Category: Family

5th Grade, Education, Family, Homeschool, Teaching Resources

HUE HD Pro Camera Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary product received from HUE!

When the pandemic struck I was teaching at my son’s homeschool co-op. After several weeks of trying to pull things together for our students, we ended our school year on a sad note. Then Fall 2020 came and like many schools, homeschool co-ops turned to virtual teaching so we could stay connected with our students. Fast forward 9 months and teachers across the country had learn to adapt and come up with some innovative ways to teach online. I happened to follow one great teacher on Instagram and she spoke highly of the HUE HD PRO Camera. Teachers commented on the post saying the same great things about HUE HD PRO Camera. I knew I needed to get one of these because I was also teaching online and needed a better way to present lessons.

When I was approached to review HUE HD PRO Camera I was overjoyed because this has been on my list to purchase as soon as I could.

HUE HD PRO Camera is super simple to set up and can be used on PC and MAC computers, be sure to check your system with the HUE HD PRO Camera system requirements. I first set it up on my son’s PC because he has already told me that he is using it for stop animation, so I went ahead and downloaded the software for him and HE showed me how to use the camera. Then my husband got wind that I was setting up on my son’s computer and he insisted he was next on his MAC so he could use it for recording music production tutorials. Later I set it up on my computer to try out with my summer virtual students.

HUE HD PRO Camera includes a flexible body and stand, you can use the camera while on the stand or attach it directly to your computer. The camera can capture a standard size document or A4. With manual focus and magnification, you can use up close with objects for demonstrations. HUE HD PRO Camera uses a high-quality microphone and LED lights. The additional HUE INTUITION software is spectacular for teaching allowing you to be able to “annotate and manipulate the live video stream”. The HUE INTUITION software also allows you to:

  • Record Videos
  • Scan documents
  • Image Capture
  • Skype
HUE INTUITION

I am super impressed using it with one of my virtual students I tutor he likes to have a visual of the page we are working on so he can find the page faster in his book and we can work together. Now before having the HUE HD PRO Camera I had to scan the sheet then upload it to my computer, then try to work on the sheet with him using annotate in Zoom while trying to manage my teacher’s manual. Now all I have to do is turn on my camera share screen and place the page in a sheet protector and slide under HUE HD PRO Camera and keep it moving. No more scanning and weird clumsy writing with annotating.

HUE HD PRO Camera is a really great addition to our homeschool and my teaching online. I am still learning my way around HUE INTUITION so I can really use the software to make things easier for my students and my son. At the time of this review HUE HD PRO Camera is $79.95 and it comes in four cool colors. You can also project on whiteboards and projectors, this is definitely a must-have for back to school for teachers. If you are looking for a gift to give your student’s teacher I recommend HUE HD PRO Camera they will love it.

Until the Next Time,

Mom and J

Early Math Skills, Education, Family, Homeschool, Preschool

Creta Class: Math Class

Little Learner and Mom

This review is in partnership with Creta Class. I received access to the app to facilitate my review all opinions are my own.

Math is one of those skills you want to start your children on the right path. As parents, we are our children’s first teachers and we play all kinds of finger play games for counting and read tons of picture books with numbers and counting. What if there was an app that could start your little learners on the right path. Well, the creators at Creta Class have created a wonderful educational platform for children ages 3-8.

At first glance, I was captivated by Creta Class graphics and Momo and his friends. Creta Class was designed by early education experts to ensure your little mathematicians kickstart their math skills on the right foot. Creta Class experts have really outdone themselves with the app. We have reviewed many apps and I was very impressed with how this app was designed.

Creta Class learning approach is systemic there are 5 stages of learning, starting with the very basics of 2D & 3D shapes. Students will work over the week concentrating on that week’s skill. I really appreciate that the app is done daily for as little as 10 minutes a day. Creta Class Math Class lessons are presented with fun animation between the videos students practice the skill 3 times. Creta Class is a mastery math class, students will practice skills and review until they move on to the next week’s unit. Parents receive a detailed report after each week’s unit as well as students can see their progress. Creta Class Math Class is a great way to lesson plan if you are a homeschooler and supplement learning.

