Are you looking for reviews of Curiosity Chronicles, the secular homeschool history curriculum? Keep reading for this certified teacher’s first-hand experience.
As a certified teacher and second generation homeschooler, I have high expectations for curriculum. I chose Curiosity Chronicles for my second grader’s history curriculum for a couple of reasons. The fact that it’s secular was of primary importance. Any mention of religion within Curiosity Chronicles is appropriate for historical context and sticks to facts. Another important factor for me is that the creator of this series has a master’s degree with an emphasis in the Classics, making her more qualified to write homeschool history curriculum than many other producers.
I also liked how visual the textbook is. There are multiple colored pictures in each chapter and a timeline that runs along the bottom page and keeps historical events relative to today. One interesting aspect is that the textbook is set up in dialogue format between two kids who are having a friendly conversation about history throughout the text. My 7 year old seems to appreciate the light humor and likes the engaging dialogue. I personally love the “want to know more” sections at the end of each chapter with ideas for further research.
Finally, Curiosity Chronicles is an award winning homeschool history curriculum. I have been following this company for several years and it is nice to see them recognized in the secular homeschool sphere.
➡️ Purchase Curiosity Chronicles when you click here.
Curiosity Chronicles
The engaging homeschool history curriculum, Curiosity Chronicles, was written by homeschool mom Vivian Meyers. The author has an interdisciplinary master’s degree with an emphasis in Classics.
Curiosity Chronicles was written to fill a void in the homeschool world; there was a serious lack of secular history curriculum a couple years back!
The curriculum is formatted dialogue-style, with conversations taking place between two main protagonists. This approach is great for young elementary students, although from my experience teaching upper elementary and middle grades, I think it would be a little baby-ish for kids 10 and up.
Curiosity Chronicles covers four major time periods: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern. You can check out all of the levels here.
Curiosity Chronicles Promo Code
I’ve got your Curiosity Chronicles promo code right here, homeschool fam! Use code HOMEGRAD when you check out for 5% off your total order.
If there’s a sale going on (usually in late summer), the promo code will still take an additional 5% off of the sale price. It makes for a great deal!
Use code “HOMEGRAD” for 5% off any Curiosity Chronicle product
Secular Homeschool History Curriculum
When you’re looking for secular history curriculum for homeschoolers, it can be a little rough. In the past, most homeschool curriculum but especially history was heavily influenced by Christian theology- which is a problem if your family isn’t a member of that faith.
Here are the major ways that secular history curriculum deviates from most Christian-based history:
✅ Earth’s age is 4.5 billion years old
✅ Does not posit that any religion is the “truth” and focuses instead on facts
✅ Only mentions religion when it is appropriate for cultural or historical context
✅ Evolution not creationism
Choosing a Secular History Curriculum
When it comes to choosing a secular homeschool history curriculum, you really have two options: History Quest or Curiosity Chronicles. These are the most popular and reputable open-and-go secular world history curriculum options out there.
Both History Quest and Curiosity Chronicles are great products. I have personally used both. You can read my review of History Quest’s ancient history curriculum here. During our daughter’s first grade year we used History Quest’s ancient history book and now we’re using Curiosity Chronicle’s ancient history book for second grade.
I like that she will have studied two years of ancient history and will be able to go a little deeper this year because she’s familiar with many of the topics. Even though she enjoyed History Quest and was always ready to sit down and read a chapter, she has already been much more engaged with Curiosity Chronicle’s dialogue style format. The colored pictures are a big hit with her, and we really enjoy spending time “researching” the suggested topics further (i.e., looking up NatGeo videos on Youtube).
Curiosity Chronicles Review
Curiosity Chronicles has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from users. Many parents, who once held a disinterest or even aversion to history, found a renewed passion for the subject through this curriculum.
A standout feature is its dialogue format, which fosters a lively and immersive learning experience. The integration of Minecraft challenges in each chapter is a unique and beloved aspect, resonating especially with younger learners and making history sessions eagerly anticipated.
Parents of children with special needs appreciate the multi-sensory approach, which caters to diverse learning styles and offers a comprehensive view of history.
The curriculum’s emphasis on the achievements and competencies of past civilizations is also praised for its inclusivity, covering a wide range of global civilizations. Overall, Curiosity Chronicles is lauded for being both challenging and engaging, making it a top choice for elementary history education.
➡️ Buy Curiosity Chronicles’ secular history curriculum when you click here.
What Pieces of Curiosity Chronicles Curriculum Should You Buy?
You should definitely purchase the textbook because it is the core of the curriculum. You can choose to purchase a print or digital copy, or even an audiobook bundle. We purchased the print copy because that’s our preference for school material.
If you want a completely open-and-go history curriculum, I recommend purchasing the Complete Print Curriculum Package. It includes the hardcover text, a softcover instructor’s guide, and a softcover student guide. It also include an audiobook version of the text (great for car rides!) and a wall timeline which is perfect for visual learners.
➡️ Purchase the Complete Print Curriulum Package for $88.99 here.
(Don’t forget to use the code HOMEGRAD for 5% off)
How We’re Using The Curiosity Chronicles
We’re using Curiosity Chronicles Ancient History for my daughter’s 2nd grade year. We used History Quest’s Ancient History for first grade, and we wanted to compare the two curriculums to see which fit her best going forward.
We will end up covering Ancient History over a two year period using two different curriculums. I’m obsessed with this approach because there is so much packed into this time period that one year isn’t sufficient, and I love that my daughter is already familiar with the topics and is able to dive further into the subject matter her second year. Going forward, we will probably keep rotating History Quest/Curiosity Chronicles every other year until she outgrows Curiosity Chronicles because it’s geared to younger kids.
