t a k es you th e e! - notgrass history€¦ · madeleine takes command (brill) the switherby...

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1-800-211-8793NOTGRASS.COM

FREECATALOG

2019

New

for Elem

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y!

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Inside Our 2018-2019 Catalog

Dear Notgrass History..................2Grades 1-4 Our Star-Spangled Story........3Grades 5-8 America the Beautiful............4 From Adam to Us..................6 Uncle Sam and You...............8Shaping Their Hearts: Special Needs and Homeschooling....................10High School

Exploring World History.....12Exploring America..............14Exploring Government.......16Exploring Economics..........17

Enjoy the Days!.........................18I Believe In You..........................19What Is Notgrass History?.........20

1-800-211-8793notgrass.com

[email protected]

Notgrass History975 Roaring River Rd. Gainesboro, TN 38562

Dear Notgrass History,

I just wanted to say I was so excited to

start From Adam to Us after doing America

the Beautiful last year. We are 1/3 of the way

through and I cannot say enough good things

about your curriculum. I am just blown away

by all the photos and how so much effort was

put into helping the student visualize what they

(or I) am reading. I also really appreciate the

balanced approach, and how the curriculum

points out where philosophies and beliefs

differ from scripture, but also emphasizes the

love that God has for those people who hold

those beliefs. The lessons are interesting and

I really like how there is such a variety in

the assignments. The maps are definitely my

daughters’ favorites.

Thank you for writing such an excellent

curriculum. It is by far my favorite out of all

the curriculum that we have.

Amanda in Missouri

2

Our Star-Spangled StoryGrades 1-4

3

Our Star-Spangled Story is a one-year American history and literature course designed for students in grades 1-4. Hundreds of color photographs and illustrations bring history to life as your student meets famous and everyday Americans who have shaped America’s star-spangled story.

This curriculum package includes four full-color hardback books plus a student workbook and answer key.

Our Star-Spangled Story Part 1 has forty-five narrative lessons for the first semester. Part 2 has another forty-five lessons for the second semester. By completing three lessons per week, you can finish this curriculum in one school year. Suggested hands-on activities and projects make history fun for children with varying learning styles and abilities.

A Star-Spangled Timeline provides a full-color visual review of key people and events. Your family will love Star-Spangled Rhythms and Rhymes, a book of songs, poems, and dances from American history. The included MP3 CD lets you listen and participate!

For each weekly unit, the Student Workbook includes one coloring page, one assignment where the student can either draw or write, and one review page for the unit. The Answer Key and Literature Guide has answers to all review questions and information about the literature we recommend.

Visit notgrass.com/star to see and hear samples and learn more.

Our Star-Spangled Story Curriculum Package

This package includes four full-color hardback books: Our Star-Spangled Story Part 1 and Part 2, A Star-Spangled Timeline, and Star-Spangled Rhythms and Rhymes (with an MP3 audio CD). The package also includes one consumable Student Workbook plus an Answer Key and Literature Guide. $85

Our Star-Spangled Story Literature PackageWe chose eight literature titles that highlight different time periods in American history. Each book is assigned to be read at a particular point in the course.

Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin (Henry)Toliver’s Secret (Brady)Freedom Crossing (Clark)Farmer Boy (Wilder) Mountain Born (Yates)Emily’s Runaway Imagination (Cleary)The Year of Miss Agnes (Hill)Katy (Notgrass) $50

Our Star-Spangled Story Bundle

This bundle includes the Curriculum Package (with one Student Workbook) and the Literature Package. $135

Additional Student WorkbooksOne copy of the consumable My Star-Spangled Student Workbook comes in the Curriculum Package. Order an extra copy if you will have more than one student using this curriculum. $9

Ameica theAmerica the Beautiful combines American history

with geography, language arts, and Bible for grades 5-8. This engaging one-year curriculum explores both the place called America and its history. It is organized into thirty chronological units with five lessons each. To give a comprehensive understanding of America, the types of lessons vary from day to day. A typical unit begins with a lesson on Our American Story. Lessons for the other four days that week relate to the time period and typically cover Daily Life, an American Landmark, an American Biography, and a God’s Wonder.