What I really like about Creta Class is it’s not a video game or overly loaded with games. The lessons are meaningful and designed to keep your student’s interest and help them learn basic math skills, without all the extra distractions. Creta Class lessons cover:

  • Problem Solving
  • Arithmetic
  • Logical Reasoning
  • Builds Confidence
  • Spatial Awareness

Creta Class 5 stage plan has 240 lessons with one lesson a day for 12 months. I also like that the platform combines lessons that use both real-life pictures and illustrations. With me having background in Montessori I really appreciated the simplicity of the lessons and they are child-led and focus on the whole child.

My son and I tried out several of the units. My son is older than the app appeals to but he found the app fun and agreed with me that this would have been great if he was younger. I really enjoyed the weekly challenge at the end of Unit 1 week 3, he said it was cool how they reviewed all the week’s concepts at the end of the week with a racetrack race. I personally also liked that Thursdays is a review of all the week’s lessons. Creta Class is a safe and educational app that I would feel comfortable using with a younger child. This purposeful screen time with a focus and goal, I wish this app was around when my son was younger.

I really like Creta Class Math Class for ages 3-8 years the program lays a solid foundation for early math skills. With 1000+ lessons, personalized lesson plans, and engaging activities math is fun and easy to master. Students develop a healthy growth mindset toward math and build self-esteem.

Creta ClassI highly recommends Creta Class, you can learn more about this fabulous math app by clicking the banner below or clicking here. Creta Class is available on IOS and Google play. If you are looking to start your students on a great path to math excellence Creta Class is definitely where I would start.

Until the Next Time,

Mom and J

4th Grade, Family, Family Life, Homeschool, Homeschool Family, mindfulness, Mom Life, Parenting

Homeschool Rewind!

Little Learner and Mom

It’s been a while since I have just written a blog piece that wasn’t a review in a long time, but 2022 means new things for our homeschool journey. For the last 4 years, we have been eclectic homeschoolers. I bought the curriculums and wrote out elaborate homeschool lessons. Then in October I started to feel burnt out and observed my son was just not his usual cheerful self and we butting heads a lot when it came to getting lessons completed. Seeing my now unhappy 4th grader I started to examine what was going wrong without homeschool.

Unkownglingy after careful observation our homeschool was starting to turn into the one thing I hated and promised myself I wouldn’t do, we were doing “school at home”!!! How did we get here? We weren’t playing games anymore… hands-on learning opportunities were still present but opportunities were few. Then it was the curriculum I had chosen curriculum that wasn’t interesting and just busywork. What had I done to our homeschool? How could I get things back to our happy place?

The first thing I did was sit down with my son and talk with him. I was shocked at how unhappy he was with our current homeschool situation, I promised him that we would get things back on track. Luckily I kept all of my previous planners and I opened them up and started to examine our previous years. After looking over the planners, I ordered a new planner because I wanted a fresh start. I needed to start fresh and our current planner for the school year was a constant reminder to me of what I had done to our homeschool. I looked over our curriculum and took the advice of a good friend on Youtube and made four piles:

  • Summer Review!
  • Stretch for 5th and 6th grade!
  • Donate/Sell!
  • You were nuts buying this!

After doing a curriculum check I had to do a mental check, we desperately needed to include mindfulness back into our homeschool day. I personally was suffering from weekly headaches and anxiety. My son was also starting to show signs of anxiety because we were just not starting our day peacefully but rushing. So I purchased us some new meditation cards, My 52 List Project, and 52 List Calm. I also picked up a few books for executive functioning and a workbook for gifted kiddos.

I also slowed our pace down for doing actual homeschool lessons. We now operate on 3-4 lessons independently and then the ones that require more 1:1 we do in the afternoon. I am making it a point to meal plan again and prepare 3 meals a week that can stretch for 2 days and the 1 day is a fun meal! I pulled out our Kid Stir, Raddish Kids kits and dedicated one afternoon a week lunch to us cooking together. While revamping our homeschool I noticed we had a significant amount of games that still had their wrapper on them. I pulled all those new games out and put them in the forefront.

