Mystery of History

by Rita
(Kansas City)

Product: Mystery of History
Levels Used: Volume 1
Dates Used: 2008 to current

Likes: My oldest daughter (10 yrs.) loves MOH! When I announced that we would be starting science in late summer to cover insects while they were still around, she wished we could start history instead.

The reading portion of the lessons is short, but can be lengthened by more in depth study if desired. We have stopped 2 or 3 times during the first volume to study things that interested my daughter in more depth.

I like that I can use this book through high school because the author has provided activities for all age groups (younger, middle and older) for each lesson. My 10 and 6 yr old are doing the activities for the younger kids. They will never forget that Nineveh was destroyed by a flood after building a sandcastle and destroying it with water. They love creating the timeline figures and I'm certain this will help them remember the people of history.

There is an additional materials list near the back of the book that I have used to quickly find additional materials on a topic.

The lessons are covered chronologically from Creation to the Resurrection. Instead of following one civilization at a time through history, you get to tie all the different civilizations together and see what all were doing during the same time period. Did you know Jonah was around at the time the Olympics began? We do after reading MOH.

Dislikes: I didn't care for cutting out the timeline figures from the index cards. But I've discovered the MOH yahoo group that has timeline figures posted for anyone to use so that dislike is a problem of the past!

Mystery of History

by Judi
(Colorado)

Product: Mystery of History presents a chronological approach to history and incorporates both Biblical/church history with secular world history. All of history is seen through the lens of God's working in the world.

Subject: World History

Levels Used: 1,2,3

Dates Used: 2005-2006, 2009

Likes: We have so appreciated the approach of this curriculum. Dovetailing biblical history with secular history puts everything into perspective. It is written in first person so it is like someone telling you a story. Activities are incorporated for each lesson to solidify what was learned. These are divided by age group which has been great for our multi-age school. We need only one curriculum for all ages. This has cut down on cost and we can do this together as a family. There is also a great list of 'living books' to go along with it. This has helped us to remember the events and put a 'human face' on history.

Dislikes: Some of the narratives are a little lengthy and have made it hard for some of my younger students to comprehend, hence making it 'boring' for them. But it is written for 4th-8th graders so you need to make allowance for that.

The Mystery of History Review

by Melissa
(Valley Center, KS,USA)

Product: Mystery of History
Subject: Bible and History curriculum
Levels Used: 1st, 3rd, and 6th grade
Dates used: 2008-2009

I enjoyed using "Mystery of History" because it combined secular ancient world history with Biblical stories, making them come to life for my three children. Because the curriculum is written so that it can be used in multi-grades, I was able to keep the interest of my 1st grader with the suggested hands-on activities as well as challenge my 6th grader. At the end of each chapter, there is at least one activity for young children, middle age, and older students. It also came with ready-to-use pre and post quizzes, mapping activities, puzzles, pictures of archeological discoveries,and more.

As great as this curriculum is, I wish there was a CD of the stories in the book. Overall, the author did a great job of incorporating history with the Bible.

Mystery of History

by Carla
(Noblesville, IN, USA)

Product: Mystery of History I
Subject: World History
Levels Used: lower elementary
Dates Used: 2007-2009

Likes: They author of this book has all ages in mind when writing this book. Though she wrote it geared toward upper elementary, she adapted the activities for lower, middle and upper age levels. We used it for lower elementary, reading the passage and choosing an activity to go with the reading. The book has many suggestions on building a timeline which can last for your whole homeschooling journey, adding to it throughout the years. As "A Well-Trained Mind" suggests, this series of books can be used in cycles, and for various ages of children, so it is very adaptable. Information is packed into a few pages for each day and it is intended to be used for about 3 days a week, so it is not overwhelming.

Dislikes: We began book 2 and it seemed a little dryer than the first book.

Mystery of History

by Heather
(Sachse, TX, USA)

I used Mystery of History when my son was in 1st grade and again with my daughter for her 1st grade. My son gladly re-joined us in the work and discussions. He enjoyed making a wall map and his own "scrapbook" of history. The curriculum was full of interesting facts that had previously escaped my notice when reading the Bible-like Tubal-Cain and Jubal being Fathers of Iron and Music...Having different age projects for each lesson helped my son take away even more the second time through!

Mystery of History

by Erin
(Dubuque, Iowa, USA)

Product: Mystery of History
Levels Used: volumes 1 and 2
Dates Used: 2009-2011

Likes: Multi-age, interesting, easy to implement with little preparation, lots of extras for help including audios, crafts, maps, activities

Dislikes: Volume 4 is not out yet and the audio version of vol 3 is not done and we are starting that soon.