Home School in the Woods Project Passport World History Studies: Ancient Greece Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Project Passport World History Studies Ancient Greece from Home School in the Woods for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Home School in the Woods is a family run business that creates Christian based history curriculum for homeschooling. This curriculum immerses your student in the topic. It is very hands-on with lapbooks, timelines, recipes, art, creative writing, notebook projects, dramatized audio theater, maps, crafts, projects, re-enactments, file-folder games, vocabulary to learn, etc.

There are icons that help along one side and buttons that link to nice clear photos of the finished projects.

The Project Passport World History Studies are a virtual trip through history. These are recommended for grades 3-8. There are two different versions you can purchase, a CD version or a digital download version. With the CD version everything that you access and print is on the CD. With the digital download version you download a zipped file, place all of the contents into a folder on your computer, and access it by the start.htm file that is in that folder. We received the digital download version. This "trip" is supposed to last roughly 8-12 weeks depending upon how quickly everything is completed. For Each Project Passport World History Study you make a passport and "luggage" folder to hold some of the stuff you print off and make along the journey. Each "trip" has 25 chapters called "stops", where you observe action-packed events and meet fascinating people along the way. At each stop you come to there will be "Guide Book Text" which is information for the student to read about a certain topic explored and a "Travel Itinerary" that covers the project choices and directions. There are also helpful icons that let you know what you will be doing and color photos of all the completed projects so you know how they are supposed to look like when finished. There are a lot of printables of information and projects to do. Masters are available for all printables. There are so many things to do on the trip, for example: creating a "Scrapbook of Sights" (notebook for storing the notebook projects), dining on local cuisine with the "Dining out Guide" (recipes to create food and drink that was popular in the area at the time), taking pictures ("Snapshot Moments in History" scrapbook timeline), reporting on important people and happenings (a newspaper creative writing assignment - In Ancient Greece study it is called "Greek Weekly"), making "souvenirs" to remember your stay (craft/art projects), dressing like the locals (clothing of the era: fun dress up craft), making a lapbook, playing games (file-folder games), collecting postcards, listening to tour guides (dramatized audio theater - there are 8 of these), and so much more!

We found that there was a lot of preparation that needed to happen before getting started. There is a lot of things needing printed, items needing prepared for crafts and other projects, and general preparation of materials before one can begin the journey. The Travel Itinerary and Travel Planner: Quick Stop Itinerary helps with this a lot!

You will need a few items to get you through the lessons:

• Working Printer
• Color and Black Ink for the printer to cover all the printing that will be happening
• White and Colored Printer Paper
• White and Colored Cardstock (this is best, but admittedly we didn't have any of this and used only white printer paper and it worked OK)
• One 3-Ring Binder for the Guide Book (teacher binder for Introduction, Travel Tips, Travel Planner: Quick Stop Itinerary, Travel Itinerary, Guide Book Text, and Additional Resources)
• One 3-Ring Binder for the Scrapbook of Sights (student binder for all notebook projects)
• Colored File Folders or Colored Pocket Folders with Fasteners
• Scissors and/or an X-acto Knife (when using an X-acto Knife you will need a thick piece of cardboard or self healing mat to use as a cutting surface)
• Crayons, Markers, or Colored Pencils to color the pictures, if desired
• Glue
• Other Craft supplies specified for each of the different projects that your student wants to do

This is what the HISTORY Through the Ages Project Passport World History Study: Ancient Greece covers:

1. Laying the Foundation (Packing for the Trip)
2. Laying the Foundation – Part II
3. The Archaic Period
4. Greek Government
5. Athens
6. Sparta
7. Everyday Life — Part I
8. Everyday Life — Part II
9. Farming, Business, and Transportation
10. Education, Oration, and Literature
11. Science
12. Medicine and Disease
13. The Arts
14. Philosophy
15. Religion — Part I: Titans, Gods, and Monsters
16. Religion — Part II: The Heroes & the People
17. Warfare
18. The Greco-Persian Wars
19. The Golden Age and the Peloponnesian War
20. Sparta, Thebes, and the Coming of the Macedonians
21. Alexander the Great
22. The Hellenistic Age
23. The Greeks and the Jews
24. Rediscovering Ancient Greece
25. Final Stop - Packing Up!

 

Teela coloring the Scrapbook of Sights Cover and Spine.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
I enlisted my daughter Teela who finished 4th grade this year to learn about Ancient Greece since she loved doing the Ancient Egypt and The Middle Ages study before. This is supposed to be for 3rd through 8th graders so most of the projects she did very well on. She did need my help with some of the more advanced projects and writing assignments and it took her a lot longer to get through some of the stops than it might have taken for my older boys. I learned quite a bit too while helping her with this study.

Dining out Guide recipe: Yiaourti me Meli, a Greek yogurt treat.

This study, like the first and second we did, was jam packed with information. I am glad that I already had experience doing this type of program because everything seemed to go faster. The instructions are not hard, but there is a lot of things to set up and print out initially and throughout the program....so be aware of that and set some time aside initially to get things done so you are not overwhelmed. We still have not gotten through all the stops, but we have enjoyed everything that we have done thus far. I love that it is from a biblical Christian perspective too.

Teela making the Greek paper dolls and coloring their clothing.