I looked over our curriculum and noticed we were doing a lot of repetitiveness in lessons. Now I am well aware that there is going to be review in many curricula, but what I saw was we were truly repeating stuff my son had fully mastered. So I am taking a hard look and decided that I would make some big changes for 2022-2023, we would move towards the 5th/6th-grade curriculum. After all, his math was already 5/6th and he is working well above 4th/5th-grade in language arts, geography, history, and science. So why am I boring him to pieces with repetitive lessons he has mastered. I will continue to analyze his lessons and add support where needed. It was time for a major change and to offer him lessons that work for him and that he loves.

I think what help me validate my decision was watching my good friend Erica over at the Melanated and Well Educated 2022-2023 curriculum choices video. My son is a huge Mrs. Erica fan he studied her video and made his own list of things he liked from the video. He also let me know he wants me to get books about anatomy and physiology and cardiac science because he wants to learn all he can about the heart. With the sincerity and excitement in his voice, I knew he was ready to shift his learning. Little J is looking to expand his knowledge beyond the standard curriculums I was considering. He wanted to see even more of his ancestry in his lessons, my child is wanting to be fulfilled and I needed to pour into his cup.

So many changes have taken place these last few weeks that I know will make our homeschool more of what we both want. Be on the lookout for our 2022-2023 Curriculum Choices and Summer Review Choices!

Family, Family Life, Homeschool Family, Read Alouds

Whatsoever Stories: Farmyard Faith Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

I have always been interested in farm life. I love the idea of raising my own food and being self sufficient. Even though I dream of the day of raising chickens and planting an enormous garden but it is nice to have the opportunity from Whatsoever Stories Farmyard Faith by Kinsey M. Rockett.

If you have been looking for a book that will take a deeper dive into farm life then Farmyard Faith is the book for you. Written with such grace and endearment this book will take you on journey of a ten year life span as the Kinsey family transition city life to farm life.

With so many different life events you will watch this family manage adversities and build their bond as a family through their Christian faith. Farmyard Faith is paperback book with easy to read fonts and excellent paper quality. Farmyard Faith is over 200 pages of heartfelt emotions to bring the reader and their family closer to their own faith.

From learning to milk cows to keeping bees Farmyard Faith is full of surprises and learning moments for your family. A great read aloud for the entire family. Farmyard Faith is ages 10 – Adult. I read the book for my own pleasure and a few times shared some of the chapters with my son.

Farmyard Faith is a Christian literature but it will work for any faith. You will find biblical scriptures throughout the book. Chapter 26 Farmyard Fun features some insightful information that I found funny and valuable.

Farmyard Faith is a great read be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews of Whatsoever Stories Farmyard Faith by clicking the banner below.

4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, Education, Family, History, Homeschool

Beautiful Feet Books: Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State Review!

Little Learner and Mom

(Gifted)

Little Learner and Mom were once again given the honor of showcasing more of Beautiful Feet Books History and Science History curriculums. Our family was sent the Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State. I was very impressed by the selection of picture books and equally impressed by the books included in the rabbit trails and library recommendations.

When you think of history does California come to mind? Probably not, because when teaching US History we traditionally think about the eastern coast of the United States first and don’t usually venture further west until after the Civil War. Well while the east coast history plays a significant part in US History Beautiful Feet Book Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State brings the excitement about the West Coast.

Beautiful Feet Books curriculums are a Charlotte Mason-inspired. The company creators are homeschoolers themselves and have been inspiring families for 30 years with their beautiful illustrated literature.

To help homeschool parents ignite wonder and connect with their kids through the best stories and guided lessons.

