Sometimes finding age appropriate, interactive History curriculum is difficult. Sometimes we find ourselves piecing together things. Over the past 13 years in homeschooling I have used and looked at, reviewed and tested various curriculum for my kids. I poured over curriculums with lots of hands on activities and some with so much bookwork that the kids hated the subject. At one point in our homeschooling journey my oldest four declared in unison that they officially hated American History! I was shocked, what would happen if they really did begin to detest history?

Then we started our journey with Masterbooks and for the first time the kids were locked in to history. They were actually excited about their reading and their lessons, about the worksheets, the timelines, the projects. But we still did not have anything for my lower grades until the creation of My Story.

There are so many things I love about this curriculum; starting with the title "America's Story". Until a child understands that they are part of the ongoing story of the World and more importantly the history of their nation and this world they will not appreciate the fact that they influence how the story unfolds. Furthermore, owning the history of the world and the nation we are a part of helps us to be accountable to the history. It helps us also to appreciate the sacrifice and the struggles of those who came before. And most importantly children see how God was present in all of history and where man strayed from His Word or held to it.

The rich history of the United States is important for children to understand. The diversity that makes up this great nation is something to be studied. But it is also important that children gain an understanding of what this nation was founded on, what beliefs impelled our early leaders. I think that too often History is watered down to the point that God is almost completely written out of the books and children do not understand the rich spiritual history of their nation.

Like all other Masterbooks subjects this is so easily laid out that prep time is easy. Keeping track of grades and assignments can be done with ease. Parents and siblings can participate in the activities and how much fun to create food or art to better understand what you are studying.

In the end I highly recommend this History book.

This is a fantastic curriculum: beautiful pictures, engaging story-based history, short lessons. We used it last school year, and both my kids remember this portion of history when we come across names or events in other studies and read-alouds. We went through many chapters slower than the recommended pace, to incorporate outside read-alouds, movies/YouTube, crafts, and even a couple related field trips, while others we completed as recommended.

With most curricula, we skip worksheets as much as possible, but we did complete most of these ones (alternating between orally and written), because the corresponding questions were beneficial. I particularly love the questions that ask students to image themselves within the story, and answer what they would have done, felt, and so forth in the situation. My kids especially loved the historical drawings, and other puzzle-type activities in the Teacher's Guide. It took me a couple weeks to figure out what was going on with the Timeline, since some of the references were not directly in the chapters. Once we figured out how the Timeline would work best with our family, this also became a favorite activity.

(Families with more than one writing student may want additional copies of the Teacher's Guide, which is where the activities are located.)

We've used several other popular history curriculums, and this is our favorite. We highly recommend this curriculum!

We have tried several history curriculums. We enjoy doing History together, family style and it has been a bit of a challenge to find something that can engage my younger daughter but has enough meat to keep my older daughter interested as well. The narrative, Charlotte Mason inspired text and accompanying activities keeps both of my daughters interest. There are great pictures and illustrations throughout. Engaging discussion questions. It is not at all dry like many history programs. We are enjoying America's Story 1, and my children are retaining what they have been learning very well. Looking forward to the rest of the series!

This book about early Amercian History is a fun and engaging read.

It doesn't overwhelm the younger reader like a "heavier" textbook would, but seeks to speak to the student where they are and make learning pleasurable

We can't say enough lovely things about this curriculum. We loved that the Bible is the ultimate guide in using this resource, leading students back to God continually. We're incredibly excited that we are given a full, accurate account of America's story and a better understanding of God's plan.

We're quite pleased with the amount, and diversity, of activities included in the curriculum. America's Story far exceeds anything we could have anticipated. Families can expect to explore art, map work, copy work, narration, sketching, hands-on activities, and timeline selections which include additional research prompts, and so much more!

And the best part? Everything is included in the set. No more buying of additional quiz/test books or answer keys. This set is all we needed to start our adventure in American history.