By Pandia Press·History · Geography · Literature · Writing
7 video reviews: 5 positive · 1 mixed
History Quest comes up in these reviews as the go-to chronological world history for secular homeschoolers, and most of these reviewers genuinely like it. One family used and loved it for almost three years; another, a Christian homeschooler, says she would truly consider it herself if she didn't lean toward Christian curriculum; a former history teacher chose it specifically after leaving Story of the World over religious framing and culturally uncomfortable activities. Reviewers consistently praise the same things: it is fully secular and written for homeschoolers, it deliberately brings in voices you don't usually hear in history (women, minorities, people with disabilities), and every chapter pairs a narrative overview with a History Hop, a story section where kids meet a person from that time. The History Hops are the kids' favorite part across multiple families. Reviewers also like the streamlined schedule, the well-described and easy-to-source extension literature lists, the cozy hygge reading weeks, and a calm but engaging audiobook narrator.
The criticisms are concrete. The series is unfinished: there is no modern history volume yet, just a Modern History Bridge that leans on Story of the World's fourth volume, and one long-time fan resorted to a gap year waiting for the next level. One detailed reviewer found History Quest US a brief overview that skips too much, and notes the volumes don't scale up in difficulty year to year the way Story of the World does. The reader is black-and-white and text-heavy, with fewer activities than competitors; one mixed reviewer picked Curiosity Chronicles as more engaging, while still planning to keep using the History Hops. Compared head-to-head with Story of the World, reviewers call History Quest more user-friendly and more inclusive, but lighter on activity options.
Synthesized from 7 independent video reviews — every claim sourced from what real homeschool parents said on camera.
Secular homeschool families (or anyone comfortable with secular curriculum) who want a chronological, story-based elementary world history with inclusive representation and a simple, streamlined schedule.
Families who want a complete cycle through modern history right now, lots of colorful activity options, or a faith-based telling of history.
History Quest from Pandia Press: Secular Homeschool Curriculum Review Learn more about History Quest here: https://myhomeschoolwithaview.com/history-quest-from-pandia-press/ Links in this description are affiliate. History Quest: https://www.pandiapress.com/history-quest/ref/70/?campaign=YoutubeReview All Natural Homeschool Mug: https://my-homeschool-with-a-view.creator-spring.com/listing/all-natural-homeschool?product=658
History Quest vs Story of the World | Flip-through & Review | Secular Homeschool Curriculum Hi, all! Today, I wanted to compare History Quest and Story of the World. We've really enjoyed using both of these elementary history programs, so I thought it would be interesting to compare them and discuss some pros and cons. I hope you find this helpful! Links: History Quest: https://www.pandiapress.com/history-quest/ Weblinks: https://www.pandiapress.com/weblinks/ Story of the World: https://welltrainedmind.com/c/series/the-story-of-the-world/ The Well-Trained Mind: https://bookshop.org/a/112156/9780393253627 Curiosity Chronicles: https://www.curiositychronicles.org/ Affiliate Links: Thriftbooks ($5 off $30): https://www.thriftbooks.com/share/?code=QtyJWo6y4S0F%252fmYdnbITAA%253d%253d Bookshop (20% off): https://refer.bookshop.org/violet492 00:00 Intro 01:01 4 Year History Cycle 04:21 HQ Reader 07:48 SOTW Reader 13:42 Updates to SOTW 16:53 HQ Activity Guide 23:10 Modern History Bridge 27:01 SOTW Activity Guide 37:09 Audiobooks 38:09 Pros & Cons 41:49 Mini Curiosity Chronicles Review ***I am an affiliate with Bookshop and Amazon. I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.*** #afflink Music credit: https://pixabay.com/music/happy-childrens-tunes-happy-acoustic-guitar-background-music-122614/
Secular History Homeschool Curriculum '24-'25 // Story of the World vs. Curiosity Chronicles ✨✨✨ Info Here ✨✨✨ First Brainstorm Video '24-'25: https://youtu.be/WAtopjNH-Ts // CHAPTERS // 00:00 - Intro 04:20 - SOTW Pros/Cons 09:34 - CC Pros/Cons 16:42 - How I'm Choosing 28:41 - What Now? 34:30 - TLDR Recap 35:19 - You Can Look Forward To... 36:25 Outro // MENTIONS // https://www.pandiapress.com/history-quest/ https://www.curiositychronicles.org/ https://welltrainedmind.com/p/the-story-of-the-world-vol-3-early-modern-times-rev/ https://guesthollow.com/store/guest-hollows-jr-geography-curriculum-schedule/ https://layers-of-learning.com/product-category/arts/ // WELCOME // New here?? I would love to get to know you better! I'll go first: I'm Kaela, a Homeschool Graduate turned Homeschool Momma. My husband & I have 3 girls, with another on the way. We are a Latino family, living our best life in a little 1930s fixer-upper in South Central Texas. Although we are a family of faith, we typically stick to secular resources in our homeschool. I love homeschooling, pretty books, dance breaks, and turning my humble abode into a home. Oh, and a lot of coffee! I hope you'll stay awhile 🧡 // CONNECT WITH ME // email: kaela.ode.to.abode@gmail.com instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ode_to_abode_/ Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/odetoabode ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ // MUSIC // Music by oh, the joy. - 5am in cairo - https://thmatc.co/?l=38227CC5 // DISCLOSURE // Some or all of the above links may be affiliate links. If you purchase through the link that I have provided, I may receive a small commission. There will not be any additional charge to you. I appreciate your support of the content I create in this space!