Beautiful Feet Books History and Science History curriculums

Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State starts its journey through California’s rich history with the Ice Age. Students will embark on learning about animals during this time period and natural disasters. My learner and I spent time researching the La Brea Tarpits and the weather conditions of the world during the Ice Age. I thought of some fun movies (Ice Age animated series) and suggested documentaries suggested in the lesson guide. Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State covers history, geography, nature study, culinary history, and art study. Each lesson is estimated to take an hour for grades 4-6. You can find a complete scope and sequence on the product page.

Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State includes:

  • Teacher Guide
  • 80 Multi-Sensory Lessons
  • Blank Notebook
  • 17 Books
  • Downloadable timeline sheet

What is intriguing about Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State is the inclusive diversity of lessons presented. I was very pleased to see the inclusivity of African Americas and Asian Americans in the later lessons. Indigenous studies were included throughout the lessons as well which were done respectfully and with attention to detail. The selection of books was broad and packed with beautiful illustrations that held my 5th grader’s interest.

My son enjoyed the relaxed feel of learning about California he really spent time writing his journal and adding to his notes. We spent time painting, reading, and engaging in discussions about animals, culture, and global perspectives of California. We visited the story Kalifia as a rabbit trail we went down. He really enjoys geography, art, and culture.

Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State is meant to be covered in a complete school year. I can see how one can make this their entire year’s history because it is so much you can do that will combine other historical information about the US in this one curriculum. I hope that in the near future that Beautiful Feet Books will add more states because there is so much to unpack in US History.

What I did notice is when it was time to do the lessons we set up the environment. My son cleared our table and prepared a light snack, set out the materials, and turned on the diffuser with little lavender essential oils. I always made sure there was something art relative for us to do while I was reading the literature for that lesson. He did art, snacked and we talked. I don’t know what it was about setting up the environment this way but it made our lessons enjoyable and special.

We will be stretching this curriculum over the next 2 years and it will become our special interest history. I want to take our time with this one because along with what the curriculum provides I want to be able to include more historical information during certain time periods.

Library finds we added to our studies

At the time of this review Around California with Children’s Books Pack: A History of the Golden State cost is $252.95.

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Curriculum, Family, Homeschool, Spanish

Whistlefritz: Educator’s Spanish CollectionReview!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclaimer: Complimentary Product Received through the Homeschool Review Crew!

When my son was younger I had a bad habit of speaking Spanglish to him. While I do speak Spanish fluently my son still has a bad Spanglish habit. The Crew was given the opportunity to review Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection and Educator’s French Collection and we choose to review the digital Educator’s Spanish Collection.

My son already takes 1:1 Spanish classes with a wonderful Maestra who is located in Columbia. He meets with her 2 days a week for an hour. She is the real deal and we love her no English in her class is permitted. While he meets with her 2 days a week and she assigns homework. I wanted to also reinforce what he was learning in class and that’s where Educator’s Spanish Collection digital comes in.

Educator’s Spanish Collection is a fun at home Spanish program for kids preschool to early elementary they provide DVD or Digital language learning videos, music, and lessons plans. They also offer a free home educators guide for homeschoolers. The Educator’s Spanish Collection comes with:

  • Detailed Lesson Plans
  • Digitals Videos
  • Digital music
  • Matching cards

Whistlefritz is a language immersion program, your students are immediately introduced to the language. I personally prefer a total immersion approach I feel students pick up the language better. I also like that music is included in the program because when learning a new language it’s important that you not only immersed yourself into the language but also into the culture. It is was nice that the program has a native speaker doing the videos.

Los Animales with Spanish subtitles
Los Animales with English subtitles
Total Immersion all Spanish no subtitles!

Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection is geared towards ages one to seven years old. I wish I had this program when my son was younger because I probably could have avoided his Spanglish habits. Now we used Educator’s Spanish Collection a little differently from how it was intended. Since we are Spanish speaking family I was more interested in my son working on his ability to and write Spanish. The 174 page educators guide was perfect for this practice. I decided to take the lessons and write them on our big board and he needed to fill in in the blanks in his notebooks, I also did dication practice and he had to write down what I was saying in his notebook and use the correct the vocabulary word.

