History doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, if you homeschool, you can take advantage of the best, most interesting methods and materials around. In this post I am sharing 10 amazing U.S. History resources I have discovered that I hope will help you as you homeschool your children this year.
First of all, let’s talk “world view.”
This is extremely important when we attempt to teach our children history because perspective is EVERYTHING!
And here is the question we need to ask:
“Is history just a conglomeration of random acts and people that have no ultimate meaning, or is there a plan set in place by an eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful God?”
Now, if we believe the former, then there is little reason to study history at all, because it really doesn’t matter much, unless it keeps us ahead of our competition, or as a means to manipulate and indoctrinate.
But, if we actually believe we are not alone on this little blue marble in space, things look differently. If we understand that there is a God who loves us and is involved in our care and eventual end, then there are many reasons we study history, such as to learn and examine how He has been working everything out for our good, according to Romans 8:28.
If that concept is new to you, don’t feel badly. By-and-large, none of us has been taught there was anything more to history than a bunch of wars and people who enslaved others and folks that were a disappointment.
Sad.
But there is so much more, and I have found a number of resources that are so amazingly different you will want to shout for joy!
Here is a list of just a few, but there are loads more:
*note: This post includes affiliate links.
1.
You’ll love this one. It is the findings of a commission on the reasons why we exist as a nation and where we should be heading.
2.
Now, just why would I be listing a Ugandan minister when talking about United States History? Because this Ugandan has a pretty good grasp on what God is doing through the nations of the earth, one that we all need to hear. And, he knows about patriotism and repentance and taking your country back for the glory of God. (Note: don’t be put off by his thick accent, it will be worth it to work through to understand his amazing message.)
3.
People keep trying to convince us the Christian influence on our nation has been nil to none, but David and Tim Barton have collected so much information that is to the contrary! It is absolutely impossible to read one of their books and conclude that our nation was not ordained by God to be His hands and feet to the world.
4.
When it comes to American history, and world history, William J. Federer is a walking encyclopedia. We had the privilege of having this man speak at our church, and the effect was an increased appreciation for what God has forged in and through our nation from its founding. You can sign up for his American Minute emails, or enjoy one of his books. Our daughter is using his books with her children this year.
5.
Charles Coffin
Our children have loved the history books from this author for many years. They were published in the 1800’s, back when everyone understood just what a miracle and gift to our world our country is. Note: even though they were written to children, the complicated sentence structure and higher vocabulary may be a stretch for some, but using the McGuffey readers makes this much easier.
They are primarily:
The study guide printed by Weiner Media/ Maranatha publications really enhances the book and puts everything into a Biblical perspective–I highly recommend it.
This covers where The Story of Liberty leaves off.
This one is great for boys, since it covers a lot of battles. It is OK for girls, too, since it is written in a narrative form that captures the imagination.
6.
There is so much to this site, and it is COMPLETELY free. It follows the idea that history is actually a collection of stories, and by enjoying these stories, we learn and maintain more than we ever could from dry, boring textbooks. Also included are outlines, maps, and reading suggestions.
The books are offered in electronic and PDF form, so they can either be read online, on an ebook reader, or printed out and bound as a physical book. We enjoy all three and have reveled in hours and hours of fun via this generous site.
(I put together a guide to the Middle Ages using Heritage History that you can print out for free.)
7.
This is a new discovery for me. I tend to shy away from materials produced for public schools, but I was pleasantly surprised with a number of workbooks produced by this company. We are actually using “>Keys to Good Government by Barton to maintain and more overtly Christian slant to the subject).
There are a number of others in this series that would be useful, such as the iU. S. History.
The nifty thing about the Constitution book is that the text is included, so you don’t need to separate books, and you can copy/print as many as you need for your children.
Note: If you purchase the printable versions of these workbooks, you can download and print them immediately, no waiting and paying for shipping!
8.
These are so terrific! They are easy to read, engaging, and interesting, even for older youngsters and adults. I am collecting a number of these to share with my children and grand children (it’s actually a thing at our church for everyone to compete with how many they have read). Here are a few titles:
George Washington: True Patriot
George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist
9.
You may never have heard of this one before, but it’s been around for a long time, and it’s pretty interesting. U.S. history is covered thoroughly in this one, but it’s all self-taught. Sound intriguing? You can find out all about it by watching videos done by my dear friend over at the Our House video channel on YouTube.
10.
Encyclopaedia Britannica 10-Minute Guide: U.S. History
This book is short, sweet, and filled with all sorts of graphics and illustrations. It’s useful for the student who just needs a quick overview to put all the fragments together, and it’s also useful for the parent who has forgotten everything about U.S. History and needs to teach it to her kids! It is not necessarily from a conservative perspective, but it isn’t crazy with political correctness, either. If you take the time to flesh it out with other great resources mentioned above, this will just give you a “spine” on which to build.
Here is a video I have done that will explain further:
My husband just found a completely free curriculum from Hillsdale College for k-12 history that you might like to go through. Hillsdale is a classical liberal arts college. They don’t necessarily call themselves a Christian college but you are required to take some form of a Bible class. They don’t take any money from the government, so all of their classes are taught in a more conservative slant. They have very good classes on government and history, etc.
https://k12.hillsdale.edu/Curriculum/The-Hillsdale-1776-Curriculum/
Correction—they are “a non-sectarian Christian institution”
Thanks, Emily. I’ll have to go check that one out!
This is great — thank you for putting it together! FYI, this link wouldn’t work for me (but I did find the site): “study guide printed by Maranatha publishers”
Thanks for looking out for me, Kira–I’ll go and make that change right away–glad you were still able to find the site 🙂