These hardcover books are filled with color photographs and historic and modern illustrations. Each lesson ends with a list of optional activities. These include assignments in Timeline of America the Beautiful and Maps of America the

Beautiful; Bible, vocabulary, and creative writing activities; and reading the literature titles listed on page 5. Your student is also assigned to read the selections in We the People, a book of journal entries, newspaper articles, advertisements, poems, songs, letters, short stories, speeches, and other historic documents from American history. Each unit has a craft, recipe, game, or other family activity to tie into the history of that unit.

Children with a variety of learning styles enjoy the format of America the Beautiful. The course requires very little preparation. What your student does each day is clearly laid out, so you don’t need a separate teacher’s guide.

Visit notgrass.com/atb where you can download free sample units and learn more about this curriculum.

4 Notgrass History • notgrass.com • 1-800-211-8793

Grades 5-8

“I never enjoyed historyuntil we purchased

these books.Thank you for making

history funfor both my son

and me.” – Jen in Ohio

Ameica the Grades 5-8

takes you the e!

America the Beautiful Curriculum Package

This package includes America the Beautiful Part 1: America from 1000 to 1877 (first semester) and Part 2: America from the Late 1800s to the Present (second semester). Each book is divided into seventy-five lessons, for a total of 150. The package also includes We the People, a collection of primary source documents. Each of these documents is assigned to be read with a particular lesson. Also included are the consumable workbooks Maps of America the Beautiful and Timeline of America the Beautiful. The package includes an Answer Key. $110

America the Beautiful Review Material

The America the Beautiful Student Workbook and Lesson Review are two consumable books that review the material your student learns in the daily lessons. The Student Workbook features crosswords, word searches, and other handwork activities. The Lesson Review contains review questions. Both books have weekly tests. All answers are included in the Answer Key that comes with the curriculum package.

$13 (SW), $11 (LR)

America the Beautiful Literature Package

This package includes the following ten literature titles:

The Sign of the Beaver (Speare)Amos Fortune: Free Man (Yates)Brady (Fritz)Bound for Oregon (Leeuwen)Across Five Aprils (Hunt)Little Town on the Prairie (Wilder)All-of-a-Kind Family (Taylor)Blue Willow (Gates)Homer Price (McCloskey)Katy (Notgrass)

Each book is assigned to be read at a particular point in the course. $60

America the Beautiful BundleThis bundle includes the America the Beautiful Curriculum Package, Literature Package, Student Workbook, and Lesson Review. $194

Notgrass History • notgrass.com • 1-800-211-8793 5

Beautiful

From AdamFrom Adam to Us is a one-year course that combines

world history with geography, language arts, and Bible. It begins when God created the world and tells the story of mankind into the twenty-first century. Each of the thirty chronological units contains five lessons. Each of the five lessons in a unit focuses on one aspect of history at that time: Our World Story, Daily Life, World Landmark, God’s Wonder, and World Biography. Your student explores the history of the entire globe as they learn about each continent and what has happened there over the centuries.

These hardcover books are filled with color photographs and historic and modern illustrations. Each lesson ends with a list of optional activities. These include assignments in the From Adam to Us Map Book and the From Adam to Us

Timeline; Bible, vocabulary, and creative writing activities; and reading the literature titles listed on page 7. Your student is also assigned to read the selections in Our Creative World, a book of short stories, poems, songs, letters, diary entries, and speeches from world history. Each unit has a craft, recipe, game, or other family activity to tie into the history of that unit.

Children with a variety of learning styles enjoy the format of From Adam to Us. The course requires very little preparation. What your student does each day is clearly laid out, so you don’t need a separate teacher’s guide.

