Home School in the Woods Time Travelers: New World Explorers Review

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying the Time Travelers U.S. History Studies New World Explorers from Home School in the Woods for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. 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.

The Time Traveler American History Studies are a seven part series that starts with the New World Explorers and concludes at the end of World War II. 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.

 

Left: Main Menu, Right: Lessons 1-5

 

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 travel. The Beginning of the main menu includes: Acknowledgements / Copyrights and Usage / Bibliography, Introduction, Tips to Consider Before Starting..., and Teacher Helps which gives you a great foundation. Teacher Helps guides you with preparation and organization, gives you a Lesson Planner schedule to help you see an overview of the things being taught and Additional Resources to pull from. It also includes the printables for the 3-Ring Binder Covers and the Teacher Keys for the timeline.

Each study has twenty-five lessons and is supposed to last roughly 5-10 weeks depending upon how quickly everything is completed. These lessons have reading Text Pages and an activity that go with them. Project Pages accompany these to give directions, list of supplies needed, printing instructions, and illustrations for each project and activity. Masters are provided for all printables.

In the Other Resources section at the end of the main menu there are some visuals and directions to help you with the projects, activities, and lapbook. These include: All Master Pages in numerical order, A Gallery of Project Photos (final photos of what projects should look like at the end), and Lap Book Instructions. You can also have your student catch up with the five Project Days that are included in the schedule. The student will compile a lapbook in the 24th lesson. This lapbook is pieced together throughout the studies. The final lesson is a party with a theme that goes along with the series to celebrate the end of the study. These are very flexible and you can pick and choose what projects work best for your family.

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 Teacher's Binder (reading text, project direction pages, the "Guide-at-a-Glance," teacher keys, and any of the other teacher helps)
• One 3-Ring Binder for the Scrapbook of Sights (student binder for all notebook projects including)
• 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

 

Lessons for Time Travelers American History Study: New World Explorers:

1. What is an Explorer?
2. The Life of an Explorer - Pt. 1
3. The Life of an Explorer - Pt. 2
4. Ship Ahoy!
5. PROJECT DAY - 1
6. Navigation
7. Brendan, Eriksson, & Columbus
8. Cabot & Vespucci
9. Ponce de León & Balboa
10. PROJECT DAY - 2
11. Pizarro & Magellan
12. Verrazano & Cortés
13. Cartier & de Soto
14. Coronado & Drake
15. PROJECT DAY - 3
16. Cabrillo & Ribaut
17. Raleigh & Smith
18. Oñate, Champlain, & Hudson
19. Bering & Cook
20. PROJECT DAY - 4
21. Pirates! - Pt. 1
22. Pirates! - Pt. 2
23. PROJECT DAY - 5
24. Pulling Together the Lap Book™
25. Exploration Celebration

Zari coloring the binder cover and spine.

 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
I enlisted my daughter Zari, who was in 4th grade this past school year, to learn about New World Explorers. She has loved doing Home School in the Woods in the past. 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 written assignments than it might have taken for my older kids. I learned quite a bit too while helping her with this study.

We have been learning about an explorer and ship that is tied to the history out here. The Columbia Rediviva was under the command of John Kendrick and Captain Robert Grey. They sailed in the Pacific Northwest for the maritime fur trade. They used the Columbia River as a key transportation route. This ship is said to have been the model for the local high school being "The Columbians". The Home School in the Woods Time Travelers: New World Explorers goes hand-in-hand with what we have been studying.

 

My girls with a chainsaw carved sea captain sculpture at Rainier Jr Sr High in Dec. 2017.

 

This study was jam packed with information. This is all about early U.S. History. It is about the explorers that discovered the new world. In the weeks we had before this review we learned about explorers, their life, and ships, etc. There are creative writing, recipes of the era, notebook timeline, factfile cards, file folder games, penmanship pages, notebooking activities, three-dimensional projects, arts and crafts, lapbooking, and a Exploration Celebration to bring the whole unit to a close. We still have not gotten through all the lessons, but we have enjoyed everything that we have done thus far.

 

Zari coloring the ship and learning about ship's anatomy.

This was differently laid out than the Project Passports I was used to. There were no stops or pretending to be on a trip and these did not have any audio files to listen to. Like Project Passport though, 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 to begin with to get things done so you are not overwhelmed.

Zari really liked our project time together the most. She loves art and making things. She especially loved tying nautical knots, making dried apples, making flags, learning about the ship's anatomy, making and drinking lime juice, and singing sea shanties. We can't wait to make the ship out of a large box that we acquired, dress up like pirates or seaman, find constellations in the night sky for navigation, making navigational tools, and make some of the recipes, etc. We are learning a lot and are enjoying every moment. These are so much fun!

Dried fruit was a main staple of food on a ship while exploring.

 

I highly recommend the Time Travelers American History Study: New World Explorers from Home School in the Woods. This is great for anyone homeschooling who might need some help with teaching about explorers in the new world in a highly educational, fun, and very hands-on way. This is a great stand-alone unit study or can be used to supplement something already being taught. 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 and learning more about United States history with this study!