Educator’s Spanish Collection videos are colorful and packed with tons of vocabulary. The use of puppets and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds is a huge plus. The fun songs are easy to learn and enjoyable. I didn notice that the digital version only came with 4 sheets of the matching card game, but I am thinking this may be and error because there are suppose to be 50 cards. We used those cards we did have for vocabulary and I plan to reach out to the company to get the other cards.

I highly recommend Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection for younger students, the program provides a solid spanish beginning foundations. I love how the instructor speaks in Spanish naturally and at the correct pace. Some may find this difficult but this immersion stops the unnatural flow of the language. The progma is engaging and the 40 lessons provide parents with helpful ways to teach Spanish. Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection is geared to younger learners, but it works well for older students for learning a second language.

I did have my son watch a few of the videos that were in Spanish only. I did this because he is familiar with Spanish only and I am I trying to break those habits of Spanglish.

Be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews of Whistlefritz Educator’s Spanish Collection and Educator’s French Collection by clicking the banner below.

Family, Geography, History, Homeschool, Unit Study

Celebrate States: Colorado Review !

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

Looking for a great way to explore the United States without leaving your home? Have you been interested in visiting a state and would like to get a glimpse of that state before leaving your home? If you answered yes to those questions then Celebrate States is a great way to bring a monthly state to your home.

Celebrate States is a monthly box subscription that features a new state every month. You will get a chance to learn about the history, geography, landmarks, and some of the local favorites.

We received the Colorado box for the month of March. Inside our guide we received:

🗺Colorado travel Guide and map.

🍬Sweet and savory treats from local shops.

🧼Lovely artisan scented soap.

🌲Beautifully crafted Aspen candle holder from the Rocky Mountains.

After going through the Celebrate States box we decided to dig deeper into some of the things he found of interest from the included travel guide. We watched a PBS documentary about the Rocky Mountains. The PBS documentary was very informative we learned about the:

  • Sicangu Lakota Oyate
  • San Luis Valley
  • Indian Boarding Schools
  • Gold Rush
  • Black in Denver Art Exhibit
  • Homesteading
  • The Railway
  • Natural Resources

We enjoyed the Colorado box it allowed us to have a connection to the state. The Celebrate States is a wonderful way to explore the United States with your family. This will make a great complement to homeschool geography lessons.

As you can tell we took the box and ran with it. It was nice to give my son a peek into the beautiful state of Colorado. This is a great addition to our study this upcoming year. I am going to reach out to the company and ask if we can get the Georgia box.

Until the next time,

Mom and J

Family, Games and Apps, History, Homeschool

Grandpa Beck’s Games: Antiquity Quest Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

We have been gaming it up with games sent to us from Grandpa Beck’s Games. This mom knows how much fun game schooling can be for us in our homeschool so we have been enjoying the Antiquity Quest card game.

Antiquity Quest

Antiquity Quest reminds me of the classic game Skipbo where you have to order your cards into sets. Antiquity Quest is for 2-8 players ages 10- up, gameplay averages 30-45 mins. Antiquity Quest can be played individually or as a team. The rules of the game are simple to follow and there are several how-to-play videos on Youtube. The object of the game is to score the most points by collecting the most sets. If you have a budding archaeologist Antiquity Quest is perfect for them as they go on the hunt to collect they try to make perfect collections of gems or antiquity cards.

Players can collect perfect collections but collect a perfect set of antiquity and gems cards from 1 to 5. You can also score with standard or mixed collections, but watch out because other players can wreck habits on your building collections by adding an odd number card to your collections. Antiquity Quest is a multi-play game so you will have to draw, play, and discard. There are special cards that can turn the game around.

Antiquity Quest cards are durable and colorful, the antiquity cards feature real pictures of ancient civilization artifacts. I do wish that a little background information was given about the artifacts as well as the different gems I think this little information would have added an educational component to the game.

Antiquity Quest is fast pace paced fun game that is great for family nights, co-ops, reunions, and game schooling. If you want to purchase a game use MelanatedGold15 to save 15% off any games you purchase.