Visit notgrass.com/a2u where you can download free sample units and learn more about this curriculum.

takes you the e!Grades 5-8

“Both my girls hated history

until we started From Adam to Us

this year. Now it is one of their

favorite subjects.” – Lucy in Georgia


takes you the e!

From Adam to Us Curriculum Package

This package includes From Adam to Us Part 1: Creation to Cathedrals (first semester); Part 2: Castles to Computers (second semester); and Our Creative World, a collection of primary source documents. Part 1 and Part 2 are each divided into seventy-five lessons, for a total of 150. The package also includes two consumables, the From Adam to Us Map Book and the From Adam to Us Timeline, as well as the Answer Key. $110

From Adam to Us Review Material

The From Adam to Us Student Workbook and Lesson Review are two consumable books that review the material your student learns in the daily lessons. The Student Workbook features crosswords, word searches, and other handwork activities. The Lesson Review contains review questions. Both books have weekly tests. All answers are included in the Answer Key that comes with the curriculum package.

$13 (SW), $11 (LR)

From Adam to Us Literature Package

This package includes the following ten literature titles:

The Golden Goblet (McGraw)The Fables of Aesop (Jacobs, editor)The Bronze Bow (Speare)A Single Shard (Park)Otto of the Silver Hand (Pyle)The King’s Fifth (O’Dell)Madeleine Takes Command (Brill)The Switherby Pilgrims (Spence)The Chestry Oak (Seredy)Children of the Storm (Vins)


From Adam to Us Bundle

This bundle includes the From Adam to Us Curriculum Package, Literature Package, Student Workbook, and Lesson Review. $209(This bundle does not include the audio supplement described at right.)

to Us Grades 5-8


From Adam to Us Audio Supplement

This is an audio recording of the 150 lessons in Part 1 and Part 2. It is intended to be used alongside the printed curriculum.

$25 (MP3 Download) $30 (MP3 CDs)

Uncle SamUncle Sam and You takes your student on a one-year

guided tour of what elected officials and everyday citizens do to keep America running. Your student will learn about government on the federal, state, and local levels; study American ideals and symbols; discover what it is like to be a fireman, a police officer, and the president of the United States; learn respect for his community, state, and country; and learn about the people who make them work. Throughout the curriculum, your student will learn that a citizen’s rights are what his country owes him and a citizen’s responsibilities are what he owes his country.

Uncle Sam and You is richly illustrated with color photographs and historic and modern illustrations. Optional assignments at the end of each lesson include Bible, vocabulary, creative writing, drawing, and photography; and reading the literature titles listed on page 9. Your student is

also assigned to read each of the selections in The Citizen’s Handbook, a collection of letters, memoirs, speeches, articles, songs, and poems related to American government, politics, and civics. The Citizen’s Handbook also includes true stories about how everyday Americans have served and sacrificed for the benefit of others.

As your student studies this course, he learns the history and traditions behind thirty of our country’s holidays. Each holiday lesson has a suggested family activity to do together.

Uncle Sam and You requires very little preparation. The course works well for a wide range of learning styles. What your student does each day is clearly explained, so you don’t need a separate teacher’s guide.

Visit notgrass.com/unclesam where you can download free sample units and learn more about this curriculum.

Grades 5-8

“My ten-year-old remarked today,

‘Seriously, this is the best subject that we do.’

They love what they are learning and so do I.”

– Julie in California


takes you the e!

Uncle Sam and You Curriculum Package

This package includes Uncle Sam and You Part 1 (first semester), Part 2 (second semester), and The Citizen’s Handbook, a collection of letters, memoirs, speeches, articles, songs, and poems related to American government. Part 1 and Part 2 are each divided into seventy-five lessons, for a total of 150. The package also includes an Answer Key. $100

Uncle Sam and You Review Material

The Uncle Sam and You Student Workbook and Lesson Review are two consumable books that review the material your student learns in the daily lessons. The Student Workbook features crosswords, word searches, and other handwork activities. The Lesson Review contains review questions. Both books have weekly tests. All answers are included in the Answer Key that comes with the curriculum package.

