You should choose resources based on your family’s interests. Choosing resources is as individual as choosing your home decor—it will vary from family to family depending on needs, interests, and budget.

Many Heart of Wisdom unit study lessons contain enough resource material and/or Internet links in themselves that further research is not required. However, we give several recommendations for those who desire to branch out and learn more.

We provide you with hundreds of resources (and a select number of Key Resources ) to choose from. Don’t think of this choice as overwhelming—think of it as an opportunity to find out where your students’ interests (delights) lie.
Building a home library saves a tremendous amount of time and effort.

A well-equipped home library to a homeschooler is like a well-equipped kitchen to a cook. How much time and effort is saved by having the right ingredients and not having to substitute! (You can explain this to your husband by comparing it with having the right tool for a job in his toolbox.)

What types of resources do you recommend?

Heart of Wisdom unit studies include so many links to free information on the Internet that you could actually use the units without purchasing any additional resources. However, students need to read (and feel and smell) real books! We recommend dozens of resources for each unit, but please understand that you are NEVER expected to use ALL the resources recommended.

Giving your student the opportunity to do research
in a variety of ways also increases his interest!

• Books -We recommend several popular homeschool resources to help you build a good home library and so you can utilize the books you already have.These books are so popular with homeschoolers that you will have a good chance of finding one or more of them at your local library or homeschool group. We also suggest a variety of books because books sometimes go out of print.
• Internet Sites – We recommend several different Internet sources because Internet sites move or go off line all the time, and by listing several of them, you have better chance of finding the information you need. There is an enormous amount of great free stuff on the Internet you can accessvideo clips, interactive sites, audio clips, great illustrated sites, lessons from schools and colleges, dozens of encyclopedias, etc.
• Videos and Television Shows - We recommend several TV programs and videos; we give you a description of the show or video so you may be able to find it at your library, or you can use the link provided to go to the web site to find out air times in your area. We include links to The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Health, Travel Channel, Moody, Discovery School and The Discovery Store, just to name a few. If you have Tivo you can search for shows and record them for viewing at a later date.

Will we use the resources for a few weeks, or several years?

The resources we recommend progress from general to specific to detailed. Some will overlap. In our unit studies these books are marked with symbols (heart, star, diamond) as listed below.

1. Recommended for the four-year plan (broad-based)
2. Recommended for the year (narrower)
3. Recommended for one unit (specific)
4. Recommended for one lesson (detailed)

The books below are optional, but make great additions to a homeschool library.

Please understand that we recommend some books because many homeschoolers already have them in their home library. In each unit, we give you the page numbers or chapters to read from a variety of books you may already have so you can utilize the information you have on hand.

Bible Resources

The Bible study tools ar eaids you’ll refer to over and over for many years. We offer a Bible Study Package. Suggestions include Reproducible Maps, Charts, Time Lines, Holman Bible Atlas: A Complete Guide, Kregel Pictorial Guide to Everyday Life in Bible Times, Click for more Bible Study Tools.

History Resources

• A. History books recommended for the four-year plan: Example: Kingfisher Encyclopedia of the World contains snips of information on historical events from the beginning of time to 1993. It’s a general overview that you can use for several years. It is a very handy book to have on the shelf to look up historical events or persons. The Complete Book of When and Where in the Bible includes information about 1,001 events in BIble and Christian history and their significance. This book is a comprehensive timeline you’ll refer to over and over for many years.
• B. History books recommended for the year: Ancient History: Adam to Messiah (history year one) covers Creation to the time of Christ. Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia includes events from religion, society, and everyday life in each civilization. Our Father Abraham focuses on the Hebrew and Christian background and significance of each time period. Both are highly recommended because they give more information than the above book.
• C. History books recommended for one unit (or several lessons): Note that most history reference books fall into two types: daily life or chronological events. Example: A unit in Ancient History: Adam to Messiah is “Ancient Egypt.” Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt focuses on daily life in ancient Egypt. History Pockets, Ancient Egypt is designed for elementary students, making history come alive as students make interactive projectse. The projects are stored in labeled construction paper pockets with decorative covers. With History Pockets, students are engaged in discovery while creating portfolios for assessment and display. Mara, Daughter of the Nile is a novel. Historical literature paints for us a picture of a time and place, of customs and society and manners.
• D. History resources recommended for one lesson:
  Books or videos recommended for one lesson are to be used when your student finds delight in a lesson and wants to go into more depth. Use their interest to promote a love of learning. Example: One lesson in the Ancient Israel unit is “The Tabernacle.” If you or your student or family wants to learn more, we recommend The Tabernacle: Shadows of the Messiah or Made According to Pattern.

