Sonlight years 1, 2, and 6 are all world history, with levels 1 and 2 taking
two years to tackle world history from the beginning to modern times at an early
elementary level. Level 6 is scheduled to take one year and carries
students up to the present time, roughly. Many families choose to combine
several children of widely spaced ages by using resources from these Sonlight
levels.
We first did this combination using Sonlight
2, a one-year introduction to
world history (now Alternate 2), and Sonlight
6, when our older two children were 11 and 7. We are in the midst of another sweep through world history with the younger two children,
who are 7 and 10. We plan to take two years to do what
we did last time in one year.
Some of the books listed we have not yet read, so I can't vouch for them
personally. As we go through the year I hope to read most of them, and I'll add
more helpful notes to this page as I do.
The
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia Good for middle school and up. I often use
its predecessor, The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World, as a
resource for myself, to fill in the gaps (of which there are too many!). I will
also have Ben read some of this as we go through ancient history in 2003-2004.
The
Story of the World: History for the Classical Child by Susan Wise Bauer.
This is projected to be a four-volume set. Volume
1 covers the ancient world, and volume
2 covers the middle ages. The remaining two volumes, as yet unpublished, are
projected to complete a sweep through world history. Bauer designed the books
as narrative world history texts for children in roughly grades 1-4, but
I'm confident that older readers will appreciate them as well. Also available
are extensive and very well put together activity
books for both the published volumes. These include literature lists, map
assignments, coloring pages, and more.
Homeschooling
Companion magazine. I recently received our first issue of this new homeschooling magazine. The first issue is all on ancient Egypt. It has a wide variety of articles--one on making mummies, how pyramids are built, a tour of Thebes, obelisks, how children lived, an "interview" with a
pharaoh, and more. There are instructions for hands-on activities, and each article includes web links and suggestions for further reading.
The articles are on a variety of levels, and there are literature studies on two different books, one for younger kids and one for the middle grades. There is even a preschooler's "unit" on ancient Egypt included, so if you're juggling a wide age range, this is a good source for material.
Some of the editing was a tad sloppy--a few typos, etc. Not all the writing is stellar. But by and large, I think this is a very good resource. It's not in color, but it's fairly attractive nonetheless.
Each issue will focus on a different time period in history; I believe the next one is to be on the middle ages.
The web site allows you to take a "tour" of the magazine; that's what convinced me to subscribe.
Adam
and His Kin by Ruth Beechik. A fictionalized retelling of the early
chapters of Genesis.
Joseph
and Exodus
by Brian Wildsmith. Picture book retellings.
Tirzah
by Lucille Travis. Tirzah and her family are Hebrew slaves in Egypt. Will Moses
be able to persuade Pharaoh to let them go?
Hittite
Warrior by Joanne Williamson. Set in the time of Judges, when Deborah was
judge in Israel, this novel makes the time and the people come alive.
Ancient Egypt
Web Sites
Neferchcichi's Tomb
A fun site, with information on mummies and
mummification, lesson plans and activities for teachers, and fun Egyptian
graphics for web sites or reports--even a hieroglyphic font!
Who
Built the Pyramids? (Usborne Starting Point History) by Jane Chisolm and
Struan Reid. A thorough, highly illustrated introduction to ancient Egypt in
question and answer format. Benjamin loved this.
Pyramid
by David Macaulay. Excellent, detailed illustrations and explanations of how the
pyramids were constructed.
How
Would You Survive as an Ancient Egyptian? by David Salariya. Lots of
interesting details about everyday life; quiz questions throughout. I learned a
lot from this one (and so did the kids!).
Pyramids!
50 Hands-On Activities to Experience Ancient Egypt by Avery Hart and Paul
Mantell. We're doing a co-op of sorts with two other families, and we've found
this book to be full of fun activities to do together. They're pretty easy to
pull off and don't require anything esoteric in the way of equipment. It's a
kid-friendly book; when I brought this home, Aimee was thrilled with it and
couldn't wait to get started on some of the activities.
Fun
with Hieroglyphs by Catharine Roehrig. This kit from the Metropolitan Museum
of Art includes 24 rubber stamps, an ink pad, and a very good hieroglyph
handbook. Some of the hieroglyphs are hard to draw by hand, but the stamps make
it easy to send messages "like an Egyptian."
Egyptian
Treasures: Mummies and Myths audiotape by Jim Weiss. Weiss is our favorite
storyteller around here, and in this tape he tells stories of ancient Egypt.
Wonderful!
Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself
by Catherine Andronik. Picture book biography of Hatshepsut, Egypt's only
successful female king, for older readers.
The
Temple Cat by Andrew Clements. Picture book for younger children (though my
10 year old and I enjoyed it thoroughly). This is the story of a cat who lives
in an Egyptian temple, worshiped as a god, who longs for a more normal cat life.
Great illustrations. There is a literature unit on this book included in the
September/October 2003 issue of Homeschooling
Companion, discussed above.
Casting
the Gods Adrift by Geraldine McCaughrean. This is novel for the age 9-12
set. We did it as a read aloud. Set in the time of Akhenaten, a boy and his
family struggle with the strange pharaoh's monotheism.
Spend a Day in
Ancient Greece by Linda Honan. Walk through a day with a fictional family, and along
the way make some Greek food, make a peplos to wear, and shape a pot from clay. We got a
lot of use out of this; Aimee made a complete girl's outfit, including jewelry, and Ben
made a complete hoplite costume, as well as Poseidon's trident.
Ancient
Greece! by Avery Hart and Paul Mantell. I haven't seen this one in person,
but we liked the same authors' activity book on Egypt very much.
How
Would You Survive As an Ancient Greek? by Fiona MacDonald. We liked the Egypt book in
this series, and this one did not disappoint. Heavily illustrated and full of interesting
details.
