up.  Don't let that deceive you...this 40-something had a hard time answering a lot of the questions.  I made it a point to select only the 7-point questions so as to not have an adult advantage, but I think I should have stuck to the 3-point ones!  A deal was made with my son that if he attempted the 7-point question and got it wrong, he could then take a stab at the 3-point question (my sneaky way of getting double the learning in). We played until the first person reached 50 points.

My son didn't feel at a disadvantage playing with his "wiser and older" mother, because I apparently really stink at trivia. So, what did my son learn, other than his mom will never appear on Jeopardy?

• In New Zealand, Haka was a ritual traditionally performed before which kind of events? Answer: war (Modern, 7 pts)
• What tool did the Ancient Egyptians use to measure the water level of the Nile? Answer: the Nilometer ~ of course! (Ancient, 7 pts)
• During which century did the Aztecs settle Mexico? Answer: 13th (Medieval, 7 pts)
• In Thailand, if the bus is full and a child and an adult get on, who will be offered the seat first? Answer: the child (Modern, 3 pts)
• Where did the Ancient Hindo game of "Snakes and Ladders" come from? Answer: India (Ancient, 3 pts)
• When Aztec people made small purchases, they used these beans as money.  What were they? Answer: cacoa beans (Medieval, 3 pts)

Of course, all this learning is occasionally broken up by a request to do your favorite dance move (Wise Alec, 2 pts) or a disappointing point deduction for using your left hand to eat in India (Wise Alec, -2pts), giving the game some unexpected twists and turns.

We ended up playing several rounds.  With about 50 cards in each category, and two questions on each, we didn't even put a dent into the questions. By the time we get through all the questions, I suspect we'll be ready for a refresher course on ones we've already covered!

Civilize This! was a lot more fun than I expected it to be, given it exposed my ignorance on various cultures.  I like the flexibility it offers with the suggestions of optional ways to play and it is very portable to take on the go.  This would be the perfect game to play when the kids needed a little break to mix things up in their studies, but you don't want their brain to go to mush for the day.  Just adjust the time or point limit to fit the amount of time you have to play. The focus is on learning, but the Wise Alec cards throw a bit of extra fun into the game. When isn't humming a Mexican Mariachi tune fun? (and worth 3 pts to boot!)



Civilize This! is available at a variety of online retailers, and perhaps in a store near you!  You can find where to buy this fun and educational game at the Griddly Games website. While you are there, be sure to check out some of the other game offerings.

Want to see what others think about this product? Visit the official TOS Crew blog to read more reviews on Civilize This! and a similar game, Nature Nuts.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: Homeschool in the Woods

Last year, I had the pleasure of doing a review of a lapbook from Home School in the Woods. If you use lapbooks in your homeschool or are interested in learning more, you can read that review here. This year, Home School in the Woods sent the Crew two new products in their line, Olde World Style World Maps and Olde World Style United States Maps.


Both of these products were created in response to requests from customers to make available a product that contained the Olde World Style maps from their popular Record of Time timeline notebook. Not only did Home School in the Woods comply with the requests, but they added more maps and supplemental pages to the existing collection.

Olde World Style World Maps includes over 130 maps, both ancient and modern. The ancient maps show physical characteristics (e.g. mountain ranges), but no political borders. The modern maps show political boundaries representative of today.

The maps are available in three formats: with labels, without labels, and without labels and title.
While all of the modern maps, with distinct time periods, have a labeled option, some of the ancient maps instead have numerous maps that span an empire.

The Olde World Style World Maps also includes 40 bonus notebooking pages. There is quite a variety, from report and essay, fill-in-the blank, and fact pages to creative writing, recipe card and newsletter pages.

Olde World Style United States Maps includes over 180 maps. The maps formats are similar to the Olde World Style World Maps set, with several map versions for each state and a set of bonus maps. Maps that show the growth of the U.S. over time, the division of Confederate and Union states and location of Native American Tribes are all included in the bonus section.

Two notebook pages for each state are included in the package. Students can fill in various facts about the state, such as the capital city, date of entry to the union and state bird, or they can print a fact sheet that already has the answers.

If you would like to see a sampler of each set, please click on the links below.

