Homeschool World Forum

I'm not a homeschooling parent (yet). However, this year we moved our boys (1st and 2nd grade) from a classical private school to public school for financial reasons. And I'm not happy.

The things they learned in private school have put them WAY ahead of their public school peers. So I'm going to have to be VERY intentional about working on things with them at home, even if we do it sort of informally.

One of the things I loved about their classical education was that they start with REAL history (instead of "community helpers") in 1st grade. In music they were actually being introduced to composers and in art to artists.

I'd really like to find some sort of curriculum or plan that starts with ancient history and includes focus on artists, composers, and biblical characters so my boys can see how all disciplines fit together. I'd like to see us create a timeline together as well.

I plan to use books from the library a lot, but since I work FT I can't put together my own stuff from scratch. Is there something out there that already has what I'm looking for? TIA!

The first thing that came to my mind was Veritas Press.

http://www.veritaspress.com/

It is hard to look at their online catalog. You could request to have a regular catalog sent to you.

I'm not sure if this would be exactly what you're looking for but maybe?

I put my own history together and we make history notebooks. We study it in the way you mentioned and we use a book called All Through the Ages as a reference.

http://rainbowresource.com/product/All+ ... 16-1648033

Then we use cds by a company called Hold That Thought for printing worksheets, etc. for our notebooks.

http://holdthatthought.com/hist2.php

That company also sells timelines.

I use online classical ebooks
These ebooks you can find online for free
click on books by subject or grade or year level.

This one can be secular by deleting some books or used in a Christian homeschool retaining all the books. levels at this site are above the normal public school reading levels. Year one has books that some 2 or 3rd grade PS will find hard or a challenge.

http://amblesideonline.org/index2.shtml

and

This is a Old Fashion Christian Education. The standards are high here too.

http://oldfashionededucation.com/fullcurriculum.htm

I strongly recommend Greenleaf Press' Famous Men Series. I am a 20-year home-schooling veteran (and still home-schooling) and I have used Greenleaf Press for 17 years. I think it will fit in exactly with what you are trying to accomplish.

Here's their website:

http://www.greenleafpress.com/

Check out what period of history you want to start in. I have gone all the way through their series with my kids and I am starting all over again with my 8-year old using the "Old Testament History."

Purchase their Famous Men book and Guide to the period you want to study. They use a lot of resources; you can get most of them from the library. If a book they use really appeals to me I might buy it (but then I am a avid bibliophile!) I absolutely love Greenleaf Press. Check it out!

I would encourage you to take a look at what Sonlight has to offer as well. Their curriculum has a very strong history core and I've used it for 3 yrs. now. It is a literature based curriculum which makes it more fun for learning.....and from experience, the kids just don't want to put the books down!

You can visit their website at http://www.sonlight.com

I have been very pleased with their curriculum and they do have a time line book which the kids just love!

I recommend and LOVE Mystery of History. There is a full review and samples here: http://heartsathomekids.com/store/index ... page&id=35

We use it for our 5th grader, but I wouold have started it earlier had I known about it. It is chronological and bible based histroy curriculum.

For a fun and indept study of artists and composers, I would try Homeschool in the Woods' activity paks! They are awesome!