Until the next time,

Mom and J

Education, Family, Games and Apps, Geography, Homeschool

SimplyFun: Dish Em Out and Eagle Chase Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

I have always been curious about SimplyFun Games for our homeschool, so we were given the opportunity to check out Dish Em Out and Eagle Chase I was excited to be a part of this review.

About SimplyFun

The company was launched in 2004, their unique educational games are designed to help students master skills through play. The games promote character building, educational skill development, cooperative play opportunities, and fun. With the growing rate of use of screens, SimplyFun brings fun to board games.

SimplyFun games are for kids ages 3 – 12+, and 2-5 players. The games are divided into 4 categories when purchasing:

  • Reading & Language Arts
  • Math & Stem
  • Social Science & Studies
  • Life & Thinking Skills

I really like how SimplyFun games accommodate all children learning and playing needs. When you select a game on the website the company gives you details on how to play, educational standards, skills, special needs, students with autism, and extended play. I know many parents will find this information handy when selecting games and it is also offered as a free download. There are also instructional videos for each of their games, this is a major plus.

Instead of simply teaching kids to play, could we create games that help them thrive?

Simply Fun

Dish ’em Out

Are you a fan of the game Dinner Dash? If so you are going to love playing Dish ’em Out. Dish ’em Out is a fast-paced game of logic and critical thinking skills. Your student is given the opportunity to run a breakfast diner, but the catch is you have to use your critical thinking skills to make sure you select the correct items to cook in enough time per each turn because some items have a faster cook time. The gameplay was super easy and my son enjoyed playing as if we were in a real diner cooking. I noticed my son spent time carefully deciding on what items to cook first, but also learned from his mistakes when he picked the wrong items and had to discard them and lose points.

Dish ’em Out is for 2-5 players ages 8 & up the game is all about strategy in order to gain the most points. Gameplay is about 30 mins but I can see it going 45 mins when you are first learning to play. I did use the videos on the SimplyFun website to learn to play. The cost of Dish ’em Out is in heavy rotation for family game night and when we just need a brain break from homeschool lessons.

Eagle Chase

Eagle Chase is a United States geography and history game, players will travel across the country learning about the states. Sound easy right? Well, it is not that easy some of the geographical/historical facts students may be familiar with and some you and your kids may not know. I again used the video on the SimplyFun website to learn to play. The objective of the game is to chase the wooden eagle around the board to win points. You have to play your location cards and chase cards as you move on your turns. You also earn points on locations you visit in your hand. The Chase cards can work to your advantage depending on what you choose to do. My son LOVED Eagle Chase because he really loves history and geography and let me just tell you we played this game every day for 2 weeks straight. I won 2 games and he won the rest.

Eagle Chase replaced our US geography lessons for 2 weeks and I welcomed it. The game is still in rotation we are averaging 2 plays a week. Eagle Chase is for 2-5 players ages 10 up with 30 mins of gameplay. He has learned more US geography/history these last few weeks than he has learned in an entire school year. He has always known his state’s locations but sometimes would get a few confused when looking at the map now he knows all 50 locations and flies around the Eagle Chase board with his token.

My overall impression of the company is very positive, they come across as family-friendly, dedicated, and provide quality products. The gameboards are beautifully designed and durable game pieces. I appreciate that they have games for older students and the game prices are reasonable. My goal is to try to purchase 1-2 games a month to use in our upcoming school year. Some of the games I am looking to purchase are Word Bits, Cash Out, Vinculum, Eye to Eye Bundle, and a few more on my wish list.

If you are looking for some educational games that your student will enjoy I highly recommend SimplyFun Games and the games mentioned in this review. At the time of this review Dish ‘em Out is $34.99 and Eagle Chase is $39.99 a great investment for your homeschool or home!