 

BUY IT
You can purchase the download version of the Time Travelers U.S. History Studies New World Explorers from Home School in the Woods for $27.95 and CD version for $28.95.

Download the scope and sequence, look at a sample lesson, see photo examples of projects, and watch a video of "What is a Time Traveler" when you click the link above, to get more of an idea about the program.

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolinthewoods 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HSintheWoods 
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hsinthewoods/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolinthewoods/ 
• Hashtags: #hsreviews #HomeSchoolintheWoods #HSitW #TimeTravelers #NewWorldExplorers #history #unitstudies #lapbooks #lapbooking #HistoryUnitStudies #HomeschoolHistory #handsonhistory #historyforkids #historycurriculum #ushistory #americanhistory #americanhistorystudies #americanhistorycurriculum 

 

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

YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist and Unit Study Curriculum Guide Review

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of reading the Heroes of History - George Washington Carver from YWAM Publishing for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

YWAM (YOUTH WITH A MISSION) Publishing is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes books that help Christians make a difference in the world by giving a portion of every dollar spent to buy books through YWAM Publishing to children and adults in other countries that are in need. Their books focus on evangelism, educational training, prayer, discipleship, and mercy ministries.

YWAM Publishing has two popular book series; one called Heroes of History and the other called Christian Heroes: Then & Now; in which true stories are told of real people that lived in our history. In the Heroes of History series we learn about great men and woman who changed the course of history. In the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series we learn about ordinary people who have put their trust in God and in doing so accomplish extraordinary things. Both of these book series help us as: parents, teachers, and caretakers; give our children wholesome biographies to read or be read to that teach good character traits, values, and virtues.

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist

 

George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist by Janet & Geoff Benge is part of a series of 29 biography books called Heroes of History by YWAM Publishing. This series covers the years 1451 to 1951. This book tells the true life story of George Washington Carver who was a brilliant American agricultural scientist, inventor, and professor. This Christian biography book from YWAM Publishing about George Washington Carver teaches great character traits, values, and virtues too. This book covers the years 1864 to 1943. It chronicles his life from a baby to his death in 1943. It is a total of 16 chapters and 189 pages long.

 

George Washington Carver Unit Study download page tab.

The Unit Study Curriculum Guide that is paired with the George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist book that I received was in the digital downloadable format and opened as an executable file. The digital version is downloadable in a zipped format, so you will have to unzip before you use it. After selecting where it will go on your computer, unzip it, and find the folder it placed it all into. Find the file version you need: __MACOSX for Macintosh and the other for PC. Click on the file that has START HERE in its title and it will open in a new window in your browser. You can then read a very short synopsis of the biography under the George Washington Carver tab, download the unit study under the Unit Study tab, etc.

The Unit Study downloads in PDF format. It also has a 25 page guide for classroom and homeschool as well as a 12 page guide for a small group that tells you how to best use the unit study. This shows how flexible you can be with the unit study. You can do the whole study or just parts of it. It is all up to you how you use it. The unit study goes in depth to help you go above and beyond the book and explore other areas that pertain to the material like: crafts, cooking, art, and writing assignments; has questions to ask your children to see if they comprehended the reading, and quotes to use as copywork to enhance handwriting or memorization. The unit study is broken into two parts.

Here is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide Contents:
Part 1 -
Introduction (how to use the study)

1. Key Quotes (great for copywork, memorization, theatrical presentation, or art display)
2. Display Corner (an area designated for hands on display of items relating to the reading)
3. Chapter Questions (questions that enhance the reading: 1 vocabulary, 1 factual, 2 comprehension, and 2 open-ended)
4. Student Explorations (essay questions, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts)
5. Community Links (field trip ideas)
6. Social Studies (places, journeys, terms/vocabulary, geographical characteristics: mapping, timeline: plotting historical events, conceptual questions)
7. Related Themes to Explore (cultures, math, literature, history, current events, science & medicine)
8. Culminating Event (sort of a show and tell ending, ideas include: invitations, clothing, competitions, presentations, food, displays)

Appendix A: Books and Resources
Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions

Part 2 -
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles

 

Zari reading YWAM Publishing Heroes of History George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My 11 year old daughter Zari and my 13 year old daughter Teela read the book. Both have been doing the study guide with me. We learned more about George Washington Carver's life from reading this book than any textbook we had read or movie we had watched previously. It was quite refreshing to learn more about this important man.

After each chapter Zari and I did the first three questions from the study guide which are geared toward the younger students. They include a vocabulary question, a factual question coming from the reading, and the first comprehension question. The study guide is geared toward ages 10+. Zari and I would look up the words in a dictionary and thesaurus as well, for more understanding. My daughter, Teela, had no problem with the reading and vocabulary, but that is because she is a voracious reader. I had Teela do all of the chapter questions. Besides the chapter questions I had Zari do copywork from the key quotes and I had Teela memorize them and say them back to me. I will have Teela do an essay as suggested in the study guide under the student explorations and essays. She will also be doing some creative writing.

We also tried to go to the websites in the books and resources section of the study guide to learn more about George Washington Carver, but most of them were unfortunately broken. We looked up our own and found some pictures of his paintings of flowers and explored the George Washington Carver National Monument Park in Missouri by virtual tour and multimedia. We didn't know he was an artist as well as a botanist and inventor until this study. He was a very well accomplished man.