World Maps Sampler

United States Maps Sampler

With the variety of map formats and notebooking pages, this really is a versatile set of maps. In addition to history studies, this map collection would be an excellent addition as part of a research project, state unit study, or geography learning. I have to say, being a visual person, I really like the style of the maps and the extra detail put in them. Our history studies have been rather sporadic the last few years, unfortunately. In the past when we've been more focused, I tended to pull out maps a bit more. Next year we are going to have a more focused study on U.S. History and I'm looking forward to putting these maps to use in our studies. Though I'm not a notebooker, I especially liked some of the creative notebooking pages included with the World Map set. Some of these pages, such as the travel brochure template, would have been great when my homeschooling support group had a geography fair that required the kids to set up a display and present to the other kids.

Both the Olde World Style World Maps and the United States Maps are available as a download for $18.95 or on CD for $19.95. You can also get both sets as a combo pack for $28.95 as a download or $29.95 on CD. Visit Homeschool in the Woods to purchase or browse the many other history products available.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew. I was provided the product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: The American Heritage Education Foundation

While homeschooling can be done inexpensively, most homeschoolers I know are working hard to stay within a homeschooling budget. There are so many great sounding products that compete for those scarce green bills. With a plethora of reviews introducing new products appearing regularly on this blog, I sometimes feel like I'm contributing to the overspending of budgets. However, this review is a bit different from previous reviews. The product is completely FREE!


The American Heritage Education Foundation, provider of America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty, states the following mission statement on the website:

AHEF is a non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation dedicated to the understanding and teaching of America's factual and philosophical heritage to promote constructive citizenship and Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility among our students and citizens.

AHEF accomplishes this patriotic mission by writing, producing, and distributing FREE K-12 lesson plans to teachers, students, and families in all 50 states and through additional initiatives, programs, and partnerships.

AHEF sent me a copy of their CD version of this no-cost K-12 resource for review. Included on the CD are three levels of materials, elementary (also in Spanish), middle school, and high school, with approximately 185 pages each. Each level includes 15 lessons based on four key themes. These themes, Freedom, Unity, Progress and Responsibility, are described as "A Formula for America" by the founders of AHEF. Each lesson clearly states the purpose, objective, theme, NSCC standards, time, materials and preparation required. For the elementary level, coordinating passages from the Core Knowledge series are noted. Additional articles and reading material are included as well as printouts. Following each level is a teacher resource titled Religious Expression in Public Schools, covering a topic where misinformation is common.

While the lessons are intended for a classroom or group environment, many of them can be modified for use with individual students. Many of the worksheets could easily be used with whatever civics or history curriculum you currently use. For example, text scrambles of the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution in sign language, or president card printouts can be used independently of the lessons. The multiple levels on on CD are perfect to coordinate lessons among all of your students. While the lessons for each level don't completely align, there are several topics, e.g. the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, that appear in each level.

While I likely won't use the lessons fully as presented, many of the accompanying activities will fit in nicely as a supplement when studying American history or civics. As a resource that is FREE to all, this is certainly a supplemental resource that fits in to all budgets. America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty is available as a direct download or can be ordered on CD. You may also request a print copy in a binder for $19.50 per level. Visit the American Heritage Education Foundation website to find out more about this non-product foundation and to find more about the lesson plans.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: All American History (Bright Ideas Press)

If you've followed my past postings, you've may have picked up that I have trouble getting history into our studies. I know, I know...I wonder if I'm a "real" homeschooler too. Most homeschoolers love history, don't they? I sometimes wish I shared that love of history I see among the homeschooling community;I just didn't have a good example of how to enjoy studying history. All I remember about my high school history studies was the sheer joy my teacher took at boring us to tears. Really. She was not a nice woman. The end result is I dabble, but never manage any systematic history studies. Having my kids read and listen to a ton of historical fiction has been fairly successful. However, I must admit that I've been feeling the pressure with an upcoming high schooler. It seems like our history studies need to have a little more oomph and direction for high school credit.

