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HISTORY Through the Ages Timeline Resources Review by Kate Kessler,Heather Jackowitz and Melinda Fountain

HISTORY Through the Ages Timeline Figures (Creation to Present)
HISTORY Through the Ages Suggested Placement Guide
HISTORY Through the Ages Record of Time
Homeschool in the Woods
By Amy Pak
3997 Roosevelt Highway
Holley NY 14470
585-964-8188
amypak@homeschoolinthewoods.com
http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/

I have long been interested in doing history timelines with my children, but there are a variety of ways of going about it. I wanted creative and well-drawn interesting timeline figures with brief summaries of the person, place, or event we were studying. I wanted a guideline that would help me in this placement so I knew I was not totally off the mark. I wanted a beautiful book that we could use for many years that we could refer back to again and again. I wanted versatility for many ages, and I wanted it to be worth the money. Money does not come easy to most homeschool families - is this a resource that has staying power?

I believe Amy Pak's HISTORY Through the Ages timeline resources have succeeded in providing all of these things and much more!

Once you open the HISTORY Through the Ages Timeline Figures, you will see that you have far more than 1,260 black and white figures on two CDs. You have a veritable library of information at your fingertips to use with all ages. All the figures are re-sizable for those younger children keeping history notebooks that may not yet be doing timelines! That means you have 1,260 coloring pages of all the same topics you are studying with your older children! This is exactly what I have been looking for.

Not only are the figures organized in chronological order, but they are also organized alphabetically as well as classified by group. For example, you can find images for Ancient China, Ancient Wonders of the World, Authors/Literary Works, New and Old Testament, Civil Acts & Activists, Wars/Conflicts/Acts of Aggression, Scientists/Inventors/Mathematicians, Religious Figures & Events, and many many more. Anything you are trying to locate can be easily found on these CDs.

Many of you will want to know how the figures are dated so I am going to quote the author:

Bear this in mind when considering the earliest dates: We at Home School in the Woods believe in a young earth, with a literal 7-days of Creation. The problem we've encountered with older dates and existing texts and curricula is that just about everything in publication has been dated according to the Historical Records. These are found both in the early Egyptian and Sumerian history. According to the Egyptian calendar, our oldest dates can be off by as much as several hundred to 1000 years, placing Creation to c. 4000 BC, and the flood more in the vicinity of c. 2400-2300 BC. However, this throws the remaining early dates in a tailspin when it comes to almost everything in print out there! Within history texts and curricula, the Egyptian calendar dating is widely used.

When it comes to the most ancient of dates, especially those pertaining to the period of Creation through the time of Egypt, bear in mind the unreliability of exact dates. As mentioned throughout this resource, should your research and findings lead you to place a figure at a different location, by all means do so! As you proceed beyond these dates, they will eventually line up and have records that back them accurately. However, the further back we go, the less apt we all are to find accurate dates without having been there or knowing the trustworthiness of the source and authors of the historical data; the very data that is used to write the history books and texts available. With the knowledge that earlier dates are based on the Egyptian calendar, we have designed our resource to align with respected Christian curriculum providers.

So what kind of figures are you likely to find here? I will give you a sampling. From the first section, Creation to Christ:

Adam and Eve c. 5000 B.C., Cain and Abel c. 5000 B.C., Jubal and Tubal-Cain c. 5000 B.C., Enoch c. mid 4000s B.C., Methuselah c. early to mid 4000s B.C., Noah and the Flood c. 3500 B.C., The Ice Age c. 3500-2500 B.C., The Tower of Babel c. 3500-3300 B.C., Sumerian Civilization Begins 3500-2500 B.C., The Ancient Native Americans c. 3500-150 B.C., 1st & 2nd Egyptian Dynasties (Early Dynastic Period) c. 3100-2650 B.C., Menes c. 3100 B.C., Sumerian Cuneiform c. 2800 B.C., The Epic of Gilgamesh c. 2750 B.C., Stonehenge c. 2700 B.C., 3rd & 4th Egyptian Dynasties (Old Kingdom) c. 2650-2467 B.C.

