This will be our fourth year homeschooling and second time studying Cycle 1 with our Classical Conversations community, so we already have a book collection going. I’ve added a bunch of new ones too though. I may still add a few if they are good fits, but I’ll be working from this list. Many weeks are pretty aggressive – I’m positive we won’t get to all of the titles. In fact, I don’t think we could read all of them even if all we did was read all day. But I need a place to start, so I’ll pick the titles I think work best given our schedule the week or two before. There are definitely a few classics that I am hoping to read aloud, like The Odyssey, The Bronze Bow, Carry On Mr. Bowditch, A Cry From Egypt, and Archimedes and the Door of Science. I also think the kids will enjoy My Side of the Mountain, Detectives in Togas and the follow-up, and Mystery of the Roman Ransom.

My plan this year is to study the different civilizations and cultures from the history sentences a little more in-depth. I want the kids to have a good understanding of what it was like to live in ancient civilizations and know the customs of different cultures and religions. And because I love reading so much, the best way I know to do that is through books. Some of them represent different age ranges in a few cases because I still have little ones. But for the most part, the books are appropriate for elementary-aged children. Many of the books that are pricier have used options on Amazon – some can be purchased for $0.99 and then pay $3.99 shipping. We have a lot of old library books in our collection and I’m totally fine with that. It’s ok if books are already loved because we are going to love them too! You can also try the library, but I personally prefer to own our books so we can read them when we like.

All Weeks
Ancient Civilizations (DK Eyewitness)
Carry On Mr. Bowditch
The Bronze Bow
My Side of the Mountain
Maps & Globes
Geography From A to Z
Barefoot Books World Atlas
Usborne Animal Picture Atlas
Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method: More Than 100 Hands-On Science Experiments for Children
Nature in a Nutshell for Kids: Over 100 Activities You Can Do in 10 Minutes or Less
Big Book of Earth & Sky
God’s Design for Life: The World of Plants
God’s Design for Heaven & Earth: Our Weather & Water

Week 1
A Cry From Egypt (will start early)
Living the 10 Commandments for Children
Celebrate: A Book of Jewish Holidays

Week 2
The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus
A Child’s Introduction to Greek Mythology
The Odyssey or
The Adventures of Odysseus
Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome

Week 3
Greeks, Romans, Countrymen!
The Trojan Horse
Pegasus
King Midas: The Golden Touch
If I Were a Kid in Ancient Greece
Cells for Kids

Week 4
Ancient Greece (DK Eyewitness)
Ancient Greece: An Interactive History Adventure
Archimedes and the Door of Science
Magic Treehouse Fact Tracker #14: Ancient Rome and Pompeii
Powerful Plant Cells

Week 5
Romulus and Remus
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction
Detectives in Togas
Ancient Rome (DK Eyewitness)
Classifying Invertebrates
Incredible Invertebrates

Week 6
Mystery of the Roman Ransom
The Roman Colosseum
What is a Vertebrate?

Week 7
The Kids Book of World Religions or
Religions of the World for Kids
Hinduism for Kids
Buddha
If You Were Me and Lived in India
Indian Tales

Week 8
World History Biographies: Gandhi
Who Was Queen Victoria?
Indian Tales
How A Seed Grows
Magic School Bus Plants Seeds

Week 9
Confucius: The Golden Rule
The Legend of Lao Tzu
Ancient China (DK Eyewitness)
Chinese Myths and Fantasies
Parts of a Plant
Plant Stems & Roots

Week 10
Heart of a Samurai
Commodore Perry in the Land of Shogun
Leaves

Week 11
Ancient Greece (DK Eyewitness)
Ancient Rome (DK Eyewitness)
Flowers

Week 12
Muhammad
The Wise Fool
The Magic School Bus Gets Planted
Understanding Photosynthesis

Week 13
Step Back in Time to Ancient Kush
African Tales
Planet Earth/Inside Out
Magic School Bus Inside the Earth
A Boy Named Giotto

Week 14
The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay
African Tales
Rocks and Minerals
Discovering Great Artists

Week 15
Picture History of Great Explorers
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Anansi the Spider: A Tale From the Ashanti
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale
African Tales
Mountains
To the Top! Climbing the World’s Highest Mountain
Renaissance Art Book

Week 16
Awesome Ancient Ancestors!
Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs
The Ancient Maya
The Chocolate Tree
Magic School Bus Blows Its Top
Albrecht Durer

Week 17
The Aztec Empire
Picture History of Great Explorers
The Sad Night
Hernando Cortes
Volcanoes
Michelangelo

Week 18
Awesome Ancient Ancestors!
North American Indians
The Adena, Hopewell, and Fort Ancient of Ohio
Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor
El Greco

Week 19
Anasazi
Oceans (DK Eyewitness)
Story of the Orchestra

Week 20
Pancho Villa: Rebel of the Mexican Revolution
Mexico
If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico
Viva Mexico!
Mexico ABCs
Mexico! 40 Activities to Experience Mexico
Earth
Child’s Own Book of Great Musicians: Handel

Week 21
Picture History of Great Explorers
John Cabot
Samuel de Champlain
M is for Maple
There’s a Map on My Lap
Johann Sebastian Bach

Week 22
Kids Book of Canadian History
Hudson
Weather
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Week 23
A Picture Book of Simon Bolivar
The Cloud Book
Clouds
Johann Sebastian Bach
Child’s Own Book of Great Musicians: Handel

Week 24
The Story of Napoleon
There’s a Map on My Lap
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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