Verse of the Day {KJV}

Showing posts with label Heritage History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heritage History. Show all posts

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Plantagenet Empire, Y7, AO & Heritage History

Still combining curriculums, working through more scheduling for Fox, my Y7 student, I remembered that Heritage History has maps in the study guide for British Middle Ages. There are also timelines. Map work and time lining always get left behind in our studies.
Just an aside: Have you wondered what exactly is the “Plantagenet” in Plantagenet Empire? I didn’t really pay much attention to this in school. Recently, I’ve wondered over the word, “Plantagenet.” In Winston Churchill’s The Birth of Britain, (BoB) the main Y7 AO history book, he says:
Henry Plantagenet was born to empire…Geoffrey’s marriage to Maud had united the Norman and Angevin lands, and the child of this marriage was from his birth in 1133 recognised as the “master of many peoples.” To contemporaries he was best known as Henry Fitz-Empress; but he carried into English history the emblem of his house, the broom, the Planta Genesta, which later generations were to make the name of this great dynasty, the Plantagenets. (pg 166-167)
Interestingly, the ‘broom’ isn’t what we use to sweep the floor. It is a shrub. If you knew that already, you don’t have to share that with me Winking smile 
And now that we’ve covered the word, I’ll continue on with the original purpose of my post- maps and time lines. When plotting and planning I’m sure I noticed the link at AO that leads to maps for the year…but as I am prone to do, I either skipped it or just didn’t take note as I should have. I found two maps at that link that would have been helpful… 2-3 weeks ago. *face palm* Oh well. It’s good that I have the HH study guide (and remember!) because it has relevant maps for us, that we need now. If you don’t have the Curriculum from them, you can look at their website and find a lot of maps. Here is the specific page for British maps. The two specifically we are going to use this coming week:
  • The Angevin Empire of Henry II
  • England and France, 1259
I may also use the British Isles, 1200-1450, because it goes along with some of the other readings he is doing through AO. I’ll print out two of outline maps that is included in the study guide for this section and have Fox label and color accordingly.
As for the time lines that come with HH, I don’t plan on having Fox write them down as they are in the study guide (they’re already there, why rewrite them? although I will say that Lee did choose to rewrite them- on her own) but instead it is my hope that while he is reading through the time line he will come across something he finds to be interesting or profound and will take the initiative to record that in our family Book of Centuries.
Again, if you don’t have the curriculum or the study guide from HH, you can still get a lot of information at the website. Here is the page for Wars & Battles time line. You can choose what civilization you want to see, as well as the time period; then choose brief or detailed descriptions. I choose to use the time line from the CD because it includes more than just the battles (who was born, who died and such).
Also, while reading in BoB, some of the individuals we have no idea who are. Perhaps we do not pay attention well enough but I’d like to think that’s not the case. *cough* So, I am going to be picking (again) from the suggested readings in HH to add to Fox’s history. This time I think I’ll stick with the suggested chapters so that we can get a more varied selection, rather than just one book.
***Disclaimer: I am an affiliate with Heritage History. If you purchase from Heritage History and put in BLOSSOM3 at checkout, I may be credited as an affiliate, enabling me to receive monetary compensation. However, this post is written because I really appreciate HH and actually use it in our homeschool. There is also an Amazon.com affiliate link in this post. See Disclosure/Policies for more information.***

