Are you still looking for something fun, adventurous, and entertaining, yet educational, to help supplement or use for your history studies this year? Do you want your children to explore a new world, meet courageous men, and find history thrilling? Then Home School in the Woods is exactly what you are looking for!
We want to introduce you to Amy Pak, author and publisher of one of the most popular curricula around, Home School in the Woods! What makes Amy and her guides so well loved? Amy understands that in order for a child to love learning, he has to like what he is doing. On top of that she helps unravel the mystery of God's plan for His people throughout history.
TOS: The name of your company sounds so homey! How did Home School in the Woods get started and how did you choose the name?
Amy: About eleven years ago we moved out to the country on a few acres of property in upstate New York. Our property was heavily wooded and contained a ravine and a creek. In the meantime, we decided to try creating a Web page to share with other homeschoolers lesson plans of a handful of unit studies we had developed for our own family use. It seemed such a shame to shelve them after just our use! (By the way, these same studies are still offered on our home page!) We gave ourselves the name "Home School in the Woods" as it fit us and our style. A few years later when we developed our first timeline set and began the official business, we kept the name as it was already becoming known in the homeschool online community, and we liked how personal and down to earth it was . . . much like us!
TOS: With all the curricula we have to choose from today, what gaps and needs does Home School in the Woods fill?
Amy: We found that history was one of those topics that 9 out of 10 people despised during school, and I'll let you in on a little secret--I was one of them! It's not surprising, since it was generally never taught in an engaging or personal way. History is made from events, stories, and legacies that span time. Time is an abstract concept, and in order to be understood, it needs to be displayed in a concrete framework. We developed our timeline figures as visual "anchor points" to meet that need, allowing the student (or adult!) to tie a recognizable icon or character to its place in history. Mapping is also crucial for placing where, geographically, these events are taking place. We also believe in making history hands-on and desirable to learn! I am forever encouraging moms to keep history fun, especially in the younger years. Children have to focus so much on the "readin', writin', and 'rithmetic" that for the most part is taught precept upon precept. In the elementary years, children need to develop a desire to know more, and that will not happen if they are getting burned out on rote memorization for all subjects or text-book teaching for everything! We help by encouraging history to be taught hands-on: living the lessons, lots of good reading, and learning in ways that encourage creativity!
History Through the Ages Timeline
Record of Time Suggested Record of Time Timeline Notebook Placement Printable Timeline Guide Notebook on CD TOS: History isn't just about a series of events. It's the unfolding of God's plan. How do you go about revealing this to students?
Amy: This is definitely an area close to our hearts! It pains me that we were brought up in public schools where such gaping holes were established by leaving out God's providence throughout history! How well history weaves together a wonderful picture when we see God's handiwork all throughout it! Seeing people placed strategically or events unfold with such obvious prophetic purpose--history is complete when it includes God; when He is removed, we are left with potholes and ruts where history falls short, gets stuck, or makes little sense. Our timeline figures include Biblical people and events, as well as figures representing the early church, missionaries, and more. Our Time Travelers include providential events and words right out of the mouths of those who lived at the times, such as particular Christian explorers and our founding fathers. Sadly, there is such a rewriting of our nation's history taking place in the last hundred years--it is our desire that children understand these men from their own words. Much research for our topics relied on texts, biographies, and autobiographies closer to their lifetimes that show that, albeit these men were not perfect, many still had a foundational relationship with their Creator.
TOS: Unit studies are very popular and with good reason! Can you tell us what a unit study is and how your curriculum is suited to this type of learning?
Amy: Our family has always been attracted to unit studies, because it takes a topic and attacks it from different angles. For example, one could study Egypt not just historically, but through health, science, music, art, reading, writing, physical education, Biblical studies, etc. This way a child keeps to the topic, learning about it in a well-rounded way. Timelines will keep an ongoing record of where in time each topic is taking place, so it keeps us understanding "the big picture." Our Time Travelers are actually history studies, since they incorporate many of these other areas, favoring history most. (They do not replace some of the other subjects, but will enhance the study with occasional science, health, etc.)
Hands-On History Activity-Paks
The Old Testament The New Testament ArtistsTOS: When studying history, it's important to see what else was taking place during the time you are studying. Why is this and how does keeping a timeline help?
Amy: No matter what way you choose to learn history, a timeline (and mapping) are still an integral part of "setting the scene." Much like a story teller begins by describing the surroundings in order to put the reader there, understanding the "when" and the "where" help anchor a child at a location in time and place, giving him a better understanding so he can move ahead from there with a foundational comprehension.
