Notgrass History Curriculum Review

No beating around the bush, I am just going to start off saying that I LOVE NOTGRASS HISTORY CURRICULUM! I had tried so many different history curriculums before finding Notgrass that I should be considered an expert.

History textbooks are typically as dry as the heals of my feet (yes, I badly need a pedicure).  They spit out err write out the facts and information, however they greatly lack any relation to our current time and place in this universe and they most certainly would not be considered fun or exciting.

Most homeschool parents realize this about history and look to teach history through living books and literature-based curriculum while throwing in some hands-on projects. This of course takes a lot of time on the parents’ part to put this all together and it is difficult to cover everything as you can only read so many books in a school year.  This is where Notgrass has raised the bar on history curriculum.

Notgrass History curriculum does it all.  Seriously it does. The textbooks are filled with beautiful pictures and stories.  These are real stories about the people and places in specific times of history, but it goes further than the typical fact.  It dives deeper, beyond the dry textbook surface and enriches your child’s learning by showing them history through courageous people who lived through hardship and persevered to accomplish great things, through people that advocated for others and through people who held their beliefs close to their heart.  Children will learn the parts of history most of us wish to ignore though they will also learn the resilience, the lessons, and the beauty that triumphs over all the darkness. 

There is so much fun and interesting information contained in this curriculum.  Stuff you wouldn’t even think of like Tabasco sauce being invented in Louisiana on an island that still to this day grows its own peppers or that the only full-size replica of the Greek temple Parthenon of Athens is in Nashville, Tennessee or that porcelain is called fine china because it is made with a kind of material only found in China.  On any given day my daughter and I will go down a rabbit hole on the internet to research more about a subject we read in her Notgrass History book.  This is why I love it so much; it is written in such a manner as to intrigue the child (and parent). It encourages deep thought, meaningful discussion, and enjoyment of learning.

The textbooks all follow the same format which is very child friendly.  My younger son, who just graduated from high school (my first homeschool graduate!!) and used the Notgrass History high school curriculums has said that he appreciated knowing what to expect each year because of this.  There was no guessing or adjusting to new formats and this helped him manage his time when studying.

There are typically two textbooks broken down into thirty weekly units consisting of five lessons each week that include reading the textbook, supplemental book and literature component, a bible study, discussion questions or creative writing, questions in the student review workbook and a project which is typically hands on in the younger years or essays and projects in the upper years.

It sounds like a lot, right?  That is because it is a very thorough curriculum, however what is so great is that you do not have to do it all.  It is laid out so that you can choose what and how much to do.  If your child struggles with reading you can choose less literature books to complete or like my son who had a heavy language arts load his senior year, listen to the audiobook version instead.  If you only have time to complete the text lessons one week you can skip the project or discuss the creative writing questions instead.  If you are like my niece, a high achiever, you can complete it all.

Hands-on projects – arguably the best part of learning – are built into the curriculum and you can choose to do all, some, or none of them.  I recommend doing as many as you can because children love them, and I firmly believe that hands on projects help to solidify the information learned.  The projects vary from art projects to cooking to acting out a scene or building with Legos and so much more.

The Notgrass History literature component is used alongside the curriculum and includes the classics, old favorites and some newly published.  What I really like about the literature component is that you do not have to read the books to use the curriculum.  Again, you can choose to read all the books, some of them or none of them.  The variety of literature books makes it very easy customize it to your child’s interest and reading ability.

The Notgrass History curriculum also includes a book covering timelines, written documents, poems and music, or maps depending on the subject being studied. These wonderful books add visual aid, tangibility, and fun to what is read in the textbook. These books take the subject up a notch in a way that the child can understand and engage in.

On top of the textbooks, supplemental books, and literature are the additional resources that Notgrass History offers.  These include audio books for a few of the textbooks (more are being made), digital downloads of eBooks, drawing books, historical DVDs, and my favorite the Homeschool History web-based app.

The Homeschool History website contains a multitude of homeschool resources such as free history related videos, movies, and games.  This app will give you ideas for field trips and other books, websites, and podcasts.  You can join the private Facebook group as well.  The Homeschool History website is a non-renewing paid subscription meaning you pay annually, and they DO NOT automatically renew it which is awesome in my opinion. The cost is truly a bargain considering the huge amount of resources it provides.

The publishers of Notgrass History curriculum, Ray and Charlene Notgrass really put a lot of thought and care into creating this curriculum.  It is obvious that they homeschooled their own children and wanted to create a well-rounded history curriculum that is thorough, interesting, beautiful, and very much laid out with the child in mind.  This is an excellent history curriculum and is the only history curriculum I endorse. 

Please check out all the Notgrass History curriculum: Our 50 States, Our Star-Spangled Story, Our Great Big World, America the Beautiful, From Adam to Us, Uncle Sam and You, Exploring World Geography, Exploring World History, Exploring America, Exploring Government, Exploring Economics.