I am so excited about this new History Curriculum!Last year, I asked Marilyn if she could create a history curriculum that would give children a good, solid introduction to important people and events in American History, yet that would not be overwhelming to my child, or to me as the mom/teacher!
At this young age, my academic focus with my children is more on the basics- like reading, writing, and arithmetic; yet I don’t want to ignore the important subject of history!
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I wanted something that was:
- interesting for my child
- laid-back in nature but effective in teachingÂ
- filled with true stories that are meatier than what you find in a text-bookÂ
- pretty much hands-off for mom.
What could be easier, right?!
Well, Marilyn has put together a curriculum that I think fits the bill on all counts. My first-grader will be using it this year, and I can’t wait!
Here are 9 reasons why I love it:
- Â When it’s time for history lessons, I turn on the story- and that’s it! Uncle Rick reads and does the bulk of the teaching for me!
- Since the story is an audio-story, my child can listen to it over and over again, instead of only hearing it from a book once and then moving on. We can listen at home or on the go, if needed.
- A companion guide is included that has already laid out a manageable schedule for each day, which means less planning on my part.
- Companion Guide also gives ideas for possible projects, includes pictures to go along with the story, and also provides coloring pages and worksheets- I can choose to use them all, or only pick and choose as desired.
- Character training and Scripture is incorporated throughout the curriculum
- True, factual stories from history, taken from a book written in 1906.
- This is a great way to expand my child’s vocabulary, too. But, don’t worry- Uncle Rick stops along the way to explain hard words.
- This curriculum is digital. That means I can load the stories directly to my computer or device and can also print as many pages from the companion guide as I need- even for multiple children. (also means no shipping cost!)
- I already know this method works, because my child already loves to listen to other Uncle Rick stories, and remembers them! Now, he can enjoy learning about these 32 American people and events in chronological order and reinforce what he learns through the additional materials- all especially created for his age!
So- now let’s talk about some of the features and how it works:
One year (32 weeks) of American History Curriculum
This History Curriculum is designed to:
- fascinate kids through the telling of life stories of real people in American history.
- be adaptable to teaching several children at the same time.
- allow Uncle Rick to do the teaching for you through weekly audio recordings (a new story each week for 32 weeks), so it’s super easy for you as the parent!
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The Companion Guide supplies you with:
- coloring pages for the children to color as they listen to the audio.
- pictures of the person being studied so the child learns to identify what he or she looked like.
- character qualities to learn from the life of the person being studied; definitions are given and the student briefly writes or tells how the person demonstrated that quality.
- lined pages to write coordinating Bible verses (we supply the reference and you choose the version).
- often a written story for the child to read or for you or an older sibling to read to him.
- occasional fun projects that coordinate with the lesson (these are optional).
- comprehension questions that can be used as a test, or better yet, as a game to build attentiveness skills and train the child to listen for the answers as they listen to the recording as many times as they like. The more they listen to the story, the more facts they will retain.
- information about when and where in American history the story took place.
32 Stories are in chronological order. Some of the stories include: Captain John Smith and Jamestown; Pocahontas; Roger Williams- founder of Rhode Island; Betsy Ross; Henry Clay- the great orator; Admiral Farragut-famous navy captain; Stonewall Jackson; Theodore Roosevelt….all the way to Thomas Edison-celebrated inventor!
The companion guide also offers a suggested schedule, but feel free to adapt it to fit the needs of your family
Complete 1 Chapter per Week
Monday:
LOOK: Notice when story takes place and time period. Look at images of person being studied to see what he or she looked like.
LISTEN AND COLOR:Â Listen to the audio selection and color the picture(s) while you listen. Â (for more reinforcement, listen to the audio as many days of the week, as desired!)
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Tuesday
CHARACTER CONNECTION: Read the character quality and its definition for the week and write the Bible verse in the space provided.
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Wednesday
ABOUT: If there is a written story, read it and answer the Character Connection question on
page provided.
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Thursday
FUN PROJECT:Â If there is a project for this week, you may do it.
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Friday
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
Try to answer the questions. If you don’t know the answers, listen again to the audio and try to find the answers.
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To Buy This curriculum, click here
Kari is married to Rick and Marilyn's son Tim. She is a stay-at-home mom and also homeschools her 4 children. She organizes the Character Concepts blog, sales and marketing. She loves being outside in the garden or helping her husband on the farm. She also loves cooking and fixing up their old farmhouse.
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