Story of the World Vol. 1 2nd Edition: Ancient Times (Paperback)
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Story of the World Vol. 1 2nd Edition: Ancient Times (Paperback)

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Item #: 010992
ISBN: 9781933339009
Grades: 1-5

Product Description:

In the quest to cover a little of everything from a particular time period AND present it at a level that a younger child can understand, most elementary history texts are, well, probably just a bit lacking in the exciting and shall we say “interesting” department. At least, I found it as such when I was much younger, although it led me to do a lot of self-reading to complete the picture in the areas that interested me. Susan Wise Bauer attempts to remedy this difficulty in presenting a chronological history to the younger set using a classical approach to history. The Story of the World is structured around a text and a curriculum guide/activity book that serve as a springboard for your futher history explorations. The readings in the text provide a background of the time period covered, augmented by the use of the guide, which contains review questions, suggestions for supplemental readings, appropriate literature selections, and also map activities, coloring pages, as well as an abundance of projects that span history, art, and science that are sure to excite the student.

The text itself serves as the starting point and backbone of each unit. Each chapter covers a particular time period, and is placed in chronological order. For example, in Volume One: Ancient Times, Chapter One begins with “The Earliest People” followed by chapters detailing periods of Egyptian, Sumarian, Jewish, Babylonian, Assyrian, Indian, Chinese, African, Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Persian, Native American, Roman, Christian, Celt, and Barbarian history. The book goes in strictly chronological order, so one time period of a civilization will be covered, and then a different civilization may be covered, returning to another era of the first civilization later, to encompass a significant historical event of that civilization. Each chapter is further split into smaller, more bite-sized amounts that lend themselves well to a younger attention span. The chapters are presented at a level they will understand, but at the same time, find fairly absorbing. History is presented in more of a story-type format that they will appreciate, and the author emphasizes that the book is not intended to give a complete overview of the time period, but rather to give the student a chronological order of major events and an appreciation and understanding of different cultures while presenting it in a way that will foster an enthusiasm and enjoyment of the subject matter. For example, while not every ruler of a civilization may be named, along with major accomplishments, an overview of the period highlighting important events and rulers, along with details of how the people in the civilizations lived comprise the short chapters. Mythical stories as well as historical fiction-type passages about young children from different cultures are woven into the narrative to stimulate further interest. These almost story-type chapters are meant to be read aloud to younger children, or those with reading difficulty, while good readers and older children can read or take turns reading the chapters aloud.

When a chapter has been completely read, you and the students then turn to the curriculum manual/actvitiy guide. At the beginning of each chapter in the guide, corresponding page references are given from four recommended supplements Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World, The Usborne Book of World History, and the Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History. These selections further flesh out the history lessons, particularly for those periods or civilizations where less supplemental reading is available. When all the chapter reading has been accomplished, the next order of business are the reading comprehension-type review questions for each chapter section. Following the questions, the student is asked to summarize the chapter in a few sentences. The author again stresses that important facts be included in this narrative, but not necessarily every single one. A few sample narrations are also supplied for each section. The student’s narrative is then written, illustrated with his/her favorite part of the lesson. The narratives can be collected and put into a loose-leaf binder, to create the student’s own world history. After these activities have been completed, a list of readings chosen to supplement and complement the history lesson are supplied, as well as a following list of corresponding literature suggestions to further flesh out the lesson, with books telling stories from that era. Author, publisher, copyright date, and a sentence summary of each book are given for ease in locating the book.

Now for some real hands-on work! The activities commence with “Map Work,” where a map of the appropriate area is supplied, and the student identifies and marks pertinent areas, routes, and features. The geography section is normally followed by a coloring page, highlighting some aspect of the history lesson, or some other word activity. Finally, the chapter closes with a selection of projects to do to really “get into” the featured civilization or time period. These may be arts, crafts, writing, or science projects, or just fun supplemental activities. Most require only common household supplies and art supplies such as paints & paintbrushes, boxes, newspaper and waxed paper, self-drying clay, etc. Several projects are provided for each chapter, covering a wide range of activities. These could include anything from building your own hut to making your own cunieform tablets, mummifying a chicken, brick-making, baking an African or Greek feast, purple dye, an erupting volcano, an olympic wreath, a Native American sand painting, a Roman chariot, making paper, and LOTS more. When you’ve covered the chapter content as much as is desired, move on.