Ironically, I've been blessed with a several history programs to review since my time with the Crew. Wow. That high school history teacher really did me a disservice. History isn't all that bad! I've been very pleased with the latest history curriculum that has come my way - All American History Volume 2 by Bright Ideas Press.


All American History Vol 2, for grades 6-12, covers the Civil War to the 21st century.
The author, Celeste Rakes, developed the All American History curriculum as a result of teaching history in a homeschool co-op classroom and having difficulty finding a curriculum that met her criteria. With a history degree and experience teacher her own children and others, she had definite ideas of what she desired in a curriculum. Rather than a boring fact-regurgitating curriculum, she desired an engaging curriculum that told the story of real people through the ages. The end result is a curriculum that provides structure with a chronological and thematic presentation of material while including reading opportunities, writing projects and artistic/hands-on work to enhance the textbook. The set comes with a Student Reader, a Student Activity Book, and a Teacher's Guide & Answer Key.


Student Reader ($44.95)

The text, or Student Reader, is broken down into four units with eight lessons each. Each lesson is about 12-14 pages long. The reader is texbook style, but does have plenty of black-and-white pictures of people, places, and events discussed in the chapter as well as maps for further understanding. Each chapter concludes with a bullet-point “Impact” section that summarizes the main points of the chapter. The suggested pace is to complete one chapter a week.

The Units Covered in the Volume are:

• The Civil War and Reconstruction
• The Gilded Age
• Two World Wars and A Great Depression
• The Cold War and Beyond

For a complete Table of Contents, click here.

Student Activity Book ($16.95)

The Student Activity Book contains notebooking pages, map work, review quizzes, and suggestions for further study. There is also a final review for each unit. In the back of the book, students will find images and maps to be cut and pasted on to the notebook pages. The author suggests that students fill in the information on the notebook pages while reading or being read the text. The development of note taking skills will progress with this method. The Further Study section offers topics and question to explore. For example, one suggestion is:

Define the political terms referendum and recall. Why do you think the Progressives favored enacting these measures?

The chapter review quizzes are in a traditional style with a collection of true and false, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice questions. While it is sold separately, the Student Activity Book is considered not optional. I agree that one should not go without the Student Activity Book; it is an integral part of the curriculum.

Click here for sample pages.

Teacher Guide & Answer Key ($18.95)

The Teacher Guide & Answer Key starts out with a clear explanation on how to get the most out of the curriculum. Suggestions for adapting for younger or older children, a co-op, classrooms, or a family studying together are included in this section. Section Two includes teaching resources for each chapter. Project possibilities, timeline dates, review games, and suggested family activities are all included. Section Three has supplemental book lists for each unit divided by ages K-4, Middle (5-8) and Secondary (9 and up). Section Four contains the answer key to the “For Further Study” questions, including younger student adaptations. The last section, Section Five, is the answer key to the Student Activity pages. I often elect not to purchase teacher guides, but this one contains valuable information and I would recommend not skipping out on it.

Click here for sample pages.

In Our Home

I originally started this curriculum with my 5th grade son. I found it to be just a bit much for him, especially considering that we are not accustomed to including history in our main studies on a regular basis. Our biggest obstacle was the notebook writing portion and remembering of details for the notebook pages. At first, I didn't realize the notebook pages were to be done while reading the text and we were doing them after the fact. Switching to completion while reading helped some. My son enjoyed finding the appropriate image and flag for each page. With the suggestions in the teacher guide, I believe adapting Vol 2 would have been obtainable. However, I soon realized that Volume 2 was just about perfect for my 7th grade daughter's needs.

Overall, I found this to be a well-thought out and thorough history curriculum that caters to a variety of learning styles. The activity pages are not overwhelming for the target grade levels, yet really solidify the learning and keep the student engaged during the reading. With two very different learners in my home, I appreciate that the author provides many suggestions to make this curriculum adaptable. This is actually a curriculum that I can use with both of my kids. I like the structure the textbook provides in combination with the supplemental reading suggestions, games, and activities. It gives me the systematic approach I've been seeking, yet takes the bore out of a pure textbook approach.