Teela really liked our project time together. She loves art and making things. She especially loved making paper dolls clothed in costume of the era. We also made some very yummy Yiaourti me Meli, a Greek yogurt treat, with the Dining out Guide recipe, which everyone enjoyed. We very much enjoyed the audio tour too. We are learning a lot along the stops and are enjoying every moment. I can't wait to try my hand at making Gyro meat and tzatziki sauce so that I may make my own Gyro sandwiches because I love them from Portland's Food Carts! Yum! Home School in the Woods Project Passport World History Studies are so much fun and great for hands-on history!

Greek Gyros are yummy!

I highly recommend the Project Passport World History Studies: Ancient Greece from Home School in the Woods. This is great for anyone homeschooling who might need some help with teaching about Ancient Greece in a highly educational, fun, and very hands-on way. This would also be perfect for those wanting something fun to do with their kids in the summer time. I am looking forward to reviewing more from Home School in the Woods in the future!


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BUY IT
You can purchase the Project Passport World History Studies Ancient Greece download version for $33.95 and CD version for $34.95.


Also hot off the press is their newest product... Ancient Rome, now available for purchase in download format! CD version coming in fall 2018.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Home School in the Woods...

If You Were Me and Lived in… Volumes 1-4 By Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com Review

We got to try these books for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

We are so excited to share with you about four new books in the If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series brought to you by Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com. The books we received are:

• If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 1) 
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Renaissance Italy (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 2)
• If You Were Me and Lived in... Elizabethan England (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 3)
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 4)

Carole P. Roman is the author of many books including the Captain No Beard series, If You Were Me and Lived in... Cultures Around the World series, and the If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History series. She loves combining her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the grand world all around us. She also loves sharing history and culture with her readers.

If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series currently consists of 8 books with more to come later. These softcover books take you back through time to visit different civilizations throughout history. Discover Ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, Colonial America, Ancient China, Middle Ages, American West, and Viking Europe. These follow what it would have been like to live and grow up in these places through the eyes of a young person. This makes the books more relatable to children who read them. These physical books cover occupations, food, clothing, recreation, important people, etc.

Zari and Teela enjoying the Civilizations Throughout History Series.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
 
The If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series of books are historical non-fiction. We love them for use with our homeschool history curriculum and plan on using them with our unit studies for each historical place. All of these books start out with how the civilization or place looks today, how it looked around the peak of the time period, where it was located, and a short history of the place, civilization, and society. Then they say, "If you were me and lived in..." and goes on to tell: when you would have lived, what your name might have been, what you would be proud of, what you worshiped, where you would have lived, about life in those places, habitat, food, occupations, education, clothing, travel, recreation, politics, currency, and more. We found that these history books were jam-packed with information and fun facts.

The first book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece. This book has illustrations by Mataya Arkova which are done in pastel colors. It has 54 pages and a special section on Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Greece. This book focused on life in Classical Greece in about 350 BC. We thought that it was interesting that both the homes and cities had open fire pits and they kept them burning with coals never letting the fire go out. We also thought it was interesting that they used bread as napkins, then gave it to the dogs to eat. This would be great to use with a unit study of Ancient Greece.

The second book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in...Renaissance Italy. The illustrations of this book are by Silvia Brunetti and are colorful and whimsical. It has 58 pages and a special section on Renaissance Art and Famous People from the Italian Renaissance. This focused on life in Florence during the 15th century. We thought it was interesting that on feast days the cook roasted swans and peacocks and put the feathers back on when she served them so they looked still alive. It was also very interesting to learn that all stylish ladies painted their faces white with lead powder to look pale and elegant. This would be great to use with a unit study of Renaissance Italy.

The third book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in... Elizabethan England. The illustrations of this book are by Paula Tabor and these cartoon like illustrations are more realistic than the other books. It has 50 pages and a special section on Important People to Know in Elizabethan Era. This focused on life in London around the 16th century. We thought it interesting: that people back then just threw their waste out on the streets, how we might have got the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs.", that tomatoes were considered poisonous so were not eaten, and that chocolate was bitter and only used as medicine. This would be great to use with a unit study of Elizabethan England.

The forth book in the series is If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America. The illustrations of this book are by Sarah Wright and they are cartoon drawings of people and things. It has 61 pages and a special section on People Who Influenced the Colonies on the Entire Eastern Seaboard. This focused on life as a Puritan starting in London England and moving to the American Colonies in New England in 1620. We thought it interesting to learn that 32 children made the trip over on the Mayflower to settle the country with their parents, Native Americans taught the colonists how to plant corn with dead fish so it fertilized the ground, and the colonists built homes out of timber, reeds, wattle and daub. This would be great to use with a unit study of Colonial America, Puritans, or Thanksgiving.

The If You Were Me and Lived in... Civilizations Throughout History Series is a wonderful supplement for history lessons in homeschool. These are great to be used with unit studies and wonderful even just by themselves.  My children loved reading these and learning so much more about these times and civilizations. I love how these cultural books teach a huge amount of children's history because they are through the eyes of a child. They are great for children's education!

BUY IT
You can purchase the If You Were Me and Lived in... series: Ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, Elizabethan England, Colonial America, Ancient China: The Han Dynasty, The Middle Ages, The American West, Viking Europe on Amazon for about $14.99-$20 per book.

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/caroleproman  
Hashtags: #hsreviews #childrenshistory #historystorybooks #culturalstudies

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com...