Ancient History, HSS Style

Question:

I like to use a spine, such as Mystery of History, for our chronological history rotations, but my children really enjoy literature based unit studies and lapbooking. Is there any way I can combined them, without it being overwhelming for me or my kids?

 

Answer:

Yes! Absolutely! We have used various history curricula over the years, including MOH, and have enjoyed the flexibility of adding in Homeschool Share’s Free Unit Studies and Lapbooks as my children’s interest warranted. It is a great way to encourage delight directed learning, while still using a more structured chronological text as a guideline.

Chronological history rotations are usually done in the following order:

Ancient History

Middle Ages

Renaissance and Reformation

Modern History

Some people choose to study American History intermingled with Modern History, and others choose to do it as a separate rotation.

Over the next few Homeschool Share Q&A posts, we’ll share some of the resources you can use to enhance each MOH volume, or whatever chronological spine you may choose. We especially enjoyed MOH because it aligned church history with secular history, but there are many good curricula out there.

Mystery of History Volume 1 covers the period from Creation to the Resurrection, approximately 6000 B.C. to A.D. 29.  You will find many resources for this period in history on Homeschool Share’s Ancients Connections Page. There are four FREE Ancient Civilizations Unit Studies and Lapbooks, easy to complete at the rate of one per MOH quarter. I recommend printing and preparing all the lapbook components you intend to use and storing them in labeled gallon size Ziplocs before beginning. You might also consider putting together a Lap-n-Note in a notebook, instead of a file folder type lapbook. Whichever you choose, be sure to add photos of your children and their completed MOH activities to savor the memories! Here are some more specific recommendations for each quarter:

Quarter 1 –  Creation – 1199 B.C.

Lesson 3 – Older students may peruse this Tubal Cain Poem Study.

Lesson 6 – Your children may enjoy HSS’s Free Creation Based Dinosaur Unit Study.

Most of the rest of this quarter is focused on Ancient Egypt, with a sprinkling of visits to Ancient China and Ancient Greece. You can use the FREE Ancient Egypt Unit & Lapbook or FREE Ancient Egypt Notebook Pages throughout this quarter as you come across applicable lessons in MOH.

If you read Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile by Tomie DePaola, and/or Croco’nile by Roy Gerrard, here is a FREE Crocodilians Animal Study and Lapbook.

Have a cat lover on your hands? Read Temple Cat by Andrew Clements and/or The Cat of Bubastes : A Tale of Ancient Egypt by G. A. Henty, and complete this FREE Cats Animal Study and Lapbook. And for a fun tie-in to Moses and the Exodus (Lesson 19) Moses the Kitten by James Herriot is pleasurable.

If you read The Day of Ahmed’s Secret, your children may enjoy a study of camels utilizing this Free Camels Lapbook.

Lessons 12 and 25 – A couple of quick stops to Ancient Greece are made. Here is a FREE Ancient Greece Unit & Lapbook. I’d wait until future quarters to benefit from this, as you’ll really get to dig into this classical time later.

Lesson 18 – Ancient China is first introduced. You may choose to begin the FREE Ancient China Unit & Lapbook now, or wait until future lessons in the 2^nd and 4^th Quarters. (Save the Confucius components for Lesson 65)

Quarter 2 –  1175 B.C. – 627 B.C.

Lesson 29 – Another visit to Ancient China, you can begin or carry on from the 1^st Quarter this FREE Ancient China Unit & Lapbook. (Save the Confucius components for Lesson 65.) And if so inspired, this FREE Giant Panda Animal Study & Lapbook is a good addition.

Lesson 32 – What child isn’t fascinated by giants after reading the story of David and Goliath? Delight your children with a Giant of Seville Unit Study. Older children can complete this poem study about David’s son Absalom.

Lessons 39, 41, and 49 – Now is a good time to begin the FREE Ancient Greece Unit & Lapbook. You will use it again in 3^rd and 4^th Quarters. And for Lesson 41, Wilma Unlimited is an interesting go-along.

Lesson 40 – India and Hinduism are explored. HSS has an India Country Lapbook and a few enjoyable resources including One Grain of Rice Unit Study & Lapbook, The Story of Little Babaji Unit Study, and Once a Mouse Unit Study. For your animal lover, there is also a FREE Tiger Animal Study & Lapbook.

Lesson 42 – If the story of Jonah arouses an interest in whales, HSS has a FREE Whales Animal Study & Lapbook.

Lesson 43 – The city of Rome is introduced. You’ll be spending more time in Rome during the 3^rd and 4^th Quarters, but may want to prepare the FREE Ancient Rome Unit & Lapbook and/or Ancient Rome and How It Affects You Today economics study for older children now.

Lesson 47 – The Destruction of Sennacherib poem study for older children goes with this lesson.

Quarter 3 –  612 B.C. – 404 B.C.

Lesson 59 – Complete a FREE Lions Animal Study & Lapbook as you study Daniel.

Most of this quarter is focused on Ancient Greece, with few quick stops in Ancient China, Ancient India, and Ancient Rome. If you have not yet begun the FREE Ancient Greece Unit & Lapbook, now is the time to dig in. Also, the FREE Aesop’s Fables Lapbook will nicely supplement Lesson 60.

Lesson 63 – Expand on the India ventures you began in Lesson 40.

Lesson 65 – If you have already started the FREE Ancient China Unit & Lapbook, utilize the Confucius components during this lesson.

Lesson 70 – There is a brief stop in Ancient Rome. You can start the FREE Ancient Rome Unit & Lapbook now if you didn’t in the 2^nd Quarter. Also, older children can now begin the economics study based on the Uncle Eric book Ancient Rome and How It Affects You Today. In the 4^th Quarter you will really get to explore this fascinating time period.

Quarter 4 –  327 B.C. – A.D. 29

Lessons 84-87, 89 – It is time to finish up the FREE Ancient Greece Unit & Lapbook.

Lesson 88 – Another stopover in India, you can revisit lessons 40 and 63.

Lessons 90 and 92 – These are your last visits to Ancient China. Use this time to tie up any loose ends in your FREE Ancient China Unit & Lapbook, and enjoy The Empty Pot Unit & Lapbook with your younger children.

Lesson 91 – This FREE Elephants Unit Study and Lapbook is the perfect accompaniment when learning about Hannibal and the Punic Wars.

Lesson 93 – Complete this Free Hanukkah Lapbook as you learn about the Maccabean Revolt.

Lessons 94 – 108 – Time to focus on Ancient Rome!

If you haven’t started the FREE Ancient Rome Unit & Lapbook in previous lessons, now is the time!

Older children may also enjoy completing an economics study based on the Uncle Eric book Ancient Rome and How It Affects You Today and/or a study based on the speech of Spartacus to the Gladiators.

If you read aloud Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfeld, your child may enjoy a rabbit trail learning more about detectives with this FREE Detectives Lapbook.

And for Lesson 107, you will find Resurrection resources on this Connections Page.

So there you have it – a structured chronological history program without sacrificing the literature based unit studies and lapbooks that our children have come to love!

Next month we’ll share how to combined MOH vol. 2 with HSS’s Middle Ages resources. Oh, the fun we have in store! 🙂