Science Resources

• A. Science books recommended for the four-year plan: Example: The Usborne Internet-linked Science Encyclopedia and Dorling Kindersley’s Google e.Encyclopedia: Science both contain information of science discoveries, terms, explanations, etc. Either would be an excellent science resource you would use for many years. Heart of Wisdom science unit studies tell you what pages to read in each lesson but these are books your children will browse without your prompting.
• B. Heart of Wisdom science unit studies for year one focus on physical science. The New Way Things Work and The Handy Physics Answer Book can be used in most of the energy, light, matter, motion and electricity lessons IF they are books you already have on hand; if not, several other books are recommended. Most homeschoolers own The New Way Things Work so we included the page numbers for this book and other popular homeschool books in each lesson. These books give more information than the book listed above but not as much as the books listed below.
• C. Science books recommended for one unit (or several lessons): Example: DK’s Eyewitness Energy is highly recommended to have for the Energy unit (unit in “Creation Reveals God” in Science One).
• D. Science resources recommended for one lesson: Books or videos recommended for one lesson are to be used when your student delights in a specific topic. Use their interest to promote a love of learning. Example: A lesson in the Light unit is “Thomas Edison’s Light Bulb.” If you or your student or family wants to learn more, we recommend Thomas A. Edison, Young Inventor or The Light Bulb and How It Changed the World.A large part of the appeal of unit studies is in its flexibility when choosing resources; this means that each family will need to consider their homeschool budget, time available, the number of children that will be using this program, and their personal interests.

Which resources are required?

The only required resources are a Bible and a writing handbook. Think of the Bible as your main textbook and the Heart of Wisdom unit study as your guide. All other resources are optional. We recommend The Narrated Bible and Writers Inc: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning.

The Narrated Bible is arranged chronologically. We recommend The Narrated Bible for several reasons:

1. The chronological arrangement helps students see how various Scriptures fit with each other and with their historical settings.
2. The modern English used is familiar and easy to understand. It is amazingly easy to read through several books of the Bible in one sitting with this story format.
3. Because it is written in everyday English, the text can be used for dictation and copying lessons, (to teach handwriting, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation).
4. The layout of the book is ideal for teaching students how to outline. Each section includes excellent titles and subtitles, which give a concise overview of the theme.
5. Helpful background information (narrative commentary) is written to integrate with most Scriptures in such a way that it is part of an unfolding story (in a separate and distinct typeface and color).
6. Throughout the presentation of Scripture, chapter and verse designations are placed in the margin for easy reference.
7. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon are divided thematically. Topic examples include: Discipline, Temper, Patience, Greed, Flattery, Controlled Speech, etc.

See More Chroological Bibles

Writers Inc: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning

Your student will be referring to this book in almost every lesson. We do not refer to page numbers in this book because it is frequently revised. Writing, reading, and additional study skills are combined in this comprehensive writing manual. The fundamental principles of writing are explained throughout for quick reference. The process of organizing, researching, and writing a paper is laid out in easy-to-understand language.

The book outlines strategies for writing with computers, including instruction in writing multimedia reports and publishing online. Also included is information on thinking and learning skills, such as viewing, note taking, and test-taking skills and more. Paperback (August 1995) Write Source; ISBN: 0669388130. Grade level: 9–12 but can be used for grades 4–12 with parent’s guidance.

What do I need to Get Started?

So many of you have asked this question that we put together a package of the resources for year one and purchased these books in quantity so we can offer them to you at a discount. One hundred percent of the proceeds from these resources go to develop Heart of Wisdom unit studies. The Year One Deluxe Discount Package includes history and science unit studies, Bible and Key Resources for each unit and more!

Year One Deluxe Discount Package

Here is an example of when you will use the history resources for Year 1.

Daily Life at the Time of Jesus

Resources for Ancient History	Units
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Bible
Writing Handbook (student’s level)
Victor Journey Through the Bible				*
Adam and His Kin
Ancient Egypt (Eyewitness)
Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Bible (very useful!)			*
Ancient Greece (Eyewitness)
Ancient Rome (Eyewitness)

Usborne Book of the Ancient World Kingfisher Illustrated History of The World

Click to view all discount packages

Build Your Own Package with New or Used books!

You can now build your curriculum browsing our recommendations by year or theme  in the Amazon Homeschool Bookstore and choose only books you need.

History is taught Chronologically. Science is taught in the Days of Creation Order.

Choose the Year and/or Subject:

• Year 1 History: Adam to Abraham, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Messiah
• Year 1 Science: Creation, Light, Energy, Matter, Motion, Electricity
• Year 2 History: Early Church, Vikings, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation
• Year 2 Science: Weather, Oceans, Plants, Geology, Astronomy
• Year 3 History Exploration, Colonies, New Nation, Civil War, American West
• Year 3 Science Ocean Animals, Birds, Insects, Land Animals
• Year 4 History: Industrial Era, WWI, Depression, WWII, Holocaust, 1960 to Present
• Year 4 Science: Anatomy human body

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