SCREECH!!!!
That would be the sound of the brakes in my homeschool history planning.
My plan for the year was to use TruthQuest History and focus on Ancient History. I was planning to jump on and download it today for my prep week coming up.
Well, then I started perusing my book shelves and remembered that I had the Diana Waring history set from Answers in Genesis that my parents had given me. However, I had a couple people tell me that it was really boring. So, I was thinking maybe I would just use it for some background info while doing the TruthQuest.
As I pulled it off the shelf and looked it over, I got more excited. I love the structure of the book. The 9 months of the school year each have a 4 week unit progressing through ancient history from Creation to the life of Christ.
The first week you lay the foundation and study the facts. Week two you research an area of interest within that time period, work on the timeline, and other exploration related activities. Third week you dig in with hands-on activities, and then wrap up in week four with presentations and final products.
(click on the image and scroll down to see it on their website, a bit more readable)
I do wish the book was written in a little more engaging format, I can see my kids getting bored during week one when we read all the background info. But, it's only 5-6 pages and does an efficient job of presenting the material.
And, we're going to add some living books in everyday as well to keep the scenery fresh and to help them really picture the people and places we are studying.
Okay, now here's what made the light bulb go on and clinched it for me. In the intro to the teacher's guide she has a section about worldviews. She shares a critical comparison between anthropologists and missionaries. Anthropologists enter a society with the purpose of scientific research. Missionaries bring life through compassionate ministry.
She explained that this is the difference between darkness and light, "the difference between secular humanism and bibilical Christianity; it reveals how godless man looks at cultures and how God looks at people. Seeing with God's heart will prevent bigotry and hate, replacing it with outreach and compassion."
That is something we need a lot more of in our world today. I look forward to this school year as one of continual life change for myself and my kids, even while studying ancient history.
My plan for the year was to use TruthQuest History and focus on Ancient History. I was planning to jump on and download it today for my prep week coming up.
Well, then I started perusing my book shelves and remembered that I had the Diana Waring history set from Answers in Genesis that my parents had given me. However, I had a couple people tell me that it was really boring. So, I was thinking maybe I would just use it for some background info while doing the TruthQuest.
As I pulled it off the shelf and looked it over, I got more excited. I love the structure of the book. The 9 months of the school year each have a 4 week unit progressing through ancient history from Creation to the life of Christ.
The first week you lay the foundation and study the facts. Week two you research an area of interest within that time period, work on the timeline, and other exploration related activities. Third week you dig in with hands-on activities, and then wrap up in week four with presentations and final products.
(click on the image and scroll down to see it on their website, a bit more readable)
I do wish the book was written in a little more engaging format, I can see my kids getting bored during week one when we read all the background info. But, it's only 5-6 pages and does an efficient job of presenting the material.
And, we're going to add some living books in everyday as well to keep the scenery fresh and to help them really picture the people and places we are studying.
Okay, now here's what made the light bulb go on and clinched it for me. In the intro to the teacher's guide she has a section about worldviews. She shares a critical comparison between anthropologists and missionaries. Anthropologists enter a society with the purpose of scientific research. Missionaries bring life through compassionate ministry.
She explained that this is the difference between darkness and light, "the difference between secular humanism and bibilical Christianity; it reveals how godless man looks at cultures and how God looks at people. Seeing with God's heart will prevent bigotry and hate, replacing it with outreach and compassion."
That is something we need a lot more of in our world today. I look forward to this school year as one of continual life change for myself and my kids, even while studying ancient history.
Comments
Most of the comments I've heard are, "It's supposed to be good." I'm praying it's a good fit for us for this year as well. :)
~Erin