Our 2nd grade Homeschool Curriculum 2025! Secular & Open-and-Go Favorites! #secularhomeschool ✨ Our 2nd Grade Curriculum Picks for 2025–2026! 📚✏️ We’ve officially kicked off our school year, and I’m so excited about the resources we’re using this year! This year’s lineup includes: 📖 Language Arts – All About Reading, All About Spelling, Zaner Bloser Handwriting, Daily Word Ladders 🔢 Math – Math Mammoth 🔬 Science – Mystery Science 🌎 History – History Quest 💻 Extras – Gritty Kids Logic, Evan Moor Animals I can’t wait to share updates on how each one works for us as the year goes on. 💬 Tell me below — what curriculum are YOU using this year? #2ndGradeHomeschool #SecularHomeschool #HomeschoolCurriculum #HomeschoolPicks #HomeschoolMomLife #HomeschoolJourney #HomeschoolInspiration #HomeschoolLife #HomeschoolCommunity #HomeschoolFun #HomeschoolResources #HomeschoolPlanning #HomeschoolStyle #HomeschoolGoals #HomeschoolVibes #HomeschoolMomsOfInstagram #HomeschoolLearning #HomeschoolWithMe #HomeschoolOrganization #HomeschoolIdeas
Hearth & Story 5th & 6th grade Language Arts Overview | Secular Homeschool Curriculum https://www.hearthandstory.com ❤️S H A R E❤️L I K E❤️S U B S C R I B E❤️ ❣️LETS BE FRIENDS❣️ Leave a comment below, where are you from? Do you homeschool? ✨link to everything mentioned/ shown✨ https://linktr.ee/mindful.maestra Thank you🫶🏻 ✨Reach out to me on any of my social media accounts for comments, requests, etc.✨ LILY’S INSTAGRAM➖@lilymarievargas LILY’S TIK TOK➖@lilymarievargas RAMSES’ INSTAGRAM➖@mentalhealthnow.az RAMSES’ TIK TOK ➖@remo.psych.dnp 💗 Hello, hola! If you're new here, welcome! We are a bilingual Mexican-American secular homeschool family of 5. I like to say that we have been homeschooling since birth, but I suppose 2018 would be the official year. We also live in Southern Arizona, prioritizing health, & balance in our daily lives. I have my Bachelors in Elementary Education and my Masters in Positive Psychology. My husband is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and we are also high school sweethearts I share our homeschool journey, positive parenting tips, mindful planning, and running/ workout vloggy vlogs. We are just two millennial parents trying to make it, guys! Thank you for being here!
