I attempted to do a wall timeline with Caroline a number of years ago. For a variety of reasons, it did not work for her. I think part of it was her age, part of it was her learning challenges, and part of it was the layout. However, I believe a timeline can be a very valuable tool for relaxed homeschoolers which is why I was excited to have the opportunity to review the Timeline Trio from Home School in the Woods. I received this product for free and am being compensated for my time to write this review. The opinions and content are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

There are several reasons why Timeline Trio from Home School in the Woods is an excellent way for our family to bring together many of the topics we’ve studied whether it was history, science, art, music, or literature. The timeline is a great tool for helping a child see how different stories and eras fit together and relate to one another.

We continually learn from books, videos, YouTube, homeschool co-op, and some of the more structured learning we’ve done. But we’ve never put it all together into one easy-to-understand big picture until now.

Timeline Trio History Timeline

We received this wonderful set called Timeline Trio. This pack includes:

• History Through the Ages Record of Time Timeline Book
• Timeline Figures on CD
• Suggested Placement Guide

The quality of everything is excellent.

The actual book in three-ring binder format is very nicely done. The cover is beautiful and high quality. The internal pages are a nice heavy paper that will last well. Everything is well designed and pleasant to use. (This is really important if you have a highly creative child like I do.)

The CDs with all of the timeline figures are easy to use. I opted to drag a copy of everything on the two CDs over to my computer hard drive to make it easy to print, but the CDs are straightforward in how they are organized. The Suggested Placement Guide shows how to place all of the different timeline figures in the timeline book.

How We Used The Timeline Trio

When the materials came, Caroline and I started brainstorming a list of all the people we’ve learned about through the years. It included everyone from King Tut to Moses to Samuel Morse to Pablo Picasso to John Wycliffe. Anyone we thought of was added to the list over a few days.

I decided the easiest way to use the timeline was to simply print off all of the timeline figure pages on the CDs. So I printed them all off and put them in four folders according to the time breakdown that they have:

• Creation to Christ
• Resurrection to Revolution
• Napoleon to Now
• America

I think keeping them in folders like this will make it easy to keep track of all the pages in the months and years ahead, especially once we start cutting them up more and more.

I started going through the list we made and cutting out those on the list. As I came across people and events I knew we had studied but hadn’t thought of, I added them to the pile.

For example, there is one for the Rosetta Stone and I cut it out. We didn’t think of it, but Caroline saw a replica of the Rosetta Stone when we had an exceptional King Tut exhibit come through Grand Rapids a few years ago. Likewise I added things like the Birth of Christ, Black Plague, the American Revolution, and the War Between the States (Civil War) because they are important markers. I also clipped out artists I knew she had studied at co-op or with her Daddy so we could add those in.

I made the decision that I would locate and cut out the timeline figures. We find the placement suggestion in the guide together. Caroline glues them in, reads them aloud for us, and colors them.

It is AMAZING how the timeline figures pop off the page once they have a little color added.

I’ve already found it interesting seeing how certain people fit into the timeline with others. For example, George Washington and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are next to each other in the book. Somehow I had forgotten they were contemporaries.

The Suggested Placement Guide is very handy and I highly recommend buying it as part of the entire set instead of opting out of it or thinking of it as not necessary and a way to save money. There are a LOT of people and events to add to the timeline. Using the guide has made it much easier to see how to fit them all in on the pages without having to make decisions about placements and such.

Maybe some families would enjoy that, but I’m more interested in putting together a helpful book as simply as possible without debating over the finer points of a person’s most important event. Some of the pages end up having quite a few entries and the placement guide simplifies it. So I recommend buying the guide as part of the trio.

There are so many timeline figures that it will take us years to use them. This is a timeline I plan on adding to for at least the next few years as we study. Because Caroline is such a visual learner, I am hopeful it will be a helpful tool to help her remember the relationship of certain people and events to each other.

So for us, this is a long-term tool that will remain part of our relaxed homeschooling for years to come (at least through middle school and probably beyond).

It’s also helpful because it helps me see where some of our learning holes are. There are certain times in history we haven’t really studied and now I know we need to make sure we address those through a combination of videos, read alouds, and other materials.

History Timeline for Differently Wired Learners

Timeline Trio is great for differently wired learners.

• It works well for children with dysgraphia because it requires no writing.
• Children who are visual learners will appreciate all of the images contained in this timeline.
• Children who are right brained and think in pictures will appreciate this.

Overall, this is a handy tool for many kids who need someone other than reading a book and writing answers to questions.

My Final Assessment of Timeline Trio

As I said, I was excited to have the opportunity to review this product. It did not disappoint. The quality was even better than I thought it would be. I think this will be a great addition to our homeschool for the next few years and am thankful for it.

If you are a homeschooler, this could be a great activity for your family as well. I definitely encourage you to check it out: Home School in the Woods Timeline Trio.

Free Mini Study of Authors

When you subscribe to the Home School in the Woods email list, you will have the opportunity to receive a free 90 page study of Famous Authors. Simply go here to subscribe. I went through the process to download the free study and it is extensive and very nice. I highly recommend checking it out!

Home School in the Woods Blog

Home School in the Woods also has a blog with many interesting posts I know my readers will find interesting such as:

• How to Teach Different Learning Styles
• Why Creative Writing Newspapers are Incredible Teaching Tools
• Adding Interest to History with Recipes

I encourage you to take a peek at their blog.

I hope your family has fun with some new Home School in the Woods products!