Making History Come to Life with Books Worth Reading {review}
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History should never be a subject your child is least interested in. We are thrilled by history because we read living books from extent sources, like Daniel Boone from the Heroes of History series from YWAM Publishing. Why would you ever want to go back to a dry short paragraph in a text book the you can jump right into the world of a historical figure and discover how life was lived all around them.
Bringing History to Life Through Context
When I was in school I hated history. Lists of names and dates did not stick in my brain. I was a little on the dyslexic side and had a terrible time with short numbers. Dates were the worst. History felt like hanging hats on a wall with no hooks.
Great Stories provide plenty of hooks to hang facts on.
Reading about the life of a historical character gives my kids context. They get a feel for what is going on before and during the time period the book takes place in. They live along side the character and feel what they felt. Reader get to experience life in a way they never would have otherwise.
As we have read historical novels, we’ve discovered that with enough context we can recall a great deal of the facts from what we read, AND our family loves history. The story’s structure provides the hooks I can hang facts on. Now they stick. It is a shame I thought I hated it all of these years, but I am thankful that my kids can love it with me this time around.
My son read about Daniel Boone from YWAM’s Heroes of History series. He is normally a good reader, but not nearly as enthusiastic as his older siblings. My 7th grader read his book on the life of Boone in just a few days. How is that for enthusiasm?
Every day he would find me after his reading time and share about what he read. By the end of the book Daniel Boone wasn’t not just a history name and date “fill in the blank” answer. Instead, to my son, he was a true historical hero.
Review points from My 12 year old reader
About the book, my son said, “I like how I could get a really good picture of the story. The beginning was interesting and made me want to read more. I could imagine what it was like to live back then and I learned about the different tribes of Indians.”
Regarding the life of Daniel Boone, “Daniel had an interesting life that made me want to keep reading to find out what happened next. People got sick a lot and everyone had to go out and do dangerous things. Daniel Boone was calm and kind, so he was able to get along with many different kinds of people. I liked that about him.”
Want to take it deeper without squelching your kids enthusiasm?
Don’t skip the study guide from YWAM Publishers. They know how to cary the excitement of a young reader along from story to study without skipping a beat. In the Daniel Boone guide, the first instruction was to begin currating items for a display corner. This idea could not be more appealing for a young reader. Every day my pockets are stuffed with random items my children have given to me that are vital to life. A shell from the gravel road, a rock that looks like gold. Children are currators by nature. This idea has kids finding links to the story they are reading from the first minute.
The study guides include:
Chapter review and discussion questions that are thinking questions.
Not just a bunch of search for the answer and fill in the blank, but questions that engage readers and make then really think about the characters lives.
Vocabulary builders.
YWAM helps reinforce new words by learning vocabulary through context. Great words are added to our mental word list every day. They are best assimilated as we read them naturally. The study guide brings those words back around to solidify understanding.
Prompt for every subject from Social Studies to Art
There is no shortage of material to get a full spectrum learning experience from your Heroes of History or Christian Heroes book from YWAM. Community Links give you ideas to spur further study in different fields related to your reading. For Daniel Boone suggestions for expanded learning communities to visit were; Blacksmithing, Frontiersman, hunter, surveyor, residence of Kentucky, members of the forestry service or a representative of a Native American tribe.
The more ideas I read in the study guide the more excited I was to use it. Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of “fun” ways to connect to what we are learning. There is so much to do in our day and “fun” seems to end up low on the priority list.
Heroes of History study guides would be a great way to inject more of that long lost fun into your homeschool day without losing precious productivity time.
We have read Gladys Aylward, Corrie ten Boom and Eric Liddell from the Christian Heroes series. All of these together would make a great introduction to the lives of missionaries who live real amazing lives and saw the power of God move on the behalf of the people they served. There are over 40 different characters to read about from YWAM so there is a character that will appeal to everyone.
I am grateful that YWAM has chosen to highlight lives of men and women that have made an impact on the communities they served. Being the community builders, leaders and champions for God wherever they are; this is a model I want ever before my kids, and character traits I hope they also choose to aspire to themselves.
