That being said, I have come back to this site and will now, hopefully, be more diligent in keeping up with it since I know that there are actually some people out there who are at least stopping by and reading what I have to say.
So...getting back on track, I thought that I should share my review of Colonial Life - HISTORY Through the Ages by Homeschool in the Woods. First, let me say that this review is my own and is no way endorsed or whatever by Homeschool in the Woods. I doubt they even know about this review. I haven't been paid, given anything, or what-have-you in order to give this review. It is all my own and I paid for the materials myself out of our own meager homeschooling budget. Moving on.
First, I would like to say that I love, LOVE, how hands-on this history study is. There are a ton of really cool kinetic activities that my son just adores. With his (and my) ADHD, something hands on really keeps his interest and helps his really grasp (no pun intended) what is going on in the lessons. The rope bed and tick mattress were two of the coolest activites that we have done thus far. And, personally, I'm looking forward to the paperdolls...but that's just me.
Second, the information is rich and interesting. Granted, I did need to suppliment some of the information with books checked out from our local library, but that's only because I really like digging deep into units like this and try to provide The Monk with as much of a well-rounded unit as possible.
Some of the cons - 1. I did need to suppliment the unit with books from the library. While the information provided with the unit is interesting, it is also a bit dry. Especially to a 9-year old boy. So, I needed to find materials that would interest him about the time period (you know, The Dreadful, Smelly Colonies, You Wouldn't Want to Be An American Colonist type of books). Just something to liven things up and make it more intersting for him.
2. This is a very Christian based unit...which, for us, isn't great. We are Buddhists, and using a Christian based curriculum is a tad...interesting. There is a lot of editing on my part. Now, I knew this when I purchased the curriculum, but finding secular social studies units that are hands on and interesting and geared towards homeschooling is VERY DIFFICULT. For some reason, there are far more Christian homeschooling families out there than non-Christian ones. Still, it would be nice if, maybe, there was a non-Christian edition so that everyone can enjoy the unit. Just saying.
Other than that, this is a great unit. I have also purchased The Revolutionary War unit, which will directly follow this one, so I'm pretty excited to see what all that entails (minus the editing, as previously mentioned).
If you are looking for an interesting, dynamic unit to help your homeschoolers make their way through our nation's history, then check out Homeschool in The Woods and see what they've got on tap. Thumbs up.
I hope this review helps.
Cheers!