The Kind Kingdom
We are excited to introduce the book list for our newest resource, The Kind Kingdom. This resource provides a 30-week overview of European history, using the Narnia books, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare as a spine. The Kind Kingdom could be used along with Classical Conversations Cycle 2, or as a stand-alone Charlotte Mason-inspired resource.
As with our other resources, The Playful Pioneers and The Precious People, The Kind KIngdom includes Bible, language arts, science, history, art, practical skills, and cooking. We also include a monthly hymn and bi-weekly poetry selection. The student sheets include mapwork, and copy work corresponding with our Bible or poetry reading, along with quotes from inspiring people in history.
Some have suggested that we assign the Narnia readings in the order in which they were originally published, and while we researched the question, and its appropriate answer, we eventually came to this quote by C.S. Lewis,
“I think I agree with your order for reading the books more than with your mother’s. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more. Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn’t think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found as I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them.”
If you disagree with the order and prefer to read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe first, feel free to do so. The Narnia readings can stand alone without affecting the flow of the curriculum.
As you read through the book list, you will see that each month has a theme. This is to allow you to approach it as a block study and to give you a framework for extra reading over the time period. You can easily find all of the books on Amazon (links are included) but we hope that families will borrow books from their local library, and you are free to substitute any of the science and history books for another book on the same subject. For instance, if the subject is Gutenberg and the printing press, you can find a different book about it, or even search a Youtube video for kids about it.
While we aim to make reading the larger part of our homeschool routine, one of the benefits of living in modern times is the ability to not just read about a subject, but to actually see the workings of machines, and nature, through the many amazing educational videos available. We recommend limiting screen time to allow for reading and imagination to develop, but interjecting a few minutes a day for educational videos is a fantastic use of technology in our opinion.
Weeks 1-4
Middle Ages, Botany, Harvest, Bees
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis Box set-29.99
The Holy Bible This link has a $10 version, but you probably have one at home..
Kings and Queens of England and Scotland by Pamela Egan Prime for 9.99, used for $5.
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston Amazon Prime for 7..99, used for $3.50
A Favourite Collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales Illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova 14.25, used 8.68
Farm Anatomy by Julia Rothman 10..50
St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges, Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman 8.00, 1.50 used
What Will The Weather Be by Linda DeWitt 8.27, 5.20 used
Draw Europe by Kristin Drager 15.64
The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman 8.58, 2.95 used
Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root, illustrated by G. Brian Karas 7.40, 2.40 used
Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall 15.83 Prime, .99 cents on Kindle, also available free online.
Alfred the Great by Jennifer Pepito 9.99, you could also read about King Alfred from Our Island Story
Explore My World:Honey Bees by Jill Esbaum 4.99, 2.50 used
A Medieval Feast by Aliki 7.48, 2.30 used
Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow retold by Robert D. San Souci. from 1..90 used
Weeks 5-8
Kings and Queens of England, Homes, Seasons
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Holy Bible
Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall (also available free online)
A Year in a Castle by Rachel Coombs 7.50, used 2.50
Castle by David Macaulay 9.19, 1.28 used
How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons 7.99, 1.84 used
A Favourite Collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales Illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova
The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane by C.M. Millen 14.99, 8.00 used
Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley 8.45, 2.41 used
Brother William’s Year by Jan Pancheri (Jan is a gardener at Westminster Abbey and is getting the book reprinted now, so hopefully it will be more affordable. You can choose an alternate season book until it is available). 22.95 now
Around the Year by Elsa Beskow 8.26, 4.28 used
You Wouldn’t Want To Work on a Medieval Cathedral by Fiona MacDonald 9.93, 6.85 used
Week 9-12
Renaissance, Solar System, Gravity
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
Holy Bible
Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall (also available free online)
Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley 7.48, 86 cents used
A Favourite Collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales Illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova
Michelangelo by Diane Stanley 7.48, used from 1.48
Starry Messenger by Peter Sis 8.99, 1.49 used
A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky by Michael Driscoll 16.31, 2.01 used
William Blake’s Inn by Nancy Willard 7.00, 1.12 used
World History Biographies: Isaac Newton by Phillip Steele 7.81, 3.46 used
The Moon Seems to Change by Dr. Franklyn M. Branley 6.99, 2.05
Weeks 13-15
Reformation, Printing Press, Christmas
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
The Holy Bible
Fine Print by Joan Johansen Burch 9.99, 1.25 used, this is a short chapter book about Gutenberg. I also loved this picture book version if you can find it.
Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press by Bruce Koscielniak
Marguerite Makes a Book by Bruce Robertson 16.49, 9.47 used
The Life of Martin Luther by Agostino Traini 13.50, 4.87 used
The Legend of St. Nicholas by Dandi Daley Mackall 11.30, 1.20 used
The Clown of God by Tomie de Paola 6.21, 5.21 used
Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale used from 3.64
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 5.99, free online
Weeks 16-19
Exploration, Ships, Antarctica
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The Holy Bible
The Endurance by Alfred Lansing 11.55, 3.60 used. Families with younger children can choose a simpler version such as the two mentioned here-
Shackleton’s Journey by William Gill 17.54, 3.50 used
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong 9.09, 42 cents used
DK Eyewitness Books:Explorer by Rupert Matthews 13.59, 3.00 used
Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare for Children by E. Nesbit 10.52, 1.99 Kindle, free online here
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1430
Week 20-23
Revolution, Flight, Nursing, World War I
The Silver Chair
The Holy Bible
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown 7.99, 1.65 used
The Glorious Flight by Alice and Martin Provenson 14.99, 1.99 used
National Geographic Readers: Planes by Amy Shields 3.99, 10 cents used
or- The Story of Flight by John Holcraft
A Picture Book of Florence Nightingale by David A. Adler 6.21, 3.00 used
You Wouldn’t Want To Live Without Nurses by Fiona MacDonald 9.95, 7.00 used
War Game by Michael Foreman 14.95, from 1 cent used
Where the Poppies Now Grow by Hilary Ann Robinson 12.51, 3.00 used
Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare for Children by E. Nesbit
Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book Four edited by Edward J. Shewa 17.89, 2.45 used, available free online here
Weeks 24-27
World War II, The Holocaust, Invention
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
The Holy Bible
Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II by Marisabina Russo 10.49, 1.99 used
Star of Fear, Star of Hope by Jo Hoestlandt 8.99, 1.99 used
Diana’s White House Garden by Elisa Carbone 11.97, 4.38 used
Burn by Darcy Pattison 9.99, 4.53 used
The Little Ships by Louise Borden 4.39, 1.99 used
War Boy by Michael Foreman 13.40, 5.51 used
Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare for Children by E. Nesbit
DK Eyewitness Book: Invention by Lionel Bender 9.82, 2.30 used
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margot Theis Raven 14.86, 2.47 used
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming 17.09, 5.13 used
Weeks 28-30
The Cold War and Communism, Spring, Baby Animals
Animal Farm by George Orwell 12.50, Kindle 1.37
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne 12.19, 1.36 used
The Holy Bible
From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer 6..99, 2.93 used
How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan 6.98, 2.92 used
Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman 14.00, 8.48 used
Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner 10.98, 3.98 used
The Passover Lamb by Linda Elovitz Marshall KIndle, 5.99
Spring, An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur 40.00, 12.85 used
Where Do Chicks Come From by Amy E. Sklansky 5.99, 1.94 used
So how much does the curriculum cost? Well, if you were able to find none of the books at the library, and no substitutes, you could still purchase all the books for around $300 for used copies, and build an impressive home library in the process. That, in addition to the $49 for the parent guide, student sheets, art, and recipes, plus whatever resource you are using for math or phonics would make a complete homeschool plan for the year.
However, we’ve organized the curriculum in such a way that you can easily do it with a very slim book budget. Each month has a theme and so if you are on a super tight budget, you can borrow the Narnia books from the library, read the free online version of Our Island Story, and even find free online versions of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare. Then, you just borrow books from the library that fit the theme for the month. If we are studying the Queens and Kings of England, ask your librarian for a stack of books on the subject, read those books that engage you, do the projects in the parent guide that correspond with the theme, and enjoy diving into history with your children.
Our resources are meant to bring families closer together, to spark new areas of interest, and to spread a feast of learning before your children that inspires them to dream big about how they too can impact the world for good.
Please e-mail us with questions as you get started, hello@thepeacefulpress.com.
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