While the breadth of activities and readings may seem overwhelming or time-consuming, keep in mind that not every suggested book needs to be read, and not every single project needs to be completed. (But Mom, can’t we embalm the chicken today?) Spend as much time in an era as suits the students, pacing yourself to cover everything that is of interest. The structure of the curriculum makes it especially easy and enjoyable to use with several children in this age range, although I’m sure the older kids would love to get into it too!

Volume One was revised in 2006 and now features more illustrations, maps, several timelines and additional parent/teacher notes. The text is paperback, and the Curriculum Guide/Activity Book is a bound paperback. - Jess

Category Description for Biblioplan for Families:

The name BiblioPlan is synonymous with classical chronological world history but through years of tweaking and improving, what is available now is a full-bodied, full-color curriculum rather than a mere lesson-plan framework (its original format). Comprehensive and thorough while providing ease of use and minimum teacher prep, BiblioPlan allows students of all ages to work on the same time periods at the same time at their own level. There is flexibility. You can still use just the framework (Family Guide) or you can add some or all of the components. You can take a general approach and incorporate multiple ages at once or you can use material that targets particular grade levels. Older children can help younger children and children of all ages will be making memories as they work together. Biblioplan puts you in the driver's seat with full controls.

BiblioPlan Family Guides

provide the structural framework for the program - a full year's worth of history and literature readings and the Family Guide is necessary for either approach. There are four Guides, one for each of the four classical (chronological) time periods Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern. This is the core of the whole program (and once WAS the whole program). Designed by a group of homeschooling moms, these Guides provide 34 weekly spreadsheets; each a comprehensive lesson plan and annotated reading lists for each grade level. With a goal of integrating quality historical literature with biblical and secular history, these moms put together an easy-to-follow plan covering the historical topic (Classtime), a Psalm study, References and Resources for textual information about the topic, Literature Selections of the Week (for grades K-2, 3+, 5+ and 8+), a Family Read Aloud suggestion, Writing Ideas, Optional Fiction & free online resources, movies, and suggested Activities. Introductory information in each Guide includes the usual "how to find books" and "how to use the plan" information as well as the book lists for both the scheduled and the optional literature.

If it sounds like the Family Guides might be all you need you would be correct. They're comprehensive and thorough; well-constructed plans. You could complete four years (plus four more if you wanted) of interesting history, absorbing literature, and engaging activity possibilities using just these Guides. If you go this route, you will need to use the frequently-referenced "spine resources." These include Story of the World, Mystery of History, The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History, or History of US and a number of others.

However, there is an alternative route. If you like to have perfectly coordinated, quality material at your fingertips rather than scrambling for it then you can incorporate one or more of the following BiblioPlan text components to use alongside the Family Guide.

BiblioPlan Text Components: Remember the Days, Consider the Years and Companions

  • Remember the Days - textbooks written specifically for Grades K-6 are available for Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern.
  • Consider the Years - textbook written specifically for Grades 7-12 is available for Ancient. It is a reworking of the older Companions and part of the 2nd edition material now available for Ancient.
  • Companions are currently available for Medieval (two-book set), Early Modern (two-book set), and Modern. These are 1st edition texts and are being replaced with the Consider the Year text. For Ancients the Companions are only compatible with the 2012 edition of Cool History.

With options for each time period, these are full-color historical textbooks that provide textual information (world history, U.S. history, church history, and geography) in a narrative prose style interspersed with all sorts of intriguing factual and cultural anecdotes. They are color-coordinated so you know instantly if you're reading history text (black & white) or about people and special events or biblical quotes (various colored backgrounds). These are books which beg to be pored over. As an example, in random pages from the Medieval Companion, there is a section on Muslim food laws and their rituals for newborns, a description of a tughra (Ottoman sultans signature) with gorgeous, artistic examples and a Turkish paper decorating technique ebru. In the Giants of the Faith section is a biographical sketch of Saint George and the Dragon which continues onto the next page and includes a large, glorious artwork reproduction of the same.

