Book of Centuries Archives

We traveled to Washington, D.C. a couple years ago and while there, visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum. We took our time in the exhibit halls to absorb the messages communicated through the artifacts and stories. Later that evening as we processed what we had seen, the kids recalled visiting Norway’s World War II Resistance Museum in Oslo many years prior.

Their continued questions and maturity have now convinced me it was time to look into World War II in more depth. As any parent or teacher can tell you, nothing engages a child in the learning experience like hands-on activities. Home School in the Woods’ America in World War II (from the Time Travelers series) provides the perfect resource.

Teen using Home School in the Woods' timeline figures and notebook to create a visual timeline of World War II — *I received access to this product in exchange for a review. I was compensated for my time and was not required to make a positive review.*

Time Travelers: America in World War II

The CD includes 25 lessons that cover Hitler and the Nazi party, the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, the war in the Pacific and Africa, battles and conflicts across the European continent, and so much more. After looking over the material, we decided it was a topic interesting enough and the materials extensive enough to make it into a year long history study.

Timelines and maps provide the “when” and “where” while 3-dimensional projects, drama or history dress-up, cooking, and living books transport us back through time. These hands-on activities bring history to life for students and engage them in meaningful learning.

**Bring history to life** by coordinating a living history museum for students. Portrayed here are Irena Sendler and Arnold Mærsk McKinney Møller.

There is also a supplement page full of recommended books, videos, audio files, and more to explore the subject to its fullest potential. There are so many enrichment activities, I know we will have a rich and varied unit study all through the coming year.

WW2 History Timeline Projects & Schedule

Like all the titles in the Time Travelers U.S. History series, a calendar style overview of all 25 lesson plans is provided that lists the activities and projects for each. We decide how frequently a lesson is introduced and how deep we explore each topic. We can do a lesson a day (choosing minimal projects) or a lesson a week (choosing a different project each day). The schedule is very flexible.

The project pages and activities for each lesson vary according to topic but all lessons include penmanship practice, figures for a timeline, and a short writing assignment (newspaper style article). Other project masters include maps, songs, recipes, and historical facts such as culture and people.

Teen using Home School in the Woods' blackline maps to geographically depict the battles of of World War II — Using blackline maps from Home School in the Woods to visualize the War in the Pacific

Our favorite activities include the timeline and maps which allow us to visualize the expansion of German and Japanese power over the course of the war. Conflicts through battles, conquests, and attacks are displayed clearly and concisely.

It was refreshing to find a unit of study that went into great depth without feeling like we were just skimming the surface. The format also encourages children to explore deeper the parts in which they are most interested.

The material is well written and affordable. However, I must admit it can be a little confusing at first to organize and print out what you need. It just took a little time to familiarize myself with how everything was organized. Access to a printer and ink is certainly a must, too.

The US History Time Traveler series has many different historical eras to choose. Other great products include our favorite timeline trio which includes the “Record of Time” timeline notebook (we’ve been using it since my kiddos were in grade school) and Project Passport for world geography studies.

Join their educational community and get a free unit study on famous authors, too!

An Ultimate Giveaway

Enter the giveaway today! This is one you don’t want to miss. One very lucky winner will receive The ENTIRE COLLECTION of both Project Passport (5) and Time Traveler (7) products—$311.90 VALUE! The winner can be anywhere in the world because this is a digital product.

Our homeschool style has varied over the years – from Charlotte Mason to Classical to Unschooling and most recently dual-enrollment with an umbrella school. One thing that has held true through the whole journey is our love of timelines.

We started with a small pictorial images we glued into a notebook but it became so overwhelming to manage all the little clip art graphics and to stay up to date with our history reading. I’ve been looking for something better. Something that will enable us to dive a little deeper while also seeing how all the events and people affect the larger picture. I have now found the answer with The Giant American History Timeline from Sunflower Education.

*I received this product for free and have been compensated for my time, but was not required to write a positive review. This post contains affiliate links; See disclosure for more information.*

Since October, my son has been enrolled in an umbrella school. {I haven’t written anything about it yet – I promise to do so soon.} While we are not homeschooling independently any longer, I have been assured that we can maintain the freedom we are accustomed to and that he can work at his own pace. His works independently through the coursework assigned to him on Odysseyware (the software program) and I do my best to supplement and extend what is offered.

The Giant American History Timeline aligned perfectly with his history course this year and provided the perfect hands-on approach to compliment the mundane testing format of the online course. In lieu of writing an additional 500-word essay on the industrial revolution (there were initially three required), my son selected a timeline project from Book 1: Pre-Colonization to Reconstruction. He reached out to his instructor who responded,

“A timeline project is a wonderful idea. I think it would be the perfect substitute for the essay. I look forward to seeing your completed project.”

The Giant American History Timeline Overview

There are many great things about this comprehensive product but what we liked best are the critical thinking skills promoted in the activity pages. These are not just fill in the blank or vocabulary matching worksheets. The students will be required to give thought to their responses. Not to fear, an answer key is included.

