How to Build a History Timeline

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My children are growing and it is time to start building a history timeline. After doing a bit of research, I decided I would like the notebooks from Homeschool in the Woods. We do not have a lot of wall space. Instead, we have lots and lots of windows. We already have paintings and pictures sitting in closets, for lack of space to hang them. So a keepsake notebook kind of timeline is what fits our family best.

Timeline notebooks

Beautiful timeline notebooks from Homeschool in the Woods

I bought each child a binder, the CD with all the figures, and the guide on how to place the figures. Looking back on it, I could have done without the guide, but when you don’t know how to even begin this project, you want to get all the help possible.

History Timeline Placement Guide

The placement guide helps you arrange the stickers on the page.

We are in the middle of volume 3, Story of the World, which means we started sticking our figures from 1700s on. We will continue through modern and contemporary history in volume 4 and then we will start with the Ancients all over again.

The best way for me to arrange these figures on the timeline was to buy Avery label sheets – a pack in which the entire 8.5×11 page is one big sticker. It feels like a waste, but it’s not. When you consider that we will be building this notebook for the next three years, the wear and tear on it becomes evident.

Timeline CD

The 2-volume CD contains PDF pages with figure for your timeline.

I have spoken with other homeschoolers who tried to glue pieces of paper and it either did not look right or they peeled off. Who wants to work twice when you could work once?

We have already started and I can see there will be some important places, people, and events that will be missing from the pack, but I can always research them separately. There are plenty for us to be busy for now and we can always add others later.


Well-Trained Mind Binder System

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We have been using the Well-Trained Mind binder system recommended by Susan Wise Bauer in her seminal book for several years now. It occurred to me that there might be homeschoolers out there who would like to see it in action. In fact, I have seen this question over and over in support groups for classical homeschoolers.

Well-Trained Mind binder system

My daughter’s binders

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So let’s start with a few pictures. Their binders sit on separate shelves in our school room. I am not a perfectionist when it comes to appearance. I don’t go all out when it comes to layout and design. A simple label on the outside of the binder helps us identify the name of the child and the subject matter. Continue reading »


Homeschooling Through Holiday Cheer

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So, it’s the holidays. How’s homeschooling working out for your? Is the holiday cheer making it stressful beyond belief? I hope not. I sincerely hope you have found the breaks to the holiday madness and imposed some strict boundaries on your time.

Enjoying the Aquarium gift shop

Enjoying the Aquarium gift shop

A friend of mine who grew up in Western Europe lives in the States right now as a musician. She was shocked by how crazy it gets in December, with all the concerts in which she was asked to perform and all the other engagements she was required to attend. She is right. Continue reading »


Santa Hat Edible Craft

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‘Tis the season to bake goodies and make special Christmas crafts. Why not combine the two and eat your creation once you are finished? Enter the edible Santa hat craft.

Santa Hats - edible craft

Santa Hats – edible craft

What you need: your favorite chocolate (or carob) muffin recipe, whipped cream (or your healthy, vegan version of it) and strawberries (cut off the end with the leaves). If you are looking for a good muffin recipe, I added mine below, gluten free and vegan.  Continue reading »


Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 21

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This chapter dealt with four wars – three completely useless plus the Seven Years’ War. George Washington gets introduced to students for the first time and our kids perked up when they heard his name. They knew about Washington from other books.

Camo shirt and blanket

Camo shirt and blanket

The chapter has two stories, both complex and rather boring at times. The children let me know that several times. As they colored the governor’s mansion coloring pages, I read to them.  Continue reading »


Story of the World, Vol. 3, Chapter 20

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Chapter 20 dealt with Ch’ien Lung (Qianlong) in two different stories. The first focused on his interest in books. Ch’ien Long was a patron of the arts in general, but he really, really liked books. He knew there were lots of books all over China and he wanted them in one place, for posterity. Yes, it sounds like he wanted a library.

Chi'en Lung (public domain picture)

Chi’en Lung (public domain picture)

He sent men all over China to gather up these volumes and split them into four categories. Then, he ordered them copied so that he may have nine copies of each. Of course, they copied them by hand. Continue reading »


The Nutcracker Ballet

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For the past five years, we have been attending The Nutcracker Ballet by the Appalachian Ballet Company. The shows always take place at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium.

Mom and children at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium

With my children at The Nutcracker in 2017

It is fun to establish Christmas traditions and then, as the years go by, compare pictures, especially when children are involved. Seeing their growth, one gets a sense of the passing of time. It’s shocking sometimes to compare “then” and “now” pictures and see just how much they have grown. Continue reading »


Thanksgiving 2017

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Did you have a good Thanksgiving celebration? We did. We stayed home and I prepared Quorn turkey (vegetarian, gluten free, soy free), gluten free dressing, cashew gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, sauteed broccoli, cranberry salad, bread sticks, and pumpkin pie (gluten free, dairy free).

Thanksgiving dinner with friends

Thanksgiving dinner with friends

I thought of making a salad, but I got too lazy. So I just cut up some Campari tomatoes and they got consumed. I know. I should make more of an effort with salad, but we just had so much going on, it was hard to get motivated. Continue reading »


How to Cook Acorn Squash

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In case you did not know this, I did not grow up in the United States. Where I grew up, we did not have acorn squash. We had pumpkins and gourds, to be sure, but nothing like the varieties I see around me here in Tennessee.

Baked acorn squash halves

Acorn squash baked by my own two hands

For the longest time, I thought one could not eat acorn squash. Somebody even told me they were only for decoration and I took their word for it. Boy, was I mistaken. Continue reading »


How to Prepare for a Spelling Bee

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Last year, our son attended his first Spelling Bee. He was in third grade, which is the first year a child can attend a Spelling Bee. On a national level, I see some first graders who make it to Washington, D. C. (usually homeschoolers) and I wonder how they got there. Their parents and teachers must have realized they are so good, they enrolled them and the youngsters blew their older peers out of the water.

BHEA Spelling Bee - January 2017

BHEA Spelling Bee – January 2017

Precocious kiddoes aside, third grade is where Spelling Bee starts. So how does one prepare for a Spelling Bee? Here are a few ideas: Continue reading »