A Review of Home School in the Woods - Resources for History Study

Home School in the Woods is an educational publishing company that creates visual materials for the hands-on learning of history. They provide many products created with a unit study approach in mind. The products are excellent supplemental materials to add to any history curriculum. Their hands-on products are especially useful and adaptable when considering a range of learning styles. Adaptable to multiple ages, Home School in the Woods, has hands-on resources for both American and World History. They have multiple product lines that include; Hands-on History Lap Paks, Project Passport World History Studies, Time Travelers American History, Hand -on History Activity-Paks, Hands-on Activity Studies and the A La Carte Timelines.

This summer, we were given the opportunity to use and review the A La Carte, Science, Invention, and Mathematicians Timeline,  this is single product that includes illustrations of important events, inventors and scientists for use in a timeline creation of important scientific discoveries and innovations from the 2nd millennium B.C. through 2015.

 Science, Invention, and Mathematics is a collection of well done illustrations that focus on scientific events and personalities in history from the Through the Ages Timeline materials created by Home School in the Woods. 

We have incorporated Home School in the Woods Ala Carte projects into our homeschooling activities in the past. I have found that using a timeline can give us all an overview of events in history that puts our place in time into perspective. We included the Science, Invention, and Mathematicians Timeline that was provided for us to review into a brief history review for my daughter. Currently, in a light academic summer mode, we scanned, viewed and discussed the illustrations and began placing them in a timeline.

We used illustrations of events and inventors that we have previously studied, been made aware of or have some other understanding or even a simple connection to, for example; having previously read Listening to Crickets, a biography of Rachel Carson, my daughter knew about the work of Rachel Carson and was eager to place the related image into the time line, as a result, she has a better understanding of Rachel Carson's contributions to science based on when they happened. The image of Ada Lovelace was of interest because her name is in common (almost) with my teen daughter, Adah. It was through the timeline illustrations that we first became aware of Ada Lovelace. She is an interesting historical example of developing God given talents despite the cultural expectations surrounding an individual during the times in which they lived.



Using the multidisciplinary approach of unit studies, Time Travelers: New World Explorers and Project Passport World History Studies are series' of unit study resources. These sets are a way to dig deeper into history without having to track down as many reference materials yourself. The Project Passport set has the recently added pack of Ancient Rome and makes the ancient history series more complete. It is also now included in a bundle of this series.


I always appreciate resources that accompany curriculum materials that are directed at the parent/home educator. Articles with background references, tips for making the best use of a product and any words of encouragement are valuable to me as a homeschooling parent. The additional articles for parents are written from the perspective of an experienced homeschool parent and are both practical and encouraging. Suggestions for incorporating games and skill development, like penmanship, while using the timeline materials, are good reminders that as homeschooling families, we are constantly covering more learning than we are sometimes even aware that we are or can cover with a simple change of activity or viewpoint.

It is clear that Amy Pak, president, creator and illustrator for Home School in the Woods and the writer of parent help articles, has been there as a home educator of her children. Her guide "Teaching With Timelines" is helpful and informative for using Home School in the Wood's products. It is available on the Resources,etc page of Home School in the Woods website.

Spend some time exploring the resources available from Home School in the Woods, you will find some valuable components to add to your children's study of history. If you'd like to read other reviews of their products click the image below.