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Teach Homeschool History

How to Teach History in 14 Lessons (From Daunting to Doable)

January 13, 2017 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Teaching history in 14 lessons is doable. I was so excited to review this curriculum and use it. Also, look at my page Ancient Civilizations for my ideas!

It’s hard for me to believe that I could’ve born a child who loathed history, but I did.

Beginning to teach him the same way I had his older brother, my history hater pushed back.

And he let me know there is absolutely no reason to learn history.

Explaining that history is all about the present, that fascinating treasure troves can be unearthed when we tap into the minds of brilliant people of the past and learning from both triumphs and tragedies in history sounded eloquent to only me.

However, my history naysayer wasn’t budging from his mindset or attitude.

How to Teach History in 14 Lessons (from daunting to doable). Some kids don't want all the details. Click here to read how to keep it simple.

Two things had to change (for me) and one thing was not going to change.

One change was my expectations.

Second, I had to put aside curriculum, which taught too many details.

Teach History in 14 Lessons

But what absolutely couldn’t change or that I wouldn’t compromise on was giving him a solid foundation in history.

Like all subjects, a thorough, but basic foundation is necessary because every child deserves that.

Little did I know that back when I reviewed What Every Child Needs to Know about Western Civilization that I would refer it to many years afterward.

And it would help my highschooler cement time periods.

Although it’s written for a middle grade student, it helped my teen with the Ancient periods.

You can look at what I wrote then about how I used What Every Child Needs to Know About Western Civilization by BrimWood Press.

History in a Nutshell

Look at three things I learned since then.

ONE/ Teaching history in broad strokes makes it manageable for those who either get overwhelmed by the details or need to know immediately the value of learning history.

It didn’t mean that my son wasn’t interested at all in history.

He needed to see the practical value immediately instead of covering it for a year chronologically.

Even though my history hater has graduated, to this day he still wants people to get to the point of what they are saying instead of patiently listening to details or a story.

Are you sure this kid is mine? I always have time to dawdle over the details of any story and especially history.

Now that my history hater is grown though, I realize that is part of his personality. Not only do we need the detailed people, but we need people who see the big picture.

I learned that it’s not just history that he could hate.

But when he learned other things, he wanted them in a nutshell first.

TWO/ Forget the story or at least for the immediate time.

A story approach works for a lot of kids and it did for my other two boys, but such a detailed approach is not necessary to form the basic cornerstones of understanding history. Move on, it’s okay.

Learn Major History Periods First

When my son wanted to learn more about a famous person or event, then he would ask to. Otherwise, I moved on to the next topic.

THREE/ Let him choose which topics or activities he wants to do, if any.

Though a hands-on approach to history is always a favorite of mine and I feel it teaches way beyond books, I allowed my son the right to make choices in how he wanted to absorb the information.

Choices or options on subjects that I am not so crazy over (math) empowers me to take information in at my leisure. Kids are not any different.

When given the option, I learned that many times my son would do the hands-on activities I suggested because he is a hands-on learner.

Value of History Broad Strokes

What I liked the most about What Every Child Needs to Know about Western Civilization is that it breathed life into our day.

When we wanted to cover one area of history without getting overwhelmed with every event or person in a time period, we were able to do this.

And the history hat cards, which have a famous person to remember in each time period honed in on valuable cornerstones to form a framework for history.

Look at the picture below so you can see the broad sweeping time periods covered. Such a huge help to teaching history. I put the civilizations so you can see how helpful they are.

Yes, history should really be this easy and streamlined.

Key broad stokes teach history without overwhelming kids. And history hats to remember key persons in each time period @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

And What Every Child Needs to Know about Western Civilization  is a great help if you don’t feel adequate to teach history.

Remembering 14 points about Western Civilization is a lot less intimidating than covering one time period of history in depth.

Form a framework first with the broad strokes in history, then sketch in the details, people and events at your leisure.

Fast History Approach

The curriculum is for 5th to 8th grade.

But you can easily hand it to your high school teen. It will give him a framework.

If you have a history hater, don’t feel qualified to teach history or want to cover it in broad strokes, but not compromise on the significant big picture, you’ll love What Every Child Needs to Know about Western Civilization .

