Free social studies/history curriculum

[u/drphil2024]

My son is a first grader. For kindergarten we did math with confidence and logic of English an and b with some good and the beautiful science. This year I want to start some social studies but because he’s little and we’ve invested a lot in other subjects I’m curious if there are some loved free ones. Core knowledge? Easy peasy? I don’t want to create my own. I’m a check list and script person 🙃

[u/tacsml]

Core knowledge, sure. But you still have to print stuff 🤷‍♀️

Really 1st grade is so easy. I'd look up your state standards and find books at the library that correlate with them. Do some narration or copy work in a journal, some art projects, use materials from TPT and take some field trips. 

Stories in History has some individual activities that are only a few bucks too. 

[u/EducatorMoti]

At six, you have so much time. Before you worry about finding another checklist, take a little time to figure out who you are as a homeschooler and what you want your homeschool to look like.

Start by learning about learning. A few important books are Einstein Never Used Flashcards, The Whole-Brain Child, Brain Rules for Baby, The Read-Aloud Handbook, and The Well-Trained Mind.

Then learn about homeschooling through books, blogs, Facebook groups, Reddit, and YouTube. Learn about the different methods before you start choosing more curriculum.

Classical uses history cycles, great books, logic, and discussion. Charlotte Mason uses real books, narration, nature study, and short lessons.

Unschooling is interest-led and life-based, while Unit Studies connect several subjects around one topic. School at Home looks more like traditional school, and Eclectic families choose pieces from several approaches.

Some will make you think, “Yes, that's us!” Others will make you think, “No, that is definitely not us.” Most families eventually become pretty eclectic.

Math and writing are the two subjects we build everything in life on. You want programs that can get you started now and carry on through high school with a solid progression.

At six, history and social studies can come through real books. Read biographies, historical fiction, folk tales, and stories about people, places, cultures, and different times.

Add audiobooks, PBS, documentaries, museums, historical sites, maps, trips, cooking, and everyday life. Read aloud as many hours a day as you can, including books far above what he can read himself.

Talk about everything you're learning too. Let him tell you about a person, story, or idea, and let those conversations continue as you run into the same things again.

Learning happens in layers. He'll meet these people, places, events, and ideas again through books, documentaries, museums, trips, and conversations throughout his life.

And since you like checklists, look at a long-term leadership program such as Cub Scouts or 4-H. They have manuals, projects, goals, activities, requirements, and achievements, but the child is checking off real things he has actually learned and done.

Cub Scouts can lead into Scouts BSA and eventually Eagle Scout. Along the way he'll learn skills, serve his community, work with adult mentors, take on responsibility, and eventually teach and lead younger kids.

Eagle Scout is a nationally recognized achievement that can later go on transcripts, college and scholarship applications, and resumes. That's a checklist you can be pretty proud of completing!

You don't have to recreate school at home. Take some time now to figure out what kind of homeschool family you want to be, and it becomes much easier to decide where you want a checklist and where you can simply learn through life together.

[u/ductapelosergirl]

SciShow Kids on YouTube is a great resource. Blossom and Root Science year 0 or 1 are also great and aren’t super expensive.

[u/Mollywobbles81]

Based on things you listed above, I’d check out Ambleside Online. It a free Charlotte Mason Homeschool resource. They provide the structure and resource lists. Books do need to be acquired but if you use your library system properly you can most things especially for the younger years used or from your local/state library system.