Monday, December 31, 2012

Combining Living Books Curriculums

This post won’t be complete as it’s just an idea of what’s in my head at the moment. It’s been there for a while now, actually. I reviewed Yesterday’s Classics back in May 2011 and Heritage History twice, once in October 2011 and again November 2012. Both of those are heavy on living books. In our homeschool we use Ambleside Online which is also heavy on living books.
ao21
I am very happy with AO’s curriculum –it’s got great variety and is organized wonderfully. But I also love the books included in both YC and HH. So what’s a history book loving homeschooling mom to do? Combine them, of course!
You knew that was coming.
For Lee who is in 10th grade using AO’s Y9, I really can’t see adding much to what she has on her schedule already without frying her brain causing her to burn out. But for Fox, who is in 8th grade using Y7Lite, there’s room. Lots of room.
With AO we are going through these books for history:
  • The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill
  • In Freedom's Cause by G.A. Henty
  • The Life of King Alfred by Asser
  • and (Personal Recollections of) Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
Here’s what I plan on including in addition to the history readings from AO {some of the books are available from both YC and HH}:
image
From HH-
  • Historical Tales- English- by Morris
  • Great Englishmen by Synge
  • European Hero Stories by Tappan
  • and In the Days of William the Conqueror by Tappan (or William the Conqueror by Abbott)
ycovalFrom YC-
  • The Little Duke by Yonge
  • Men of Iron by Pyle
  • Streams of History: The Middle Ages by Kemp
  • and The Story of the Middle Ages by Harding
Why do I feel the need to add more to what is already on AO’s schedule? First and foremost I don’t, but because both of my kids like to read and unfortunately, it’s difficult to find good books nowadays that engage and stimulate their minds, I will. It is a lot of twaddle that’s written today. I figure if they can read books that are about real people, events and/or locations that do engage and stimulate their minds, all the better. Both of my kids really liked the inclusion of so many different perspectives and accounts of history that are found in both YC and HH. But I won’t be leaving AO Smile
As the year goes on, I’m sure I’ll add more books from the collections I have from HH and YC to AO.
**And because I am an affiliate with Heritage History I want to let you know that they have a discount going on right now –through January 31, 2013 –when you purchase any of their classical history curriculums {retail $24.99}, you can receive the Early America library for free {retail $19.99}. You have to put both in your cart and enter BLOSSOM3 at checkout.**
And now, I have to get back to getting the schedules finished. School starts back up January 7th!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Early American History Library–Watch My Video 14:30

I did a giveaway awhile ago and a review of the Early America Classical Library from Heritage History. Well, I made a video that I’d like to share with you. This library is one of the largest available at this time from Heritage History, with over 80 books!

Why’d I make a video? I’ve not done one before and wanted to try a video review to see how it would turn out. I’ll admit, I’m a bit long-winded but I enjoyed it! I also wanted to share a bit more of how we use it in our homeschool. We use this library in conjunction with curriculum that we use. We have used Ambleside Online’s (Charlotte Mason method) free online curriculum for three years. We love it but we also enjoy reading in general and learning more about history. Heritage History makes that easy and enjoyable.

The video is 14:30 long. There is a lot in this library. If you have any questions about the library, ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

In the video I attempt to show you how I decide which books to use and why. It also highlights the categorization of the books by genre (Bible stories, Biography, Science and Invention, etc.), subject area (Regional History, Military History, American Indians, etc.), as well as reading level (Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced). You’ll get to see the format of the ebooks on the computer as well as on the Kindle. Throughout the video, I try to give reasons that we enjoy reading from this library, and actually many of the books from Heritage History’s collection. Briefly, I discuss the ease of printing the ebooks from the CD as well as the very helpful guide for downloading these onto various ereaders (Kindle, mobipocket, iPad, etc.).

Thanks for watching!

I also want to let you all know that from November 1, 2012- January 31, 2013 Heritage History is letting me offer a discount code to receive the Early American History Library free ($19.99 value) with purchase of any curriculum ($24.99 each). Put both library and curriculum in your cart and enter code BLOSSOM3 at checkout.

***Disclaimer: I am bringing you this discount code as an affiliate with Heritage History. Being an affiliate enables me to let you in on discounts being offered. See Disclosure/Policies.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Early American History–Review & Giveaway for 3!