Time is already an abstract concept. The only way I can explain how
my mind wrestled with history in school was that there were little clouds of random facts and information floating above my head. Nothing had a purpose outside of itself, nothing connected with anything around it, and each piece of information was its own entity to the point where it floated, like a tiny boat adrift in the sea. It was as if each piece of information had its own size, shape, and image, but gave me just a glimpse of a picture. Once I realized that a timeline takes those small images and fits them together like puzzle pieces, I began to see a bigger picture take place. Further, it showed cause and effect, ebb and flow, rise and fall! It laid out these abstract "happenings" into a visual, concrete framework that told a story. Not only does it illustrate the individual topic before, during, and after, but it shows history "by the slice." What else was going on in the world at the same time? For example, while Hannibal was crossing the Alps during the second Punic War, the Great Wall of China was being built, and the first Hanukkah was celebrating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the victory of the Maccabean Revolt. While the Magna Carta was being signed into effect in England in 1215, Kublai Khan was born in Mongolia, and the Inca civilization was rising into existence. Timelines and maps act like the lines of longitude and latitude, taking you to a precise point of history and understanding it according to the context of its surroundings, both in time and place.
TOS: The Time Traveler's series looks fabulous and fun! Tell us a little bit more about them.
Amy: The Time Travelers were actually born out of the requests of moms who wanted to do all the fun activities we were doing in our school, but needed something to show them how! We consider Time Travelers to be "Activity Studies," although there is text provided for each lesson, the focus is on getting the children into the hands-on projects. Between 35 and 50 activities are provided in each Time Traveler, providing the child with a very unique and interesting student binder, as well as a complete Lap Book™. Also included in each one is a newspaper, recipes, Factfile vocabulary cards, file folder games, drama or dress up suggestions, three-dimensional projects, authentic crafts to the time period, experiments, several forms of creative writing, penmanship, and of course timelines and mapping! They are meant to be "lived," giving the child a more personal glimpse of history and many projects and keepsakes to be proud of when he is done. I've been touched to receive emails from not just moms, but children who have fallen in love with history now! To me, that is such an answer to prayer . . . and an inspiration to keep me going!
History Through the Ages Timeline Figures
Creation to Resurrection Christ to Revolution TOS: Aside from the Time Travelers, you also have lapbooking Activity Paks. A fun play on your name by the way! What subjects do these Paks cover, and how are they different from the Time Travelers?
Amy: Yes, I was very blessed to marry a man with a last name that lends itself so well to our mission! Among our requests from moms also came the request for materials that provide "just" a Lap Book™. Being that I get so many requests for topics and each Time Travelers takes me nearly a year to develop, the idea of creating just a Lap Book™ on various topics was appealing as I could meet the needs of what families were asking for. I had a version of "The Old Testament" as an example of a Lap Book™ on our Web site for years and had so many requests to put that into a product, that it seemed a natural place to start. We created the "Artists" one shortly after that, and of course that led to requests for a "Composers" one, and a "New Testament" to follow as well! And of course, we couldn't settle with "just" a Lap Book™; we had to add two additional activities along with each one. We've met those four requests now, and have many more suggestions on back burners waiting for an open front burner!
TOS: Currently you have five lesson plans for the Time Travelers series and four lesson plans for the Activity Paks. Will you be coming out with any more in either series?
Amy: I preface this with "Lord willing," but we do have plans to continue with the last two in the Time Travelers series, one of which I am beginning now: "The Industrial Revolution through the Great Depression" (due for release some time in 2010), and "WWII" (due for release in 2011). As for Activity-Paks, we are in the midst of creating a series of them called "Project Passport." These will be cultural Activity-Paks, focusing on a country at a time. Our many homeschooling friends in Canada have been requesting materials for Canadian studies for years, so we are beginning with Canada and Scotland as our first two, and will be doing an ancient series as well shortly after the first two are underway. From there, the choices are endless! I still have our youngest children I am homeschooling, so balance and margin are crucial. I can tend to get absorbed and a bit obsessive when I get into these projects, and my family is right there to keep me focused on priorities! They are also my biggest support and pep squad when a project is underway. In fact, we just completed a big project, after which I'm taking a short breather before commencing on the next Time Traveler! I'm happy to report that (also thanks to many requests) we've just expanded the maps from our "Record of Time" timeline notebook into two sets of world and United States maps, called "Olde World Style Maps." The CD version of them will be available at the end of August, but downloads are available now. Both sets combined contain over 300 maps, and a bonus of over 100 notebooking pages. Beyond this, who knows? The Lord has surprised us at every turn . . . and equipped us with a mission and blessed us with the stamina and endurance to meet it. Prayer is poured into every project we take on before a step is made. It has always been, and always will be, our desire to provide what He would have us do to bless the needs of the homeschool community, and to teach with God's providential hand in history!
TOS: Amy, thank you for taking the time to share your history with us! Who would have thought that learning history could be this easy and exciting?
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Home School in the Woods products in the Schoolhouse Store. Remember, shipping is always FREE!
Lap Book™ is a trademarked term used with permission from Tobin's Lab, Inc. www.tobinslab.com.
Wow!! As-tu acheté tout ce matériel??? C'est vraiment super et surtout motivant!!
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