HISTORY HIGH POINTS!!!

Ancient Science has been the book to be had this year. We have learned so much from it. This has put ancient history into perspective both geographically and culturally. Amongst the other great activity books for Rome, Egypt, Greece, China, etc., we discovered the drawing books for these civilizations. I have to say that there is nothing that I like better than using drawing, as a CM-style form of narration. Through the drawings and photos of models and applications in science from the time, we have enriched our experience and enjoy history! We decided that science did not have to be the only hands-on approached subject material this year.

My children have taught me that, although it is helpful to learn History chronologically, they also have an incredible ability to learn information "out of context" and then place it within the bigger framework of time. As a result, my children have followed their interests and passions and have learned more than if I had forced them to do it a certain way.

We use a classical approach too, with our homeschool co-op Classical Conversations. History used to be so difficult for me to engage the kids in, but now we sing and act out some of the major points (one to three sentences each) and the kids are learning the facts with fun! :-)

My daughter really loves the Magic Tree House stories, so we adapt them to our history lessons when ever we can. I also try to make foods that with fit in with the time/culture for our lunch/snacks. We also find books from the library to go along with the story to find more facts.

My son is 4, going on 5. We recently read about the history of the Liberty Bell since we were taking a trip to Philadelphia, PA. He was so into it that when we got there that is the first thing he wanted to see. He told me all about it's history and even said he was going to invent a metal that wouldn't break so he could fix it (-: We also went to Independence Hall and the US Mint. He collected the Park's trading cards for answering questions and had a blast. He was re-enacting the Revolutionary War today "to get Independence from England" he said. We also went to Valley Forge National Monument where he did the Jr. Ranger Program and earned his badge. He was excited about seeing where George Washington stayed for the winter, and the cannons of course (-:. He knows that George Washington was both the first President and that he was a General in the Revolutionary War. I am amazed at how much he remembers. I feel blessed that we have these opportunities to go see where history really happened. I think it sinks in better for him and for me.

We had the chance to go to England (thank you, airline passes!) when the boys were 5, 8, and 10. Iread and read to them before we left hoping to create "hooks" for them to hang the things we would see. They were, of course, THRILLED to walk in Sherwood Forest, the land of Robin Hood, and they grasped a lot of what we saw at the tower of London. But my favorite moment was when British friends took us to Newforest (actually a very old forest) to see Rufus Stone, a historical marker. The boys read the marker, their eyes lit up, and they began excitedly telling their dad about the king that went hunting in this exact forest and never came back and later ... The entire account we had read aloud from just after William the Conqueror! My young boys got more out of that trip than I did at age 16 on a trip with my grandparents all because of Charlotte Mason and the concept of living books.

We were studying Ancient Rome when I decided that we'd eat like the Roman soldiers did (I got the idea from "The Story of the World" history curriculum). The boys helped cut up the veggies- carrots, potatoes and onions- and put together the packets of food. The veggies and chunks of meat wrapped in foil envelopes (the foil was the only non-authentic part). Then they helped build a fire outside. It didn't catch right away, so it was a good experience for them to see something seemingly simple wasn't always so. When it finally got going, we cooked our food on the fire, moving them around with sticks and trying not to burn them. The highlight though, was when they were done, we ate with our fingers sitting around the fire (the soldiers didn't carry around utensils!). Somehow this last fact really brought the lesson to reality for us all. And for some reason, this was one of the moset delicious meals we've ever cooked over a fire- even for my son who hated veggies!

We spend time at Living Museums like Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA, Plimoth Village in Plymouth, MA or Conner Prairie in Fishers, IN. We love walking through time and talking to the volunteers who "live" during the time period. It's such an eye opener to what was going on in history as well as showing us what it was like to live during the time period in that particular geographical area.

One of the best experiences we had was attending "Follow the Northern Star" at Conner Prairie. It was a humbling experience to walk under the stars as we "became" slaves running for our lives with the help of the Underground Railroad. Walking in the shoes of a slave was overwhelming. To know in reality it was only a fraction of what they felt in reality was heart wrenching. History of the Underground Railroad in Indiana truly came alive to us that evening.

I love the interdisciplinary approach, verses keeping history as a separate subject. It ties together all of what we do whether it be art, literature, even math and science. So, it brings me great joy when my 9 and 12 year old boys bring up what they learned a LONG time ago or picked up in a sideways way as we are doing art or talking about something else. They remind me what it reminds them of or add to the conversation something wonderful from history that I hadn't thought about. Shows what wonderfully creative thinking people God has made each of us and how learning comes from the inside out.

Our children seem to really retain History lessons when we use Amanda Bennetts Download & Go Unit Studies, making lapbooks!

For my daughter and I, history has taken a drastic turn! We were using a workbook approach, however this year have switched to classical education and we LOVE IT! We are using Story of the World, by Susan Wise Bauer, and my daughter is completely absorbed! She used to want to wait until the end of the day for history, but now she is begging to do history FIRST!!! She especially likes that there is an activity that she can do with each chapter that solidifies what she learned. We just read about making mummies, and there are instructions for us to make a mummified chicken, which she is UBER excited about. We are both loving history now, as a result of changing to a curriculum we both love.

We are big fans of History stuff on the HIstory channel.. Our favorite was about the Dust bowl. That is really fun for us.

One of my kids' favorite things is to just LISTEN while I read "Living books" They like to draw/ doodle, and the eldest has a very visual memory~ She remembers what we were talking about when she looks at any given spot on her "Doodles". Very cool!

Lapbooks have really brought History alive for my son. A friend told me about them and I thought, "why not?"

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