EarlyAmericaLibraryCD
A year ago I was able to review two of Heritage History’s Classical Curriculum. They’ve (Heritage History) been wonderful enough to let me review another one of their great offerings: Early American Classical Library
Suppose I back up a little and tell you a bit about Heritage History, if you don’t already know about them. Or better yet, here’s what they have to say about themselves:
The mission of Heritage History is to make old-fashioned history books, written for the enjoyment of young people, easily available. The complete text of every book in our library can be read directly off the website, and both printable and e-Reader formats are available at the Heritage Store.
At Heritage History, we seek to promote, not so much the study of history as the enjoyment of History. By making available old-fashioned history, as it was enjoyed as a pastime rather than studied as a subject, we hope to help reawaken the interest of a new generation.
I first came across Heritage History when I was searching for books to include in our homeschool a few years ago. I’ll be honest and say that I was looking for a free resource. And did I hit the jackpot! That was about 4 years ago, and I’m still impressed with the collection that is available at Heritage. The books can still be read online for free but Heritage also offers other great ways to enjoy the books they’ve preserved.
I still have two kids in different time periods –I’m thinking they won’t be in the same time frame any time soon –but I chose this particular library because we are also trying to study our state history. Since we live in Ohio, its history is quite aligned to that of the country. A lot of history happened in this area (well, this direction anyway). Here are some images of a few of the books included in this library. (These are not the covers seen on the digital books; they are of the original books.)
BenofOH
ComicHistory
NavalCaptains














This library is one of the largest available at this time from Heritage History, with over 80 books! Watch the short video below to hear more about this library.

For us, the books are added enjoyment for learning about history. No boring textbooks!
I really like the division, or categorization, of the books on the CD (and the website).
categories
That is what it looks like on the CD...
categoriesweb
...and on the web.
AmericanIndianhistoryYou can see on the Early American History library page how they are categorized (click the image for a larger view or just visit the linked site). One aspect of Early American history that we’ve been exploring is American-Indian, and it’s been grouped for us at the website and on the CD.
On the CD, you can find the group you are looking for easily from just about any ‘page’. Here is what it looks like when you click “By Subject”.subject
Also, the color coding is great –it helps me to know which books may present more of a challenge to my kids. GREEN for Elementary readers; BROWN for intermediate readers; and RED for Advanced readers. They’ve also included summaries for the titles included on the CD. Here’s an example:
summary
Using Charlotte Mason’s methods of learning in our life, these resources just fit so nicely. I don’t require narration on these books but I’d be surprised if one wasn’t given! When people, and I think kids especially, read something that gets their interest, they want to share what they’ve learned and read. These books are great for that.
DSCN1328
I love the adaptability of this resource. It is portable as well. The books are all contained on the CD in different formats –pdf, mobi, and epub –for printing out, reading on the computer, downloading to a Kindle, iPad or other ereader. These ebooks are beautifully formatted. 
Books that I’ve downloaded onto our Kindles are:
  • Benjamin of Ohio by James Otis (picture at the beginning of this post)
  • Story of the Great Republic by H. A. Guerber (pictured above on our Kindle)
  • American History Stories by Mara L. Pratt
  • Historical Tales- American I by Charles Morris
  • Heroes of Progress in America by Charles Morris
Perhaps Early American History isn’t what you need right now. No problem! Heritage History is letting me offer my readers a discount: purchase a curriculum, receive the Spanish Empire library free. Make sure to put both in your cart and then use the special discount code BLOSSOM3 at checkout. This is valid until October 31, 2012.Purchase a *curriculum*, receive the Spanish Empire library free! Use code BLOSSOM3 at checkout.
  • Young Readers –86 books, recommendations, Teacher’s Guide
  • Ancient Greece –46 books, 50+ maps, teachings aids, Study Guide
  • Ancient Rome –45 books, 60+ maps, teaching aids, Study Guide
  • British Middle Ages –55 books, 60+ maps, teaching aids, Study Guide
  • British Empire –57 books, 50+ maps, teaching aids, Study Guide
  • Early America –80+ books
  • Spanish Empire –50+ books
  • Christian Europe –60+ books
  • Modern Europe –50+ books
These are perfect for homeschool families that love living books and history.
I have another offer for you- enter to win a free curriculum or library. LOL –but wait! There’s more than one to give away. I get to pick 3 winners this time! Yes, Heritage History rocks –and they are quite generous too! Winking smile
Here’s the low-down on the giveaway:
  • Opens 10/03/2012
  • Closes 10/24/2012
  • Comment is mandatory –how else will I know which one you want?!
  • All other entries are optional.
  • The winner will receive their choice of either a curriculum or library on CD, shipped directly from Heritage History.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
***Disclaimer: This giveaway is brought to you because of my affiliate relationship with Heritage History. The winner of the curriculum/library prize will receive their choice directly from Heritage History. Any questions, please feel free to contact me.***
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