History has been on our minds as of late. The twins and I are finding so many useful resources online. When we find something we really like, we reach out to the curriculum creator. We found Melissa Roy, a ballerina and homeschooling mommy to four, who created history units that cover the Big Bang and run through evolution and Ancient Greece. The Big Ideas through History is designed with different purchase options that allow you to mold the units and pieces to best fit your homeschool needs, from digging into entire units to just picking up individual sections, quizzes or activities.
Her site, Beyond Mommying, offers insightful and supportive articles on all things homeschooling along with free printables and downloads to include in your homeschool library.
What was the inspiration behind Big Ideas through History?
Big Ideas through History started as a program for my own kids. I wanted something affordable, secular, and unbiased and wasn’t happy with the options available, so I started piecing together my own program using library books and children’s history encyclopedias.
One of the biggest hurdles I had when planning a history program for my own kids was figuring out what to teach. So many programs are chronological or focus on singular events and people, whereas I wanted to teach my kids the big picture of how history unfolded and how we got to where we are today.
I spent a lot of time deciding on the order of topics, which I think is one thing that makes Big Ideas through History unique: big events and ideas that changed the world are grouped together into units of related topics which makes the big ideas easier to understand, rather than jumping from topic to topic as chronological programs often do.
Why is Big Ideas through History good for homeschooling?
I consider Big Ideas through History more of an outline than a full curriculum since parents have to source their own books/resources on each topic (though I provide many suggestions, both print and online). Each section includes a topic overview, suggested resources, activity suggestion, and quiz, so it can be used to supplement other curriculums or as a guide for putting together your own history program using resources and methods that best fit your family.
Because it’s important to me that Big Ideas through History be accessible to homeschooling families of all kinds, there are many different purchase options including, entire units, individual sections, just the quizzes or activities, etc. The book suggestion lists for each section are also available free to anyone at the book lists link on Beyond Mommying.
What are some tips for parents on how to best use Big Ideas through History?
Big Ideas through History is designed to be used with learners of all ages, and can be used over and over again, adding more depth and content each time, which is why the suggested resources for each section include picture books, reference books, and novels/chapter books. I’ve also put together teaching suggestions for each level of learner which can be found at Beyond Mommying.
What has been one of the more popular units?
Big Ideas through History was only launched last month, so it’s still a baby in the curriculum world and only the first 5 Units are currently available (which cover the birth of the earth through Ancient Greece).
But so far there has been a lot of interest in Unit 1: The Beginning of Human Kind, covering the Big Bang and evolution, which is left out of many homeschool programs. I’ve also seen people seeking information on the topics of Megaliths, Cro-Magnon, and Early Human Migration, and, of course, the Egyptians are always popular.