Look at my original Review of What Every Child Needs to Know About Western Civilization by BrimWood Press, and these other ways to cover history, which are 10 ways to Hook Homeschooled Kids On History and 8 Ways to Teach Homeschool History Other Than Chronologically.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

How to Teach History in 14 Lessons to a History Hater @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

1 CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool History Tagged With: early American history, high school, history, history resources, historyspine, homeschool, medieval homeschool history, middleschool

10 Early American History Events that Happened in Fall for Homeschool Middle or High School

September 22, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Do you know which event in Early American history was a milestone for freedom of press or who received the first American patent for salt-making? Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

Studying Early American homeschool history should also include learning about culture, science, art and even sports. All of it embodies who Americans are today.

And when the temperature changes to a bit cooler outside, it’s a great time to focus on Early American history events that happened in fall.

10-early-american-history-events-that-happened-in-fall-for-homeschool-middle-or-high-school-tinas-dynamic-homeschool-plus

Grouping events by season is another way to have your middle or high school student remember things.

Look at these 10 Early American history events that happened in fall, which homeschool middle or high School kids can learn about.

10 Early American History Events that Happened in Fall

1565

ONE/ September 8, 1565. Spanish naval officer Pedro Menendez de Aviles founds St. Augustine, in northern Florida, the first permanent European colony in America.

1620

TWO/ November 21, 1620. The Mayflower Compact was signed aboard ship on November 11, 1620 by the Pilgrims.

They used the Julian calendar, also known as Old Style dates, which, at that time, was ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Signing the covenant were 41 of the ship’s 101 passengers while the Mayflower was anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor within the hook at the northern tip of Cape Cod.

1630

THREE/ September 30, 1630. John Billington, a Pilgrim, is hanged for murder. He is the first criminal to suffer capital punishment in the American colonies.

1636

FOUR/ October 28, 1636. Harvard College, the first college in America, is founded in a single frame house and college yard at Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the purpose of educating young men for the Puritan clergy.

1637

FIVE/ November 7, 1637. Anne Hutchinson is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for preaching her belief that faith, not strict adherence to any body of orthodox theology, is sufficient for salvation.

1641

SIX/ October, 1641. The first American patent is issued by the Massachusetts Bay Colony to Samuel Winslow for a salt-making process.

Look at a few of these hands-on projects from Home School in the Woods which I love and make great additions to these topics.

American History Homeschool

1734

SEVEN/ October, 1734. John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal is arrested for seditious libel when he prints criticism of Governor William Cosby.

Andrew Hamilton defends him at trial in 1735 and secures his acquittal on the grounds that the truth can never be deemed libelous. The decision is a milestone in the principal of freedom of the press.

1763

EIGHT/ October, 1763. King George III issues a proclamation setting the Appalachian Mountains as the western limit of English settlement hoping to end a war between English colonists and Native Americans by stopping white invasion onto Native American lands.

This proclamation of 1763 brings temporary peace among some Native Americans but frontier settlers are outrages. Many historians see this defiance as the seed of the American Revolution.

1776

NINE/ September 9, 1776. The name “United States of America” is officially created by the Continental Congress.

1783

TEN/ September 3, 1783. British and American negotiators (including Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, John Adams and Henry Laurens) conclude the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution and securing American Independence.

Don’t make the study of fun facts boring. Read about them, cover them and research if your student wants to or simply read them and move on.

Each event though makes for a great unit study and the best part is that they are easy to remember because they all happened in the fall.

Look at these other fall posts:

  • Fall Homeschool Learning Resources For Middle School
  • Free Fall Unit Study Ideas– For Older Kids Too

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

Save

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Free Homeschool Resources, History Resources, Teach Homeschool History Tagged With: early American history, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, history, history resources, middleschool, teens

Start the Homeschool Year Off Right: 5 History Ideas for the First Week

August 13, 2016 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Don’t follow me. Okay, wait follow me, just don’t do what I would do when I started the new homeschool year, which was BORING!

Look at starting the homeschool year off right by using some of these 5 history ideas for the first week or second, or . . .