The
Greeks by Roy Burrell. This is probably best suited to upper elementary or middle
school aged kids (and up), but we found it readable and informative. Some chapters are
written as interviews with a fictional character; these were my kids' favorites.
Usborne Book of
the Ancient World by Jane Chisolm. This volume includes Early
Civilisations,The
Greeks, and The
Romans. Like the Burrell book above, the level is probably for junior high or so, but
Ben listened attentively to all I could find on soldiers and warfare, and Aimee enjoyed
the pictures of hairstyles and fashions, among other things.
Ancient Greece Treasure Chest. This kit includes a piece of papyrus, a
punch-and-assemble model of the Trojan horse, two games to play, a coin key chain, and a
Greek language "decoder," among other treasures. Worth the money!
Augustus Caesar’s
World by Genevieve Foster is a well-written look at the lifetime of Augustus Caesar,
with chapters on such topics as the celebration of the Saturnalia and what was going on in
China at the time.
How Would You
Survive As an Ancient Roman by Anita Ganeri, et al. is the third in the series we have
enjoyed. Detailed illustrations and interesting facts about everyday life in ancient Rome.
The
Buried City of Pompeii by Shelley Tanaka is a vivid narrative of the eruption of
Vesuvius from the "I Was There" series.
City by David
Macauley gives a good look at the building of a Roman city, with detailed illustrations
and clear explanations. We also watched the video (titled Roman City), which the
kids especially enjoyed for its animated portions.
Saint Valentine
by Robert Sabuda is a lovely picture book about the man we celebrate each February 14.
Famous
Men of Rome by John H. Harren, A.B. Poland, Rob Shearer. Published by
Greenleaf Press, this book has short biographies of a variety of famous Romans.
Rome
Antics by David Macaulay. Rome from a pigeon's point of view. Great
illustrations, great fun.
Fiction
The Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare is the fictional story of a Jewish boy growing up during
the lifetime of Jesus. Vividly depicts the political and religious milieu of Galilee in
the time of Jesus. Moving and powerful.
Detectives
in Togas and The
Roman Ransom, both by Henry Winterfeld. These two novels are delightful mysteries set
in ancient Rome. The kids loved these, and they were great fun to read aloud. Highly
recommended for fun, if not terrifically educational!
A Triumph for Flavius by Caroline Dale Snedeker.
Story of a Roman boy and his captured Greek slave.
Quintus
by R. Weerstand. Fictional account of Christians under the reign of Nero. A
good look at the period without too much detail on the decadence of Rome, making
it appropriate for children.
The
Runaway by Patricia St. John. Set during the ministry of Jesus.
Twice
Freed by Patricia St. John. Novel of Onesimus, the slave referred to in the
New Testament book of Philemon.
The
Young Carthaginian by G. A. Henty. Historical fiction from the 19th century.
Also available on
tape as recorded by Jim Weiss. This is the first Henty book I have read, and
I enjoyed it. The story is full of adventure, battle excitement, narrow escapes.
I would not call it highly realistic or fine literature, but it does give a feel
for the time and should engage good readers.
Kids Discover Ancient Rome issue. We find Kids Discover
magazine to be light on information, but the pictures are good.
Ancient Rome Treasure Kit. This kit includes a map of the Roman empire,
a cut-and-assemble Roman villa, Roman paper dolls, a bulla (worn by young boys in ancient
Rome), and other stuff. We got good use out of it.
Usborne
World History: Medieval World by Jane Bingham is less busy than many Usborne
titles and aimed at a slightly older audience than the Time Traveler book below.
Days of the
Knights: A Tale of Castles and Battles by Christopher Maynard is a Level 4 Eyewitness
Reader. The story follows a boy from childhood, when as a baby Thomas is rescued by his
nursemaid when the family's castle is attacked, to adulthood, when Thomas becomes a lord
and has his own castle. Illustrations and explanations of terms and customs fill the
margins, and the last chapter discusses castle ruins today. This is a reader for
"proficient readers"; I read it to my nonproficient reader.
How Would You
Survive in the Middle Ages? by Fiona Macdonald. If you've perused my ancient history
lists, you'll know I like this series! Information-stuffed, highly illustrated pages.
Pockets Castles
by Philip Wilkinson. A DK pocket-sized book; lots of pictures and information in a little
package.
Knights and Armor
by Daisy Kerr (worldwise series published by Franklin Watts). Nicely illustrated (less
busy than Usborne books); for younger elementary children.
Chateau
Mystere/Mystery Castle by Kathy Gemmel, an Usborne First Bilingual Reader. A French
puzzle story; fun, even if you ignore the French.
Cathedral and
Castle, both by
David Macaulay. These excellent books (for older elementary and up) are also available in
video format--check your library.
Marco Polo A
Journey Through China by Fiona Macdonald. Marco Polo seems usually to be lumped with
explorers, but, hey! he did live and travel during the middle ages.
Viking Raiders
by Ann Civardi. This is in the Time Traveler series by Usborne.
The
Vikings by Robert Nicholson and Claire Watts is a fairly simple introduction
to Viking lore and life.
Fiction
Castle
Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess, Page by Richard Platt is a
delightfully illustrated (by Chris Riddell) fictional diary set in 1285. We see
castle life through the eyes of Toby during his first year at his uncle's
castle, where he is to serve as a page. The illustrations are detailed and often
humorous without being too silly.
The Striped Ships by Eloise McGraw is set during and just after the Norman
Conquest of England in 1066 and following. Unlike so many books set in the
middle ages, the main character is a girl.
The
Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff. Set during 7th century Britain;
beautifully told.
Activity Books
Knights and
Castles by Avery Hart and Paul Mantell. Fun and workable hands-on activities. See also
Pyramids! by the
same authors, for ancient Egypt activities.
