Why I LOVE Story of the World

I've written quite a bit on my blog about the power of stories. So it's no wonder my family's history studies thrive as we utilize Story of the World. If you are unfamiliar with Story of the World, it is a broad overview of history told in story form and broken down into 4 general periods of time. I reviewed our experience with it recently on a homeschool yahoo group. I wanted to re-post that review here to reiterate the amazing power of stories in our studies. Here you go...........

I LOVE Story of the World. Is it a complete understanding of history? No. Is it my religion's take on history? No. But it claims to be neither.

We love it because it is engaging. The whole family can enjoy it together. It sparks interest and curiosity that can be added upon. (I can't wait to study the Byzantine empire from what we've learned about it in Story of the World - watch out Culture Club!)

Utah Online School uses a history curriculum that follows the Story of the World outline, but presented in that format, it felt dry, academic. History is neither dry nor academic. It IS engaging because it's a story of where we've come from. Presented as a story, kids not only hold interest, but hold information as well. I imagine mine can recount so much better the stories they have heard from Story of the World than they could recite details from the lessons that followed Story of the World.

THIS year we've dropped Utah Online School, and feel so liberated to move at our own pace through the Middle Ages. Presently, that looks like our family listening to Story of the World in the car, and then looking up online all the fun characters, places, and events that we hear about to find out more. I imagine we'll listen to the entire period many more times, but one quick listening has given me a better overview of the Middle Ages than I ever enjoyed after my years spent in school history classes.

I love Story of the World because it is NOT a curriculum. When someone else was deciding what we focused on in history, at what pace, and then provided little tests to make sure we remembered what they thought we should remember, history became a chore. Story of the World is what my kids WANT to do, and it sparks further exploration into the exciting, messy and nuanced tapestry of "what has been" that none of us will will ever comprehend fully. So while it may not claim to provide a full understanding of history, for our family it has aided the development of an attitude towards history that I hope will serve my children for their entire lives.