Start the Homeschool Year Off Right. 5 History Ideas for the First Week @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Hands-on Homeschool History

One// Play a card game.

A few years ago, I reviewed a card game by Birdcage Press and we fell in love with it and added it to our history.

Also, this Ancient Egypt Top Trumps Card Game is another great option.

The best part about these card games is that it is for ages 6 to adult, so everybody can play together and start the year with a fun kick.

Two// Cook a meal or dish from a certain time period or event.

This is always a hit with the kids. Who doesn’t like to eat something delicious?

Then to add some science to our history we have been eyeballing this book, which is for middle grades but could easily be adapted for other grades.

Then, look at some of these dishes we have made:

  • Lewis and Clark:Cooking on the Trail,
  • Louisiana Purchase Edible Map,
  • Snack Like They Did In Ancient Greece – Make Baklava,
  • make butter and hardtack when Learning American History through the Life of Wyatt Earp, and make soup when learning about World War II.

Three// Grab my history coloring pages.

If you have kids that are younger, love to color, need a break or just want to do something different to start off history with, grab one or more of my fun 20 Ancient Civilization history coloring pages.

Four// Begin with a living book, which brings history alive.

Don’t start off your year with snoring boring textbooks (zzzzzzzzz). Grab one of these 20 Ancient Civilization History Living Books.

Five// Pop some popcorn and get your history on by watching a movie from Netflix.

Your kids will love you for this one because they’re not sure if you’re having school or learning. You’re doing both.

Look here at Homeschool History Teaching Ancient Civilizations Using Netflix.

If you want some more tips for teaching history, look here at

  • Medieval Homeschool History – 4 Surefire Ways to Beat a Boring Study,
  • 7 Things to Try When a Homeschool History Curriculum Isn’t Coming Together (Hint: Try a Primary Source or Two) and
  • 10 ways to Hook Homeschooled Kids On History – (Easy. I Promise.).

Avoid teaching history in a boring way, it’s not about dead people, but it’s about the events and details that bring history to life.

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

1 CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, History Resources, Teach Homeschool History Tagged With: hands on history, history, homeschoolhistory

Medieval Homeschool History – 4 Surefire Ways to Beat a Boring Study

May 8, 2016 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We’re studying Medieval homeschool history and knights and castles make for a fascinating study of the medieval times. Also, look at my free 4 week Middle Ages Unit Study for more fun.

However, many other topics and vocabulary words can make it hard and well, flat out boring to study this time period.

Getting lost in the medieval world where definitions of words and topics are not things that you or your children hear and speak everyday can make you feel like you’re sinking when you start studying about them.

Medieval Homeschool History - 4 Surefire Ways to Beat a Boring Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Medieval Homeschool History

Today, I am sharing 4 surefire ways to beat a boring study.

They have worked for me when we studied this topic before and how I will be incorporating them again when we study medieval homeschool history next.

We are excited to move on to medieval history and we will be using Beautiful Feet because you know I love their books and how they give a framework to guide you in the study.

However, I also love Beautiful Feet because they fit my criteria needed to complete a meaty and fun history unit study.

4 Surefire Ways to Beat a Boring Study

Take a look at these 4 things to include when studying medieval history.

1. LIVING BOOKS.

Living books are a must-have to cover history eras, which may be hard or boring to explain.

Too, when studying history where there may be fewer primary resources, fictional history can stir a child to think about the “what if”.

Teaching facts and making a story relevant to current life is the advantage of living books. Mix in fictional history and your child’s curiosity is sparked.

I love the living books used in Beautiful Feet’s medieval history study because reading about King Arthur, Robin Hood and Beowulf draw my boys into thinking what it would be like to live back in those times.

That is the beginning to expanding on subjects that are important, like inventing the first printing press, which may or may not interest your children.

2. HANDS-ON HISTORY.

My second must-have or must-do when studying time periods that are difficult to understand is to add hands-on projects. Hands-on history hooks a kid on a topic they’ll remember on into adulthood.

They not only make a subject come to life, but motivate a kid to keep digging into deeper topics. Take a look at 10 Ways to Hook Homeschooled Kids On History.

