Timelines

I looked into Konos, but it was too pricey for us, too.

I used white poster board and hung up with Command hanging strips by 3M.  You can also tape the posterboards together for a large fold out on the floor.  My fear was that we would never get around to it, so it is now wallpapering our living room.  The kids like adding their own timeline figures.  They can take turns at drawing their favorite important character for the week on a 3″ X 5″ notecard and can cut around the image, add the name, date, and something about them.  For young children, you could draw a cookie cutter type figure for them to start with.  They can customize with various materials as you may do in scrapbooking, like adding small jewels, lace, feathers, construction paper.  It doesn’t have to be all colored pencils or markers.  We have also used some of the Dover coloring books for characters.  Their copyright allows up to 4 images to be used for craft projects and we have 2 of each book for my 2 kids.  We have some Bible character stickers and used those where we could.  You can also buy timeline figure software from Homeschool in the Woods History Through the Ages or the Ultimate Geography and History Timeline book.  I do not have or use these 2, but have seen them at Rainbow Resource.  We are going the more creative, less expensive route.  I did purchase a smaller Bible timeline for kids to go along the bottom of the posterboard for ancients.  http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product_slideshow?sku=360674&actual_sku=360674

I lined up my dates with that.  I think it was 7″ for every 1000 years.  Then it is every 100 years until early modern and goes to every 10 years with an inch per year in more recent modern.  You can adjust it to the size of your walls.  Your kids can get a lot of applied math in with helping to make it all fit together.  I drew a line down the middle of each poster (horizontal) and marked the dates.  In more modern, try to fit American History on top and World History on bottom.  I lined all of the Presidents up at the very top with the years they served.  We have different colors of permanent fine line markers to color code subjects.

I don’t know the ages of your kids, but this would be a great school project for them.  My kids are too young to help make it, so I did most of the work.  PM me if you need any help.  I spent $10 on the Bible timeline, $5 on markers, 50 cents per posterboard, plus the command strips.