History: All Grades
HISTORY Through The Ages Timeline Figures
Author:  Amy Pak
Publisher:  Homeschool In The Woods
For more information or to order:  www.homeschoolingfromtheheart.com

I love history and I am always looking for ways to make history come alive for my children.  That is why I was so delighted -- no, awestruck is a better word -- when I opened the package containing HISTORY Through The Ages Timeline Figures!  After thirty minutes of admiring these works of art, I decided I must call the publisher and find out where she got these detailed images.  Imagine my surprise when I was told that the publisher is also the artist who has drawn all the figures in this series!  I'm so thankful that homeschool mom, Amy Pak, decided to share her love of history and her gift of drawing with the rest of us.  I've shown these figures to lots of homeschool moms and the reaction is always the same - "Wow!"

So, what makes HISTORY Through The Ages so special?  First, there are the incredibly detailed line drawings which can be filled in with colored pencils if you choose.  We use a timeline, but would find ourselves having difficulty remembering facts about the person or event when we looked back through our notebooks filled with rather generic looking figures.  HISTORY Through The Ages not only includes a name and date with each figure, but also provides a brief text highlighting key details about the person or event.  This text, together with the detailed drawing, makes a great memory jogger for kids and their parents!

There are three packs of timeline figures to choose from:
Creation to Christ features over 250 figures covering people and events of the Bible, Sumer, Chinese Dynasties, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome and the time of Christ.
Ressurection to Revolution also features over 250 figures and continues providing figures from world history from Christ's resurrection through the Revolutionary War.
American History is a big pack with over 420 figures and includes historical figures from all areas of our culture beginning with 1000 AD and continuing through the end of 2002.  

Each pack of timeline figures includes colored cardstock strips which are dated to correspond with the years covered in that pack.  The strips are for those who want to put their timeline on a wall or display board.  The figures themselves are printed on lightweight cardstock with about 10 figures to a page.  An index is provided to aid in locating figures as you need them.  Permission is granted to reproduce the figures for use with your children making the timeline packs a cost effective addition to your homeschool resource list. 

HISTORY Through The Ages Timeline Figures can be used with any history curriculum or unit study!  Timelines enhance and reinforce learning.  When my children look back through their timeline notebooks filled with these figures and the accompanying descriptions, it's like reading a book -- a history book that my children are assembling as they meet important people in all subject areas.  Although this year our focus has been American history, we find ourselves using figures from all three of these timeline packs.  We met Rembrandt while studying art history, Galileo while studying astronomy, Daniel in our Bible study, etc.  I can't say enough good things about these figures -- I have found them to be one of my "must have" resources and I highly recommend them!

Making the Grade:  A++
Cost:  $19.95 - $29.95 Depending on which pack you choose
NEW-All figures from all 4 sets are now available on an easy to use CD!
Value for Your Homeschool Dollar:  10
Review provided by Cindy Prechtel, Editor