A Collection of Historical Timeline Figures (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Today I get to share with you a review for another product that I have REALLY wanted to get my hands on for some time, but never have the opportunity to purchase it in the past - the Timeline Collection: A Collection of Historical Timeline Figures from Home School in the Woods.

About the Product:

The Timeline Collection features over 1260 black and white line drawing figures spanning from the creation of the world through the World Trade Center terrorist attack and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  These figures are great for using in historical timelines.  If your new to using timelines with your lessons, here's a great blog post discussing timelines.

 For this review, we were given the downloadable file of the product to use.  This file was

downloaded as two ZIP files, one for the files that would be divided to two CDs if the physical product had been purchased.

Other than the downloading of the files, the product is installed on the users computer and does not require internet access.   The files are saves in folders and the user simply clicks on the Start file which opens in an offline web browser.   This opens the initial table of contents which gives quick access to the CD contents.

The two CDs each contain the same content but in a slightly different format.

CD1 contains the files that would be used for projects such as timelines, book of centuries, printing several figures on one sheet that can be trimmed and used.  To get started, the user selects the START file in their downloaded folder which brings them to the Table of Contents.

From the table of contents page, the user has access to more than 1,260 timeline figures.   They are organized by time period.  When a time period is selected, the user is taken to a break down of pages that offer two options  - wall sized timeline figures and notebook sized figures.  These can be selected to either be printed with text or without, depending on the users preference. The text option includes a short summary description of the event or person, while the option without text only lists the event/name and date.

These pages are in order of how they occurred in that time frame, however, there is also an index available for each time period that lists the figures that are included that shows what page that figure can be found on.

Selecting a page will bring the printable sheet that includes the figures.  Each page includes between 10-12 black line drawing figures.

CD2 contains the same material as CD1, but in a GIF format.  Where as CD1, the user prints pages with 10-12 figures on it, with CD2 users can select specific individual figures that can be enlarged or reduced and can be used for activities such as coloring pages, flashcard images, bingo games or any number of activities.     Again, the user has the option of selecting with or without text.

How We Used It:

We have found a few different uses for the figures over the course of the last few weeks.  The first thing we decided to use them for was to start keeping our timeline with our history curriculum.  We are currently working though Mystery of History and these figures coincide perfectly with the curriculum.   I simply print out the pages with the figures that coincide with the dates we are working on, we complete our lesson and the kids add the figures to their timeline.

Figures coincide perfectly with our lessons

For our purposes, we were using the notebook sized figures (we do not keep a wall/poster size timeline due to space but I am grateful for the option in the future). 

I really like that most of the line drawings used are the exact same drawing used in our lesson's text.  This helps the kids associate the drawing on their timeline more easily with their lesson.

While we haven't used the wall sized figures, I wanted to show the difference in the size between the two.  These figures are perfect for those who keep a timeline either on poster board or on their wall.

I've been really happy with the way our timelines are looking using these timeline figures and I can see us using these for many educational applications, from now until both kids are graduated (and maybe even past that). 

For more information about Home School in the Woods and the many product options they offer, be sure to visit their website.  You can also find them on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolinthewoods
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HSintheWoods
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Home School in the Woods was very generous and offered members of the Crew their choice of 13 different products.   In addition to the Timeline Collection, Crew was also offered their choice of seven Time Travelers U.S. History Studies  options and five Project Passport World History Studies options.  Be sure to click the banner below to read their reviews. 

Home School in the Woods (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Being a family that really enjoys products from Home School in the Woods, we were thrilled when we were given the opportunity to review a few of their stand-alone Á La Carte  products.  These are items such as lapbooks, folder games, timelines, and newspaper projects that previously were only available with larger purchases such as the Project Passport World History studies.   These a la carte products offer a wide range of time periods of history, from ancient cultures such as Egypt on through American History and the World War II.

We've used a number of other products from Home School in the Woods in the past, from learning about the 50 states with the Make-A-State Activity Pak, or getting hands-on with History with the Project Passport: Ancient Greece or the Project Passport: Middle Ages studies, so we already had a good idea of what the quality and educational value of these a la carte items would be beforehand.




