Timeline Binder Pictures

I have had a number of people ask me about the timeline pictures I have created.   If you are doing Ambleside Online, or a similar program, you may find mine useful.  But I feel it is best if you can create the ones your own student would like.

So, here is my process.

I use Avery Design Pro software to easily make all my timeline pictures the same size.  It is free, and I think they have it for various types of computer.

When I open it the first time, I chose to design the project from scratch.

Then I selected template 5214, as it makes a nice sized picture. (Each timeline picture is on a label.)

Then I use the buttons on the Left to add my text and images.  I find the information and pictures usually by doing a google search...  Leave the MASTER label blank, unless there is information you want on EVERY picture.

I often copy one label to another to make new timeline pictures.  This helps them be consistent.  I also rename the tab for the label (right click) and organize them in the order I will likely need them next year.  For an AO Year, I have them organized by week.  For Artists/Composers/Authors, I organize them alphabetically.  For other things my kids ask for, I organize them chronologically.  It works for me - but do whatever works for you.  (I also have things in separate files, as our original single file got too large to work with easily.)

For printing, I often need to note down the tab numbers of the specific pictures I wish to print.   Of course, sometimes I just one the current one.  Double check that you are not printing an entire sheet of the same label - and I usually do a Print Preview before doing the actual printing.

Finally, we print on regular paper and cut them out.  If you were doing a whole year ahead, you could actually buy the Avery Labels... but as I'm only printing out a handful at a time (and often from more than one file), that would be a large waste.  The scrap paper is used for protecting our timeline binders while gluing, or for colouring/drawing.

If I get people interested in my actual design-pro files (instead of the pdf's I've made available) let me know and I can look at adding it to the link above.  Otherwise - I hope that some people take the plunge to making their own!

May Have Found It?

For quite some time, I have been looking for a good Canadian History "spine" book for Elementary aged students.  I wanted something that was a good "living book", that covered at least most of the time period from discovery to at least the 19th century, would be available to me for free (or very inexpensive), and wouldn't put me to sleep when I tried to read it.   This combination hasn't been easy to find.  The closest I have found so far was "The Story of Canada" by Janet Lunn, which I can borrow from my library.

By the way, I swear the most common name of Canadian History books is "The Story of Canada", followed closely by "Canada's Story".   I have found several by these names.

Well, I think I have found one that fits!  It is called.......  "The Story of Canada".  You just knew it, didn't you.  This one is by E. L. Marsh.  I'm not sure of the date of original printing - it looks like it is around 1912 or so.  The first 2 chapters have been quite engaging, and it is free on Archive.org - it also has been reprinted (a scanning from the looks of it) and is available on amazon - for those that like to hold a paper book in their hands.

Over the next while, I am going to continue to read it, to determine if it is going to be a replacement for the Lunn book... but so far it looks promising.  Of course, it doesn't cover the last 100 years or so...   I also have to admit that I was hoping for something that would be as extensive as the U.S. book "This Country of Ours"... to make figuring out the future plans easier.

I just hope that my kids can get to enjoy Canadian History.  I didn't as a kid, and I think the reasons were brought out well in the book "Who Killed Canadian History?"

History Rotation 1

Creation to Christ

World History

A Child's History of the World (ch 1-41) - Hillyer Read 1 chapter a week, with a few weeks having an extra chapter.

OR

On the Shores of the Great Sea (54 chapters) - Synge Read 1 or 2 chapters a week (avg 1.5)

Canadian History

no Canadian History - do Canadian Geography using Black Line Maps. [more information to come]


Here is a list of what we are doing this year.  I plan to add in other options and other years....

Years 1-3   

Boy of the Pyramid
Pyramid by David Macaulay
The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War
Our Little Spartan Cousin of Long Ago
Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago
Pompeii... Buried Alive!

History Rotation 2

~500 - 1453

World History

A Child's History of the World (ch 42-60) - Hillyer Read 1 chapter a week (leaves extra weeks free)

OR

On the Shores of the Great Sea (? chapters) - Synge Read 1 or 2 chapters a week (avg ?)

