WHAT THEY ARE

Keeping a timeline is a way to provide a visual reminder of people, places and events you have studied. A timeline can be a blank sketchbook which you fill with dates and notes about history, it can be a ribbon along a wall with figures or pictures affixed to in chronological order, or it could even be a simple clothesline lined with notes written on index cards and placed in chronological order using clothespins. There are many simple ways to make a timeline work for your family.

The beauty of a timeline is that it creates a framework to make sense of all the books you are reading within the grand scope of history. For instance, although you might read a book about Harriet Tubman one week, and a book about the French Revolution the next, noting the events or people on a timeline can help you make connections about how these people and events fit together.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

The Playful Pioneer Timeline Cards are a great tool to get your timeline started for Playful Pioneers Volume 1 or 2. Included are over 56 timeline prompts (including a page of blank cards for adding your own) relating to events and people that we study in The Playful Pioneer Volumes. These prompts are a helpful way to begin a timeline that can last throughout your child’s homeschool years.

To use your timeline, simply print on card stock and cut each card along the lines. Each week you can take a few minutes to draw pictures on the timeline cards that correspond to that week’s lesson, and then place them on your timeline. As you continue learning about history, you can make your own cards based on books you read, and even add cards that relate to your own family, such as your child’s birthdate, or your wedding day. This timeline can become a treasured part of your homeschool and a valuable tool for encouraging connections with the many people, places and events you will study.