I am such a history nerd, and my goal is to make learning it fun for my kids. I’ve heard so many people recall how boring history was for them growing up and it makes me sad because history reveals so much about human behavior, the cause and effect of our choices, and why things are the way they our in our society today.
My favorite teacher in public high school was one of the most eccentric, mad-scientist, professorial people anyone had ever experienced in our small town, but his passion was infectious. He found the best video tapes (haha… before YouTube), and called us all “sister” or “brother.” He was weird, but we absolutely loved his class.
One thing that attracted me to Classical Conversations was how this curriculum presented history in bite-sized pieces, from history sentences to the Timeline Song. Cycle 3 has become my favorite Cycles as we cover United States History. As I take my two kids through each week, I am always inspired by other parents and especially when it comes to understanding the learning styles of my kids. They respond better to tactile (hands-on) and musical projects. Here are some of our favorite resources to inspire you through the school year. Happy homeschooling!
Book Series
Helping history to come alive with picture books and novels is important for young learners. Connecting pictures to words and concepts they see in print will help to form connections for the future. The picture above is from another blogger, Wildflower Ramblings and Amy’s collection of Living Books for American History.
We also love the “You Wouldn’t Want To Be…” series:
- American Colonist
- American Colonist – settlement
- Boston Tea Party
- Sail on the Mayflower
- American Pioneer
Not really a reader? Find some inspiration and technological alternatives in our article How to Read a Book.
Download the Who Was Book Series list for Cycle 3 and know which ones to purchase for each week. Use our link on this page to purchase your books 
Audio Series
The kids love listening to audio books and dramatized stories in the car and right before bed. Adventures in Odyssey is awesome because the characters are so relatable and they include realistic sound effects.
Art and Drawing
These are the coolest resources we’ve seen to help kids draw the United States and figures in history. There are writing components as well, but if you have a child who loves to create and learns visually, these are invaluable!
Presidents & States Studies
These resources were created by fellow mommy blogger Laura Prater from The Awe Filled Homemaker. Laura is a military spouse and homeschool mommy, and she produces some great stuff! Join her fun Facebook Group.
Apps
Download some of these learning resources to your phone and review materials while you’re out and about. We will play their history sentences on the Cycle 3 app while we’re driving. Reinforce learning with technology!
Online Games
Oregon Trail
Play this classic version from your modern device! Throwback to the days of early computer software. No clicking, just choose options with your numbers keyboard and spacebar. Purchase supplies at the General Store and travel the trail with members of your family. Fun game for young learners and nostalgic for parents. Click the image to play online for free!
Shepherd Software is a fun website for kids to learn all subjects including history through games and even research important facts for writing!
Videos
Whether you find clips from YouTube or scour Netflix for your next educational video, you can always ask other families in this Facebook Group: TV Episodes for Classical Conversations. Here are a few of our favorites, and we’ll add more as we find them!
Accessories
Hi Jenn!
I just ran across your site and was wondering how to put all this US history together? I feel like what happens here is we read and then I’m not sure how to make it cohesive and what to do when. We were looking into Sonlight, I was wondering your suggestions outside of Sonlight? Something that tells me what to do, I have read book according to CC weeks but it seems like we need more. Thank you for any wisdom you may share. Sheri
Hi Sheri 🙂
Great question. So this page was put together over time as I came across recommended resources from different families. At this time, there is no rhyme or reason to it except that it’s United States history. We use the 24 CC weeks as a framework for our year and review states and capitals all year long. You can also choose points in time during the year where you focus on specific studies like Native Americans, Civil War, the Industrial Revolution… and make a note of which resources you’ll bring in for that.
I do offer coaching sessions for homeschool moms to talk and strategize a plan that works best for their specific family. Feel free to sign up for a consult here: https://practicalfamily.org/coaching/