This year, we purchased the physical copy of the Curiosity Chronicles ancient history textbook. It’s a very affordable product especially when you use the code HOMEGRAD.
Although it’s early in the school year yet, we’ve been reading 2 chapters a week and have spent several days exploring the “research further” ideas on Youtube. My daughter already is very engaged, especially because she is familiar with many of the topics.
➡️ 36 Chapters
➡️ Read 1 chapter a week for a leisurely approach
Custom schedule: we’re attempting to squeeze all 36 chapters into one semester because we will be traveling extensively internationally next semester and won’t be using a lot of curriculum. If we don’t finish, we’ll just pick up where we left when we settle down again.
Curiosity Chronicles Sale
Almost all homeschool curriculums have a sale sometime before school starts, and Curiosity Chronicles is no different. This year their products were on sale in July. I recommend joining their email list to get updates on when the next sale will be.
Save money all year long when you use code HOMEGRAD.
Pros and Cons of Curiosity Chronicles Ancient History
✅ Completely open-and-go secular history curriculum
✅ Company is dedicated to portraying an inclusive and non-Eurocentric view of world history
✅ Engaging dialogue format
✅ Color pictures
✅ Visual timelines
✅ We LOVE the further research suggestions at the end of each chapter
❌ Font colors in some chapters make headings hard to read (does not impact content)
❌ Although 200 pages long, the Student Activity Guide contains a lot of “filler” material. Crossword puzzles, vocabulary matching, and coloring pages are all lower order thinking activities.
❌ There is no indication that any collaboration with subject matter experts, such as “Own Voices” authors, took place in the creation of this product
Homeschool Ancient History Curriculum
There are a couple of options for ancient history curriculum for homeschoolers. Curiosity Chronicles’ is definitely the best option for younger students because of its engaging, dialogue-style storyline and vibrant pictures.
History Quest is another option, but unless your child is able to sit and listen to chapter books and doesn’t need pictures to help them stay engaged, I would stick with Curiosity Chronicles.
Curiosity Chronicles vs Story of the World
There are many differences between Curiosity Chronicles and Story of the World. The biggest difference is the ideology behind each publication. Curiosity Chronicles is secular and promotes an inclusive and non-eurocentric view of world history.
Story of the World is popular among many Christian families and is written by a Christian author, however, the publication itself is purportedly faith-neutral and includes references to both Christian and secular resources. However, the author Bauer has a PhD in American Religion and says, “…because I am a Christian, all of my writing displays who I am and what I believe.”
Secular homeschoolers would more than likely have to modify Story of the World to be less focused on Christian ideology.
Curiosity Chronicles vs History Quest
We’ve used both History Quest and Curiosity Chronicles in our home, so I have first hand experience comparing both of these materials.
Although both secular history curriculum, they are very different. History Quest is a thick read-aloud style chapter book with minimal pictures, while Curiosity Chronicles is an engaging dialogue based textbook with plenty of color pictures and visual timelines.
Our daughter loves to be read to so she would sit and listen to long chapters of History Quest no problem. If your child is not used to being read chapter books with little to no pictures, they probably will not like History Quest and Curiosity Chronicles would be a better choice.
Give Curiosity Chronicles a try this year when you click here.
Curiosity Chronicles Minecraft
In order to get access to Curiosity Chronicles’ Minecraft projects, you must purchase The Instructor’s Activity Guide for Snapshots of Ancient History to accompany the main text.
Inside this activity guide, there are “Minecraft Building Prompts” which describe historic locations and inspire your kiddo to build their own version inside Minecraft.
The cool thing about this is that the prompts can be used with Legos, too, so if you’re trying to limit screen time your child can still take advantage of the building prompts.
Curiosity Chronicles History FAQs
Is Curiosity Chronicles secular?
Yes, Curiosity Chronicles is secular. The curriculum only mentions religion when it is historically or culturally relevant. They do not posit any religious belief as being the “truth”. Additionally, Curiosity Chronicles recognizes that the world is 4.5 billion years old, something that creation-based Christian curriculums refute.
What age is Curiosity Chronicles for?
Curiosity Chronicles was created for elementary through middle school, although based on my experience in the classroom teaching preteens and teens, I think that the silly dialogue style would be a little young for ages 10+.
How do I contact Curiosity Chronicles?
The best way to contact Curiosity Chronicles is through their contact form on their website. You can click here and scroll down to use the form.
Is Curiosity Chronicles the Best Secular Homeschool Curriculum for Your Family?
If you want to include a secular history curriculum this year and you’re not sure which one to choose, I highly recommend Curiosity Chronicles as a first choice because it is affordable and you can get an additional 5% off with the code ‘HOMEGRAD’.
Curiosity Chronicles is a great choice for elementary grades 1-4. Any older and the silly cartoon-like dialogue would probably turn off some older students.
What I love about Curiosity Chronicles is that it’s open and go. You really don’t have to do any prep-work to enrich this curriculum. As long as you have access to Youtube to research topics further, you have everything you need when you purchase the year’s package.
As a homeschool parent and certified teacher, I’ve used both History Quest and Curiosity Chronicles. I recommend Curiosity Chronicles for your first venture into history with your elementary aged kids. You can always try History Quest the following year and compare both. (That’s what we did).
➡️ Consider Curiosity Chronicles for your history curriculum here.