$13 (SW), $11 (LR)

Uncle Sam and You Literature Package

This package includes the following eight literature titles:

Lincoln: A Photobiography (Freedman)A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt (De Young)Brighty of the Grand Canyon (Henry)Basher Five-Two (O’Grady)Misty of Chincoteague (Henry)The Long Winter (Wilder)The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane (Freedman)Lost on a Mountain in Maine (Fendler)


and You Grades 5-8


Uncle Sam and You BundleThis bundle includes the Uncle Sam and You Curriculum Package, Literature Package, Student Workbook, and Lesson Review. $184

Steve and Calysta criss-crossed the country as traveling evangelists during the 1980s-90s with their two

daughters, Mika and Labrina. They traveled in a semi-truck that Steve had converted into a home. They shared the gospel through ventriloquism, illusions, clowning, ballooning, and puppetry. When Mika reached school age, they realized that homeschooling was a necessity if they were going to continue their traveling lifestyle.

“After starting our journey in homeschooling,” Calysta said, “it quickly became a treasured part of our daily routine.” Their travels enabled them to take some great field trips as they homeschooled on the road.

The family traveled for fifteen years before settling down into pastoral ministry. They continued to homeschool their two daughters through high school. At one point they considered placing Labrina in public school, but her ACT score (which she had taken at age 12) was so high that the school guidance counselor begged them to continue homeschooling. The counselor knew Labrina would be dragged down in their classes.

When Labrina was thirteen, Steve and Calysta received a call from a friend in their community who fostered babies who had been left at hospital nurseries until a permanent home could be found for each one. Their friend told Steve and Calysta that she was currently caring for a baby with Down syndrome. Every time she prayed over this baby, Steve and Calysta’s faces came before her. Steve and Calysta met baby Meghana that afternoon and fell in love with her. Two weeks later, Meghana came into their home and the adoption process was completed six months later.

After a few years, Meghana was diagnosed with autism. Calysta said that homeschooling Meghana “has definitely been more of a challenge, but God has helped me to find ways to think more creatively in breaking down subject matter into ways for Meghana to make advancements academically.”

HeartsTheir

Shap

ingby Mary Evelyn McCurdy

Special Needs and Homeschooling

Home Sweet Home

Mika and Labrina on a Field Trip to the Liberty Bell


“One thing that we have discovered in raising a special needs child,” Steve said, “is that every accomplishment, no matter how small it is, is cause for great celebration.”

Calysta first learned about Notgrass History while searching for curriculum that she could adapt to Meghana’s special needs. Calysta and Meghana are now enjoying their study of world history using From Adam to Us. Calysta feels that “every lesson is like an adventure to another time and place!”

“Currently we are taking two days to complete one lesson of study in From Adam to Us,” Calysta said. “We will take the first day to go over the textbook reading and discuss what we’ve heard on the audio reading. We also really enjoy looking at and discussing all the wonderful photos in the textbook that go along with the daily reading. The photography is superb and such a great teaching tool, especially for a child who is dominantly a visual learner. On the second day we will complete the assignments for the previous day’s reading.”

Meghana enjoys the Student Workbook and the Map Book that accompany From Adam to Us. They give her a feeling of achievement and accomplishment as they reinforce the daily readings she and her mom go over together.

In spite of the challenges of homeschooling a child with special needs, homeschooling continues to be one of Calysta’s greatest joys. “Homeschooling has helped us have a very strong family unit,” she said. “Doing life together day in and day out created a special bond of love and togetherness that I feel would not have been possible if we had made other choices. We have been able to incorporate the Bible in every area of our schooling.”

Steve and Calysta’s two older daughters are now married with children of their own. Mika homeschooled her children for four years while she and her family were missionaries in Uganda. Labrina looks forward to homeschooling her children when they reach school age. It gives Steve and Calysta great joy to see how God’s

Word has shaped and molded their daughters’ thought processes into a worldview that is now guiding their own home lives, impacting their grandchildren in a godly way.