There was so much to learn and explore in this unit study. We were amazed at the very complexity of it all. We are going to check out some more books and biographies that they recommend in the study guide later. We didn't even begin to scratch the surface and were still very engaged in this lengthy unit study. This would be a great study to incorporate for Black History Month.

The YWAM Publishing biographies are historical and true. These true stories along with the unit studies are great for homeschooling families. We hope to get to read about Theodore Roosevelt next in their extensive biography list. I highly recommend these!

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Website - https://www.ywampublishing.com/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/
• Twitter - http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing
• Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ywampublishing/
• YWAM Publishing Blog - http://www.ywampublishingblog.com/
• Suggested Hashtags - #hsreviews #ywampublishing #christianheroes #americanheroes #christianbiographies #truebiographies #historicalbiography #HeroesofHistory #christianheroesthenandnow #herobiographies #TrueStories #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschooling #americanhistory #americanhistorycurriculum #Teachthemwell #GeorgeWashingtonCarver

BUY IT
YWAM Publishing Heroes of History - George Washington Carver book:
Regular Price: $9.99 YWAM Price: $7.50

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for YWAM Publishing...

Home School in the Woods Time Travelers: Colonial Life Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of trying the Time Travelers U.S. History Studies Colonial Life from Home School in the Woods for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. 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.

The Time Traveler American History Studies are a seven part series that starts with the New World Explorers and concludes at the end of World War II. 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.

Left: Main Menu, Right: Lessons

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 travel. The Beginning of the main menu includes: Acknowledgements / Copyrights and Usage / Bibliography, Introduction, Tips to Consider Before Starting..., and Teacher Helps which gives you a great foundation. Teacher Helps guides you with preparation and organization, gives you a Lesson Planner schedule to help you see an overview of the things being taught and Additional Resources to pull from. It also includes the printables for the 3-Ring Binder Covers and the Teacher Keys for the timeline.

Each study has twenty-five lessons and is supposed to last roughly 5-10 weeks depending upon how quickly everything is completed. These lessons have reading Text Pages and an activity that go with them. Project Pages accompany these to give directions, list of supplies needed, printing instructions, and illustrations for each project and activity. Masters are provided for all printables.

In the Other Resources section at the end of the main menu there are some visuals and directions to help you with the projects, activities, and lapbook. These include: All Master Pages in numerical order, A Gallery of Project Photos (final photos of what projects should look like at the end), and Lap Book Instructions. You can also have your student catch up with the five Project Days that are included in the schedule. The student will compile a lapbook in the 24th lesson. This lapbook is pieced together throughout the studies. The final lesson is a party with a theme that goes along with the series to celebrate the end of the study. These are very flexible and you can pick and choose what projects work best for your family.

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 Teacher's Binder (reading text, project direction pages, the "Guide-at-a-Glance," teacher keys, and any of the other teacher helps)
• One 3-Ring Binder for the Scrapbook of Sights (student binder for all notebook projects including)
• 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

Lessons for Time Travelers American History Study: Colonial Life:

1. America's Colonies Begin
2. The Colonial Home Pt. 1
3. The Colonial Home Pt. 2
4. The Colonial Home Pt. 3
5. PROJECT DAY - 1
6. Colonial Clothing
7. Colonial Food
8. Family Life
9. The Colonial School
10. PROJECT DAY - 2
11. Faith in the Colonies Pt. 1
12. Faith in the Colonies Pt. 2
13. Colonial Pleasures & Pastimes
14. Villages & Cities
15. PROJECT DAY - 3
16. Health & Medicine
17. Colonial Artisans Pt. 1
18. Colonial Artisans Pt. 2
19. Holidays in the Colonies
20. PROJECT DAY - 4
21. Crime & Punishment
22. Plantations & Slavery
23. PROJECT DAY - 5
24. Pulling the Lap Book™ Together
25. Colonial Spree!

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
I enlisted my daughter Zari, who was in 3rd grade this past school year, to learn about Colonial Life. She has loved doing Home School in the Woods in the past. 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 written assignments than it might have taken for my older kids. I learned quite a bit too while helping her with this study.

Zari coloring the Colonial Farm pages.

This study was jam packed with information. This is all about early U.S. History. It is about the growth of this nation and the people that left their mark on it. In the weeks we had before this review we learned about The Lost Colony & Jamestown, The First Thirteen Colonies, Indentured Servants and Slaves, etc. There are creative writing, recipes of the era,  notebook timeline, factfile cards, file folder games,  penmanship pages, notebooking activities, three-dimensional projects, arts and crafts, lapbooking, and a Colonial Spree to bring the whole unit to a close. We still have not gotten through all the lessons, but we have enjoyed everything that we have done thus far.

This was differently laid out than the Project Passports I was used to. There were no stops or pretending to be on a trip and these did not have any audio files to listen to. Like Project Passport though, 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 to begin with to get things done so you are not overwhelmed.

