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This is a full color journal! The paintings and art are just beautiful. Before studying the artist there is a page that gives an introduction.
Each lesson is a two page spread. On the left is the gorgeous - full color painting.
On the right there's four boxes, three boxes have a question and one box is for the child to write a short story about the picture.
The instructions have the child filling out two of the boxes per artist page but of course you can have your child complete as many of the boxes a day as you like. Just remember to keep it fun for your child. And of course you can always do this orally or have the child dictate their answers to you as you write them down.
I plan for my boys to answer one box a day and study the painting all week.
Here's how I plan to use this with my children. We'll study the picture together. I'll ask a few questions. We will pick one of the boxes that day to answer or write about. The next day again study the picture and pick another box. I'll have the boys continue until all four boxes are complete.
Ideally I'd love for us to complete one picture a week using the book four days a week but knowing me we'll probably use it 2-3 times.
I don't plan for us to write in the journal because it's just too pretty. The back of the Picture Study Notes page is the next artist picture. I don't want it to get 'ruined' with bumps from my kids writing on the previous page.
I might have the boys write in a composition book or I may make a copy of the Picture Study Page. We start school in a few weeks so I need to figure out which way to go!
The next journal in this review is Make Your Own Timeline of World History. This hefty book is over 350 pages!!!
The pages are the same throughout the book. I love that there is space for the time period, for the child to write and draw.
I will admit that at first I wasn't sure if I liked this book because there were no dates pre printed on the pages. Not having the dates stressed me out a little but then I started thinking how our timeline doesn't have to be in chronological order. I can have the kids fill in pages as we go through our studies.
Here's how we'll be using this Timeline book. First I am going to have it spiral/coil bound. I don't plan to have the boys put every event in chronological order either (although you can do that).
One of the reasons why I'm not going to have the boys put the dates in chronological order - it would stress me out which will in turn stress my poor kiddos out. I know because it's happened in the past. When mama stresses over having to complete an assignment a certain or "correct" way and it doesn't turn out "right", let me just say, it definitely is not fun-schooling when we all walk away upset. Nope, not fun at all.
Now that I freed myself from being afraid of goofing up the timeline by accidentally putting a date on the wrong page I and the kids can and will enjoy using it.
If they print a picture it will probably be a wallet size. We can add things from science, history, read aloud books, etc. The more I thought about it the more I became excited and can't wait to start using this timeline book with the kiddos.
For science I can have the boys draw and/or copy things like bacteria from their science text or picture book and write things like when they were discovered, who discovered, etc.
With our read aloud I can have them add information about the character and add pictures. By the end of the year we'll have a great memory of our year!
The possibilities are endless! Another idea is use dividers for the time period you'll be studying. For example if you are studying Genesis label a divider, count how many pages you want to use, then put a divider for the next time period (American History, Ancients, etc.).
Both the Timeline of World History and Picture the Past can supplement your current curricula or you can pair these books with one of The Thinking Tree journals.
Take a peek inside the Make Your Own Timeline of History in the video below.
To read more of my Thinking Tree Thursday Spotlight Reviews click HERE, thank you for stopping by!