From the second section, Resurrection to Revolution:

The Dead Sea Scrolls c. 100 B.C.-c. 75 A.D., Teotihuacan 100-750 A.D., Hadrian 76-138 A.D., The Buried City of Pompeii 79 A.D., Clement of Rome c. 100 A.D., Ignatius died c.110 A.D., Marcus Aurelius 121-180 A.D., Irenaeus 130-202 A.D., Bar-Kokhba died 135 A.D., The Apostles' Creed c. 150 A.D., Tertullian 160-230 A.D., Ptolemy second century A.D., Origen 185-254 A.D., Shapur I reigned c. 215?272 A.D., Diocletian 245-313 A.D., The Maya Civilization c. 250-900 A.D., Cyprian died 258 A.D., Valentine died 269 A.D., Constantine I 285-337 A.D., Athanasius 293-373 A.D., Eusebius 300 A.D., The Golden Age of India c. 320-535 A.D.

Of the immense choices available with this resource, this is only a tiny sampling!

For those considering a purchase of this product, please note and honor the copyright:

Purchase of this product allows you a single license to use the contents of these CDs for your individual family only. Sharing images, whether via computer or hardcopy, with other families or friends is strictly prohibited. Re-sale of these CDs is also prohibited. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic or mechanical, including duplicating, photocopying, information or retrieval systems, the world wide web, or e-mail - without written permission from the author. Distribution within large classes is also prohibited. Use is granted for small co-op classes, provided it meets these requirements: maximum of 12 children to the class; no more than 50 figures. Anything beyond that, please contact Home School in the Woods for permission or terms of licensing to schools. For permission to reproduce graphics for any other purpose, please contact Home School in the Woods.

The HISTORY Through the Ages Record of Time is a beautiful well-built hardback binder that will house your lengthy timeline. Starting at 5,000 B.C., and ending with 2,025 A.D., the cream-colored cardstock paper is made to hold up for many years and lots of timeline figures! The older sections have large periods of time between them. For example, 5,000 B.C. to 4,000 B.C., has 1,000 years between them from one page to the next. The later years have much less time between them. For example, 900 B.C. only has 100 years between that page and the next, 800 B.C. Further into the Record of Time from one page to the next you will sometimes find only ten years. I am really grateful for this space as there are will be more people and events that we wish to note.

At the end of the Record of Time you will find seventeen classically drawn old and modern world maps. Ancient China, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, South America, Central America, United States, World, etc. are all here.

The HISTORY Through the Ages Suggested Placement Guide is exactly what it says it is. It is an immense help for those of you wondering just where certain things should be placed. Do we place George Washington on his birthday or during the Revolutionary War or when he became our President? Some events have specific dates (Pearl Harbor) and other events (Civil War) span some time. Should that go at the beginning or the end? The guide helps you with these types of questions as well as offers you a page by page picture of what your timeline *can* look like. Of course we will not all choose the exact same figures as there are just so many tantalizing ones to choose from, but we can see what it should look like and follow suit.

Upon first examination the price may seem high to some of you. However, it is my opinion that it is so useful, for so many years of homeschooling, for every age of child, that this cost is absolutely worth it in every respect. As the Product Reviews Manager, I have both seen and used a *lot* of history resources. If I had to choose just one resource to add to our curriculum, without a doubt it would be this one. I had no real idea what was contained in this product until examining it myself. I am not at all easily impressed, and this product has completely blown my expectations out of the water. It is so much more than I thought it was and has so much to offer every homeschool family. This is highly recommended!



-Product Review by Kate Kessler, Product Reviews Manager, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, May, 2007


Timeline Figures on CD, Record of Time Notebook, and Suggested Placement Guide

By Amy Pak
www.homeschoolinthewoods.com
(585) 964-8188

Home School in the Woods sells beautiful timeline figures from creation through the present. I first became acquainted with Ms. Pak's timeline figures through Sonlight Curriculum. Fellow homeschooler Amy Pak hand draws these timeline figures; the drawings are very realistic and often based on actual art or photographs. The figures are available in reproducible notebook pages or on one convenient CD. The individual packages are Creation to Christ (world history), Resurrection to Revolution (0-AD 1799, world history), Napoleon to Now (AD 1750-Present, world history), America's History (AD 1000-21st Century).