This immense, two-volume bundle, includes over 260 activity sheets that can be organized into 32 timeline projects. There are six types of activity sheets used throughout the program:

Title Activity Sheets – featuring the main ideas fo the historical period
Map Study Activity Sheets – featuring demographic components (population growth)
Biography Activity Sheets – showcasing significant people from the historical period
Voice from the Past Activity Sheets – provide primary source materials from the historical period
Time Machine Activity Sheets – provide students an opportunity to compare / contrast the historical period with present day
Postcard from the Past Activity Sheet – provides a creative challenge for students to create a postcard to “send” from the historical period

While timeline plans are included for each of the projects, you can also easily customize your timeline project. Creating a giant American History timeline would be a fabulous way to visualize our nation’s history.

The Giant American History Timeline Giveaway

You can learn more about The Giant American History Timeline by visiting Sunflower Education. While you’re there, remember to use coupon code TIMELINE20 at checkout so that you can save 20% off the digital bundle.

Best of all, Sunflower Education is giving away a timeline workbook to a lucky reader. Enter to win through the giveaway widget below:

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You’ll also want to follow Sunflower Education so that you can stay up to date with their latest offerings. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

When we first started homeschooling,a Book of Centuries was one of the first things we implemented in our curriculum. We love the concept so much – we still use them today!

I have learned a few things along the way. I share these insights with you in hopes you’ll benefit from my past experience.

A Book of Centuries is basically a timeline in a book. A timeline allows the reader to compare advances and discoveries in different cultures relative to each other in time.

I first discovered them when I was researching Charlotte Mason’s teaching. Charlotte recommended that history be taught in chronological order, which makes sense since so much of what happened was based on cause and effect. Essentially, as we learn about people and events in history – either through readings or documentaries – we record them on the appropriate pages in our Book of Centuries.

When we add a person to a page that already contains someone or something that occurred in the same century, our brain makes a connection. “Oh! Beatrix Potter lived at the same time as Theodore Roosevelt. The Boer War and Boxer Rebellion were happening at the same time!” A Book of Centuries is the perfect tool to make those mental connections. Making these connections for ourself has a deeper impression and last longer.

Getting Started with a Book of Centuries

When we first started, the kids and I each had our own Book of Centuries. I downloaded the Basic Book of Centuries template from the Simply Charlotte Mason website and we set up our timelines in a 3-ring binder.

As we read about different events and people through history, I printed images onto sticker paper and we sat down together to adhere them to the appropriate pages. I would then ask that they write a short sentence or two summarizing the event or accomplishments of the historical figure. We would also color code each event by outlining each image – a different color for each continent.

While my daughter was as engaged as I, my son was too young. He managed putting the stickers in his book but would soon become distracted and would fail to write the sentence as instructed. Additionally, we would often struggle to stay current with our history reading. After we completed the four volume series of Story of the World, we slowly began to drift away from our Book of Centuries.

Recently, I opened my Book of Centuries and began to revisit the people and events that I had documented over the years. My daughter came to sit beside me and she expressed interest in revisiting this process. Our books had become a great companion and record of the fascinating people we had met through our texts, living history books, and documentaries.

Looking back, I should have compiled a family Book of Centuries when the kids were younger. I have since learned that Charlotte’s students didn’t receive their own until they were about ten years old. During the younger years, we should have collaborated together and it would not have been so overwhelming to my son.

Timelines Resources

As we have begun to revisit our timeline books, I was delighted to get the opportunity to review Dorling Kindersley’s (DK) Timelines of History and Timelines of Science. Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution, these excellent timeline reference books are filled with striking photography, infographics, and illustrations. Each edition is a fabulous addition to a home library.

Timelines of History is by far one of the best books that DK has published thus far. It is a stunning visual chronology of the events and people that have defined our history, providing a clear picture of our human past and the events that have changed our world. For anyone who is fascinated with history, this is a must-have. It is a great reference for students and teachers alike with a passion for understanding the past.

Timelines of History is over 500 pages long with full color on every page. I love the timeline at the bottom of each page; a great quick-reference tool that allows us to more accurately place events and historical figures on our own Book of Centuries.

DK’s companion text, Timelines of Science, is another excellent reference book. However, as scientific discoveries are shown chronologically, unrelated topics are sometimes presented together. This can be confusing to some readers if they are not accustomed to this approach.

The book is organized in six main sections based on the era of scientific discovery,

Before Science Began (including advances made by Greek medicine);
European and Islamic Renaissance;
Age of Discovery;
Age of Revolutions (including Faraday’s experiments);
Atomic Age; and finally
Information Age (including a discussion of global warming).

Like its companion, the main component of Timelines of Science is the timeline that runs along the bottom of each page. The upper part of each page contains related pictures and illustrations as well as brief descriptions of the advances noted on the timeline.

Book of Centuries Archives - Eva Varga

Becoming World War II Time Travelers with Home School in the Woods