Engaging World History for Middle Schoolers

 

From Adam to Us by Notgrass History was an absolute life-saver in our early homeschool years. I was in dire need of a well-formatted, organized curriculum that added a strong literature element. Our family of seven had committed to a year-long ministry opportunity in Mexico, and we needed a homeschool curriculum that was flexible yet structured. Missionary work looks different for everyone, but in my experience, regardless of the country or type of work, it is typical to have more downtime than you are used to—at least that has been my experience. With two children under the age of four needing consistent nap times, a lower elementary student, an upper elementary student, and a middle schooler—we were all across the board! This meant lots of time at home and the need for consistent structure. 

Although each child's math, reading, and spelling needed to be at grade level, science and history did not need to be. Since the beginning, I would pick a science and history that the older kids could do together even though they were not in the same grade. Many veteran homeschoolers suggest teaching the middle age grade while adjusting that curriculum for any older and younger kids. Yet, while in Mexico, my oldest really needed to be challenged. I picked Notgrass History's Adam to Us and took the other two school-aged kids along for the ride. It was a perfect fit! Even though the older kids helped with ministry projects throughout the week, we set up our homeschool schedule much differently than when we were at home. I set aside specific hours dedicated to school and stuck to them pretty well. At home, we are extremely flexible and work around the needs of the homestead. Yet, during that season of our lives, we scheduled homeschooling during an assigned block of the day and rarely strayed from it. That meant I needed to be extremely organized with how I went through the school work. Checklists were a must. This history curriculum was perfect for that. With set tasks assigned for each day, we could get through them quickly and efficiently. The lessons were just the right length and my kids were able to retain what they learned. This course was my first introduction to Notgrass History, and I was pleasantly surprised! In addition to the tasks assigned from the beautifully crafted textbook and workbooks, a literature add-on was an option. 

This, my friend, is where I was introduced to one of my favorite books of all time! 

The Bronze Bow. Something about this book just seems to grip me every single time we use it as a read-aloud in our homeschool. The storyline, the main character, the time period, everything—this story just works. I now have several copies of this book on my bookshelf and have even written a unit study with thought-provoking questions for this particular book. All because of Notgrass History! Not only does this company provide quality content in their colorful and engaging textbooks, but they also introduce homeschoolers to literature that you might have never heard of before!

From Adam to Us was such a success in our homeschool that when I needed a world history credit for my sons in high school, I immediately ordered Notgrass History's high school level course. It followed a similar format, introduced higher-level literature, and caused my sons to think outside of the box as they read through the history text. I highly recommend that any homeschooler looking to get back on track in their homeschooling as far as structure and organization consider Notgrass History. 

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Notgrass History for sponsoring this post.