“For me,” Calysta said, “it is a calling and a joy to be God’s hands and voice extended to shape my child’s heart and mind after His character.”

To watch a video about Steve, Calysta, and Meghana, visit:

notgrass.com/specialneeds

Meghana and Calysta


Exploring WorldFrom Creation to the 21st century, Exploring World

History presents ancient, medieval, and modern history from the perspective of faith in God and respect for His Word. This course gives your high school student a one-year credit in three subjects: world history, English, and Bible.

Exploring World History is filled with fine art paintings and historic and modern photographs. Each daily lesson ends with a list of assignments for that day, so you don’t need a separate teacher’s guide and most students can easily work through the course independently. A variety of writing assignments and hands-on project ideas help your student engage in what she is learning.

In addition to reading the history narrative about events, issues, and people from around the world and

across the centuries, your student reads the words of people who made history in the volume In Their Words, a collection of original documents, speeches, poems, and stories from world history. Your student also reads the classic literature listed on page 13. These books help bring to life the time periods she is studying. The Student Review Pack provides review questions, quizzes, and exams that cover all the lessons.

Exploring World History gives your student a grasp of the way God has shaped the past and how history has led to the world we know today.

Visit notgrass.com/ew where you can download free sample units and learn more about this curriculum.


High School

“We are in our 20th year of homeschooling. As a result of your beautifully-written

curriculum, my high schooler is having

her best year ever. Thank you so much!”

– Juanita in Texas

Exploring World High School

takes you the e!

Exploring World History Curriculum Package

Exploring World History provides three one-year credits for high school: world history, English, and Bible. This package includes Exploring World History Part 1: Creation Through the Middle Ages (first semester), and Part 2: The Renaissance to the Present (second semester). Also included in the package is In Their Words, a collection of documents, speeches, poems, and stories from world history. Parts 1 and 2 each contain 75 daily lessons as well as the daily assignments needed to complete the course. $110

Exploring World History Student Review Pack

This pack includes the Student Review with review questions on the lessons and literature, Bible commentary, and literary analysis. It also includes the Quiz and Exam Book with weekly quizzes in history and comprehensive exams in history, English, and Bible every five weeks. The pack also comes with a separate Answer Key for all. $17

Exploring World History Literature Package

This package includes the following twelve literature titles:

The Cat of Bubastes (Henty)The Art of War (Sun Tzu)Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)The Imitation of Christ (à Kempis)Here I Stand (Bainton)A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)North and South (Gaskell)The Hiding Place (Ten Boom)Animal Farm (Orwell)Bridge to the Sun (Terasaki)Cry, the Beloved Country (Paton)The Abolition of Man (Lewis)


Exploring World History BundleThis bundle includes the Exploring World History Curriculum Package, Literature Package, and Student Review Pack. $222


History

ExploringExploring America tells the story of American history

from Columbus to today. The course gives your student a deep understanding of our nation, both past and present. In addition to reading the narrative about events, issues, and people from our nation’s heritage, your student reads the words of people who made history in the original documents, speeches, poems, stories, and hymns contained in the volume American Voices. To help him connect with history in a real and personal way, your student also reads the classic literature listed on page 15.

A variety of writing assignments and hands-on project ideas help your student engage in what he is learning. This one-year course gives your student three full-year credits, one each in American history, English, and Bible.

The pages in these beautiful hardcover books are filled with historic and modern photographs and illustrations. Each daily lesson has a list of assignments for that day, so you don’t need a separate teacher’s guide and most students can easily work through the course independently. Students with a variety of learning styles learn well with this format and come to enjoy and appreciate history, even if they never liked it before.

The Student Review Pack provides review questions, quizzes, and exams that cover all the lessons.

Visit notgrass.com/ea where you can download free sample units and learn more about this curriculum.