One of the dangers of being on the Crew is that I often end up making more purchases as the result of liking the products I review. Such is the case with All American History Vol 2. In the end, I ended up purchasing All American History Vol 1, covering Exploration - 1840, for grades 5-8. Volume 1 has the same format as Volume 2, but the chapters are slightly shorter. The level of Volume 1 worked better for my son, yet is still appropriate for my 7th grader. We'll follow up with Volume 2 next year.

All American History Volume 2 can be purchased as a set for $68 (a savings of 16%) or the Student Reader, Student Activity Book and Teacher Guide can be purchased individually from Bright Ideas Press. You may also enjoy the All American History Yahoogroup for users to share ideas.

Bright Ideas Press also publishes many other products, including the popular Mystery of History and the new Illuminations. Check out the website and also visit the TOS Crew official blog to read more reviews on All American History and other Bright Ideas Press products.

Review: Tapestry of Grace

For those of you who have been reading my reviews this year, you've probably noticed that I can be pretty detailed. I try to explain the product well, assuming my readers don't know much about the product, and then share how it worked in my personal homeschool. However, I'm going to do this review a bit differently. Because I could take pages describing this next product, I'm instead going to mostly direct you to descriptions and samples at the website and spend more time telling you how the product worked for me, what recommendations I have and how I see this product fitting in other homeschools.


What is it?

Up for review is Tapestry of Grace (TOG) by Lampstand Press, a literature-based curriculum that covers the humanities: history, church history, literature, geography, fine arts, government, philosophy and writing & composition. TOG is a Christian curriculum which follows a classical approach to education. To get a better feel for what this curriculum is about, you can read all about the philosophy, getting started, planning and support here.

Though I had some familiarity with TOG, I never had the opportunity to see it prior to this review. I was quite excited at the chance to check it out, especially since it had been mentioned as an alternative to programs I had used in the past. I selected Year 1, Unit 4: In the Fullness of Time (the Roman World) for review. I also received the supplemental Evaluations CD.

TOG goes digital!

Because of the current economic conditions, TOG has made the decision to go digital with their product, DE (digital edition). I was curious how this would work given that this product is massive. One single unit, intended to be used for 9 weeks, is around 450 pages. Furthermore, TOG is using a third party software product called LockLizard, which prevents users from infringing upon copyrights. What Locklizard means to you is that this product can be viewed from only one computer and you cannot put it on a memory stick to take to your local copy shop to print. There is an option for copy shops to call in and get a temporary license to print for you. I can't speak for the ease of this since I used my personal printer.

Some of you may be wondering if it is necessary to print this product. While seasoned TOG users may be fine using just their computer screen and selectively printing, I would not recommend this for new users. In fact, I highly recommend if you are new to TOG that you plan to either be stocked up on print cartridges or purchase the print edition. At the very least, print a few weeks initially to get a feel for the curriculum. At that point, those who like typically like digital products might be able to get by without mass printing. Whether or not to print the DE seems to be an often asked question and the pros and cons have been addressed at the TOGblog here.

Purchase Options

The cost will vary depending on the product purchased. Four Units make up each year and can be purchased individually as a digital edition for $45. However, the whole Year package can be purchased for $170. Alternatively, you can get a print edition for $225 or get both the print and DE in a combined package for $270. The supplemental Evaluations CD costs $15.

Be aware that you may not resell any digital TOG product (even the DE printed version). However, the product is yours to use indefinitely throughout your homeschooling years. Should you switch computers or lose a hard drive, any past purchase can be downloaded from your account on the TOG site.

"Don't worry about a hurricane or hard drive crash! Your Digital Edition is safe no matter what happens to your home or computer. Each Tapestry of Grace Digital Edition is yours for life--including all upgrades to that Redesigned product. You can download the latest version at any time for no charge, or order any Digital Edition product you previously purchased on CD for $1 per disc plus a $4.00 shipping and handling charge. The new Lampstand Press Store records all your orders so that you can go back at any time to see what you bought and download it again for free."

Most TOG users consider the purchase cost to be an investment. The design of TOG is that each unit is to be cycled through multiple times by multiple students. Once you've purchased all four Years, you just need to buy the different book titles at each level.