I selected two items - a file folder game on Ancient Egypt called Tomb Dash!  and  The Old Testament Tribune Newspaper.

Tomb Dash! File Folder Game

Old Testament Tribune Newspaper

Both items were delivered in easy to download PDF files that could be printed easily and quickly.  The files are in black and white which means that there is plenty of opportunities to get creative with markers, crayons, map colors or even paints.

Giving my Tomb Dash! question cards a quick wash of watercolor 

The purchase of Tomb Dash! provides the user with a downloadable zip file that includes three files.  First,a thirty-six page PDF file contains game assembly instructions, printables for the game board, game cards, player pieces, game play instructions and the license agreement.  Also included in the zip file are two MP3 files (one for a ten-minute game, the other for a fifteen-minute game) to be used as a game soundtrack as well as a timer to indicate the end of the game.

The game itself consists of the game board, 126 question cards, 16 Action cards, 12 cover chips and six player markers.  Each of these are supplied in the PDF and are printed on either colored paper or cardstock.  A file folder is also required for the game board along with glue (or double-sided sticky tape) and colored pencils or makers.    A standard six-sided dice is also needed for gameplay.

Tomb Dash! is a cooperative type of game where players work together to exit the tomb and collect artifacts before the timer runs out and the pyramid complex caves in (the mp3 soundtrack comes to an end).  Each player takes a turn answering a question.  If they can answer the question, they then roll the dice and move their player piece the allotted spaces. Players can also share their turns with other players to accomplish the final goal.

Each of the 126 cards contains trivia questions in regards to Ancient Egyptian history and these questions are extremely challenging.

We had fun trying to play Tomb Dash! but what we did learn from playing is that I really want to purchase the Project Passport: Ancient Egypt study that this a la carte product comes from because the answers to the questions come directly from the Project Passport study.

Ashleigh trying to think of the answer to the question. 

Our family is not strangers to the folder games from Home School in the Woods.  Having used a few different Project Passport products and the Make-A-State Activity Pack, we have had experience using the games that are typically included with these products.  (Both the Name that State! game, Journey Through the Middle Ages game, as well as the Greek Life! game in the closed folder are available for a la carte purchases).

I really like that these games are easily assembled in a simple folder with a ziplock and instructions tucked inside and easily stored on a shelf.

Our second a la carte product we received was the Old Testament Tribune where students report stories and create advertisements for an Old Testament newspaper to help improve creative writing skills.  This a la carte product comes as a 13 page PDF which contains 8 pages of guided writing prompts covering many important stories from the Bible, 1 blank template to add your own favorite stories not already included, as well as assembly instructions and license agreement.  Once completed, the pages are glued together and then attached to paper towel rolls to create a scroll.

Since we read a Bible story each school day out of our Illustrated Bible, the kids were able to work on this project a little each day.  They would read their story and then check to see if the day's story was included in the pages.  Stories are presented in the same order as they are presented in the Bible.  Some stories include lines for students to write their own narration, as if they are reporting the events to their readers ( sample story: "Was it a U.F.O. or Elijah in a Fiery Chariot?") while others are presented as advertisements for "businesses", for example, Joseph's Dream Interpreting Service or Sampson's Body Building Gym (enroll today and get a free hairstyle from Delilah's House of Hair!). Much of the headlines and ads are humorous and presented in a tongue in cheek style, making it a fun activity for the kids to work on.

Once completed, the pages are glued together and then attached to paper towel rolls to create a stroll.

This project turned out really nice and we had a really fun time working on it.  However, we will probably revisit this project in the future and will print on papers that look more like parchment to make a better looking finished product with a more authentic look.

To learn more about the many wonderful education products from Home School in the Woods, visit their website.  You can also find them on the following social media platforms:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolinthewoods
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HSintheWoods  
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hsinthewoods/         
• Google+:  https://plus.google.com/b/109711152019235885312/109711152019235885312/posts   
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKq6iLty2fpB6R6ZpcUb8A