High School

“I have already worked through half of [this] course myself . . . and I am thrilled!

I can’t wait for my girls to begin. I am a licensed 6-12

English teacherand think this curricula

is phenomenal.” – Lisa in North Carolina

High School

takes you the e!

Exploring America Curriculum Package

Exploring America provides three one-year credits for high school: American history, English, and Bible. This package includes Part 1: Columbus through Reconstruction (first semester); Part 2: Late 1800s to the Present (second semester); and American Voices, a collection of documents, speeches, poems, and stories from American history. Parts 1 and 2 each contain 75 daily lessons as well as the daily assignments needed to complete the course. $110

Exploring America Student Review Pack

This pack includes the Student Review with review questions on the lessons and literature, Bible commentary, and literary analysis. It also includes the Quiz and Exam Book with weekly quizzes in history and comprehensive exams in history, English, and Bible every five weeks. The pack also comes with a separate Answer Key for all. $17

Exploring America Literature Package

This package includes the following twelve literature titles:

The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne)Narrative of the Life of David Crockett (Crockett)Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Douglass)Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Stowe)Co. Aytch (Watkins)Humorous Stories and Sketches (Twain)In His Steps (Sheldon)Up From Slavery (Washington)Mama’s Bank Account (Forbes)Miracle in the Hills (Sloop)To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee)The Giver (Lowry)


Exploring America BundleThis bundle includes the Exploring America Curriculum Package, Literature Package, and Student Review Pack. $217(This bundle does not include the audio supplement described at right.)


Ameica

Exploring America Audio Supplement

This is an audio recording of the 150 lessons in Part 1 and Part 2. It is intended to be used alongside the printed curriculum.

$25 (MP3 Download) $30 (MP3 CDs)

Exploring GovenmentHigh School

This one-semester course offers two half-year credits for high school: one in government and one in English. Explore the government of the United States from its beginning to the present with special emphasis on the Biblical pattern for government and on the U.S. Constitution. Learn about the operations of federal, state, and local government, and about issues facing our nation today. As your student understands the background, basis, and operation of American government on all levels, she will become better equipped to remain prayerful, thoughtful, and involved with regard to government. Your student is given a variety of

writing assignments and hands-on project ideas to help her engage in what she is learning.

Both the lesson book and the primary source book We Hold These Truths are richly illustrated with historic and modern photographs and illustrations. Each daily lesson has a list of assignments for that day, so you don’t need a separate teacher’s guide and your student knows exactly what to do each day.

Visit notgrass.com/gov where you can download free sample units and learn more about this curriculum.

Exploring Government Curriculum Package

This package includes Exploring Government, which contains 75 daily lessons, and We Hold These Truths, a collection of historic and modern documents, essays, and speeches related to American government. $60

Exploring Government Student Review Pack

This pack includes the Student Review with review questions on the lessons and literature, as well as literary analysis. It also includes the Quiz and Exam Book with weekly quizzes and comprehensive exams every five weeks. The package also comes with a separate Answer Key for all. $12

Exploring Government Literature Package

This package includes the following four literature titles:

Mornings on Horseback (McCullough)Autobiography of Calvin CoolidgeBorn Again (Colson)God and Ronald Reagan (Kengor)



Exploring Government BundleThis bundle includes the Exploring Government Curriculum Package, Literature Package, and Student Review Pack. $127

High SchoolExploring Economics


This one-semester course offers two half-year credits for high school: one in economics and one in English. Anyone who earns money, spends money, saves money, invests money, has a job, wants a job, or buys things is involved in economics. A good foundation in economics is a vital component of a solid high school education. Exploring Economics explains the key concepts of economics and what they mean to the average person. Your student will take a fascinating and relevant guided tour through the world of economics to become a better steward of the money God provides and a valuable, informed contributor to the economy on the

personal, household, local, national, and international level. Your student participates in economics every single day. It’s worth her time to understand what it’s all about.

