Yes, it's summer break. But for years we've been in the habit of doing a bit of school during the summer, whether it's finishing something up, getting a head start, or doing a bit of review. And we also get to do some reviews of curriculum and resources! Over the past couple of weeks, we were able combine some history review with a Homeschool Crew review of A Timeline of World War II from the selection of A La Carte Projects offered by Home School in the Woods.
Home School in the Woods has been providing a variety of hands-on history products for homeschoolers since 2002. They started out with the timeline figures designed by Amy Pak to teach history to her own children. Now their product line includes Timelines, Map Sets, Activity Paks and Lap-Paks (lapbooks), and history activities and studies. In addition to these larger hands-on projects, they have a variety of A La Carte Projects, smalller individual projects that work as supplements to other studies or an introduction to using timelines, games, or lapbooks in your homeschool.
We chose A Timeline of World War II as a way to review that area of history that Kennady had studied and help her understand a little better how the major events of the time period fit together. This project comes as a download file, and includes the timeline figures, pre-dated lines, and a teacher's key that shows where all the figures belong. It's simple to use - print everything out, tape the timeline together, cut out the figures and place them on the timeline. It follows the events from the Treaty of Versailles and beginnings of the Nazi party in 1919 through to the end of the war and the Berlin Airlift in 1949. There are a total of 98 figures to add to the ten-page timeline.
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| finished project example from Home School in the Woods |
How did we use it? I took responsibility for printing all the pages - ten pages on cardstock that would become the timeline, and four pages of timeline figures - and then handed it all to my high school student along with the page of instructions, and let her figure out the rest. Unlike some lapbook or notebooking projects, this was very easy to construct. The timeline itself is designed to be accordion-folded, and the first page has room to be three-hole-punched so it can go into a notebook. Super-easy. Then the timeline figures are cut out and glued or taped to the timeline at the spots indicated. My student, having an artistic bent, took it upon herself to color many of the timeline figures, but that's totally optional. (Funny story about that in a moment)
There are two basic ways to use this project, and I imagine lots of variations on those. Either the timeline is the spine for a full study of World War II, or it's a supplement to a complete study. If you use it as the spine, the student will color, cut out, and add the figures to the timeline as they research and the events are studied in more detail. Doing it this way could stretch the use of the timeline over several weeks.
Or it can be used as more of a supplement, which is what we did. Kennady had studied World War II as part of a full world history course, but all the events and information related to the war was contained in one or two units of the textbook. Some of those chapters were pretty long, but it was still a lot of information condensed into those pages of intense reading. Not surprisingly for a visual learner, she confessed that she'd had trouble keeping everybody and everything straight and having a good sense of how events unfolded. So A Timeline of World War II worked really well as a way to review the facts and get that big picture. So she colored and cut out all the figures at once, and then worked on organizing them and placing them on the timeline, using her textbook as a reference to give her some context. Doing it this way, she completed it over several days, some on her own and some while I worked on something else nearby so we could discuss some of the people and events she was reviewing. She finished the project with a better big picture idea of how the Nazis expanded their influence by occupying neighboring countries, and how hostilities escalated. She learned a little more about the alliances and important battles, and could see how the United States was drawn into the fight.
There are two basic ways to use this project, and I imagine lots of variations on those. Either the timeline is the spine for a full study of World War II, or it's a supplement to a complete study. If you use it as the spine, the student will color, cut out, and add the figures to the timeline as they research and the events are studied in more detail. Doing it this way could stretch the use of the timeline over several weeks.
Or it can be used as more of a supplement, which is what we did. Kennady had studied World War II as part of a full world history course, but all the events and information related to the war was contained in one or two units of the textbook. Some of those chapters were pretty long, but it was still a lot of information condensed into those pages of intense reading. Not surprisingly for a visual learner, she confessed that she'd had trouble keeping everybody and everything straight and having a good sense of how events unfolded. So A Timeline of World War II worked really well as a way to review the facts and get that big picture. So she colored and cut out all the figures at once, and then worked on organizing them and placing them on the timeline, using her textbook as a reference to give her some context. Doing it this way, she completed it over several days, some on her own and some while I worked on something else nearby so we could discuss some of the people and events she was reviewing. She finished the project with a better big picture idea of how the Nazis expanded their influence by occupying neighboring countries, and how hostilities escalated. She learned a little more about the alliances and important battles, and could see how the United States was drawn into the fight.
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| timeline taped together and ready to go! |
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| first page of the timeline, all finished! |
The timeline figures are drawings of people, or of flags or objects the symbolize the event represented. For example, in this one, the occupations and invasions are all depicted by a fist with the flag or symbol of the occupying nation on the sleeve. Good visual cues! And there's just enough information in each caption to identify the event for research and to cue the memory when looking at the timeline.
Now, that story that I promised. On one of the days Kennady was working on her own, she was messaging me with her progress. Here's how part of that conversation went:
Kat: I made a mistake. 😟So we had some fun even while studying this very serious subject!
(sends me a photo of Stalin, colored)
Kat: HE'S ORANGE
Me: it's not that bad
Kat (sends me another photo, after an attempt to adjust): I'M MAKING IT WORSE
Me: 😂😂😂😂
Kat: I WANT A NEW STALIN
Me: You want to print a whole new page?
Kat: I drew a new Stalin - is that okay?
Me: Yes, if I can quote you in the review and put it on the Virtual Fridge
And she even thought it would be fun to have a picture with her finished project, but she told me to bury it near the bottom of the review, so that it didn't look like she was happy about the Nazis.
What we liked best:
- clear instructions, and a key if you need it to check where the figures are placed
- versatile use - the starting point for a whole in-depth study of the topic; or a supplemental or review tool
- suitable for a wide age range - from early grades all the way up through high school
What I need to mention:
- the timelines are not huge files, so the download was just a pdf, but some of the other projects are larger and come in downloads that need to be unzipped.
- I recommend reading the instructions completely before firing up the printer. Know what you need to print on what kind of paper before using up the ink, and sometimes there are specific instructions for getting it to print in the right size or orientation.
Our bottom line: Timelines, maps, and other visuals have proven very useful in our homeschool, so putting together a visually appealing timeline of important events in World War II was a great way to review and better understand what happened. For that reason, I really like this and the other timelines available as A La Carte Projects, because they can be used in so many ways and are perfect for visual learners and for any student that loves hands-on projects. And at just a few dollars apiece, they are definitely affordable!
Would you like to get your hands on these history projects? Here's what you need to know:
Visit the website: www.HomeSchoolintheWoods.com/
See all the A La Carte Projects available, and get the details on the project we reviewed: A Timeline of World War II.
Pricing: A Timeline of World War II is available as a download for $5.95. Other A La Carte Projects range from $1.95 to $12.95. See all the products and pricing on the website.
Age recommendations: This timeline project is suitable for Grades 3-12.
By the way, the newest Project Passport: Ancient Rome is now available, so make sure to check that one out!
We previously reviewed The 20th Century in America Lap-Pak from Home School in the Woods. You can read that review HERE.
We previously reviewed The 20th Century in America Lap-Pak from Home School in the Woods. You can read that review HERE.
Visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog for more information and to read other reviews. Crew members reviewed several other products, so be sure to check out all the reviews!
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