Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: American History, History

This topic has 15 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 3 months ago by Wendy.

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June 15, 2010 at 3:36 pm
hdc
Participant
For those of you who do two tracks of history at the same time, (ie: american history alongside ancients), could you tell me how this looks? How do actually accomplish this week to week and what are the benefits? Is it overwhelming for you or your children?
June 15, 2010 at 4:23 pm
meagan
Participant
I don’t know the ages of your children, but for mine, we use the SCM guides and for American history we are reading through biographies of the presidents and making a notebook for them to write down the interesting facts and things they want to remember. Now, obviously this only covers from around the Revolutionary War, but this was our first year hs’ing so our kids had gotten colonial period from the public school. Our oldest is 14, going into 9th grade next year and after we cover American government, we will cover US history much more indepth, along with whatever world history we are studying. I think at the older ages it is fine to cover both at a higher level.
January 21, 2012 at 9:28 pm
MelissaB
Participant
I’m bumping this because I want to know if anyone has anything to add. All my children (and me too) *really* want to study American History, yet we are in the midst of Mod 1. I am feeling the pinch tho to stay on track because my DD will be in 9th next school year. I can grasp studying things in order with the modules and my organized personality wants to go in order, but still the ancient stuff is really starting to bore us all. Ack, this stresses me out. I was thinking that maybe we can do a smidge of ancients and a smidge of AH each week so I was wondering if any of your wise parents have a suggestion of what has worked for you in this situation.
P.S. My children are 1st, 4th, 6th, & 8th grade and we just started homeschooling last year (used MFW ECC and are now using SCM module 1 this year).
January 22, 2012 at 7:03 pm
SueinMN
Participant
There is so much great children’s literature in American History that I would recommend that you keep going with your module one but start reading Am History books on the side. The Childhood of Famous Americans series,for instance, has over 50 biographies that all of your dc could read now. My children have always had Am History storybooks going no matter what era we were studying in History.
February 23, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Wendy
Participant
Help!
Could you recommend U.S. History books ( a series perhaps?) for my 9th grade son. He is an advanced reader. We started the year with Sonlite History/Language Arts curriculum. We had to stop. It became a burden, honestly.
I need to give him 1 credit for U.S. history as it is a graduation requirement. He is a good writer so I could also have him write book reports, essays, narrations, or do presentations. I just dont’ know what to assign. I don’t want it to be random.
The presidential biographies may work. Is “The Childhood of Famous Americans series” for older readers as well?
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