Both the lesson book and the primary source book Making Choices are full-color hardcovers and are richly illustrated. Each daily lesson has a list of assignments for that day, so you don’t need a separate teacher’s guide and your student knows exactly what to do each day. Each literature title is assigned to be read at a particular point in the course.

Visit notgrass.com/econ where you can download free sample units and learn more about this curriculum.

Exploring Economics BundleThis bundle includes the Exploring Economics Curriculum Package, Literature Package, and Student Review Pack. $107

Exploring Economics Curriculum Package

This package includes Exploring Economics, which contains 75 daily lessons, and Making Choices, a collection of historic and modern documents, essays, and speeches related to economics. $60

Exploring Economics Student Review Pack

This pack includes the Student Review with review questions on the lessons and literature, as well as literary analysis. It also includes the Quiz and Exam Book with weekly quizzes and comprehensive exams every five weeks. The package also comes with a separate Answer Key for all. $12

Exploring Economics Literature Package

This package includes the following four literature titles. $35

Silas Marner (Eliot)The Rise of Silas Lapham (Howells)The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy (Rivoli)Mover of Men and Mountains (Le Tourneau)


Phil and Donna Ellenburg joined the Notgrass History team in 2016, primarily to travel to conventions. As Donna considered a position with Notgrass History, she knew it would be a perfect fit: traveling—with books!—and talking to other homeschool moms about a curriculum their family had grown to love.

When Phil and Donna’s twins, Philip and Abby, were five years old, Donna could not bear the thought of enrolling them to spend even half a day with someone else on a regular basis. She knew that the best place for her children was with her.

As Donna prayed about the best option for their children’s education, she became convinced that homeschooling was the direction they should go. Phil was concerned that it would take too much of Donna’s time and effort, but they decided to give it a try for Philip and Abby’s kindergarten year. It was a success! Even though their family has considered other schooling options since then, their fourth and youngest child is now in her junior year of high school and they have always stuck with homeschooling.

Several years ago, when Philip and Abby were about to enter high school, a friend of Donna’s recommended that she look into Notgrass History. Donna attended a homeschool convention that summer just so she could get her hands on Notgrass History and check it out in person. She liked what she saw and decided to purchase Exploring World History for Philip and Abby and America the Beautiful for their seventh-grade daughter, Holly.

That year, Donna let the older three children work on their history independently so she would have more time to work with Emily, their youngest child. It worked great. The older three were able to work on their own and the family enjoyed discussing what they were learning throughout the week. If time allowed, they worked on the family projects in America the Beautiful together.

Philip and Abby graduated from high school in 2015. Philip now works full time as a firefighter/EMT. Abby is pursuing training

in cosmetology. “I consider myself very blessed to have been homeschooled,” Abby said. “Being homeschooled gave me a very strong sense of independence and responsibility. I became aware of my strengths and weaknesses in learning and taught myself how to learn and how to retain it. I believe that homeschooling is one of the best decisions you can make for your children’s education and learning experience. It’s not an easy task by any means, but it is definitely worth seeing your children grow and begin to enjoy learning the way I have come to enjoy it.”

Holly graduated in 2017 and is studying to become a nurse. “History was not a subject I was excited about,” Holly said looking back, “but Notgrass History was entertaining and I learned so much! The literature books were great and fit perfectly with the lessons. Because of Notgrass, history quickly became one of my favorite subjects. Homeschooling prepared me for college in many different ways, and I am so thankful my parents decided to homeschool.”

Emily has a wide range of interests in the arts. She is interested in pursuing a theater degree at a Christian college after she finishes high school.

“As I look back over our fifteen plus years of homeschooling,” Donna said, “I have no regrets. Trying to juggle multiple subjects times multiple kids (or even one kid) in the mist of all of the other responsibilities of life can seem overwhelming at times. I would encourage moms to give themselves a moment just to take a breath and realize it’s okay if we can’t get everything on our list completed every single day. What’s important is that you get to pour your heart into teaching your children, which will have a lasting benefit in the lives of your children and their future families. Sometimes the days can be long but the years are short. Enjoy the days!”

