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Have you ever found a homeschool curriculum that you fell in love with and wished you’d found it sooner? I have. For me, it was unit studies by Home School in the Woods. They have such fun history curriculum options for your family. Since last year, I’ve now used four different unit studies of theirs and LOVED them.
Now, you may be wondering why I say I wished I’d found them sooner. Well, the curriculum is aimed at kids in grades 3-8. My kiddos are now moving into 7th and 9th grade. But, honestly, we can still use the units. They are easy to adapt for younger and older kids. That’s what makes this history curriculum so great. The whole family can use it together.
Table of Contents
- Home School in the Woods Fun History Curriculum
- Fun History Curriculum Have We Used in Our Homeschool
- Pros and Cons
Home School in the Woods Fun History Curriculum
Home School in the Woods has eight categories of history products. They are:
- Timeline Materials
- Map Sets
- Project Passport World History Studies
- Time Travelers U.S. History Studies
- Hands-on History Activity-Paks
- Hands-on History Lap-Paks
- Hands-on History Activity Studies
- Option to buy individual pieces of products
As you can see, there is quite a variety to pick from to make a well-rounded history program in your homeschool. You can cover ancient history up to modern American history. Plus, many fun unit studies in between.
How Information is Taught
All their products offer great hands-on learning for kids. For example, they build Lap-Paks (also known as lapbooks) with fun and memorable projects. In some of the products, like Project Passport and Time Travelers, kids create newspapers and timelines too.
Another thing that makes this a fun history curriculum choice is that the reading material for the day is short. It is usually a few pages, at most, and it can be read as a family, listened to with the audio recording, or older kids read the material for themselves.
If you want to expand your studies more, you can with the list of the additional resources they provide.
Fun History Curriculum Have We Used in Our Homeschool
As I mentioned, we have used four of their fun history curriculum options. I bought two and received two products for free as part of my work with the Homeschool Review Crew.
Project Passport- Fun World History Curriculum
The first product we used was Project Passport: Ancient Greece. I wrote a full review on my own because it was so much fun; I had to share it with others!
In this hands-on history curriculum, kids create a timeline and newspaper, listen to fun audio recordings from a “tour guide” traveling through Ancient Greece, and make lots of great products. Check it out for yourself.
U.S. Elections
Next, I was lucky to review the U.S. Elections Lap-Pak for the Homeschool Review Crew. In this Lap-Pak, kids learn the history of the election process along with how it all works. We actually had FUN learning about elections. Who knew?!
I have a full review with pictures that show some of the things this fun history curriculum offers. Plus, you can get a peek into all the different parts of the curriculum. It is really worth looking into to teach your kids more about how our election process works.
Time Travelers- Fun American History Curriculum
At the end of last year, my daughter asked to do the Time Travelers: The Civil War curriculum. Yup, she really did. That is how much my kiddos enjoy their units.
The Civil War unit study is set up much like the Project Passport units. Kids create hands-on projects, make a newspaper called the “Camp Kettle,” track important battles, learn major figures of the time, and so much more.
In the end, kids have their own Civil War jamboree with food soldiers (and others) would have eaten during this time. We actually made Hoppin’ Johns one night. It was a new experience for us. My daughter and I liked it; my husband and son weren’t huge fans.
One other fun thing about this unit study is the review game. There is a checkers-style board game you make up for kids to review the material. My daughter and I played many games on it. It was a fun way to review.
I highly recommend the Time Travelers: Civil War history curriculum. It is such an exciting way to learn about the Civil War.
Wonders of the World
Just this summer, my kids and I have been using another fun history curriculum as part of the Homeschool Review Crew. This time I reviewed the Wonders of the World lap-pak. You can read my full review to learn more.
What I loved about this unit study was the variety of projects and the interesting facts. In addition, I learned some new things about familiar wonders. My son even went looking for videos of the Panama Canal to see it for himself.
Now, it doesn’t just cover the 7 Wonders of the World. You learn about the Wonders of the Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Natural World.
Pros and Cons
Now, not every curriculum out there fits every family. The same is true for these unit studies. So, let me share some of the things we love and some things to consider.
Pros:
- It can be used with the whole family. No more teaching each age group different material.
- Their curriculum has fun hands-on projects.
- Larger unit studies have a variety of ways for kids to learn.
- You can incorporate reading and writing as part of the Time Travelers and Project Passport units. Plus, you are doing lots of art projects too.
- The unit studies are affordable.
- Great for homeschoolers that like the unit study approach.
- Good overview of information with options to delve deeper if you choose to.
- All the lesson plans are mapped out for you.
Cons:
- There is a lot of prep work. Though I think it is worth it, some may not.
- You need to photocopy a lot. There are ways to work around this, though, like one timeline for the family.
- It is a unit study approach. Some people don’t like unit studies.
- Not all kids will like hands-on projects. Some kids just want to get things done and not waste their time on projects.
- It might seem confusing (overwhelming?), at first, how to get started. It takes some time, but you can quickly catch on.
Overall, I think Home School in the Woods has created some enjoyable history curriculum options. If you are looking for a hands-on curriculum with creative ways to learn about history, this might be just what you are looking for. I know we have enjoyed their products and are looking ahead to using them more.
Happy Homeschooling!