Old-Peas Soup

Zari really liked our project time together the most. She loves art and making things. She especially loved making the yummy Old-Peas Soup from one of the A Book of Goode Cookery Colonial cookbook recipes. This was like split pea soup in my opinion. She also loved learning and playing the games. We can't wait to make the Rope Bed, Colonial attire to dress up, a loom to weave on, an apple head doll, an embroidery sampler, silhouette art, quilling, a punch tin candle holder, and the other recipes etc. We are learning a lot and are enjoying every moment. These are so much fun!

I highly recommend the Time Travelers American History Study: Colonial Life from Home School in the Woods. This is great for anyone homeschooling who might need some help with teaching Colonial Life in a highly educational, fun, and very hands-on way. This is a great stand-alone unit study or can be used to supplement something already being taught. 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 and learning more about United States history with this study! There is also a U.S. Elections Lap-Pak that is relevant now because of the presidential election coming up this year.

BUY IT
You can purchase the download version of the Time Travelers U.S. History Studies Colonial Life from Home School in the Woods for $27.95 and CD version for $28.95.

Download the scope and sequence, look at a sample lesson, see photo examples of projects, and watch a video of "What is a Time Traveler" when you click the link above, to get more of an idea about the program.

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolinthewoods 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HSintheWoods 
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hsinthewoods/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolinthewoods/ 
• Hashtags: #hsreviews #HomeSchoolintheWoods #HSitW #TimeTravelers #ColonialLife #history #unitstudies #lapbooking #HistoryUnitStudies #HomeschoolHistory #handson #ushistory #americanhistory

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

YWAM Publishing Heroes of History Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire and Unit Study Curriculum Guide Review #ComplimentaryProductReceived

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My family had the privilege of reading the Heroes of History - Clara Barton from YWAM Publishing for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

YWAM (YOUTH WITH A MISSION) Publishing is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes books that help Christians make a difference in the world by giving a portion of every dollar spent to buy books through YWAM Publishing to children and adults in other countries that are in need. Their books focus on evangelism, educational training, prayer, discipleship, and mercy ministries.

YWAM Publishing has two popular book series; one called Heroes of History and the other called Christian Heroes: Then & Now; in which true stories are told of real people that lived in our history. In the Heroes of History series we learn about great men and woman who changed the course of history. In the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series we learn about ordinary people who have put their trust in God and in doing so accomplish extraordinary things. Both of these book series help us as: parents, teachers, and caretakers; give our children wholesome biographies to read or be read to that teach good character traits, values, and virtues.

Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire Book

 

Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire by Janet & Geoff Benge is part of a series of 29 biography books called Heroes of History by YWAM Publishing. This series covers the years 1451 to 1951. This book tells the true life story of Clara Barton who was a nurse on the front-lines of the Civil War and the founder of the American Red Cross. This Christian biography book from YWAM Publishing about Clara Barton teaches great character traits, values, and virtues too. This book covers the years 1821 to 1912. It chronicles her life from the age of 4 to her death in 1912. It is a total of 17 chapters and 191 pages long.

Clara Barton Unit Study download page tab.

 

The Unit Study Curriculum Guide that is paired with the Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire book that I received was in the digital downloadable format and opened as an executable file. The digital version is downloadable in a zipped format, so you will have to unzip before you use it. After selecting where it will go on your computer, unzip it, and find the folder it placed it all into. Find the file version you need: __MACOSX for Macintosh and the other for PC. Click on the file that has START HERE in its title and it will open in a new window in your browser. You can then read a very short synopsis of the biography under the Clara Barton tab, download the unit study under the Unit Study tab, etc.

The Unit Study downloads in PDF format. It also has a 25 page guide for classroom and homeschool as well as a 12 page guide for a small group that tells you how to best use the unit study. This shows how flexible you can be with the unit study. You can do the whole study or just parts of it. It is all up to you how you use it. The unit study goes in depth to help you go above and beyond the book and explore other areas that pertain to the material like: crafts, cooking, art, and writing assignments; has questions to ask your children to see if they comprehended the reading, and quotes to use as copywork to enhance handwriting or memorization. The unit study is broken into two parts.

Here is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide Contents:
Part 1 -
Introduction (how to use the study)

1. Key Quotes (great for copywork, memorization, theatrical presentation, or art display)
2. Display Corner (an area designated for hands on display of items relating to the reading)
3. Chapter Questions (questions that enhance the reading: 1 vocabulary, 1 factual, 2 comprehension, and 2 open-ended)
4. Student Explorations (essay questions, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts)
5. Community Links (field trip ideas)
6. Social Studies (places, journeys, terms/vocabulary, geographical characteristics: mapping, timeline: plotting historical events, conceptual questions)
7. Related Themes to Explore (cultures, math, literature, history, current events, science & medicine)
8. Culminating Event (sort of a show and tell ending, ideas include: invitations, clothing, competitions, presentations, food, displays)

Appendix A: Books and Resources
Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles

Part 2 -
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles (continued)

Teela reading YWAM Publishing Heroes of History Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire.

 

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I read the book to my 9 year old daughter Zari so we could have time to get through some of the study guide too. My daughter Teela who is 11 and my sons who are 17 and 19 have been reading it to themselves and doing some of the projects from the study guide on their own time. Zari enjoyed listening to me read about Clara Barton. We learned more about Clara Barton's life from reading this book than any textbook we had read or movie we had watched previously. It was quite refreshing to learn more about this important woman.