Enjoy the Days! by Mary Evelyn McCurdy

Donna and the Kids at a Park, 2011

The Ellenburgs at Philip and Abby’s Graduation, 2015


Hey, homeschooling mama (and you mamas who are thinking about homeschooling), I believe in you. Know what? God believes in you, too. How do I know? Out of all the women who have ever lived in the history of the world, God chose you to be the mama of your children.

He knows what He’s doing. You need to trust Him in this. I know you feel imperfect, inadequate, and fallible. I get it.

I used to stay up late trying to make everything just perfect. Homeschooling used to make me cry and worry.

Finally, our family learned how to make homeschooling who we were instead of a heavy burden for me, the mama, to strap on my back and carry around. That lesson transformed our family. I cherish the memory of our homeschooling days. Believe it or not, I would love to do it all over again.

Homeschooling used to make me cry and worry.

Finally, our family learned how to make homeschooling

who we were instead of a heavy burden.

Now our family helps other families homeschool with joy and with a Christ-centered worldview. We do this mainly through developing our unique curriculum. Ray and I have a passion to continue working with our children in Notgrass History until we have finished developing a course for each grade from first through twelfth.

Our family also has a passion to support families during their homeschooling journey. Our daughter Mary Evelyn has

told our family’s homeschool story in her children’s chapter books, Katy and Katy’s Box. In Katy the “Porter” family is transitioning from public school to homeschool. In Katy’s Box, Katy and her siblings enjoy the new experience, while Mrs. Porter drifts toward burnout. Finally, the whole family takes baby steps toward a learning lifestyle. Having Mary Evelyn share our story in these books was a precious gift to Ray and me.

I am in awe of how Theodore Roosevelt’s parents homeschooled a future president and how his upbringing shaped his life. I wrote Homeschooling: The Making of Theodore Roosevelt to encourage mamas, daddies, and even reluctant relatives who wonder what on earth you are doing! The Roosevelt story can inspire your family to move from burden to joy.

I love to help homeschooling mamas keep on keeping on. I have written a 31-day devotional book, Daily Encouragement for Homeschooling Mothers. It has older-woman-to-younger-woman teachings from Titus 2 and is illustrated with my photographs from our little corner of Tennessee.

Visit notgrass.com to purchase these books and subscribe to receive my blog by email. In my blog posts, I give you a gentle pat on the back every day, Monday through Friday.

I Believe In Youby Charlene Notgrass

takes you the e!

The Notgrass History Team

Clockwise from top left: Phil Ellenburg, Donna Ellenburg,Titus Anderson, Josh Voorhees, John Notgrass,

Nate McCurdy, Mary Evelyn McCurdy, Ray NotgrassCenter: Charlene Notgrass, Bethany Poore

1-800-211-8793NOTGRASS.COM

What Is Notgrass History?Notgrass History is curriculum written

for homeschoolers by homeschoolers.

We are passionate about God, God’s Word,

and God’s work in history and the world today.

Notgrass History teaches with a narrative style,

abundant COLOR illustrations,

original sources , and enriching activities

for all l e a r n i n g s t y l e s .

Notgrass History is parent-friendly

with little (or no!) preparation needed.

Notgrass History is student-friendly;

students know what they are supposed to do and when.

We make history LOVERS out of history haters.

Here at Notgrass History, we believe in having fun

!

We believe in homeschooling

and we believe in YOU!

Our courses are DESIGNED to help homeschooling be a

wonderful experience for homeschooled kids

and their parents.

Notgrass History is not about boring lists of wars and dates.

Notgrass History makes the past exciting and

helps kids engage with history in a memorable way.

Notgrass History

t a k es you th e e! - notgrass history€¦ · madeleine takes command (brill) the switherby...

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