The Story of the World

Ah history... I always hated history in school.  I guess the teachers who taught it to us were really not teaching it.  I can only remember reading dry texts with lots of dates and details.  And then trying to memorize it all.  For me, the trouble with "history"  was that it seemed more like "no-story." Just boring facts.

So, now that I'm teaching history to my children, I am always looking for ways to bring the story to life.

Enter: The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child by Susan Wise Bauer.

If you're a classical educator, I'm sure you've heard of this series.  It's a history teachers dream!  I have actually come to love history thanks to this lovely set of books!  And, they are so well-suited to teaching world history to the younger learner.

There are four volumes, one for each year in the classical education cycle.  Each volume has a companion activity guide which is worth it's weight in gold! 

The activity guide contains references to other history books such as the The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia  and the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History, both of which are great for visual learners!  (Stay tuned for my post on learning styles, coming soon!)  

The activity guide also lists recommended reading of other non-fiction books (which can provide more background information on particular topics) as well as fiction which support the history theme.  Also found in the activity guide are reproducible maps and coloring pages, as well as recipes, craft ideas, games and more.  And, oh, let's not forget the review questions (it has those as well, although I admit to not using them a whole lot!)

For those auditory learners out there the series also comes with a compete set of audio books.  These are the full text, not abridged!  Each volume comes with 7 or more CDs. We love listening to them in the car!

The Story of the World is a complete history in four volumes from ancient to modern times.  My kids love to do the crafts, activities and recipes in the books.  And I love that the content is well researched and written in a clear and engaging style.

If you haven't seen them yet, check them out!

Related posts:

Story of the World Blog