After each chapter my girls and I did the first three questions from the study guide which are geared toward the younger students. They include a vocabulary question, a factual question coming from the reading, and the first comprehension question. The study guide is geared toward ages 10+. So I had to help Zari with the some of the vocabulary because of its advanced nature. We would look up the words in a dictionary and thesaurus as well, for more understanding. My boys, Jaedan and Delbin, who are 17 and 19, had no problem with the reading and vocabulary, but that is because they are voracious readers. I had my boys do all of the chapter questions. Besides the chapter questions I had my girls do copywork from the key quotes and I had my boys memorize them and say them back to me. I will have my sons do an essay as suggested in the study guide under the student explorations and essays. They also will be doing some creative writing.

We also went to other websites in the books and resources section of the study guide to learn more about Clara Barton, Civil War, Spanish-American War, Red Cross, nursing, etc. We also loved learning about how to dress like Clara Barton and what women wore back then. We also loved learning about the Red Cross more from their website. My sister-in-law, Amy, is in the Red Cross as a volunteer, so this was very cool to learn about.

There was so much to learn and explore in this unit study. We were amazed at the very complexity of it all. We didn't even begin to scratch the surface and were still very engaged in the lengthy unit study.

The YWAM Publishing biographies are historical and true. These true stories along with the unit studies are great for homeschooling families. We hope to get to read about George Washington Carver next in their extensive biography list. I highly recommend these!

 

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Website - https://www.ywampublishing.com/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/
• Twitter - http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing
• Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ywampublishing/
• YWAM Publishing Blog - http://www.ywampublishingblog.com/
• Suggested Hashtags - #hsreviews #ywampublishing #christianheroes #americanheroes #christianbiographies #truebiographies #historicalbiography #HeroesofHistory #christianheroesthenandnow #herobiographies #TrueStories #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschooling #americanhistory #americanhistorycurriculum #Teachthemwell #ClaraBarton

BUY IT
YWAM Publishing Heroes of History Clara Barton: Courage Under Fire book:
Regular Price: $9.99 YWAM Price: $7.50

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for YWAM Publishing...

Zeezok Publishing Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades Collection Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Zeezok Publishing Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades Collection for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Zeezok Publishing is a Christian provider of enriching educational materials for homeschoolers. They strive to supply the best and most affordable homeschooling textbooks and supplementary materials that will compliment your educational needs. Zeezok Publishing is continuing to expand its curriculum, books, and supplementary materials to help the homeschooling family have the opportunity to give the finest possible education to their children.

Zeezok Publishing Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades Collection, minus Nutcracker Ballet book.

Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades is more than just teaching music theory or music appreciation to your student. This collection is from the Great Musicians Series. The collection includes a student activity book and nine composer biographies. This is geared for grades 5th-8th and a variety of learners including: auditory, kinesthetic, visual, etc. It also meets all national standards for music appreciation.


What is included in detail:

• Student Book: This soft cover book by Elisabeth Tanner and Judy Wilcox starts off with a Table of Contents, Introduction, Scope & Sequence, and Music List. Then it has each of the seven composers listed, each with 4 weeks of hands-on activities that include:  American and world history, grammar, geography, music studies, concert etiquette, timelines, character trait studies, and so much more. The activity book ends in Endnotes, a bibliography for each section. This is a great companion to the biographies and they suggest getting one of these for each student being taught. Comes with Music Appreciation for the Middle Grades App–QR codes and their app website that provides easy access to all the songs from the biographies, interactive quizzes, and a variety of additional website links to enhance the learning experience. MSRP $59.99
• 9 Composer Biographies: Nine different biography books for seven composers studied. Included is: Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Stephen Foster, Brahms, Peter Tchaikovsky, and Edward MacDowell. These biographies describe the childhood and adult life of each of these composers. These are true and accurate with every important event mentioned. These also have written music and lovely pictures throughout.

Music Appreciation: Book 2 Collection includes one Student Book and the following nine composer biographies: 

• Frederic Chopin, Early Years
• Frederic Chopin, Later Years
• Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
• Adventures of Richard Wagner
• Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray
• The Young Brahms
• The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky
• Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
• Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I used this set with my daughter, Teela, who is just starting 6th grade. We focused on Frederic Chopin and the book Frederic Chopin, Early Years and some of the Frederic Chopin, Later Years for the 4 week study and this review. First we looked through the Student Book and found that besides a nice table of contents, each composer had its own colored tab along the side to find the pages easily. The tab colors also go with the some of the reader colors. When we flipped to Frederic Chopin on page 17 we found the Weekly Lesson Outline layout for each of the four weeks. These Weekly Lesson Outlines are given for each composer too and is very well structured and spelled out for you so you know exactly what to do and when. At the end of the 5 weeks they also include an answer key to help the teacher with grading.

I noticed a few things when we received the set through the mail. We received all but one of the physical books in the series because of an error in shipping. We were instead given a digital download of the Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet, the last one we were missing, but I would have rather had the physical book. There is also a lapbook and coloring book that we did not receive and that are sold separately to go along with the materials. Also, I noticed that one book, The Young Brahms, was a hardcover not softcover like the rest.

