Uncle Sam and You

Classical Phonics is a deceptively simple little book our teachers and families use constantly in both kindergarten and first grade. It consists of phonetically arranged word lists for students to practice their growing phonics skills. In a word list there are no context clues, so the learner must rely on his mastery of letter sounds. For instance, if your child can pronounce each word in this list correctly – pot, pat, pit, put, pet – he knows his short vowel sounds, and you can move on to long vowels! If not, he needs more practice, and Classical Phonics is the most effective tool we know of to address the repetition that young ones need when learning to read. Classical Phonics can be used as a supplement to any phonics program, and covers nearly all English phonograms and sounds taught through second grade. Classical Phonics is your handy tool for phonics practice and for building confident readers.

Four levels available:

Paths of Exploration – Follow the steps of famous explorers and pioneers across America and let geography be your guide to science, history, language skills, and the arts. The paths of the explorers are seen through multidisciplinary eyes, but always with the same goals: to make learning enjoyable, memorable, and motivating.  Full year course for grades 3-5.

Paths of Settlement –  Key events studied include the Colonial Period, the Revolutionary War, the war of 1812, the Civil War, and Westward Expansion. Learn about the accomplishments of great Americans such as George Washington and Patrick Henry who built upon the trial blazed by brave explorers. Their actions teach us the principles of freedom and citizenship – founding and expanding our country, strengthening us in times of war and binding us together in times of struggle. Full year course for grades 3-5, but adaptable up to grade 7.

Paths of Progress – The lives of these devoted individuals and their contributions will be examined throughout our history, into the Industrial Revolution and the beginning of the 20th century. Some key figures studied include Ben Franklin, Samuel Morse, George Washington Carver, the Wright Brothers, and Thomas Edison. Full year course for grades 5-7, but adaptable for grades 4-8.

Journeys Through the Ancient World – Journeys through the Ancient World will transport your students into four important early civilizations—Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome. The Bible is an essential part of this study, as both an historical and a literary text.  For grades 6-8.

Handwriting without Tears aims to make legible and fluent handwriting an automatic, mastered skill. Simple for home educators to use, lessons take only 15 minutes a day. The main objective for students is to achieve goals, not to finish a set number of pages.

You can purchase a student and teacher book or a complete kit.

Volumes for the print version include:

Pre-Kindergarten: Children learn joyfully with the multisensory readiness activities in My First School Book. Children of different abilities develop and practice crucial readiness and pre-writing skills.

Kindergarten: Lessons teach capitals, lowercase letters, and numbers. Activities form good handwriting habits and develop strong writers.

First grade: Lessons emphasize the correct use of lowercase letters in words and sentences.  Activity pages combine handwriting instruction with other language arts lessons.

Second grade:  Learn & Check helps teachers and students check letter, word, and sentence skills. Activity pages combine handwriting instruction with punctuation, paragraph, poem, and language arts activities for practice.

Note:  Third through Fifth grade curriculum are also available, but are only in cursive.

Nothing engages a child in the learning experience like hands-on activities! History should never be a boring subject – there’s far too much of it to enjoy! Travel the world, step back to days of old, become the heroes and heroines of the eras, and witness God’s providence woven throughout it! By being grounded in the “when” and “where” that timelines and maps provide, and living the history through hands-on activities, 3-dimensional projects, drama, cooking, living books and more, your child will be transported to a whole new world and experience the events and meet the amazing people who carved the paths we walk today! The materials we develop at Home School in the Woods are designed to do just that!

TruthQuest History puts God back at the center of the past. Centered on “living books,” this creative approach to history integrates elements of both Charlotte Mason and Classical methods. Short, very informal introductions are written directly to the student and open up each topic with a distinctly Christian perspective. Suggestions for activities or writing exercises are often included as well. The booklists follow, with selected annotations on what pages or sections to read and appropriate grade levels for each entry. Incredibly flexible in nature, families can proceed at the pace that’s best for their students as they select “spines,” biographies, in-print books, and out-of-print classics from the extensive lists.

Proceeding chronologically, entries include lists for The First Settlement, Sir Walter Raleigh, King Philip’s War, French & Indian War, War of Independence, American Art, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Benjamin Rush, and other relevant unit-study topics.

Grades 1-5; may be adapted for younger or older siblings. 171 pages, softcover, spiral-bound.

Full resource list is included at the back of the book.