Canadian History

The Story of Canada (ch 1-2)

OR

My First History of Canada (ch 1-2)

Biographies and Fictional History (WORLD)

Do not feel that you need to do ALL of these. You may also pick books from the younger years.

(This list will likely be added to)

This list is compiled from various sources, which I will be using to decide which books my children will read based on interest, abilities, availability, etc. The year placements are approximate.

Years 1-3

Lief the Lucky

Viking Adventure

Stories of the Vikings - Mary MacGregor

Our Little Saxon Cousin of Long Ago - Julia Cowles

Our Little Norman Cousin of Long Ago - Evaleen Stein

Our Little Viking Cousin of Long Ago - Charles Johnson

Our Little Crusader Cousin of Long Ago - Evaleen Stein

Famous Men of the Middle Ages - Haaren

The Door in the Wall

The Minstrel in the Tower

The Whipping Boy

St. George and the Dragon

Sword in the Tree

Brother Francis and the Friendly Beasts

The Apple and the Arrow

Medieval Feast

Castle Diary

Pippo the Fool

William Tell by Margaret Early

Joan of Arc - Stanley

Marguerite makes a Book

Years 4-6

The Vikings

Beorn the Proud

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine

The Shining Company

Adam of the Road

Castle

Cathedral

Robin Hood - Pyle

The Red Keep

Joan of Arc (Landmark)

The King's Shadow

King Arthur and His Knights

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Adam of the Road

Otto of the Silver Hand - Pyle

Years 7-9

Beric the Briton

Rolf and the Viking Bow

For the Temple

The Bronze Bow

The Dragon and the Raven

In Freedom's Cause (Wallace and Bruce)

Scottish Chiefs (Wallace and Bruce)

The Once and Future King

Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

The Pushcart War - Jean Merrill

The Knight's Fee - Rosemary Sutcliff

The Gambage Cup - Carol Kendall

Sir Nigel and the White Company - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Beowulf - Burton Raffel

The Black Arrow - Robert Louis Stevenson

Hereward, the Last of the English - Charles Kingsley

The White Stage

Story of King Arthur and His Knights

The Book of Arthur

The Shining Company

The Magna Charta

In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce

The Prince and the Pauper

Years 10-12

Men of Iron

Voices of the Renaissance and Reformation

The Second Mrs. Giaconda

The King's Fifth

Haven't Decided on Year Level Yet

How We Learned the Earth is Round by Patricial Lauber

Biographies and Fictional History (CANADIAN)

Do not feel that you need to do ALL of these. You may also pick books from the younger years.

(This list will likely be added to)

This list is compiled from various sources, which I will be using to decide which books my children will read based on interest, abilities, availability, etc. The year placements are approximate.

Years 1-3

Very Last First Time - Andrews

Dragonfly Kites - Highway

Years 4-6

The Dream Carvers - Clark (Viking boy captured by natives)

Lost in the Barrens - Mowatt

Years 7-9

Years 10-12

Haven't Decided on Year Level Yet

This Country of Ours

Today, the Ambleside Online Advisory updated their website to defend the use of This Country of Ours in the curriculum, despite controversy about its use.

Here is what they have said

TCOO's treatment of the history of the Mormon church seems to come up among our members with predictable regularity both on and off list. The Advisory has received more private emails (both collectively and individually) than we care to count, has repeatedly been forced to counter misinformation on several lists, and received at least one petition. All this time and effort is directed toward convincing us to dump 'This Country of Ours' because of one chapter. The book is a singular target, accused of inaccuracies both specified and non-specified, in complaints around the blogosphere and negative reviews anywhere readers can post reviews--all in an attempt to prevent others from reading the book. The Advisory has tried to be tactful and gracious about this, but we cannot continue to devote our time to this topic. Therefore, the AO Advisory has sent the following letter regarding the book.