In the Student Book there are Music Appreciation for the Middle Grades App–QR codes and a link to an app website that provides easy access to all the songs from the biographies, interactive quizzes, and a variety of additional website links to enhance the learning experience. We couldn't use the QR codes because we don't have a device to read them, but had a lot of fun with the website link which had all the same information. There are also activities in the student book that are starred and this means that those certain activities are required in order to meet national music appreciation standards.

Chopin Weekly Lesson Outline and an illustration in the reader.

The Student Book had 5 weeks about Chopin. Each week we had different things to work on; some included: chapters to read from the biographies, comprehension questions to answer, character qualities to read about with page numbers from the biography to correspond with, tidbits of interest to read about with page numbers from the biography to correspond with, listening to tracks, vocabulary to learn, musical parts to learn, recipes to try, etc.

We learned a great deal about Chopin's early years. Not only did we learn about his life, but we also learned about his birthplace, Poland; music, foods he ate with recipes of a similar facsimile, etc. Some of the things we learned was that he went by many names, he weighed only 100 pounds even as an adult, he liked doing smaller recitals than large concerts because he played softly and some people couldn't hear him, and that his sister died of tuberculosis.

All of the parts of this curriculum complement each other really well. We loved how easy it was to follow along each week in the Student Book. It was really fascinating to learn about Chopin's life in the Frederic Chopin, Early Years biography reader. The link, instead of the QR codes, worked better for us for the tracks of music to listen to for each composer, videos about his life and music, and there is a quiz at the end of comprehension questions about the reading. As you can see there are a lot of different activities besides reading.

Teela is excited to learn about the other composers in this collection as well. We are going to finish Frederic Chopin, Later Years soon and then start on the book, Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff. We can't wait to learn more about Chopin's life and other musicians in the series.

We highly recommend the Zeezok Publishing Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades Collection! If you are looking into a great classical music appreciation curriculum or homeschool music program look no further. This would be a great summer music program too! Also, look for the Zeezok Publishing Music Appreciation Book 1: for the Elementary Grades Collection if you have children in that age group. Book 1 includes: Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Paganini and Schubert. I have loved learning about these composers.

BUY IT
Retail Price is $185. 54. Sale Price is $169.99. Save 10% when purchasing the complete Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades collection!

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/zeezokpublishing/ 
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ZeezokPub @ZeezokPub
• Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/zeezok/ 
• YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeezokPublishing 
• Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/zeezokpub/ 
• Hashtags - #hsreview #musicappreciation #homeschoolmusicprogram

Read other reviews for Zeezok Publishing LLC Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades...

Memoria Press The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set Review

My family had the privilege of trying the The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set from Memoria Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that produces simple and easy-to-use classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. It was founded by a woman named Cheryl Lowe in 1994. They currently have preschool through ninth grade in most of their curriculum and some through twelfth grade. They also cover subjects in: Classical Core Curriculum, Latin, Classical Studies, Christian Studies, Logic & Rhetoric, Phonics & Early Reading, Penmanship, Literature & Poetry, American & Modern Studies, Writing & English Grammar, Science & Math, Greek, Modern Languages, Educational Resources, eBooks, Special-Needs, and Art & Music.

Memoria Press The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set.

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set is an American history study for grades 5-8.  This set by H. A. Guerber was combined from the original two-volume set so that it can be studied a full year. Set includes: The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic text, The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic Student Guide, and The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic Teacher Guide.

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Text is a softcover historical reader that teaches the history of our country from Columbus to the Spanish-American war. It is 211 pages long and has 85 chapters. This edition of the text has been heavily edited to make it more concise and updated to the times.

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Student Guide is a workbook that includes includes important facts, vocabulary, and comprehension questions for each chapter, as well as enrichment activities such as map work, drawings, research, writing assignments, and more! It is 104 pages and covers 32 lessons. Appendix has maps, a 13 colonies chart to fill out, and important documents of the time.

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Teacher Guide is a answer key to the Student Guide workbook. It is 127 pages long and covers all 32 lessons. Appendix is the same with the 13 colonies chart filled out with answers. This also includes 4 tests for the student and then the keys for each.

Memoria Press 200 Questions About American History Set.

The 200 Questions About American History Set is a supplement to Guerber’s The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic. This is a compiled list of 200 questions that everyone should know about American history. The questions come directly from our newly edited Guerber book and from Story of the World Volume IV. This will help set the stage for grades 5-8 in preparation for a more difficult high school American history course. Set includes the: 200 Questions About American History Student Book, 200 Questions About American History Teacher Guide, and 200 Questions About American History Flashcards.

The 200 Questions About American History Student Book is a 25 page workbook for a student that is a great study guide for American history. It includes: drill questions, a timeline of America history, notable quotes from American history, and Presidents of the United States for the student to fill out. It also includes recommended texts and weekly schedule & guidelines for teachers at the beginning and notable songs and poems at the end.