Until the next time,

Mom and J

Critical Thinking and Logic, Curriculum, Education, Family, Geography, History, Homeschool

Curiosity Chronicles: Volume 2 Early Modern History Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

We love history in our home and focus on the gentle truth of history. We have several history curriculums we pull from and I always check actual true history that is secular. The gracious creators of the Curiosity Chronicles sent us their latest release Early Modern History Volume 2 to review.

We are no strangers to Curiosity Chronicles history curriculum; we actually own the Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Vol 1 curriculums. My son has really enjoyed the lessons we have done and I haven’t found any questionable text. Ted and Mona have been long-time friends of ours as we have journeyed our way through history over the years. Curiosity Chronicles is a multi-sensory history curriculum that works for students with different learning styles.

We believe everyone has a place at the table when it comes to telling history.

Curiosity Chronicles

Curiosity Chronicles is not your typical history of the curriculum. Students learn history through snapshots of historical time periods and global events. The curriculum follows Mona Ted through history through dialogues. The students are introduced to the characters then they begin to engage in historical conversations and take your students on adventures learning about artistic, cultural, scientific, and political perspectives in history.

Students learn history from a global perspective. History is never dull when using Curiosity Chronicles kids will engage in meaningful conversation with you and want to learn more. What I like about Curiosity Chronicles is that the lesson is actual snapshots of history topics. I have found that a vast majority of the snapshots in the text are never mentioned in other elementary history curriculums. I am also pleased the company includes so much diversity in the characters, illustrations, and subject matter.

Early Modern History Volume 2 picks up right where Early Modern Vol 1 leaves off and starts the conversations between Ted and Mona discussing Catherine the Great of Russia. Early Modern History Volume 2 has 36 chapters that are divided into 18 sections. Students will study history snapshots from 1550- 1850, with topics such as the Haitian Revolutionary War, Empires in Africa, Bolivarian Revolution, American Revolution, and much more. We received hard and digital copies of Early Modern History Volume 2 curriculum package.

The complete Early Modern History Volume 2 includes:

  • Snapshots of Early Modern History Vol. 2 text
  • Softcover Insrutctor and Student Guide
  • Audiobook Snapshots of Early Modern Vol. 2
  • Digital Ted’s Timeline Kit: Early Modern Vol. 2

In both Vol 1 and Vol 2 we see Ted and Mona’s friends Arthur and Lily in the cultural corners at the end of select chapters as they highlight important artists, writers, scientists, and musicians.

Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Volume 2 is truly a fun-filled comprehensive curriculum. Students will complete written lessons, mapwork, coloring pages, puzzles, STEM activities, and my son’s favorite Minecraft challenges. Lessons can be done family-style and the company is adding extension activities soon for older students. There are sections in the snapshot that invite students to research more on the historical topic they are studying. Early Modern History Volume 2 breaks important historical events down the curriculum is designed to with the children and not at them. My son enjoys curriculums that he feels are a part of the discussion.

Students will learn to discuss complex ideas, develop critical thinking skills, engage in hands-on learning, and find tangential learning!

Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Volume 2 comes with a Teds Timeline kit. The Timeline kit comes with templates and pictures for your student to construct a wall timeline (color or black and white) or notebook timeline. We have a history timeline notebook so we will be using this instead of the templates provided. For this review I let my son decide on what area of time he wanted to learn about and he choose Section 31 Empires of Africa Chapter 61 Shaka forges the Zulu. He listened to the audiobook snapshot during breakfast and later during the day we went through the Snapshots of Early Modern History Volume 2 text. We talked about the Zulu, Swazis, Basotho, Xhosa, Boers, and Southern Africa. Through our study, we discussed the different biomes of Africa and the migration of the great people of Africa across the continent. We were introduced to the great Zulu warrior Shaka and his military. My son was intrigued by this chapter he started researching EVERYTHING about the Zulu people. He went to work on his assignments and his Minecraft challenges. He really enjoyed this sneak peek into our history lesson for the Fall, not sure I am going to be able to keep this one on the shelf until September.

I highly recommend Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Volume 2 as well as all of the other history curriculums published by Curiosity Chronicles. The history is easy to follow and interactive.