Curiosity Chronicles vs History Quest | Secular Homeschool History Curriculum | Compare and Contrast A look inside and my thoughts on Curiosity Chronicles vs History Quest. Looking at the textbook and teacher/student guides side by side. 🌟Other Videos You Make Like:🌟 📽️History Picks for 23/24: https://youtu.be/_z5_o9W54zE 📽️Help Me Choose History: https://youtu.be/mNKq-wT3kGc 📽️American Revolution Unit Study: https://youtu.be/atKXlnOOU7w Connect with us! 💙Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolology/ 💙Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theHomeschoolology/ 💙Blog: https://www.homeschool-ology.com/ 💌thehomeschoolology(at)gmail(dot)com 🔅Welcome🔅 My name is Niki. I am a former high school chemistry & biology public school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kiddos. We are a secular homeschooling family, with a laid back schooling style. I'm a busy WAHM who just tries to stay afloat some days. But we would never change a thing! I would love to get to know you better down in the comments, and I hope you'll stay awhile and chat ❤️ 🔗Affilate Links - An Easy Way for You to Help Support Homeschoolology! Creative Fabric: https://www.creativefabrica.com/teachers/ref/3329543 Night Zookeeper: https://fas.st/t/omP3CPoi Save 50% with Code: homeschoolology Knowledge Crates: www.knowledgecrates.com/homeschoolology Save 15% with Code: Homeschoolology #secularhomeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolology #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolhistory #secularhistory // DISCLOSURE // Thank you for listening to my honest opinions and using them to decide on your future purchases. The links above may be affiliate links. By using these links, you allow me to earn a small commission if you make a purchase. There will not be an additional charge to you. Thank you so much for your support! Audio Used With Permission from YouTube
STORY OF THE WORLD CURRICULUM REVIEW | SECULAR HOMESCHOOL | WHY WE WON'T BE USING IT ANYMORE | 2022 Hey y’all! My name is Megan and I’m a homeschool mama of two. In this video I share our experience using SOTW. I also share why we will no longer be using Story of the World as our history curriculum. I’ll also give a preview of what we will be using instead. Secular History Collaboration: SECULAR US HISTORY RESOURCES | SECULAR HOMESCHOOL COLLABORATION | 2022 Check out the Bold School website: www.Boldschool.net Follow me on Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/c/BoldSchool1 Cool stuff mentioned in this video: History of the World Curriculum: https://welltrainedmind.com/c/subject/history-geography/ Well Trained Mind Book: https://amzn.to/3HDPW9C Julie Bogart Podcast with Susan Wise Bauer: https://blog.bravewriter.com/2017/09/18/brave-writer-podcast-season-3-with-susan-wise-bauer/ Susan Wise Bauer Blog Post: https://welltrainedmind.com/a/a-neutral-education/ History Quest: https://www.pandiapress.com/history-quest/ Ode to Abode’s Review of History Quest: HISTORY QUEST EARLY TIMES FLIP-THROUGH | SECULAR ELEMENTARY HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM | ANCIENT HISTORY
“after using and loving history quest for almost 3 years I have found it very difficult to decide what to transition to next”
“History Quest is entirely secular and they make a point to try to bring in voices that you don't normally hear from in history”
“i'm actually really impressed with this curriculum and if i didn't lean towards using christian curriculum this is one that i would really really truly consider but it is secular”
“these history hops seem really really fun and engaging because they're about like people who have to do with that time”
“it has a very similar cozy feel to the story of the world and i know that we'll just be able to transition smoothly from story of the world to history quest”
“I do feel like History Quest US is a very brief overview of US history. It's part of why I opted not to do it as its own year. I feel like it just skips too much”
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Yes, and that is its biggest draw in these reviews. Reviewers describe it as entirely secular material written specifically for homeschoolers, which one calls a rare find, and say it deliberately includes voices not normally heard in history, such as women, people of color, and people with disabilities. Even a Christian reviewer who prefers Christian curriculum says she was really impressed and would truly consider it.
Per these reviewers: Early Times, Middle Times, and US History (which incorporates civics), plus a Modern History Bridge that leans on an encyclopedia and the fourth volume of Story of the World. A full modern history volume had been announced but not released at the time of these reviews, and one reviewer speculates the project may be shelved; another family took a gap year with geography while waiting.
Each chapter pairs a narrative overview with a History Hop, a more immersive story section that takes you back in time to meet a specific person from that era. Multiple reviewers say the History Hops are their kids' favorite part, and one reviewer who chose a different program still plans to keep using the History Hops alongside it.
It is an elementary program. Per one detailed reviewer, Early Times and Middle Times are intended for grades 1 through 6, US History for third grade and up because of heavier themes, and Modern History Bridge for grades 3 through 7. Another reviewer says a middle schooler could tag along with the read-aloud, though some coloring pages may feel young. One criticism is that the volumes feel written at about the same level rather than scaling up year to year.
Reviewers describe a very similar cozy, narrative read-aloud style, and several switched from Story of the World over its handling of religion. They call History Quest more user-friendly, more inclusive, and easier for sourcing recommended books, but note it has far fewer activity options, and that Story of the World scales in difficulty better and is cheaper to buy used.
The study guide includes hands-on activities, often with two options per chapter (a more complex project and an easier one with a two-to-three item supply list), plus map work, copywork, a timeline or travel log, and enrichment reading. One reviewer warns the overall supply list is long if you do everything, but stresses it is all optional and the read-aloud is strong enough to stand alone.
The study guide lays out a five-day week, with day five as an enrichment day of web links and extra reading, and the year includes several hygge weeks where you just cozy up and read historical literature. Reviewers adapt it freely; one family does history three days a week, and one notes it offers only the single layout rather than multiple scheduling options.
Yes. One long-term user really liked the narrator, describing her as calm but still exciting and very easy to listen to, and used the audiobook so her daughter didn't have to wait for mom to be free. The audiobook purchase also came with the book's images, which that family printed small to make timeline figures.