Secular History Homeschool Curriculum '24-'25 // Story of the World vs. Curiosity Chronicles

[@OdetoAbode]

✨ We've been researching, sampling, and debating over here! I feel like we landed in a good place 🤗 🗺️ What are you planning on using for History, Social Studies, Geography or Humanities next year?

[@andrewjessicahersh9466]

We are not secular homeschoolers and I’m currently not looking for a world history curriculum for next year but it was so nice to see that you found something that fit your family’s needs in the end. As homeschooling nerds, it can be interesting to hear of other people’s journey and decision making process. Looks like it’s going to be a fun year for you all!

[@OdetoAbode]

Thank you for watching! I love watching homeschool content from all across the spectrum, including religious homeschool families and families who do things very differently than I do. I feel like I always learn a lot, and it feels so good to cheer each other on 🤗🫶🏼

[@Ahomeontheprairies]

Guest hollow geography looks like a lot of fun! I have had my eye on that one as well :)

[@OdetoAbode]

I'm excited to try it out!

[@HeatherAnne10]

I really appreciate this video! You did a great job explaining the history curriculums that i have also been considering and the geography and art studies curriculums at the end sound very interesting and I haven't heard of them before! I learned so much! Thank you and keep up the great content! ❤

[@OdetoAbode]

So happy to hear this was helpful ☺️

[@idemelendez]

We are way behind and haven’t done any history at all. Finding something that my son wouldn’t cry with or get stressed out has been hard. I haven’t heard about curiosity chronicles before so I’m checking the sample. Story of the world I had to sell last year. After Sebastian’s Tourette got really bad because I was forcing him to read garbage (his words).

[@OdetoAbode]

I want to encourage you - you're not behind! History is a content subject, so that means the "standards" for what we cover and when don't really matter (my opinion). There's always more history to learn, and always time to learn it. It never ends! So you can't fall behind, when you look at learning history as an ongoing thing that we can't ever reach mastery in.

[@OdetoAbode]

Is it the sad or scary content in history that's bothering your son?

[@ashleymurphy4813]

This was incredibly helpful, thank you!

[@OdetoAbode]

Yay! I'm so glad!

[@kristinataylor154]

Thank you for this video! I’m still not sure what to do for history, but I now know what I won’t be using 😁

[@Michelgia523]

We love doing around the world there is so much to explore!!!

[@OdetoAbode]

Yes!

[@maggiepanning356]

I found this very interesting, thank you. We are doing HQ, CC, and pieces of Layers of Learning (history and art) next. We vastly preferred HQ Early Times over CC Ancients, but after reading the CC Medieval sample we both decided to add it. My son will be in 5th grade, so it being more advanced works for us and he is headed into middle school. That being said, time will tell if we actually like it or not. I am hopeful because the chapters are longer (the chapters in ancient times were so short it drove me nuts). I think doing GH Jr. Geography is a great idea and I love that you allowed your girls so much say in what you’ll be doing next. I am curious, you never mentioned HQ US in your decision making process. Had you already ruled it out due to the subject, because it is designed for kids a bit older than your youngest, or another reason?

[@OdetoAbode]

That's a great lineup! I hope y'all have a fabulous year 🤗 I think I mentioned it in the first brainstorm video, but my girls really didn't want to do US history just yet. They've learned a lot of it, informally, and they really wanted to stick to world studies for another year or so before we start formal US studies. So we may do that in '25-'26 with HQ, or other resources like River of Voices... Idk 🤷‍♀️

[@lindavasquezrubio8612]

SOTW was recommended by our charter. It was absolute torture listening to the sample audio of SOTW.

[@OdetoAbode]

I would have to agree 🫣😅

[@jenniferl0804]

I was thinking about curiosity chronicles but I’m pretty sure we are going to do moving behind the page instead along with other books we find at the library

[@OdetoAbode]

Nice! I've heard great things about MBTP. I'll probably try one of their units at some point

[@ashleymahealani]

Forgive me if you’ve mentioned it in a previous video, but have you tried or looked into Blossom and Root’s “A River of Voices” history curriculums? Would love to hear your opinion on them and how they compare to History Quest, SOTW and CC!

[@OdetoAbode]

We've not started formal US History studies. We may do that in '25-'26. River of Voices is definitely on my radar for when we get to American History! There's also a couple other contenders that look great for American History. SOTW and CC do not offer a specific book set for American History. HQ does have an American History level, but I haven't used it, yet.

[@ashleymurphy4813]

Not sure if you have a daughter, but we are doing American Girl History with Little School of Smiths and it has been a dream😊 It is secular but not super formal. Lots of reading, crafts and notebooking.

[@HeatherAnne10]

​@@ashleymurphy4813we are going to do the American Girl history too! I'm just torn about Whether I want to do it for first grade, or do a more traditional social studies year before starting history. 🤔

[@ashleymurphy4813]

@@HeatherAnne10 we are loving it but there are some very mature topics like slavery, war, kidnapping, death, etc. My daughter enjoys learning about history and doesn’t seem bothered by these topics but I was surprised to be diving into these subjects so early in her homeschool. Funny enough, we will be doing an ‘all about me’ unit for 2nd grade. May have made more sense to start with that this year, haha🤷🏼‍♀️

[@MysticWAFFLWZ13]

I have a sixth grader starting world history. I love the idea of CC. Would it work for a 6th grader and up?

[@OdetoAbode]

I definitely think that it would be a good fit for middle grades. The chronological periods are a bit grade leveled, so if you are starting with ancients your child may find it a bit easy for 6th. But I don't think that is much of an issue. You can always add in additional reading to challenge them, if needed.

[@Abelfam5]

I ended up getting core knowledge for ancient history. I like how its set up and how I can pretty much use it as open and go but I feel like it lacks depth. So we have paired it with evan moor lapbook and you tube video and books from the library. Once we finish ancient history I do want to find something else. Not sure what yet though.

[@OdetoAbode]

Are you using CKHG or CKLA or a combo of both?

[@Abelfam5]

@@OdetoAbode Just the CKHG. I got the ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, china, Greece and Rome. We completed Mesopotamia and are now starting ancient Egypt. I think I pulled from 1st 2nd and 3rd grade core knowledge of ancient history and I'm using it as a whole family chronological history curriculum.

[@OdetoAbode]

Maybe tying in the applicable CKLA units would help? I've only used the CKLA historical units, and really enjoyed the content

[@Abelfam5]

@@OdetoAbode ooh that's a good idea. I didn't think about using the historical portion of their language arts. Thank you!