February 23, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Bookworm
Participant
Childhood of Famous Americans would seem exceedingly babyish to a 9th grader who is a good reader, and to be honest there is not all that much real history in them.
What Sonlight years were you using that were too much? Trying to gauge where you are and what you might already have. There are so many good books that could be used for American history.
We could probably recommend a few spine options for you to look at, and also other biographies and things like that. This is what I do, in fact for my current 15yo he has rebelled against a lot of the available spines and so we are putting together a pretty eclectic libertarian reading list for him. You can also include movies and primary source documents. If you plan on teaching American government as well, I’ve found that to be a good go-along; we often integrate our readings in government with our history reading.
February 24, 2012 at 2:14 am
SueinMN
Participant
I used Sonlight’s Core 100 American History and Lit and didn’t find it to be a burden. The key to happily doing SL is to put the scheduled assignments into the SCM Organizer and then go at your own pace. Read more or less as you like. Don’t like a certain book, then drop it or schedule another one. But I do like Sonlight’s choice of most of their books. Childhood of Famous American would be appropriate for Elementary School. I would choose between the best books in Core 100 & Cores D & E & 400. Those are the cores that are American History. I love the spine set of books A History of US by Joy Hakim but not everyone loves them. I never make my dc write out the answers to the questions, we just discuss it as we read
February 24, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Wendy
Participant
We were doing Sonlite Core 100. We made it up to week 9. One challenge to our schedule is this: We have a unique opportunity in Florida for the HS kids to attend college classes if they pass the entrance exam. They can take up to 2 courses for free (as dual enrolled HS students). My son is a musician, he takes Jazz ensemble and Jazz improv Mon., Wed., Fri.. By the time we get home from the college on those days, it is 1:00. Math is a challenge for my son and it takes time. Science takes time. He did enjoy the books but was burdened by the fact that he couldnt’ get done w/ a days work until 4 or 5.
option: I like the idea of taking more time w/ the Hakim assignments…no he didn’t love those. And enjoying the biographies of choice.
option: I could also enroll him in the college US History course (with in the next 2-3 years) and he would get both the HS credit as well as the college credit and just enjoy the biograpies until then. Any thoughts on that option?
option: Sonlite core 100 assigned through SCM organizer. I used to use home school tracker. I use pencil and paper right now for planning. I am afraid of the time it will take me to learn the SCM organizer. I imagine it would be helpful. Is it difficult to learn? My children are 4,5,10, and 15, w/more on the way through adoption.
Thanks for suggestions. Please explain “spine” and “libertarian reading list”. I would like a list of recommended books, movies, and primary source documents.
I love history now, but I am not knowledgeable in this field AT ALL. I suffered through public school history and only survived it with no interest at all. I am reliving my childhood and now love learning through living books. Sadly, I feel like I’m not on a high enough level to make a good decision about what to teach or offer (or facilitate). That is why Sonlite Core was attractive to me because it is all cut out/laid out. I sat with him and we discussed what he read but I feel I will never have the insight to choose the right books. I saw my son grow weary with the assignments rather than look forward to some quiet reading in the afternoon. I’m trying to make this transision but feel ill equipped.
February 24, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Wendy
Participant
transision = transition
February 25, 2012 at 8:43 pm
SueinMN
Participant
I think it is perfectly reasonable for your son to take until 4 or 5 to get done with his work in high school. Afterall most high school students have class until 3 PM then hours of homework in the evening. If they have extracurricular events in the afternoon like your son then they do homework most evenings. I would just continue with what you have if it were me.
February 25, 2012 at 8:48 pm
SueinMN
Participant
A spine is the main book or series that tells the basic history part of the course. In the case of Sonlight 100 that would be the Hakim series. Why don’t you read that aloud with him, and discuss it as you go. Your other children could listen in also. Then you just need to assign some literature too. You get a better picture of history if you read everything that SL schedules but even part of it would be better than the average public school classroom. This way Mom could learn it too.
February 26, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Rebekah P
Participant
We are studying american history right now using various biographies and recommendations from beautiful feet and TQ. We are all enjoying this very much. I have decided that since we read through the bible yearly (this is our second year and loving it) that we will study ancient history as we read through it in the bible. You could study Egypt one year, Greek history the next and Roman history after that. For us, I feel it solidifies our understanding of God’s Word while learning about various time periods and the culture and customs of those familiar people of the bible. If this sounds like too much to you, we actually used Catherine Vos’s childrens bible last year to start with. My kids and myself have learned and grown sooooo much.

Wendy, have you considered the Coffin books for US history. They are amazing, but are not easy reads. They might really challenge your son.
HTH
Rebekah

February 28, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Wendy
Participant
Thanks for the feedback. It’s been very helpful for us as we regroup. I will consider reading Hakim out loud. And I will certainly look into the Coffin books. I love the chldren’s bible suggestion, especially for my 4,5, and 10 yr. olds. do you use the same approach suggested in the curriculum guide? I know of Beautiful Feet but what is TQ?
Wendy

February 28, 2012 at 3:19 pm
my3boys
Participant
Truth Quest/TQ is another literature based history program.
February 29, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Rebekah P
Participant
Wendy
For the children’s bible, we just read through it and discussed it. However you could use the curriculum guide. The Vos children’s bible, imo, is like no other I’ve seen. It’s really a great bible.
TQ – Truth quest could be another option for you. You should go to their website.