Planning Stages

Lampstand Press warns new users of a 4-week fog when starting their product. I have to agree, with the exception that the digital product makes the fog more dense and longer to lift. I simply could not figure out the product on screen because there is so much information. I ended up printing a week at a time in its entirety, a mammoth 50 pages each, to get a grasp of the curriculum. Once printed, it took quite a bit of reading and page flipping before I even started to get an inkling of what to do.

My first stumbling block was that there is no daily schedule provided. Reading assignments are given by the week on a table that lists different assignments depending on the level of the student. There are no checklists, but there are recommended readings and a list of alternative titles if you either want to supplement or can't find a title.

There is also not an easily found book list, but lists are available at the TOG website in the area called the Bookshelf. In this part of the website, titles can be purchased but it is also designed to be easily printed to take to the library. You can find a book list for the Unit I reviewed here. Acquiring titles may be difficult, especially if you don't have a well-supplied library. I would recommend that you purchase any titles that are repeatedly used throughout the unit. Using a title you own on the same subject or using www.mainlesson.com for reading material may also be an option.

I found that quite a bit of planning was required to get started, even after the fog started to lift. TOG is definitely not an open-and-go curriculum. There are support materials located at the portion of TOG's website called The Loom to help plan, including sample schedules and templates.

Getting Started

Once a basic plan was made and titles acquired, I recommend just jumping in and getting started. Starting with just one section and add as you go along will help get accustomed to the curriculum. The amount of information, which includes levels for K-12, can be intimidating. However, there really isn't a wrong way to use TOG. The learn-as-you-go with full understanding that users are to modify the program to their family is the best way to keep from getting overwhelmed.

There are some titles that are to be read aloud, but a fair amount of the curriculum is for students to read on their own throughout the week. If your child doesn't like to read, this may not be the curriculum for you. Also integrated with the reading are hands-on activities, writing assignments and, mostly for the older students, discussion questions.

Start with the Primary Resource materials and add on from there. Select words from the Vocabulary section or historical figures from the People section. Games and art projects can be added for hands-on activities or time-lines developed. Once started, the curriculum will seem less overwhelming.

In Our Home

My first step was to download the product. Overall, the download of the Unit went smoothly. I had a glitch with printing, but found the technical support to be responsive.

My 9-year-old son, who would be considered in the Upper Grammar level, gave TOG a trial run for me. I was fortunate to have a couple of the suggested reading titles on my shelves. Through the library's inter-loan system, I found several more. However, not finding particular titles and having to wait for materials to come in was a little frustrating. Getting materials took much more planning than I anticipated. Someone a bit more organized could purchase important titles and create a better system for requesting library titles in advance. But, alas, organization is not my strong suit.

In the introduction materials for the teacher, it is recommended to create a schedule with your student at the beginning of the week, perhaps even having them set the daily schedule with the teacher-given weekly assignments. However, I didn't feel that my son was quite ready for self-management at this level. Instead, I gave him daily reading assignments from the selected titles and had discussion afterward on what he read. This worked better, but required further planning on my part.

For the younger set, hands-on activities, e.g. making a salt map or playing a related game, and leveled writing activities are provided. However, the real meat of the program seems to be for the older set through discussion using the Socratic method. In fact, it is advised that this curriculum is best suited for families whose oldest child is at least 5th grade. I have to concur, as it seemed much of the value was lost using it with just one Upper Grammar child, though there are some circumstances where this may be favorable as will be discussed.

I actually liked the Evaluations CD. Evaluations is provided for the parent that needs a bit more structure in the program and as review for the student. Included are option tests, quizzes and other evaluations for each Unit.

Overall, the curriculum just didn't work well for our family. I liked most of the title suggestions and certainly felt there was plenty of substance. My son didn't mind the reading material. However, there were several factors working against this being successful in our home.

• I am not a classical homeschooler, but rather eclectic and relaxed.

• I'm not that organized. My fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style wasn't well-suited for TOG.

• I only have two students, one of which is not yet independent and needs quite a bit of overseeing.

• Digital products, especially of this magnitude, are not something I embrace.

• For our personal circumstances, I found this curriculum to be costly. I tend to focus more on the 3Rs and spending this amount on humanities did not fit within our budget. My small family and eclectic style did not justify the cost.
  

