Howdy, friends! We’ve been a-takin’ a step back in time to the early 1800s, learnin’ about such thangs as the War of 1812, the Oregon Trail, the Underground Railroad, and the California Gold Rush. I reckon we oughtta tell ya a bit about it, so listen up now. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been a-doin’ in these here parts.
The name? The Early 19th Century Time Travelers study by Homeschool in the Woods. (Affiliate links are used in this post.)
{Turn off Chuck Wagon accent. Turn on my normal, everyday Okie-Aggie accent.}
As with all major history studies, this one started {three years ago} with a certain studious eleven-year-old…
…who enjoys all things history and geography. (Without him, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have much to write about.) Here he traces and labels trails of the U.S. with the above map overlays.
Sometimes, his enthusiasm is contagious and we have others join in on some projects…
… like this notebooking activity about slavery in America.
This was of special interest to David, since he recently played a part in a production about the Underground Railroad.
We completed a few other crafty projects…
…like this paper pioneer loghome…
…and this homemade cardboard loom, where we made a camouflage serape coaster.
{I’m afraid that this is as close to sewing as we get around here.}
We reviewed our U.S. Presidents song…
while making a pocketful of the first twelve Presidents.
Although Stephen completed the lapbook pieces to show everyone what it looks like, we have not yet completed started the writing within the lapbook (nor have we used the newspaper writing assignments or copywork; this gives us something to {maybe} come back to and review at a later date!)
This Early 19th Century Study 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 events and people during the major growth of our nation, including (but not limited to) The Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis & Clark Expedition, the War of 1812, America’s First Twelve Presidents, Statehoods up to 1850, Native Americans, Inventions and Innovators, The Alamo, The Mexican-American War, Mountain Men, Pioneers, The Westward Movement, The Gold Rush, and Slavery.
- 10 Lap Book Projects, including pop-ups, layered books, and other activities for the Barbary Pirates, the Famous Duel, Innovations of the Early 19th Century, The War of 1812, Erie Canal, Pocketful of Presidents, White House History, Indian Story Bag, The Covered Wagon, and Growth of the Nation
- 19th-Century Songbook (including songs like The Star-Spangled Banner, Buffalo Gals, and Follow the Drinking Gourd)
- Notebooking activities, including Notebook Timeline, Learn Morse Code, Famous Mountain Men & the “Rendezvous,” Remember the Alamo!, Cherokee Alphabet & Vocabulary, Slavery in America
- Penmanship Pages “McGuffey Rules” & Factfile Vocabulary Cards
- Map of the Growth of the Nation
- Newspaper, Westward Weekly (Creative Writing)
- Create a Field Book
- Daguerreotype Photo Album
- Native Indian Cooking and Recipes of the Era
- Authentic and 3-Dimensional Crafts, such as Corn Husk Dolls, Wheat Weaving, Pioneer Log Cabin, and Making a Coonskin Cap, a Jumping Jack, a Serape Poncho or a Serape Coaster
- Piece a Quilt: “Clay’s Choice” or Paper Quilt: “Clay’s Choice”
- Pan for Gold!
- Make a Balance
- Hide a Cache!
- Westward, Ho! File Folder Game
- And a final “Chuck Wagon Dinner!”
This study offers a great review of history for Louisiana Purchase through Manifest Destiny and events leading up to the Civil War (Weeks 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) and ties in with several weeks of geography as it focuses on trails of the U.S. (Week 19) and timeline statehoods for over 20 states. We’ve also reviewed our Presidents song several times while playing the file folder review game.
We LOVE the file folder games included in the Time Travelers studies because we are a major game-playing family. The Westward, Ho! Game is available as a separate activity on the Homeschool in the Woods alacarte page!
We modified the rules of this game because we were too impatient to load our supplies first. We just wanted to start racing across the board. Unfortunately my wagon kept getting stuck in the mud. (Hence, I lost.) I kept saving all the U.S. Presidents questions for our five-year-old Levi, who answered every single one correctly due to memorizing a Presidents song.
We do not do all the projects in each unit study (especially the ones involving skills in cooking or sewing). A lesson is also not necessarily completed in a day. Sometimes we spend several days (or weeks) parked at a certain lesson; sometimes we skip around and complete projects out of order. The Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers Studies includes a variety of activities so that you can custom-fit the study to the needs and wishes of your family.
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 we slowly and steadily work through the projects over several weeks and eventually have an organized display (in lapbook format) of everything that has been completed.
While younger students need more assistance with the projects, upper elementary (through middle school) students 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. (Our eleven-year-old super-history-buff is almost always the reason we embark on history studies as a family; he completes much of these projects on his own.)
The only drawback to the Homeschool in the Woods studies are that they are only offered in digital format (via CD-ROM or download). It requires a time investment to 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 might take… about an hour or two? (I keep forgetting to time how long it takes!) 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 Early 19th Century Sample, to view additional photos of completed projects, and to download the entire scope and sequence of this study!
- New World Explorers
- Colonial Life
- American Revolution Study
- Early 19th Century Study
- Civil War Study
- Industrial Revolution through the Great Depression
- World War II
Other Homeschool in the Woods studies and resources we’ve enjoyed:
Homeschool in the Woods 20th Century Lap Pak
Benjamin Franklin Unit Study (for grades K-2)
Renaissance & Reformation by Homeschool in the Woods
Middle Ages Project Passport by Homeschool in the Woods
Homeschool in the Woods New Testament Activity Pak
History through the Ages Timeline Figures
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. Please read our full disclosure policy here.