There is a pattern to the information provided for each chapter (each time period book has 34 chapters - one for each week): Geography Focus, History Focus, Fascinating Facts, Mystifying Myths, Interesting Individuals, Fascinating Foods, Church History Focus, Critical Concepts, and Giants of the Faith. Just in case there's any doubt, Remember the Days, Consider the Years, and the Companions as well as all the BiblioPlan materials have a consistent biblical and Christian worldview. These books provide all the necessary textual information for Classtime and greatly reduce, or even eliminate, the need for any outside historical reference books or spines. That being said, some may still choose to use the suggested spine readings in order to provide even more historical perspective and textual information.

BiblioPlan Cool History

provides weekly assignment sheets at four different grade level groupings:

  • Littles (K-2)
  • Middles (2-6)
  • Upper Middles (6-8)
  • Advanced (8-12)

It's pretty easy to surmise that the goal of these is to allow a family to challengingly study the same time period and the same topics but at their own distinct levels. This is where you find your students’ work and in upper levels their assessments also. There are subtle grade-appropriate variations in the levels but these pages include reading assignments and questions taken from the Remember the Days, Consider the Years, and Companion readings.

  • The Littles book in the older edition (Medieval, Early Modern, Modern) has suggested reading assignments and questions from Remember the Days; in the 2nd edition (Ancients) these reading assignments are found in the Family Guide. Also included are fun hands-on activities and Globe Fun (introductory map activities). The “Giants of the Faith” section provides biblical figures associated with the times and places of study. These are consumable, colored workbooks.
  • The Middles book has questions from the readings and Giants of the Faith suggestions and adds Challenge Questions plus an Optional Bonus Question or Activity. These are consumable, colored workbooks.
  • Upper Middles has Questions from the readings, Challenge Questions, Optional Bonus Question or Activity and includes periodic (about every six weeks) exams. These are consumable, colored workbooks.
  • Advanced assignment sheets have assorted questions (fill in the blank, short answers, short essays) all taken from Consider the Years or the Companions as well as research essays (outside of the text readings). Also included are periodic (about every six weeks) exams. These are consumable, black and white workbooks.

BiblioPlan Hands On Maps

provides one or two full-color maps each week that correspond to the week's lesson content. Instructions for the maps are printed directly on the map. While students may need to gather a little helpful information from a world map and/or Remember the Days, Consider the Years, or the Companions, students will be able to complete the maps at their level more-or-less on their own. The same set of maps is included in both books

  • The Middles maps set has suggestions for K-2, 3+, and 5+ students. These maps includes some prompts and partial information that makes them easier to complete. These maps and activities correlate with the Remember the Days as well as the Companion text for the K-8 grade material.
  • The Advanced maps set includes a geography scope and sequence as well as a Challenge activity for each of the maps. Six exams for this level are included in the Answer Key pdf. These maps and activities correlate only with the Consider the Years text for Ancients and the Companion for Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern.

PDF Exams and Answer Keys


If you're concerned about answers to all the Cool History questions or the exams, they do exist but they aren't in the Cool History books. An Answer Key pdf is sent from our office via email after your order has been processed. For Upper Middles and Advanced Ancients, blank Exams and Exam Answers are emailed after purchase. For Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern blank exams and answers are found within the large Answer Key pdf that is sent.

The Maps Answer Key pdf is sent from our office via email as well after your order has been processed. Ancients, once again, has a separate pdf while Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern maps answers are found in the larger Cool History Answer Key pdf that is sent.

BiblioPlan Timelines & Figures

are well-crafted supplements with one distinct advantage over many other timelines - they're in color! The spiral-bound books can be used "as is" or the pages removed and the timeline mounted on a wall or the pages three-hole punched and the timeline placed into a binder which would allow your student to create an entire timeline in one place. Lots of flexibility here. The timeline consists of one or more colored strips (color varies with the time period) plus dated notes on particular events. The student cuts out the graphics and pictures (located in the back of the book) and inserts them in the appropriate place.