They went on to defend their position (see their page here) basically saying that the Latter Day Saints are over-reacting to the chapter about the Mormons, and that they do not feel it is substantially inaccurate, was common beliefs about the Mormons at the time it was written, and is still believed by many today... then included several links to Anti-Mormon websites. [they have now removed those links]

I know that this is a Canadian Charlotte Mason homeschool, and as such we don't study American History. However, I also know many Americans do read this blog. Please choose an alternative to This Country of Ours, or at least skip the hateful chapter about Mormons.

I have humbly asked the AO Advisory to have an alternative to TCOO in their schedule, although I have little hope that they will do so, as they have repeatedly defended their choice of TCOO even though they have, in their own words had "this particular book [...] come under fire more than any other book we've used in the curriculum".

Here is a suggested alternative, which would work up to the year it was published, about 1900. http://www.archive.org/details/childshistoryofu00morr

or alternatively, your could buy the "Stories of America" from Simply Charlotte Mason.

Suggestions from another mom: "The Story of the Thirteen Colonies" and "The Story of the Great Republic" by H. A. Guerber

Binder Timeline

Just found out about a resource for a Binder Timeline (many people call it a Book of Centuries - but I feel a Book of Centuries is a bit different... I have a post on that...)

I plan to use this soon...

http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/history/timeline.html

(Note: picture is not from the link above - is just a generic picture of a binder timeline.

Link to Book of Centuries Article

I just read a good article on how to do a Book of Centuries, which is different from what most sites mention, yet seems to be more of what CM had in mind...

Although we aren't to that point yet, it looks like what I'd like my students to do, as it seems simpler, yet has more significance for them.

Book of Centuries Revisited

History

History is a subject that I am struggling with determining our program at this moment. Part of it, is that I know that "History is written by the victors". Imagine how recent history would be written if Germany won WWII.

History is also viewed differently by different countries at the same time... Look at the U.S. Revolutionary war. Americans call it the Revolutionary war. I believe I have heard that in the U.K, it is called something like the North American Rebellion. Ask an American and a Canadian who won the War of 1812.

Even in areas of the same country, history can be seen differently. Ask various Canadians from different provinces about Louis Riel, and see the wide variety of what was taught in Canadian History classes (in Canada!) He was a rebel, or a hero, or maybe someone barely heard of - all depending on where you grew up.

And all of this is recent history. Who knows the truth of the more distant history?

Add to that, the fact that the history I learned in school (especially Canadian History) was SO boring that I only retained bits and pieces. And then I learned about some events in Canadian History that should have been at least mentioned in school, but never was, has left me confused and saddened.

So - since the "taste" of history I have been left with is, to say the least, bad.... plus I have very little knowledge of what "should" be taught, one might wonder why history at all?

Well, I think history does a few things for a person

1. It helps give a person identity - a feeling of belonging, and who they are.
2. It helps a person see the consequences of actions - natural consequences - without having to feel the consequences directly themselves.
3. As a part of the previous point - it helps a person not repeat the "mistakes of history"
4. It gives a knowledge of events that might be mentioned or referenced - a cultural awareness. References might be in literature or stories, or in life.
5. It can be a fantastic story in itself - at least when taught the Charlotte Mason way
6. A knowledge of broader history can make the decisions or thoughts of people in history make more sense. For instance, a family moving to Canada in 1847 makes more sense when you realize they were from Ireland, and you know about the Great Potato Famine.

My understanding is that Charlotte Mason recommended that History be taught chronologically. I have also heard that her schools would do a rotation for children within a span of a few years - with children joining and leaving the rotation each year. This means that History will be a good subject for Family study. I am doing some of history the Charlotte Mason way - but some I will be doing differently.

I am breaking History into 3 categories. Most of the Charlotte Mason curriculums I have seen break it into 2 - World History, and U.S. History. This doesn't meet my objectives.

My 3 categories:

1. Family History. This will be done in Reverse. I feel that a Family History Notebook will be important to keep things straight. The student will be able to relate to the current history as it isn't as far removed. Major events in the country of the ancestor being looked at, and in the world that would affect the ancestor would be looked at.
2. Canadian History. (Of course, if you are from a different country, use yours.)
3. World History.