History Curriculum
L. A. Kids Home Page
Much
of what my child with dyslexia retains well is learned through educational
TV, DVDs, and Videos. The Discovery
Channel
has hundreds of great programs which bring history to life and make
it memorable for a child who doesn't learn through books. The Discovery Channel
productions are particularly
effective for visual or auditory learners and programming includes American
History, Ancient History, Prehistoric, Modern History, Religion, and
many more. The best thing about using these educational programs is
that your child will learn without feeling like he's in school! My kids
LOVE it when we get new Discovery
Channel Videos & DVDs
and we have particularly enjoyed the "Blue Planet", "Walking
with Dinosaurs", and the "War and Civilization" series.
Another great resource for "Hands-On" history is the History Channel's DVD and video offerings, and their online content such as "This Day in History". One of the Hands-On History series my kids like best is Modern Marvels. You can get study guides and look at study units in the History Channel's Classroom section.
Sonlight Curriculum is the program we have used and LOVED. Sonlight is a literature-rich approach to home schooling. It gives children an appreciation of books, helps build close relationships between parents and children, and promotes a lifelong love of learning. Sonlight uses great books and delightful stories that capture children's imaginations and instruct them at the same time. We used Sonlight exclusively during our remediation for dyslexia. My children loved the books, begged to "read more, read more", and our kids reading levels increased dramatically when we started using Sonlight.
Beautiful Feet is a program very similar to Sonlight. Many people use it and love it. The program is somewhat less involved than Sonlight's program. Beautiful Feet uses classic literature, historical biographies, and good books to teach as many areas of academics as possible. This is an enjoyable, living books approach that keeps children interested in learning.
Story of The World is a popular history series used by many, many homeschoolers and is available in both printed and Audiobook editions. Story of The World is Susan Wise Bauers' acclaimed children's narrative history. This four-volume series brings to life the stories and records of the peoples of ancient times. Although this series is geared towards an elementary level, older children enjoy the story-like reading as well, and it makes for an enjoyable study of the world's history.
