Taking the Mystery Out of Teaching History in Your Homeschool
Description
Taking the Mystery Out of Teaching History in Your Homeschool
How can you move beyond dry dates and dull textbooks and make history a favorite subject in your homeschool? In this episode of Vintage Homeschool Moms, Felice Gerwitz is joined by longtime friend and fellow homeschool mom Meredith Curtis to talk about teaching history in a way that sparks excitement and long-term retention—from the early years all the way through high school.
You’ll hear practical ideas for using biographies, co-ops, timelines, cooking, music, art, original documents, and a Christian worldview to bring both American and world history to life.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:
History as “His Story”
Why Felice sees history as God’s story unfolding through time
The importance of teaching historic facts without revisionist or secular spin
How a biblical, creationist worldview changes the way you approach history resources
Why Just Reading the Textbook Isn’t Enough
Why most students won’t remember much from simply reading and answering end-of-chapter questions
How Felice and Meredith both started with textbooks but quickly realized they needed more
How to use a solid textbook as a jumping-off point for unit studies, hands-on work, and deeper discussion
Hands-On History in the Early Years
Using biographies and picture books (even with teens!) to make historical figures feel real
Simple ways to add fun:
Coloring pages or doodling during read-alouds for kids who focus better while their hands are busy
Simple crafts, skits, and pretend diaries written in the voice of a historical character
Themed days such as “Pioneer Day” or “Christmas in Colonial America”
How Meredith’s family used cooking as history in their co-op:
Geography year: authentic foods from each country
American history: recipes from different eras (including an authentic turtle soup recipe!)
Ancient history: foods that would have been eaten in the ancient world
Using Christmas unit studies tied to specific time periods and having your kids:
Make historically themed wrapping paper
Plan menus based on the era you’re studying
Bake cookies and foods that match the culture and time
What Is a Homeschool Co-op (and Do You Need One)?
A clear, simple definition of a homeschool co-op:
A group of three or more families learning together, with parents sharing teaching responsibilities.
How Felice and Meredith have homeschooled:
Just their own family
With one other family over many years (which eventually grew into a church co-op)
With larger, more structured co-ops
Examples of memorable co-op activities:
A medieval or colonial feast with costumes, bread-as-plates, eating with fingers, and “bones on the floor” to mimic the era
Weather stations and student “broadcasts”
Outdoor activities like jousting and historical games
Planning Your Week for History Success
How Felice structured her week in the early years:
Half-year focus: American history first half, science second half—then later alternating by days instead
Monday & Wednesday – History
Tuesday & Thursday – Science
Friday – Catch-up and field trip day
Why it’s okay to skip a day and then catch up with a synopsis instead of feeling “behind”
How field trips bless both kids and moms with community and shared experiences
Timelines, Dates, and Maps: Pegs for Memory
Using timelines in notebooks or all around the room so kids can “see” history across the ages
Doing a giant floor-length timeline and assigning each child a century to fill with key events
Marking history with Christ as the focal point:
Creation
Major biblical events (Noah, Abraham, David, Jesus)
Key turning points like the fall of Rome, the Battle of Hastings, Magna Carta, the Reformation, exploration, and more
Ending the timeline with “Jesus returns” to remind students that history has a beginning and an end
Why Meredith has her students memorize a small set of crucial dates as “pegs” for everything else
Using maps to:
Track explorers (Columbus, Balboa, Cabot, etc.) in different colors
Notice that cities and civilizations grow around water and fertile land
Connect geography to culture, trade, and war
Moving into Middle & High School: Going Deeper
Keeping everyone in the same time period while assigning more advanced work (projects, papers, and readings) to older students
Beginning to emphasize the “why” behind events:
Laws and changes in light of the U.S. Constitution
How different cultures’ worldviews shape their decisions, art, laws, and daily life
Using original documents and primary sources:
Reading real accounts of events like the Salem witch trials instead of relying on modern commentary
Looking at historic speeches, letters, and newspaper articles
Encouraging teens to evaluate current events through the lens of the Constitution and Scripture
Music, Art, Architecture, and Fashion in World History
Exploring how philosophy, literature, and worldview show up in:
Architecture
Paintings and sculpture
Music styles (Gregorian chant, Renaissance, Romantic, etc.)
Clothing and everyday objects
Comparing different periods:
Why Renaissance art is breathtaking but some students find Renaissance music hard to enjoy
How Romantic art, literature, music, and architecture all share a recognizable “feel”
Introducing teens to Francis Schaeffer’s classic series on culture, art, and philosophy to see how ideas shape civilizations
Literature + History + Writing
Pairing your history spine with:
American literature for U.S. history
British and world literature for world history
Using classics like Anne of Green Gables and C.S. Lewis to:
Stretch vocabulary and appreciation for language
Practice worldview evaluation and discussion
How Felice uses writing curriculums like WriteShop to strengthen high school writing in the context of history and literature studies
Creation vs. Evolution and Choosing Resources Wisely
Why Felice had to set aside a secular world history textbook that started with “ancient man” and evolutionary assumptions
Using creation science resources to compare claims and expose fallacies in evolutionary timelines
Encouraging teens to think critically about:
Fossil evidence
Assumptions in secular history texts
How worldview drives the story we tell about the past
American History & Government Courses for Homeschoolers
Use code: VHM50 to save $50 off of the American History video class.
Felice shares about the Media Angels American History and Government video classes:
Taught by AP-level instructor and award-winning professor Robert Woodrow Wilson
Recorded with a live audience
Heavy use of visuals, timelines, and “fabulous facts”
Students match key inventions, events, and people to the correct presidents and eras
How these classes help:
Build a solid chronological framework
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