The 200 Questions About American History Teacher Guide is a answer key to the Student Book workbook. It is 69 pages and covers all that the Student Book does. It also includes 7 tests for the student and their answer keys for the teacher.

The 200 Questions About American History Flashcards are a large stack of cards s to help with study and memorization of the American history questions and answers from the student book. These are 4 x 3 x 3 inches and pre-cut. There are a total of 203 flashcards. These flashcards are divided into sections: 150 Drill Questions, 30 Timeline Dates (When did it happen?), 20 Notable Quotes (Who said that?), and 44 U.S. Presidents (See if you can put them in order!).

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We love Memoria Press and their classical christian curriculum for our homeschooling! We have a bunch of their other studies and have found them all wonderful. We've been very blessed to have been able to also receive a number of their curriculum to review here.

We used this with my daughter Teela who is in 5th grade. The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set is perfect for her to learn about American history before starting the middle and high school grades. We did this on an average of three days per week. This classical christian homeschool curriculum is fantastic!

Teela working on The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Text reader and Student Guide workbook.

Both Student Guides/Books) are consumable workbooks so only one student can use these. Each chapter in the text corresponds to the The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Student Guide workbook. The 200 Questions About American History Student Book has page numbers to find the information easily in the text as well. I do want to mention that the 200 Questions About American History Set was originally made to be used with Guerber and Everything You Need to Know About American History Homework, which is now out of print. However, it has been modified to now go with The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set. There are a few revisions that might need corrected in the books and they have compiled a list of those on the website.

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic text is well written and has short concise chapters of around 2-3 pages that are packed with information. In addition it has some hints for teachers in it as well. It suggests that the teacher first reads the chapter to the student and then the student reads it again for memorization purposes. It also suggests locating and marking places on the supplied maps that come up in the text should be done right away.

I found both teacher guides very convenient and thorough. I loved how they were laid out and how they had schedules and guidelines to help you, the teacher. I also had all the answers of the student books at my fingertips so I didn't have to seek them out myself. The tests are there too for easy access.

Teela working on the 200 Questions About American History Student Book and Flashcards.

The flashcards for the 200 Questions About American History are invaluable as well because they help with memorization, fixing the different history questions and their answers into the students mind. I love that I do not have to print or cut them myself. This is one reason why Memoria Press always goes above and beyond to help the teacher with having everything at their fingertips right away.

We highly recommend The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set by Memoria Press! It is a great American history curriculum. I look forward to using other curriculum books from Memoria Press with my children in the future.

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/memoriapress/ 
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MemoriaPress    Tag:   @MemoriaPress     
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriapress/         
• Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/memoriapress/          Tag:   @memoriapress   
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/memoriapress/ 
• Hashtag: #hsreviews #memoriapress #classicalchristianeducation #classicallyhomeschooling #TheStoryoftheThirteenColonies&theGreatRepublic #teachclassical #classicaleducation #simplyclassical #200QuestionsAboutAmericanHistory #classicalchristianhomeschooling #memoriapresshistory

BUY IT
You can purchase The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set for $48 and 200 Questions About American History set for $27.90.

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for Memoria Press...

YWAM Publishing Heroes of History Daniel Boone: Frontiersman and Unit Study Curriculum Guide Review

My family had the privilege of reading the Heroes of History - Daniel Boone book from YWAM Publishing for this review to use in conjunction with our own curriculum at home. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

YWAM (YOUTH WITH A MISSION) Publishing is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes books that help Christians make a difference in the world by giving a portion of every dollar spent to buy books through YWAM Publishing to children and adults in other countries that are in need. Their books focus on evangelism, educational training, prayer, discipleship, and mercy ministries.

YWAM Publishing has two popular book series; one called Heroes of History and the other called Christian Heroes: Then & Now; in which true stories are told of real people that lived in our history. In the Heroes of History series we learn about great men and woman who changed the course of history. In the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series we learn about ordinary people who have put their trust in God and in doing so accomplish extraordinary things. Both of these book series help us as: parents, teachers, and caretakers; give our children wholesome biographies to read or be read to that teach good character traits, values, and virtues.

Daniel Boone: Frontiersman Book

Daniel Boone: Frontiersman by Janet & Geoff Benge is part of a series of 29 biography books called Heroes of History by YWAM Publishing. This series covers the years 1451 to 1951. This book tells the true life story of Daniel Boone who was a frontiersman who led settlers into the Kentucky wilderness. This Christian biography book from YWAM Publishing about Daniel Boone teaches great character traits, values, and virtues too. This book covers the years 1734-1820. It chronicles his life from his about the age of 5 to his death in 1820. It is a total of 19 chapters and 213 pages long. I had previously heard bits and pieces of his life and his adventure in history class at school while growing up before I read this biography book.

Daniel Boone Unit Study download page tab.

The Unit Study Curriculum Guide that is paired with the Daniel Boone: Frontiersman book that I received was in the digital downloadable format and opened as an executable file. The digital version is downloadable in a zipped format, so you will have to unzip before you use it. After selecting where it will go on your computer, unzip it, and find the folder it placed it all into. Find the file version you need: __MACOSX for Macintosh and the other for PC. Click on the file that has START HERE in its title and it will open in a new window in your browser. You can then read a very short synopsis of the biography under the Daniel Boone tab, download the unit study under the Unit Study tab, etc.

