Homeschool History

There are hundreds of ways to teach homeschool history. The curriculum you choose should not only meet your child’s academic needs but also his level of interest.

Field trips teach history.

Many families use history textbooks or computer assisted curriculum and it works well for them. History textbooks generally come from publishers like:

• A Beka
• Bob Jones
• Switched on School House
• Christian Liberty

The benefit of textbooks is that lessons are usually pre-planned. Tests are included in the package and it is easy to know when you have finished a grade level. On the other hand, many parents feel that history text books are dry and don’t allow their student to think outside the box. This can be overcome by supplementing with other, more creative, resources.

One very creative way to teach, or supplement history is to use classic movies. Whether you have a membership to Netflix or Blockbuster, or just a good collection of DVDs in the closet, movies can be used to help students identify with eras and better understand the forces that shaped people’s lives.

If you are a little skeptical about this method, think about the last time your family saw a movie together. More than likely the children could recount details of the movie that you forgot. Movies are a powerful way to teach homeschool history. Some to consider are:

• The Alamo
• Ten Commandments
• Bridge over the River Kwai
• Gettysburg
• The Patriot
• Braveheart

It is important to review all movies for conflicts with your personal beliefs, tolerance for language and violence, and preferences. Generally the movies that were done before 1970 are of a more conservative nature.

Historic fiction is another creative way to help your student understand history, cultures, and social values of different eras and civilizations. One caveat to using historic fiction is that you will want to be sure that the author has accurate portrayals of the time and the people. Some writers are better than others about this.

For example, some excellent fiction to use for homeschool history is:

• Little House series
• American Girls series
• By Wagon and Flatboat, by Enid Meadowcroft. This book is out of print but it is worth searching for and snapping up at any cost.
• Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
• Ben and Me, by Robert Lawson
• Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare
• Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Janet Gray

When using historic fiction it is a good idea to have a few projects planned, especially in the elementary grades, to help your child get the most out of the book. The more types of learning he uses the deeper his understanding will be. For example:

• Interview the main character
• Illustrate a favorite part of the book
• Cook a food that would have been common to the characters in the story
• Make a diorama
• Go on a related field trip
• Act out a scene
• Learn a skill that the characters in the book would have had

This is easier than it sounds. When you are reading a book there are always a number of things that the characters do that can be learned in your homeschool history class. When reading Little House in the Big Woods you could make butter using grated carrots for coloring, for example. As you read, make notes of the things that occur to you as being good projects.

Timelines are helpful in allowing your child to see history unfold in a concrete way. There are two basic types of timelines.

A linear timeline is especially good for elementary school students. You can run the timeline on a long wall, or even down the hallway. Don’t be surprised; curriculum related décor is very common for homeschooling families!

On the time line you would write the centuries, with as large an amount of space in between each as possible, beginning with ancient history. Then, as you study a person, invention, or event you can attach a picture of it at the proper place on the timeline. Pictures can be printed off the Internet and cut out, sketched, or you can even use stickers.

Another type of timeline is created in a notebook. The notebook has sections for each century and in the sections are subsections pages for each decade. This works best with older students who understand the concept of a linear timeline. The benefit of the notebook is that as many pages can be added as needed. In this way the notebook can continue to be used throughout the upper grades.

The student can use loose leaf pages to write narrations, make notes, diagram things, make maps, or sketch scenes from history. This is a wonderful, versatile tool.

Don’t discount board games and computer games for teaching homeschool history as well. There are many available. Some computer games allow the child to become a leader from history and experience battles as well as building a nation like that leader did. This helps the student to understand many aspects of the era involved.

There are also board games that encourage learning more about history. Going to a website like Amazon and doing a search for history games will result in several pages of possibilities including:

• Board games
• Wii
• Computer games
• Card games

The freedom to use many different methods is one of the benefits of homeschool history classes. Consider all of your options and then choose several that seem interesting to you and your child. Homeschool history can be everyone’s favorite subject with a little creativity.

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