  • The Ancient Timeline includes two timelines: one for Biblical history and one for world history. The timeline is set-up as facing page timelines. Biblical history on one side and World History on the facing page.
  • The Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation Timeline includes two timelines one for church history and one for "regular" history. The timeline is set-up as facing page timelines. Medieval on one side and Church History on the facing page.
  • The Early America and the World Timeline and the Modern America and the World Timeline each feature facing pages; one for the Americas and one for the World.

As mentioned earlier, the Timeline Figures are mostly in color (some 19th and 20th century figures are prints of original black and white photos) and are eye-catching. Figures include portraits, artifacts, geographical features, monuments and buildings, photos or drawings of events, and much more.

BiblioPlan Craft Books

provide over two hundred activities that correlate with the Family Guides. These are cultural crafts, food, and fun referenced in the Cool History assignment sheets (three to five per week). The books are impressive - a well-illustrated, well-explained variety of crafts and projects. A few require materials from other sources but most include directions and full-color pictures. Here's a random selection from one book: Porcelain Painting (buy a kit), Hold a Japanese Tea Ceremony (get details from internet), Make a Kharbhooja Sharbat Drink (directions), Make a Flying Dragon Head (directions), Make a Chinese Dragon (directions), Make a Yurt (directions), Make a Chinese Cricket Cage (directions). Patterns, where needed, are provided in the back of the book. This book is fully integrated with the BiblioPlan program but could also be used as a supplement to another world history study.

The BiblioPlan Coloring Books

provide coloring sheets to accompany the lessons. These are referenced in the Family Guides. Utilizing the talents of present and former homeschooled students, multiple artists have produced a variety of styles and details in the drawings making them suitable for younger and older students. There is at least two and often three pages per week. Reproducible for families.

The BiblioPlan Family Discussion Guide

is for families who want some help in broadening their history studies into thoughtful family discussions. These Guides provide discussion starters that will help you guide your students into a better understanding of the connections between secular history and their Christian faith. One of the advantages of the Discussion Guide is that they allow you to lead discussions without having to study everything in the text books yourself.

The new edition (available for Ancients) has received a major facelift and shift in scope and sequence. Detailed out with Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric questions for each appropriate age level, there are also geography and general review questions for each week of study. Consider the Years specific questions are clearly identified.

BiblioPlan Cool History Classic

is a republished version of an older edition of the Cool History books. In this version (no grade level grouping designations), questions are based on the textual content of Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World rather than on the BiblioPlan Texts. This provides student work (no test or assessments), for all grade levels, if you choose the BiblioPlan path of using just the Family Guide and Story of The World approach.

BiblioPlan Hands-On Notebooking

These are only found as digital eBook purchases from the publisher. Biblioplan.net offers digital notebooking options to add to your studies and are geared to grade levels. Giants of the Faith adds Bible characters’ study and composition writing to their work. There is a Giants of the Faith notebook for each year. Countries of the World has a different country focus for each year of study. The U.S. States and Presidents is for year three and four studies and breaks the presidents into their appropriate era of service.

In conclusion, if your whole family is ready to dig into world history and you want a Christian perspective that provides flexibility, an excellent road map, comprehensive textual information, and colorful, engaging reinforcement and enrichment possibilities, then look no further than the new, reconstructed BiblioPlan. ~ Janice & Rebecca