3. VOCABULARY WORDS DEFINED.

Vocabulary words are normally better understood and defined when they are read in a book because it helps your kids to understand their relevance.

That is still important when studying the ancients or medieval, but because of how archaic the language can be, I find that defining vocabulary words separately too is absolutely necessary to making the meaning clear.

I don’t believe in a long drawn out process that takes away from whatever it is your kids are learning at the moment. Narration is a perfect tool to incorporate at this point.

Writing them down helps to reinforce them too so that your kids don’t get lost in the out of date language.

4. MAPPING AND GEOGRAPHY.

Lastly, geography is important to visualizing the medieval world.

Then, a connection can be made to the modern world.

Geographical boundaries and names can change, but land forms can stand the test of time for a much longer period.

When a child sees where events take place at, then maps become not just a boring paper with names to memorize, but a picture from that time period.

It’s easier to understand how the environment affected the way people thought and felt at that time.

Living books, hands-on history, out of date words defined and geography are four surefire ways to beat a boring study about medieval history.

You’ll love the literature lists put together by Beautiful Feet. They are my go to place for guides and literature.

I can’t wait to get started with our unit study.

What do you like to include in your study of medieval history?

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Also, look at how we used Beautiful Feet before in When We Used Beautiful Feet Books as our History Spine and also look at How to Use a History Spine to Build Your Study of History.

 

2 CommentsFiled Under: History Resources, Middle School Homeschool, Teach Homeschool History Tagged With: history, history resources, historyspine, homeschoolgeography, homeschoolhistory, medieval homeschool history, middleschool

7 Things to Try When a Homeschool History Curriculum Isn’t Coming Together (Hint: Try a Primary Source or Two)

November 3, 2015 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

7 Things to Try When a Homeschool History Curriculum Just Isn't Coming Together (hint try a primary source) @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Homeschool history is far from humdrum when the right hands-on learning tools are applied.

Primary sources have a way of not only stoking the imagination, but are crucial to understanding past events.

Primary sources have a way of taking events from just being imagined to reality because your child is reading , interacting and interpreting real objects created by people who lived during a specific time.

Today, in sharing 6 things to try when a homeschool history curriculum isn’t coming together, I want to give you a list of some items that make history real to your child.

1. Maps

Maps are probably one of the most obvious primary sources.

Beyond just showing a geographical location, maps also give tell-tale signs about the political thinking of a time period and they can give a glimpse into the natural resources that existed at a particular time period.

2. Photographs.

Photographs are one of my very favorite ways to learn history. When studying an old photo, it makes your child wonder who the people are in the photo? What kind of life did they lead? Photos provide many details as to the people or events of the time period.

When Homeschool History is Stagnant

It can also be one of the most mysterious piece of history evidence to explore because you question for what reasons were the photo taken? Was it staged by a creative photographer or was it a true depiction of the time period?

3. Political cartoons.

Political cartoons are really a great example of the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Whether through exaggeration or humor, they give a glimpse into past feelings about the political word.

4. Oral history.

A person’s eye witness account of an event is another fascinating topic that should be mulled over. What makes this part of history so fascinating is that not are people’s memory fallible, but everyone interprets events differently.

5. Films.

This is one primary source I would love to find more of to view.

7 Irresistible Incentives

Films from a time period are super helpful to sketch in our mind the way a place or event looked.

6. Ads.

Just like ads today, they have a purpose and method and produced with a specific purpose in mind. Whether it’s to influence you to buy a certain product or to change your mind the way you view a product, ads are worthy our study.

7. Songs and Music.

Songs and music have not only been part of history to invoke the present state of feeling among people during wartime, but it has been used as way to communicate ideas. Certain political organizations have used certain parts of music to broadcast the spirit and purpose of their organization.

Studying the songs and music of the past helps us to relate world events of the time.

Pitching the curriculum to study hands-on objects of the past is key to keeping history alive.

Have you tried one of the primary sources?

Hugs and love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

Check out these other articles:

How to Use a History Spine to Build Your Study of History

8 Ways to Teach Homeschool History Other Than Chronologically

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, History Resources, Teach Homeschool History Tagged With: hands-on, handsonhomeschooling, primarysources

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