Homeschooling with history is not a time to learn a bunch of boring facts.
It’s not just about thick dusty books and vague people who lived a hundred years ago. Instead, it can be like opening the private diaries of the unique and interesting people who came before us and getting to be a part of their adventures.
Delving into the past can be fascinating and fun, especially with a few out-of-the-box ideas thrown in.
This year, fall back into homeschooling with history and take a peek into the lives, places, and events that shaped the world we live in.
Take a Field Trip to Homeschool with History
Taking a field trip at the beginning of the school year is an easy way to homeschool with history. Head to a museum, a national monument, state park, or national park, like Mammoth Cave, and become a part of the story.
It makes history active and so much more fun when it can be experienced with all five senses. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and sometimes even tasting history through a field trip will bring it to life and make learning easy and fun.
Combine History and Math
Combining history and math is so much fun! And, has the potential to make both subjects more exciting for students.
Instead of just learning facts about the Mayflower this fall, why not try heading outside to measure it?
Children will be learning more than just a number that tells them how long it was. By doing this activity they will now have a great visual of what that number really represents. And, they’ll be practicing relevant math topics while learning American history.
Science Projects
History can be science too! Start your history lessons with some great inquiry and combine science and history in a fun way.
Why did the ancient Egyptians use mummification? Try mummifying an apple to replicate the process and learn more about life in Ancient Egypt.
Why is the Statue of Liberty green? Try to patina some copper pennies in a historical science experiment to find out.
Asking questions and looking for answers will get children intrigued and ready to learn history through hands-on science projects.
Family
Genealogy is an excellent homeschool history activity.
Grandmas and grandpas are often a wealth of historical information. After all, they lived it! Have children sit down with Grandpa to hear stories of what life was like when he grew up or what it was like to immigrate to this country. Hearing these stories first-hand makes for some of the best history lessons. All while building closer family relationships and making history more relevant to children’s lives.
As a fun activity, try making a family history timeline. Or, a personal history timeline where children include important events and milestones from their own lives. They could record things like their birth date, when they said their first word, the birth of a sibling, or when they learned to ride a bike or read a book for the first time.
Memorization
Memorization is a great tool to use in your homeschool. Kids are great memorizers so why not take advantage of that and add in some memorization as part of the curriculum?
Memorizing is a fun way to give kids great words to think about. And, it provides an easy way to include history in your homeschool. The Gettysburg Address is a particularly good choice. It isn’t too long and its historical significance is important for kids to learn about.
This is an especially good option for learners who don’t do well with seat work. Try working on memorizing while taking a walk, or while at the playground.
Homeschooling with history can be some of the best time spent teaching children. And, because it can be combined with so many other skills and subjects it is easy to add it in fun ways. Try some of these fun ways to fall back into homeschooling with history this school year.
A Freebie to Help You Teach History!
Heidi has graciously provided In All You Do readers with a free History Timeline. To help you conquer history in your homeschool this year. This LIMITED TIME Freebie is only available thru Thursday, November 1, 2018!
I’m a mama on a search for simple homeschool days through child-led, hands-on learning while roadschooling USA. Jesus and family are at the heart of everything I do. Including, passionately creating resources to help other homeschool mamas on their journey.
Latest posts by Bridget Childress (see all)
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I am child of the King, wife to 1 and mother of 5 earthly children. My passion is creating printables and products homeschoolers and teachers can use quickly and easily. I love sharing about my One True Love, Jesus Christ and encouraging parents in this crazy journey of raising kids. Read more about me and the ministry here at In All You Do 
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