Primary Subject
History/Geography
Grade Start
1
Grade End
5
ISBN
9781933339009
Binding
Perfect
Pages
338
Edition
Revised, Illustrated
Language
English
Series Title
The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child Ser.
Audience
General Adult
Contributor
Jeff West (Illustrator)
Author
Susan Wise Bauer
Format
Softcover Book
Brand Name
Peace Hill Press
Weight
0.9875 (lbs.)
Dimensions
8.25" x 5.25" x 0.81"
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Why did you choose this?
Rainbow Resource Center Store
We have heard great things about this curriculum
Lauren M on Aug 12, 2023
Love how it reads, intriguing to children
Leah G on Jul 17, 2023
We have heard great things about this curriculum
Lauren M on Aug 12, 2023
homeschool
candace D on Jul 28, 2023
Love how it reads, intriguing to children
Leah G on Jul 17, 2023
Homeschool Group Recommended
Amy F on Aug 29, 2022
recommended by co-ap
Christy M on Aug 3, 2022
homeschool coop teacher recommended it
Anna V on Jul 13, 2022
I love how this books follows the timeline of the Bible. History and the Bible can be matched up chronologically.
Melissa F on Jun 3, 2022
I love how my child can learn about ancient history with the help of this book. I really liked what I read from the sample, too.
Leanne S on Mar 21, 2022
heard about it
Tasha H on Oct 21, 2021
It was recommended by a Rainbow Resource consultant. I wanted something that was open and go, and did not require you to purchase a whole bunch of extra books. If this works out, it also has more books in this series that can be used at higher grade levels. This way, I won't have to search for new books each year.
Chiaen S on Aug 20, 2021
Required by our Christian classical school
Gary N on Aug 2, 2021
I have a 15 year old copy that I used with my older kids and now pages are lost - need a fresh copy! :)
Jennifer D on Jul 22, 2021
have a little one that wants to learn history. this format worked for my big kid
Kathleen C on Feb 19, 2021
Family said it was a very good book to read.
ZINA on Aug 21, 2020
Spine recommended for Wayfarer curriculum.
Heather M on Jul 27, 2020
This is a fantastic series that we have used in the past. We are now using it again 10 years later with our younger children.
Karen H on Jul 23, 2020
A homeschool friend's kids loved this history series.
September N on Jul 17, 2020
FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF HISTORY OF THE WORLD, WE PLAN TO LISTEN TO THE CD IN THE CAR IN OUR WAY TO DIFFERENT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Fabiola M on Jul 15, 2020
School's chosen curriculum
Joe W on Jul 12, 2020
As a history/anthropology major in college, I love history and look forward to teaching it to my son. I think teaching history chronologically and in a story format for the younger grades is a wonderful way to present it.
Bethany R on Jun 13, 2020
We started SOTW with Volume 2 because that is what the co-op was doing. We completed the rest of the series. My son wants to read book 1 before he starts middle school. We are planning to read it over the summer. He really likes SOTW and so do I!
Rhoda K on May 30, 2020
To go along with the book text for a history spine.
Daurice W on Oct 20, 2019
story form of history
jaime g on Oct 11, 2019
Recommended by a friend.
Helen T on Sep 26, 2019
To complement our existing history curriculum.
Kathleen B on Sep 1, 2019
FPA required 1st Grade book list
Swan D on Aug 12, 2019
Suggested textbook from our homeschool co-op.
Deitra M on Jul 19, 2019
Using this as a curriculum choice for 4 years.
User on Apr 7, 2019
I have used this text before. We are cycling back through the Story of the World volumes and needed additional texts for independent reading.
Kelly G on Jan 2, 2019
Heard good things
Samantha D on Nov 12, 2018
I've heard good things about it
Mary L on Nov 7, 2018
Came highly recommended by an experienced homeschool mom friend, who says that learning all world history chronologically (and from a biblical perspective) is critical to an educated understanding of the world as we know it today.
Samantha P on Oct 18, 2018
Recommended as a good history series.
Wendy on Sep 27, 2018
It was recommended
Angela Susan H on Sep 27, 2018
Matches with CC curriculum
Karrie N on Aug 20, 2018
required by homeschool coop
Kristy B on Aug 17, 2018
This material sounds like it makes history more enjoyable to learn .
Ashley A on Aug 13, 2018
We are listening to story of the world this year for history, I am so hands on for other subjects I needed something easy and doable for history.
Eric D on Aug 1, 2018
Needed for Co-op
Dawn J on Jul 18, 2018