However, this is my home and not yours. TOG is a product many love and I can definitely see the attraction.

Who would like this product?

TOG has a distinct advantage over other curricula for a particular homeschooling family profile – large families using the classical method. Marie Somerville designed this curriculum strictly for this purpose, at a time when she personally needed it the most,

First of all, you really need to be a classical homeschooler to fully appreciate this curriculum. That isn't to say that those using another method won't get anything out of it, but someone not dedicated to this methodology may not get the full benefit of TOG. Also, each Year is intended to be used by the student four times throughout their school career, based on the trivium. It is meant to be revisited, each time at a new and deeper level. I view TOG as a curriculum on which you make the foundation of your homeschool journey, not something you inject and hope for the best.

Large families will get the most out of the TOG design. If you have students of all ages, K-12, TOG is an excellent way to pull the studies of all your students together with one curriculum. All of your students, regardless of level and age, can study the same time period and even work together on various projects. While I was overwhelmed with the planning for one student, I can certainly see where the pay off would come in if you had multiple students in your family working separately.

For families with gifted students, who tend to be asynchronous in abilities, TOG may provide a solution by offering various levels from which to choose within one curriculum. For example, a student who has a large discrepancy between reading comprehension and writing ability can easily be accommodated by selecting the higher level readings but lower level writing assignments.

Lastly, parents who like to plan and customize the curriculum for their students will appreciate the options of titles and the flexibility TOG provides. Those who are organized will do better with this curriculum.

Conclusion and Informational Links

Tapestry of Grace is a meaty, Christian, classical, literature-based curriculum that is sure to be just what some families need in their homeschool. Families that fall within any of the above categories who are interested in trying TOG will want to try it before they buy it and download the free 3-week sample. Another offer you'll want to take advantage of is a free Map of the Humanities download. There are also forums available to ask questions and get information. Browse the Tapestry of Grace website to find our more and see other products offered at the Lampstand Store. To see how Tapestry of Grace works for other homeschools, read more reviews at the official TOS Crew blog.

Review: TruthQuest History

I have recollection of only one history course from my school years – World History. The teacher, who thrived on her position of power over teenagers, opened up the first day of class with, “This is an honors course and most of you won't pass.” I swear I detected a sly grin and heard a muffled muah-ha-ha during the statement's delivery. Ms. Tormentor's idea of a challenging class was to drone on at the blackboard and force us to memorize a chain of dates. I did pass, but learned nothing in the process except there is an art to sitting to avoid a head making contact with the desk if one might happen to doze off. It makes for a rather abrupt and embarrassing awakening. Ask me how I know.

My perspective on teaching history to my kids has been a mixed bag. I don't necessarily consider history essential to the academic big picture. (Is that a gasp of astonishment from a large segment of the homeschooling population that I hear?) After all, history knowledge isn't measured on standardized or college entrance tests and I've done just fine in life with with a pathetic history education. However, I'm determined that my children should have a better experience studying history than I. I do see its importance in understanding our world today and into the future. Studying history, if done correctly, is an exercise in analysis and critical thinking of past and present and much more, which you'll soon see.

I've leaned towards literature-based programs and steered clear of anything that involves memorizing dates and filling in blanks in workbooks. There are some great literature-based history programs out there. How I would have loved to learn history outside of a bulky and boring textbook. However, I've found that most of the meaty programs are highly scheduled and take mass amounts of time in our day. While I'm not opposed to adapting programs, I often feel hopelessly behind with all those unchecked boxes. Fortunately, I've found in TruthQuest a Christian literature-based history curriculum that is of substance yet adaptable enough to make it your very own, without feeling inadequate.

TruthQuest, authored by Michelle Miller, offers history guides from the ancients to the present for grades 5-12. For younger grades, there is also have a series of American history guides. I received the Age of Revolution III: America / Europe, 1865-2000 to review. Miller starts out with a very clear distinction that this curriculum is not the history study that we adults remember and is on a completely different plane (yeah!). First and foremost, TruthQuest does not approach history as the story of mankind, but of the One who made mankind. It is HIStory, God's initiation and our response. To learn a bit more about Michelle Miller's perspective on teaching history, listen to her speak in the audio presentation of yrotsiH: Do We Have it Backwards?

