We got to check out the Around California with Children’s Books curriculum from Beautiful Feet Books. If you are a Charlotte Mason homeschooler then you must be thinking that I’m late to the party because Beautiful Feet does a fabulous job of cultivating history through living books. What is a living book? Don’t worry, it’s a new term for me too. I know, again, the Charlotte Mason homeschoolers are shaking their heads at me!
A living book seems to be simply a book that engages the reader. According to a Charlotte Mason Blogger, I found,
A Living Book:
- Inspires ideas
- Moves you with its literary power
- Contains quality writing where learning & enjoyment are a natural result
- Is not stale or dry but comes alive, often through inspiring, well told narratives.
- source: Charlotte Mason City Living
Okay, but what does all of that have to do with Beautiful Feet Books and their history curricula? Umm, just about everything. Rea Berg found the company in 1984 to teach her children history without using dry textbooks. Her mission was accomplished and now we can use what she has developed to teach our littles history without boring textbooks.
I really appreciate that you can use this curriculum at your own pace in your own way. Since we aren’t in California and don’t have its history as a requirement for our homeschool adventure, we jump around a bit. We used the curriculum during our Indigenous Peoples study to learn more about the natives of California. The curriculum contains three books about native people. I really like the Library Connection included. It is a further collection of books on the topic covered. We visit our local library about once a week.
Another recent lesson we covered was the one on Walt Disney. Growing up in my home, JustaBXgirl is pretty familiar with the man behind the mouse. Mr. Disney is one of those people that I look to for inspiration on a regular basis. Being able to include lessons about him didn’t even feel like work. It simply was an extension of what we do regularly. Exactly what I aim for our entire homeschool journey to be!
- How do children learn using this curriculum? They learn in a number of ways. The lessons are broken down by topics which are further broken down by works of literature. As a family, you will read the books aloud, research maps, do art projects and so much more.
- How can I track what my child is doing? You are part of your child’s learning with this. You will be able to track it as you go along. All of the books are meant to be read aloud with each other so you will know exactly where your child is. You will also be able to decide if your child is ready to move on to the next thing.
- What input do I have in what my child is learning? You can decide how long it will take to cover the material in the curriculum. This study contains 80 lessons. You can do 3 per week to complete it in one year or you can do as much or as little as works in your home.
- What grades does this curriculum cover? Beautiful Feet Books has curriculum for Kindergarten through twelfth grades. This exact curriculum is designed for 4th – 6th graders. My daughter is a 3rd grader that reads on a 5th or 6th grade level and she is good with this.
- What does this curriculum cost? The AROUND CALIFORNIA WITH CHILDREN’S BOOKS PACK: A HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN STATE full curriculum with all of the books costs $250.95. You can order the teacher’s guide for $23.95.
Don’t forget to check out what other Melanated Gold Review Squad members thought of Beautiful Feet Books.