We love SOTW, and needed to complete our collection with VOL I.
Jenna B. on Jul 17, 2018
We LOVE Story of the World. So entertaining and love doing history in the car!
Emily D on Jul 2, 2018
Want to try the series and see if my daughter learns from it.
Crystal P on May 13, 2018
Homeschool co-op book
Melissa S on Jan 29, 2018
timber doodle
Sally H on Jan 4, 2018
We are using as our spine for our Wayfarers curriculum history.
Rebecca on Jan 3, 2018
we needed a new history program and this came highly recommended
hannah t on Dec 26, 2017
used it before with a student and want it for my child. great bargain books price.
Patricia C on Nov 6, 2017
All of the reviews said this was good curriculum for multiple grades
Erika M on Oct 30, 2017
I had heard good things from those who used this curriculum. I was not terribly fond of history in school and didn't want a repeat for my child.
Desiree N on Oct 16, 2017
This book is required reading for Build Your Library Grade 1 curriculum. As well as for use with "The Well-Trained Mind: A guide to classical education at home", both of which we are using this year.
Mary Ellen M on Sep 29, 2017
homeschool
candace D on Jul 28, 2023
Homeschool Group Recommended
Amy F on Aug 29, 2022
Is this a spiral bound book?
A shopper on Mar 21, 2021
BEST ANSWER: This is not a spiral bound book. It is a standard softcover book.
Can anyone refer me to a curriculum that is similar to Story of the World (with an Audio format) for younger kids? Grade K
A shopper on Aug 30, 2018
BEST ANSWER: I use SOW with my youngest, while my olders listen. Of course, I'm planning on doing a 3ish year cycle so I'm introducing everything to him this time around and he will do more with it the next time around.
Are all the history reference books needed for this or is just one enough (Kingfisher or Usborne)?
A shopper on Jun 28, 2016
BEST ANSWER: Neither are needed if you are able to use reliable internet resources but they are incredibly useful especially Usborne! it has wonderful interactive activities that allow the students to do things like virtually visit an Egyptian pyramid and the illustrations are amazing!
What does s/c stand for?
A shopper on Jun 6, 2016
BEST ANSWER: s/c stands for softcover. You may see other designations meaning the same thing: paperback, sc, or pb. I'm sorry for the confusion.
What is the difference between the revised edition and the older edition? I have the older one and would like to know if I really need to upgrade. Thanks for your time.
Janel B on Nov 5, 2015
Story of the World Vol. 1 2nd Edition: Ancient Times (Paperback)
Story of the World Vol. 1 2nd Edition: Ancient Times (Paperback)
Story of the World Vol. 1 2nd Edition Activity Book (Paperback)
Story of the World Vol. 1 2nd Edition Activity Book (Paperback)
BEST ANSWER: Hello,
I am using the Story of the World series to teach Ancient History at a homeschool co-op. Some of my students have the original and some have the revised books. Since some of the families had already owned the book, I have tried to make adjustments when needed so that the families did not have to buy a new edition. So far, most of the content is the same with an infrequent difference in a map between the editions. I don't see it necessary to upgrade. Have a great night.
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4.6 / 5.0
14 Reviews
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Star
10
3
1
0
0
Rated 4 out of 5
Good book, a little dry for the kids
I enjoy this book more than my kids... It's well written and informative, but I little dry. I would definitely add some picture books if your kids are younger. It is not secular, which is fine, as we are Christian, but I didn't expect to find stories from the OT mingled with stories of Pharaohs. I do like it, it just doesn't seem to be a good fit with my kids. I may consider using the audio next time, as I've heard wonderful things about it! It probably also didn't help that I decided it would be easier to work through Ancient History by region. So now I'm skipping all around the book to fit my plan.
May 31, 2020
Purchased
 over 3 years ago
Rated 3 out of 5
Like the Story Format; not enough depth
I figured I would love the SOTW but it fails to deliver in a few key areas. First the pros in my opinion: the cost is fantastic, it covers a great deal of information, the activity book goes along nicely with it and I couldn't imagine using it without the activity book; the list of other recommended resources is VERY helpful and we use them all the time (lists are found in the activity book); I was most attracted to the story format and the kids enjoy that method of delivery.