So, how do the TruthQuest guides work and how do they differ from other history programs? The first thing I noticed was there was no schedule (double yeah!). What I did see were extensive book lists, listed chronologically and sectioned in categories, preceded by what appeared to be an introduction. Comments as well as cautions were included for various titles. While the guide is designed for grades 5-12, there were many listed titles for younger grades as well. At first glance the guide appeared to be a glorified reading list. How is this different from looking up the many topical book lists available on the internet and elsewhere?

The primary difference is in the “introduction” of each category. What proceeds each section is a full commentary, a setting of the stage for the proper frame of reference. Miller explains not only what was happening in the time period, but the thought, perspective and heart of the people. With the appropriate axiom, that God is the prime force in the universe, students then work though the book lists to flesh out the commentary, viewing history as man's interaction with God, not as man's interaction with himself.

As I mentioned, there is no schedule to follow. That may bother some, but I enjoyed its absence. If an interest in a particular topic is piqued, the student can linger. Conversely, some topics can be skimmed or skipped entirely. There are far too many books listed to read them all, which lifted the self-imposed expectation to cover everything. The idea is to pick and choose what suits your family best. For those who need just a bit more structure, titles that could serve as a "spine" for your study are suggested. Aside from reading, enjoying and soaking up HIStory, there are ThinkWrite assignments scattered throughout each guide to inspire students to go deeper. These questions could also be used solely as discussion questions rather than a writing assignment. The Age of Revolution III guide differs from the preceding guides with one large ThinkWrite assignment, encouraging students to analyze truths over the course of the entire study. The Appendix gives parents suggestions for what might be appropriate responses to the ThinkWrite questions.

To give you an idea of what a guide might cover and how it looks, the below links pertain to the guide I received.

Table of Contents

Sample Section

"Optional" Spine Resources

You can view the same sample information for each of World History (grades 5-12) and the American History for Young Students (grades 1-5) guides at the TruthQuest website. The various levels and volumes available are:

Level 1 (Grades 1-5)
American History
Vol. I ~ Exploration - 1800
Vol. II ~ 1800-1865
Vol. III ~ 1865-2000

Level 2 (Grades 5-12)
World History
American Egypt/Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Middle Ages
Renaissance Reformation Exploration
Age of Revolution I
Age of Revolution II
Age of Revolution III

I used this guide with my 12-year-old daughter. First, we would read the commentary together. Miller delivers the commentary with a conversational tone and sense of humor that my daughter thoroughly enjoyed. The commentary is more than an opinion or viewpoint. Instead, it is like a narrator of a story that interprets and provides meaning to what is happening, with the story played out through fiction and non-fiction titles. After reading the commentary, I'd assign titles based on interest and availability. Miller is clear that parents are not to assume the listing of a title is an endorsement. At the request from users to provide more titles, particularly more titles still in print, Miller has expanded the list beyond those titles she's personally viewed. If we happened to have a title on our shelves that wasn't listed, adding it to the mix was no problem and I didn't feel that I had to make room for it in the schedule, since it is my own schedule I'm following. My daughter appreciated the flexibility in both schedule and titles, which also included audio and film resources.

Overall, TruthQuest fits our homeschool quite nicely. TruthQuest took something we were already doing, reading quality literature as a means to learn history, and made it more productive. My children love to read, including a lot of historical fiction, and I felt that they were learning quite a bit that way. However, it never really felt pulled together. Previous attempts to pull it together made me feel slave to a schedule that overshadowed other subjects. Just using available book lists without a guide didn't feel like enough. For us, TruthQuest has been a perfect balance of structure and flexibility while still delivering substance.

I'm so thankful that my children need not experience the head-meets-desk approach to history from my school days! TruthQuest provides a truth-revealing approach to history that impresses upon your children that history is not man's story, but HIStory and our response. TruthQuest guides sell for $24.95 - $34.95. Visit the TruthQuest website to see a list of available guides, read about placement, see how others are using TruthQuest and more. Be sue read other the reviews on this product at the the official TOS Crew blog.