Our Star-Spangled Story

The title of this curriculum says it all—Our Star Spangled Story. Written by a team at Notgrass History, these materials do just that—tell a story. History is an interesting subject. Many either love it or hate it. Some despised it in school and are learning to love it as adults. Why is that? Many of us who grew up in the public school system or private schools feel like we were spoon-fed what they wanted us to learn. Pieces of history were completely left out. Stories were left untold. Of course, this can happen in any educational system, but when we are providing our children with a strong Christian worldview, we don't want to leave anything out, especially the Christian influences. I cannot tell you how many homeschooling parents I have met—men and women—who fell in love with history for the first time because of homeschooling. I believe this happens because of the hard work put into the resources and compilation of not only well-known but little-known facts in history that tie everything together.

This series includes a missionary story about John Eliot, who was a missionary to the praying Indians. Your children will read about circuit riders and camp meetings that occurred during the pioneer days. Important historical figures such as Lewis and Clark, Patrick Henry, Daniel Boone, and Paul Revere are all presented in a fun and educational way.

Using a textbook, literature, and audio samples, this complete curriculum is ideal for students in grades 1 through 4. It is a full curriculum developed for an entire school year that can be combined with multiple children if needed. The package includes:

Two beautiful hardbound books feature narrative lessons with hundreds of colorful photographs and historic illustrations.
Another hardcover book features songs, poems, and dances that reveal what people were thinking and feeling in the past. It includes links to audio recordings of the songs and video demonstrations of the dances.
A timeline book reinforces and reviews key people and events from the lessons.
A student workbook offers two handwork sheets and one review page for each unit.

An additional literature study with eight titles can also be added to enrich your child's experience!

Fun Side Note: The name of the man in Unit 2: Lesson 5 is pronounced Peter even though it is spelled Pieter. The "i" is silent. I only know this because that is my father's name, who grew up in a Dutch family. If I had a dollar for every time I heard him referenced as "Pie Eater," I'd be able to buy all the curriculum that my heart desired!

Disclaimer: Many thanks to Notgrass History for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Original 13 Colonies Fact Cards (Free Printable)

These Thirteen Colonies Fact Cards were created for my kids as we studied early American history. What a pivotal time in our history! Puritans seeking religious freedom, adventurers setting out for a new land, and those in debt hoping for a fresh start—a new life. From the first colony in Virginia, until all thirteen stars on the first American flag were represented, these cards are a perfect review for your homeschoolers. Use them to drill the first thirteen colonies so your child can recite them with ease, and have them dictate the information on the cards to help them remember a small fact about each colony. Feel free to print these out and have your children write facts that they learn about each colony on the back. Go ahead and laminate them, too! Simply right-click, save, and print to use this resource in your homeschool as you study about the original thirteen colonies in America. Use the facts for dictation, copy work, or discussion in your home. Disclaimer: All co...

Truck-Themed Homeschool Chore Chart

Use this truck-themed homeschool chore chart to keep your kids on track throughout the school week. With lessons, field trips, meals, and unexpected errands filling up your week, even the simplest chore chart can help your home run more smoothly. At times, kids are excited for the new opportunity to help out around the house and do it with joy. Other times they stomp toward the trash can with anything but a good attitude. Help keep attitudes in check by using stickers, smiley faces, or positive verbal reinforcement as your child completes each task on the chart. For the child who loves lists (and the mom) this is the perfect free printable to have on hand! (Simply right-click, save, and print)

The Pencil Grip Inc. {Review}

We have found what we have been looking for in The Pencil Grip Inc .'s 24 pack of Magic Stix Washable Markers . These markers are the perfect fit for a homeschooling family such as ours. I am thrilled to tell you about our experience with them! Normally, I do not have a favorable impression of markers for several reasons. For one, as a kid, I remember markers having such a strong smell that it would give me a headache. I know some kids enjoyed the scents but it certainly was not for me. And to be honest, if I had markers like that in my house today, my kids would probably stick them up their nose or something. Another reason I have a distaste for markers is the drying out factor. As a parent of many children this is super frustrating. I finally teach the older ones to put the caps back on when they are done using their markers but then a younger one comes along and just doesn't understand. This then leads to the undue frustration of your child sitting down to...

Thrift Schooling

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