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Curriculum Questions
Where do I start?
We suggest you shop for The Mystery of History by time period—focusing on one major era of history at a time: ancient; medieval; Renaissance; or modern. Most families start with ancient times (Volume I) to gain a strong biblical worldview of history. But, if you’ve already covered that era, feel free to move up to any of our other time periods. (While preferable to study Volumes I-IV in chronological order, it is not necessary. Each volume can stand alone to give you a full year of world history.)
- Once you’ve established the time period of your interest, visit our store, which is divided by era and volume for your convenience. (Don’t miss our “Best-Seller Bundles” designed to save you shopping time and money!)
- If you want to purchase the entire series in one fell swoop, we have a bundle for that, too! (Four-Volume Set.)
Can I teach all my kids at one time?
Yes! The Mystery of History was designed with family-style learning in mind. While the entire family or small school can be in one time period (to streamline your efforts), we provide age-appropriate activities and review for Younger, Middle, and Older Students. Imagine—one volume of world history for the whole family!
Can I do this in a year?
Yes! Our volumes are set up to provide you 28 to 36 weeks of study that can follow a traditional school year (if desired.) However, some families will take longer. That’s fine, too! (It’s common for families with young ones to get “stuck in Egypt” in Volume I! It’s interesting.)
Can The Mystery of History fulfill a high school credit?
Yes! Any of our volumes can fulfill the criteria of a high school credit when properly used. Please know that our series does grow more difficult; therefore our Volumes III and IV are our best choices for high school. If you had to only choose one, we suggest Volume IV (modern history) to give students the most relevant history for understanding today’s headlines!
Purchase Questions
We’re on a tight budget; what do I actually “need”?
To get a year’s worth of curriculum for the entire family, you simply need one Student Reader to share (in the time period of your choice.) Every Student Reader comes with a download code on the inside cover to give you access to a 500+ page Companion Guide! This guide offers age-appropriate activities, exercises, quizzes, etc. for Younger, Middle, and Older Students (along with an extensive list of literature suggestions!) The only other “essential” items we suggest are our atlases because if you plan to do any of our weekly mapping exercises , you will need answers that come from our recommended atlases. Need a bare bones purchase? Get one volume to read and share—and the atlases that match the time period.
What products do you carry that will make teaching easier?
While our essential products are our four volumes and their matching atlases, we have some convenience items to make teaching easier. Categorically they are:
- Audiobooks (narrated by the author)
- Pre-made Timeline Figures (made by Homeschool in the Woods)
- Paper versions of our Companion Guides
- Planning Pages (to print or use in Adobe)
We want to maximize our history studies and go deep! What do you have?
For families, coops, or schools, we offer a variety of supplemental items, classes, and games. Categorically they include:
- Super Supplemental Products by Bright Ideas Press (Challenge Cards, Coloring Pages, Notebooking Pages, and Folderbooks)
- Self-paced Online Classes (providing structure for students with a weekly syllabus, automated quizzes, and lectures by the author for Volumes III/IV)
- Lectures-on-Demand (lectures by the author for Volumes III/IV)
- Go Fish Games (Ancient, Medieval, American Revolution, American Civil War)
- Certificates of Completion (These are signed by the author, but we are phasing them out. While supplies last, we have them only available for Volumes III and IV.)
How can I set up an account?
You can set up an account on our website at the time of purchase only. (Follow the prompts at check out!) Unfortunately, we cannot set up an account on your behalf after you’ve checked out. If you forgot you had an account, and checked out as a guest, we CAN connect your order to your existing account! Just ask at info@themysteryofhistory.com.
Can I choose a shipping option?
To provide the best rates for our customers, we ship in about 5 days using the US Postal System (Media Mail or Ground, depending on which is less expensive.) International orders are shipped in 1-2 weeks using USPS International Priority. If you have special circumstances and need to upgrade from Media/Ground to Priority, you can request that at info@themysteryofhistory.com. Depending on the availability of our shipping staff, we may or may not be able to accomodate your request in a timely fashion.
How do I access the digital Companion Guide that comes with the Student Reader?
The code to download your Companion Guide is on the inside cover of your Student Reader.
1) Visit the publisher’s website that is provided: http://brightideaspress.com/downloads-codes/.
2) Enter the code printed on the insider cover of your book and you should be able to download a 500+ page Companion Guide.
- This PDF will only operate with the latest Adobe Reader Software, which is free! For more information on Adobe, and a link to their free software, see our Troubleshooting Guide for Downloads.
- If for some reason you don’t have a code, or your code is used, let us help! Email us at info@themysteryofhistory.com.