Cons: There just isn't enough depth to retain the information. It almost spans too much while grasping little. We have been using this now for over half a year and have found to really retain information, we add on quite a few other materials such as biographies, A Child's History of the World, of course the Usbourne and Kingfisher History Encyclopedias, and timelines. So, while this has been a good spine for us, it is not nearly thorough enough to be used as a stand alone resource. I'm not sure that was the author's intention anyway since there are so many recommended books in the activity book. However, for retention sake, I've found us sticking with some areas of history (for example right now we're on Ancient Greece) for much longer than the book intends.

We will continue using it for a spine but I was hoping for a more thorough history view. I still have to find many resources to make this more retainable.
March 5, 2019
Purchased
 over 5 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
We love this book!
This is an incredible book! Definitely a must-have!
October 8, 2018
Purchased
 over 5 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
must read
Excellent, I would recommend it for a classical education of a wise future generation.
February 10, 2017
Purchased
 over 6 years ago
Rated 4 out of 5
Enjoyable
Currently using this for my kindergartener and a first grader. Both children are enjoying it. I makes my job to teach them easier.
November 3, 2015
Purchased
 over 8 years ago
Rated 4 out of 5
Maybe too advanced for 1st grade
We started this with my 1st grader this year. There are a lot of great activities to go along with the story but it seems like it may be too advanced for her right now or that she may benefit more from it when her brothers are old enough to participate in the experiments/activities with her. I also think these first years would be better spent learning more about our nation.
November 1, 2015
Purchased
 over 8 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
We love Story of the World! I always hated history in school even though I got straight A's I knew that I didn't have a coherent picture of the past Teaching history to my kids used to scare me until I found this curriculum First I borrowed and read through the Ancient Times book I couldn't put it down! I kept asking my husband things like "Have you ever heard of the Fertile Crescent?" "Did you know about the pictures carved into the ground in South America?" I had never learned about these things! Next I bought the book and activity book I am amazed at how much is packed into the activity book! I spent some time going through it picked out the activities I wanted to do made a list and went to town to buy simple supplies and make copies of the coloring pages The kids are so curious about the macaroni noodles grass seed clay and dowels that I got for history Now I will have practically no more prep time and the projects are going to be so fun to do!Final test: How do the kids like it? After the section about archaeology my 6 year old begged "Would you read that again?" He wanted to hear the text again before they went out on their own 'archaeological dig!' Today when I pulled out the book my 5 and 6 year olds said "Horray! History!" My 2 year old even participates in coloring and 'helping' with the projects and the reading sections aren't long I am able to read them before she gets too bored I'm so happy to have this resource to begin teaching my kids (and myself) all about history! One more note: although this is not a Christian curriculum it does respect the Christian perspective There is no talk of evolution or the evolutionary time-line In the book lists of the activity book there are notes about the books that have evolutionary content or nudity or might have content that is just too frightening for some children I really appreciate this!
June 10, 2011
Rated 5 out of 5
We used Story of the World #1 as our 1st grade history text as recommended in the Well-Trained Mind This was an excellent grammar stage text for studying ancient history There are 42 lessons and many of them are told in a story format which helped hold my son's attention We did one lesson per week There is a separate Activity Book which I recommend purchasing though it is at least double the price of the text book The book can be used alone of course but the Activity Book has a lot of good ideas in it for bringing history alive in a hands-on manner If you don't get the Activity Book you'll need to get your maps from some other source (such as Blackline Maps of World History Complete Set) This is considered to be not only a history course but a geography course as well
August 2, 2009
Rated 5 out of 5
We have thoroughly enjoyed this history program! ALL of my children have been able to participate on some levelThey LOVE listening to the chapters being read and I especially like the activity guide with the coloring pages narration questions activities and additional book liststhe children have enjoyed the maps and coloring pages They have learned SO much this year about ancient history and it amazes me how much they remember! My kids are ages 2 4 6 and 8--there is SO much you can add to this curriculum if you wish but if you choose to use it just as it is without anything extra then that is totally fine and so much more enriching than doing nothing at allI also like the ease of using this program! It is pick up and go every time we are ready to do history!
February 26, 2008
Rated 5 out of 5
The story format of this history text is interesting and short enough for my first grader but I could see that an older child would get a lot deeper with the same material I would strongly suggest the activity book to go with the history text if only for the matching maps and coloring sheets I think that as my daughter colors a picture of what I am reading about-- while I read it-- that she is paying attention on multiple levels instead of her mind wandering The texts are short enough for a single session with each chapter broken into manageable chunks As an adult I really appreciate the worldwide take on history-- not just Europe in here!
October 25, 2007
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