Half a Hundred Acre Wood

Christian homeschooling integrating Classical and Charlotte Mason principles

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Once upon a time, I intensely disliked the study of history. I could hardly bear the thought of cracking open a history textbook. One thousand other things beckoned me to come hither – to spend my time with things more pleasant. As a homeschool mom, I had to overcome my fear of history boredom, for I witnessed early on that we had a young one who tended to perk up at the sight or sound of anything historical. Fortunately for me (and for him), most of our significant history studies have come from reading “living books” and completing fascinating studies by Brimwood Press… and Homeschool in the Woods.

When I gave our sixth grader an option of completing any special projects of his choosing this year, he asked for a) history, and b) the Time Travelers series from Homeschool in the Woods. These American history studies are the preferred favorite of our family’s enthusiastic historian, Stephen (age 11). (Affiliate links are used in this post.)

Recommended for grades 3-8, The American Revolution offers an in-depth, hands-on learning experience comprised of 25 lessons that can spread across 5-10 weeks (or more). The study covers the politics and conflicts that launched our nation, including Colonial beginnings, the French & Indian War, problems leading up to the revolution, the Continental Congress, General Washington, women of the war, specific battles, important persons who fought for the cause of liberty, and more.  As part of this study, we investigated important documents such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, which has tied in well with history the first few weeks of this school year (weeks two through five, to be exact) and will tie into our history sentences once again at the end of this school year.

While younger students would need more assistance with the projects, older students like Stephen are able to handle the majority of the unit study independently, which is the reason our family has been able to incorporate this into our school day. (Stephen is almost always the reason we embark on history studies as a family. He coordinates projects and readings. It’s his passion. His passion is my blessing.)

Each lesson contains readings (text provided) and projects (detailed instructions provided), many of which are completed and stored away to include in a lapbook at the end of the study.  The advantage of this set-up is that you are slowly and steadily working through the projects over several weeks, and in the end you have an organized display (in lapbook format) of everything that has been completed.
This American Revolution Study begins with Jamestown, for which you can build a paper model replica.  {You can purchase this Jamestown paper model here!}
The study also includes factfile cards for learning vocabulary, people, and places,

a Battles of Revolution Map,
dioramas and other 3-dimensional projects,
and copywork pages featuring famous quotes from our founding fathers.
Other projects and activities include (but are not limited to):
  • 11 Lap Book Projects, including pop-ups and layered books on things such as George vs George comparison, Whig vs. Tory comparison, pie book of tax acts, tea troubles, women of the war, and important figures
  • Mitchell’s Map
  • Shadow Puppet Play
  • “The Daily Bugle” Newspaper
  • Franklin’s experiments: music of glass, optics
  • Candle Dipping
  • Make a Haversack
  • Cut a 5-Pointed Star
  • Make a Colonial Flag Floorcloth
  • Colonial Recipes
  • Miniature Soldiers
  • Notebooking Activities
  • Accordion Timeline with Timeline Figures (photo at the top of this post)
  • “Tribute to the Revolution” Party

But our family favorites are definitely the file folder games!

In Taxation Frustration, we experienced the unfair taxes that were placed on the colonists, and we also worked with shillings and other units of money that were used during that time period.
Liberty at Last was a timeline-style game played with a die.  When we rolled a certain number, we drew a card, read the card, and proceeded to that point on the timeline.  This was a great visual to place various events in order, and it was a great review of the events and people of the American Revolution.

In Battle Blitz! we drew trivia-style cards to review the events/people/places/battles of the American Revolution. As we went around the board, we reviewed the order in which the battles were fought and were able to locate the place of those battles on the gameboard map.

Let me just take a moment here to say:  The games in this study made for an incredible review of all we had learned. (Actually, to be honest, it was only a review for Stephen. The rest of us were learning by playing the game. But… it’s remarkable that we could learn so much simply by playing the games!)

This study includes many projects that we did not complete. When we do a Homeschool in the Woods study, we pick and choose what is best suited for our family (or specifically, what’s best suited for Stephen). Hence, we reduce the writing workload significantly (because he already has writing assignments in his Essentials of the English Language class). While history is his favorite subject, I can’t say the same for writing.

This means we did not complete all the writing within the lapbook, nor did we do the newspaper writing assignments or copywork (because we use Script-n-Scribe for penmanship practice). This gives us something to come back to later to review, and review is an important part of our family’s somewhat eclectically classical method of learning.

We also don’t necessarily complete one lesson in a day. Sometimes we spend several days (or weeks) parked in a certain lesson; sometimes we skip around and complete projects out of order. The American Revolution includes a variety of activities so that you can custom-fit the study to the needs and wishes of your family.

The only drawback to the Homeschool in the Woods studies are that they are only offered in digital format (via CD-ROM or download). This means there’s a time investment involved as you follow detailed instructions on how to print on white paper, colored paper, white card stock, and colored card stock. I usually print everything up front, which (I think) takes about an hour or so. (I always forget to time how long it takes!) But because Stephen loves these studies so much, it’s worth the time and effort.

For this reason, I implore anyone reading this review to download and try the free sample(s) so you can determine if it is a good fit for you and your family. Click here to download the American Revolution Sample, to view additional photos of completed projects, and to download the entire scope and sequence of this study!

A final note:  Just as soon as Stephen wrapped up his study of the American Revolution, he pulled out The Early 19th Century Study… on a Saturday… as one thousand other things beckon him to come hither. I’m thankful for a child who stretches us beyond what I would normally plan to do, and I’m thankful for Homeschool in the Woods for making it all the more enjoyable.

Our family has thoroughly enjoyed all seven of the Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers studies, along with several others! To see what each study was like, visit:

We received this product in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed herein are my own and have not been influenced by any outside source.  Affiliate links are used in this post. Read our full disclosure policy here.