The Unit Study downloads in PDF format. It also has a 25 page guide for classroom and homeschool as well as a 12 page guide for a small group that tells you how to best use the unit study. This shows how flexible you can be with the unit study. You can do the whole study or just parts of it. It is all up to you how you use it. The unit study goes in depth to help you go above and beyond the book and explore other areas that pertain to the material like: crafts, cooking, art, and writing assignments; has questions to ask your children to see if they comprehended the reading, and quotes to use as copywork to enhance handwriting or memorization. The unit study is broken into two parts.

Here is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide Contents:
Part 1 -
Introduction (how to use the study)

1. Key Quotes (great for copywork, memorization, theatrical presentation, or art display)
2. Display Corner (an area designated for hands on display of items relating to the reading)
3. Chapter Questions (questions that enhance the reading: 1 vocabulary, 1 factual, 2 comprehension, and 2 open-ended)
4. Student Explorations (essay questions, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts & crafts)
5. Community Links (field trip ideas)
6. Social Studies (places, journeys, terms/vocabulary, geographical characteristics: mapping, timeline: plotting historical events, conceptual questions)
7. Related Themes to Explore (cultures, math, literature, history, current events, science & medicine)
8. Culminating Event (sort of a show and tell ending, ideas include: invitations, clothing, competitions, presentations, food, displays)

Appendix A: Books and Resources
Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles

Part 2 -
Appendix C: Social Studies Reproducibles (continued)

Teela reading YWAM Publishing Heroes of History Daniel Boone: Frontiersman.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I read the book to my 8 year old daughter Zari so we could have time to get through some of the study guide too. My daughter Teela who is 10 and my sons who are 16 and 18 have been reading it to themselves and doing some of the projects from the study guide on their own time. Zari enjoyed listening to me read about Daniel Boone. We learned more about Daniel Boone's adventures and mishaps from reading this book than any textbook we had read or movie we had watched previously. It was quite refreshing to learn more about this important man.

After each chapter my girls and I did the first three questions from the study guide which are geared toward the younger students. They include a vocabulary question, a factual question coming from the reading, and the first comprehension question. The study guide is geared toward ages 10+. So I had to help Zari with the some of the vocabulary because of its advanced nature. We would look up the words in a dictionary and thesaurus as well, for more understanding. My boys, Jaedan and Delbin, who are 16 and 18, had no problem with the reading and vocabulary, but that is because they are voracious readers. I had my boys do all of the chapter questions. Besides the chapter questions I had my girls do copywork from the key quotes and I had my boys memorize them and say them back to me. I will have my sons do an essay as suggested in the study guide under the student explorations and essays. They also will be doing some creative writing.

My son, Jaedan, and I went to Louisville Kentucky in May of 2015. They have the Boone Family Bible in the Frazier Museum collection. In Louisville there is also a monument and statue of Daniel Boone at the Eastern Parkway entrance of Cherokee Park. I don't remember seeing it while we were there, but it would have been really cool to go back someday and do so.

This photo of the Boone Family Bible in the Frazier History Museum is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of the Boone Family Bible plaque in the Frazier History Museum is courtesy of TripAdvisor

We also went to other websites in the books and resources section of the study guide to learn more about Daniel Boone, Shawnee Indians, Chief Blackfish, Kentuky, Cherokee Indians, Transylvania Company, Wilderness Trail, Wilderness Road, flintlock rifle, Appalachian Mountains, Cumberland Gap, Woodsmanship, American Revolution, French and Indian War, Frontier Life, Boonesborough, etc. We also loved learning about Woven Wampum Beadwork and want to try our hand at making these when we get more time. We also learned that Daniel Boone has two grave sites in different places dedicated to him. I was very disappointed though that most the website links they gave were either broken or had problems loading, but that didn't stop us from exploring on our own online.

Daniel Boone Monument, Cherokee Park. Photo by: Aura Ulm-Scene World Imaging-Louisville KY

There was so much to learn and explore in this unit study. We were amazed at the very complexity of it all. We didn't even begin to scratch the surface and were still very engaged in the lengthy unit study.

The YWAM Publishing biographies are historical and true. These true stories along with the unit studies are great for homeschooling families. We hope to get to read about Davy Crockett next in their extensive biography list. I highly recommend these!

Follow Them on Social Media:

• Website - http://www.ywampublishing.com/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YWAM-Publishing-482973445102/
• Twitter - http://twitter.com/YWAMpublishing @YWAMpublishing
• Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/YWAMpublishing
• YWAM Publishing Blog - http://www.ywampublishingblog.com/
• Suggested Hashtags - #hsreviews #ywampublishing #christianheroes #christianbiographies #truebiographies #HeroesofHistory #christianheroesthenandnow #herobiographies #TrueStories #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschooling #americanhistory #americanhistorycurriculum #Teachthemwell #DanielBoone

BUY IT
YWAM Publishing Heroes of History Daniel Boone: Frontiersman book:
Regular Price: $9.99 YWAM Price: $7.50

Read other homeschool curriculum reviews for YWAM Publishing...