Notgrass Company – American History Homeschool

I have never used any curriculum from Notgrass Company until this summer. And now I have found a new love for teaching American History homeschool style! The America the Beautiful Curriculum Package  ($99.95) that I am using now as our group history program is absolutely amazing! This 150 lesson, hardback set of two textbooks offers a Biblical approach to the land that we live in and love using over 1,000 pages to teach us all about life from the very beginning of Creation to present day. We are not only using the student textbooks as read alouds to all of the children but at the end of each lesson there are “assignments” that use Notgrass Company’s “We the People” reader, the Map workbook, the Lesson Review book ($9.95), the Student Workbook ($11.95), and even a timeline book, as well as writing assignments and Bible activities.

This American History homeschool package has the fun and flexibility of a unit study but with all of the “leg work” done for you. I love that this curriculum offers so many ways to reinforce what is read during the lessons. And the photographs are just stunning in the textbooks, they really make the information “come alive” as they give the children (and mothers to be honest) a great visual perspective of what life was like during the time studied. So far we have seen and studied animals, Indians, and settlers. The fact that Bible verses are scattered throughout each lesson and then are used during the activities makes this American History option that much more dear to my heart.

While these textbooks and their accompanying activity books are designed for children ages 10-14 as most of you know we do our science and history studies together as a family in our homeschool and this Notgrass Company homeschool history is no exception. And it has been great for all of us. I read aloud from the textbook to all of the children and then we work together through the activities. We take turns answering the review questions out loud and we discuss the “Thinking Biblically” where all of the children can give their ideas and share their thoughts. If there is a reading assignment from “We the People” we do that out loud as well. Each of the older three children have started notebooks in 3 ring binders for this year. It was an easy way to add the fun of notebooking that we have all come to love to this great year long curriculum that is easy for me to teach.

With the birth of a new baby this week I was looking for options that would streamline my planning time and my teaching time as well. This is proving to be just that. I just open the textbook and read and then the “activity” part of our unit is already created for me. I just add a bit of a multi-age flare and we are good to go. I really can’t express how much I LOVE this package. And if unit studies and notebooking are not really your style you can always use this set as a “traditional” textbook for your 5th-8th grader. Either way you choose to use this product it will offer your student a better understanding of American History from a Biblical perspective.

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