We love learning about history, but we have never really used a proper curriculum that studies history in a chronological order until now. For the last few weeks, we have been using Veritas Press. We were given a 12 month subscription to the Veritas Press: Self-Paced History program: New Testament, Greece and Rome. We were also given a copy of the Flashcards to go with this course.
Veritas Press is a classical, Christian education program that is fun, engaging and flexible. They offer numerous educational programs in three learning options to choose from: online classes, parent-taught classes and online self-paced courses. But today, I will be talking about their online Self-Paced History Program which is suitable for all lovers of history.
There are five different levels of history in the Self-Paced Courses:
* Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
* New Testament, Greece and Rome
*Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation
*Explorers to 1815
* 1815 to Present
The New Testament, Greece and Rome course consists of 160 interactive lessons which cover 32 important historical people or events during the 2200BC to 476 AD timeframe. The engaging characters and educational games help children with memorising the names, dates, places and events in a chronological order. Each event is studied over 5 lessons that go for approximately 30 to 50 minutes. It is intended that your child should complete five lessons per week over 32 weeks, though you are given 12 months to complete the course from the time you enrol.
Below is a picture of the characters in Lesson 9.
The 32, 5″x8″ corresponding flashcards are printed in colour. They have a piece of art work or a photograph of the historical person or event being discussed in the lesson on the front and a brief summary and a list of resources for further study on the back.
You can also purchase a Literature Kit for your child’s grade level. There is a kit for Grades 2-3 and Grade 4-6 which contain the recommended books that go along with the period that you are studying. These are great if you wish for an even greater in-depth look for the history period you are studying.
How did we Go?
When we signed up for this course, I chose our oldest boy to try it out, but both of our boys have been engaged by these exciting and informative video lessons. Our boys are intrigued by the characters who are dressed in the time period attire and really enjoy the way the information is relayed by these characters. The fun questions, games and map activities really encourage your child to memorise the material they have just heard. Our youngest boy sits with his brother for every lesson, begging to have a turn!
Once you have created an account for your child, they are able to start immediately. We have found it quite easy to navigate around the site, making it easy for our 9 year old to log in himself. He can see the list of lessons that he has to complete, but can only go into the one he is up to, he cannot go ahead as the next lessons are not available until he finishes the previous lesson. So far, each flashcard is used for five lessons, the fifth lesson being a test with the student choosing the answer by multiple choice. When these tests are completed, they are graded and the child can go back and review their answers to see what they got wrong and right. They are also able to print out their results.
The memory song, which is sung once during each lesson, has a great rhythm making it easy for the children to remember. I have printed the words out so our boys can follow along. By constantly reviewing this song, they are able to memorise the melody which helps them with remembering the chronological history events. It amazes me how much of the song they can already sing on their own.
Though our boy started the online course without the flashcards, they have been a great asset since they have arrived in the mail. Not only have our boys used them with the online lessons, they also like to mix them up and try and put them in the correct order, just by looking at the picture on the front of them. They can also be read as review at the end of the day.
Below is a picture of one of the mapping exercises for Lesson 11. It is amazing how they learn to remember where the names of the places go.
Below is a picture of one of our boys favourite game.
They love shooting the fiery bow and arrow to blow up and sink the ships.
On the parent dashboard you can see the lessons that your child has finished and the grades they received. You can also print out a report.
Just a note, you will need a good internet connection to watch these videos. We had a slight problem but that was our fault. We went over our monthly limit and our internet was slowed down dramatically as a result. The boys were still able to watch the videos, they just had to wait a little longer for them to load.
Originally, we set out to complete one lesson per sitting three to four times a week, but more than often, two or more lessons are being completed. We have found this to be a really solid history curriculum and love the way it works. We are loving how our boys are starting to connect the history with the Bible and they can’t wait to get to the lessons about Jesus being born and His walk on this Earth. I have never seen our boys so enthusiastic about an educational program before. They have enjoyed it from the moment they started and are still asking to use it every day. I have been thrilled with the quality and content of this program and the way it encourages the children to learn and remember the information.
Details At a Glance!!
Name: Veritas Press
Website: Veritas Press
Product: Veritas Pres: Self-Paced History ~ New Testament, Greece and Rome
Price: For the online Self-Paced History ~ New Testament, Greece and Rome it is $199.00 (a sibling discount is also available) the Flashcards are $19.95
Ages: Self-Paced History is listed for Grades 2-6
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