We love to travel. JustaBXgirl was given one of those maps that you can scratch off the places you have visited and her goal is to scratch off the entire map. Once upon a time, I dreamed of homeschool as a way to be free to travel the world with her. Now, that dream is on its way to being reality once I feel safe enough to gain some new passport stamps. In the meantime, History Unboxed lets us not only visit different countries but also visit different time periods!
Yup, it’s your own personal time machine. I love that you can use History Unboxed as a subscription service or simply standalone. We received the Visit Japan and discover the age of the Samurai box for ages 5-9 for review.
Our box included an origami kit, a mini rock garden, 2 pieces of Japanese matcha tea candy, magnetic Waka poetry, a samurai coloring sheet, a Japanese Middle Age Folktale, and the curriculum to understand each item in the box. Oh, and a timeline sticker!
JustaBXgirl is obsessed with the rock garden. She had been wanting one for a while. I love that now that she has one, she is learning the history behind it and what it really represents. I, for one, had no idea what Waka poetry was. This became one of those teachable moments where JustaBXgirl got to see me learn right alongside her. The poetry is a big hit in our home and was both social studies and ELA work for us. Talk about WIN-WIN!!!
We do a lot of our learning online so having this opportunity to unplug was awesome. I also used it as a chance to follow the path taken by JustaBXgirl. She started with the rock garden and took her time creating it, as I read her the history behind it. She shared that she already knew some of the history and filled me in on her understanding. From there she played with the poetry magnets for a bit before we looked at the correct way to use them.
She loved that the coloring sheet is in a comic book format since she is creating a comic book. I let her discover each product in the box in her own time. That’s a huge blessing in homeschooling. You can truly do things according to your own schedule. It is also a lesson that I remind myself of daily as I stress what we have and haven’t covered.
- How do children learn using this curriculum? This is an unplugged resource. It contains different items that can be used in a variety of ways. That makes it great for different learning styles.
- How can I track what my child is doing? Since it is an unplugged activity you have to connect to you littles when using this. You can work on this together or you can have them share what they have covered independently.
- What input do I have in what my child is learning? As much or as little as you want! You can purchase stand alone boxes if you’re studying something specific or maybe your child is very into a certain time and place in history OR you can order the subscription service and use them as your history curriculum for the year!
- What grades does this curriculum cover? Elementary – High School. There are three levels of the boxes. The first level is for ages 5-9. It is designed to be very approachable for younger students and can be explored with the help of an educator. The second box is for ages 10-15. That box is more in-depth, and can be completed mostly independently. Students will learn about the past through the eyes of a teenager and enjoy memorable crafts, recipes, stories, and mementos. And the final box is designed for those 16 and up. This box will help teens become inspired with a monthly history fix as they explore at a variety of crafts, historic recipes, and history based games.
- What does this curriculum cost? History Unboxed has downloadable lesses starting at $2.99, and E-books starting at $9.99. Standalone boxes are $54.95 and a full curriculum can be 12 boxes at just under $54 a box.
I always suggest starting small. If your little is like mind, their tastes and interests shift with the wind. The full curriculum is a big investment. A single box is great to check it out and even as a gift for a birthday or upcoming holiday. This company has done an excellent job of curating information and items that students will be excited to receive. It also is great for both homeschoolers and traditional students.
Will this be our primary history curriculum? Probably not, but I can see ordering another box as a treat to break up the monotony of what we might be doing.
Make sure to check out other reviews from my friends at Melanated Gold Review Squad.
