How to Cycle Through The Mystery of History Again (and Again) and Still Love It

After reading reviews and doing hours of research, you find the perfect curriculum for history. For our family, that is The Mystery of History series. Four (or five or six) years later, the history cycle begins again. What? Can I use that same curriculum, again? Yes!

One of the things that sold me on The Mystery of History is that there are multi-level assignments.  No matter my learner’s age, there are appropriate activities. During the previous cycle, they may have done the younger learners activities. This time through, they will do the middle and/or older learners activities. The curriculum has that growth built in.

You Learn New Things Each Time

Your whole family loved the first time through The Mystery of History.  Now, you’re back to where you started.

You may wonder if you can use the series again and learn anything new or worry that your children may be bored.

Just as you read through the Bible several times over a lifetime and learn new things each time, you and your children will experience history at a different level each time you cycle through the curriculum series.

Your background information is different; your children are more mature.  Based upon this alone, you will add to what was learned before.

Dig Deeper For More Understanding

As you worked your way through the lessons the first time, you may have encountered interesting people that you did not get to know very well.  This time, you can dig deeper for more understanding.  Did you only cover the main lesson the first time? Pick up some of the books and movies from the supplemental resource list in the appendix to add another layer to what you cover. The supporting cast has fascinating and important stories, too.

Try a Different Method of Learning

When you try a different method of learning, it will be remembered for years to come.  Did you do all the hands-on projects during your first use of this volume?  Try one or more of the coordinating supplements: FolderBooks, Notebooking Pages or Challenge Cards. We found our own recipes during our initial study of the Middle Ages. Now, we are using the official cookbook. If you are learning with siblings or in a co-op setting, try doing skits to review the lessons.  A different method of learning makes it fun, and your brain remembers it as something new instead of a review of previous information.

Use New Ways to Do the Same Lessons

One of my favorite ways to fit more into our homeschool is to combine subjects. Adding other subjects to your repeat cycles of The Mystery of History can make it fresh. Cover language arts with history and do more of the literature guides from The Mystery of History lessons. Use your history timeline to determine topics for writing projects. Finally do more of the extra subjects you always seem to skip. Artist and composer studies are easy to tie into history. It may take a bit more planning on your part, but tying history and science together can make a big impact on your learners.  During our study of Pompeii in The Mystery of History Volume II, we were also learning about volcanoes in Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space. Want to do less of the planning in combining subjects?  Illuminations does the coordinating for you.

Call off the search. You don’t need to find a new favorite history curriculum. Adding in the extras makes history fresh and new for the second or third cycle.  Keep the curriculum, find the fun.