All four sets are now available on two convenient CDs. These CDs are Windows and Macintosh compatible. You will also need Adobe Acrobat Reader. The first disk includes PDF pages of all four sets (more than 1,260 figures) in two sizes, notebook and wall size. Each page is available with or without text. These pages are identical to what you would get if you purchased the pre-printed sets. This CD also includes detailed timeline tips and many new bonus figures.

The second disk includes a gallery of all images as individual GIFS. These are extremely practical if you like to be selective. You can copy these individual images into any document, reducing or enlarging them effortlessly. Images are stored in over thirty categories, the two basic being alphabetical and chronological. You can also search under Old Testament, Disasters, Artists, World War II, and many more categories. Each figure is available with or without text.

The new timeline notebook is beautiful. The delightful cover and titled spine insure that your notebook will look as lovely on the coffee table as in the bookshelf. This notebook is made to last, with 144 heavyweight pages covering from 5000 BC to AD 2025. Also included are seventeen maps of the ancient world, seven continents, Canada, Central America, the Middle East, United States, and world. My only complaint is that the pages of this three-ring notebook do not turn freely. Had the pages not been so sturdy, I think they might have ripped with the effort.

A helpful placement guide is now available showing every figure from creation (circa 5000 BC) to Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) in its place in the new timeline book. This is quite helpful for those of us who might fear "ruining" our beautiful timeline by not leaving enough room for other figures. The page with the year AD 1710 has only one figure (Louis XIV), but the page with the year AD 1790 has twenty-four figures crowded onto a single page! The authors stress that the book is meant to be only a guide and should not overrule a child's creativity. They also remind parents that timeline notebooks are best done by children as part of the learning process. (I needed this reminder!)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Users must read and comply with the copyright material. These CDs are licensed for individual family use only. Special permission is granted for small co-op classes of up to twelve children with a maximum of fifty images allowed. Additionally, re-sale of the CDs is strictly prohibited. Please contact Homeschool in the Woods if you desire more information.

Home School in the Woods has given us so many options with these incredibly convenient CDs, timeline notebook, and placement guide. Please visit www.homeschoolinthewoods.com to see samples of their beautiful products.


-- Product Review by Heather Jackowitz, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, March, 2006

And here's another review!

HISTORY through the Ages Timelines
By Amy Pak
amypak@homeschoolinthewoods.com
(585) 964-8188

When teaching our children about history, we all want them to understand and embrace it as it relates to their life. I have struggled in the past to bring history to life and give my children a sense of when one event occurred in relation to other events. I grew up with little knowledge of the different eras - the Middle Ages, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation, etc. It is one of my educational goals for my children to give them a better understanding of those eras and how they relate to each other.Enter HISTORY through the Ages Timelines! This series of timelines currently includes "Creation to Christ," which covers many events and people of the Bible during the exciting rise of the Roman Empire and sets the stage for the coming of Jesus Christ; "Resurrection to Revolution," which covers the fall of Rome through the Age of Enlightenment; and "America's History," which takes us from the early explorers to the tragedy of the World Trade Center. Each timeline set is sold separately and contains over 250 reproducible (within the family) figures, versatile timelines that can be used in a book format or displayed one of several ways on a wall, and creative suggestions of the many ways we as educators may use this valuable reference tool.

Our family is currently doing a chronological unit study and have covered history from Egypt through the early Explorers. We are using the America's History timeline set and love it! The timeline works so well with our unit study, as most of the people and events we study are covered in the timeline. We have displayed the timeline on our wall and have reproduced, enlarged, and colored the figures of the events and people to use with our display. The timeline makes a great visual aid and helps put historical events in their proper order. My children love to put faces with names, so the pictures of the people are great for these associations. We refer to it often when speaking about eras and people of the past. I'm only sorry that I didn't know of these timeline sets earlier. I would have loved to have used them with our earlier unit studies. I will certainly order the upcoming "Napoleon to Now" when it becomes available.

If you are interested in ordering a timeline, please contact Amy Pak at amypak@homeschoolinthewoods.com or call her at (585) 964-8188. You'll not regret the decision!



-- Product Review by: Melinda Fountain, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine

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