Creating a Time Line Book
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In her writings, Charlotte Mason recommended preparing a handmade Time Line Book (originally called a Museum Sketch Book; sometimes called a Book of the Centuries). This activity is based upon one of the major keys to motivation: the active involvement of students in their own learning. Students learn by doing, making, writing, designing, creating, and solving. Creating this Time Line Book is a marvelous way for students to not only be actively involved but to “pull it all together” and grasp the flow of biblical and historical events.
Sample Pages
In a short period of time, students can complete an illustrated time line page that tells a story, resulting in immediate feedback that is satisfying and rewarding. Then, as your students learn historical facts, they will make notes and sketches in their book, on the appropriate dated page, about famous people, important events, inventions, wars, etc. (Work that includes undated information about a time period, such as daily life, education, etc., fits better into the Portfolio, but you can combine the two books if you wish.)
You can purchase a blank Book of the Centuries published by Small Ventures Press or make your own with the instructions below.
To Set Up Your Time Line Book you will need:
- A three-ring notebook with a clear-plastic pocket cover
- Blank 8.5" X 11" pages
- Smaller lined pages (8.5 x 11 cut down to 8.5 x9)
- A three-hole punch
- Glue sticks
An option is to choose a color for the pages of each unit (peach for Mesopotamia, pink for Rome, blue for Israel, etc.).
Decide upon the units of time you will use (decades, centuries, etc.) to divide your time line into segments. A time line documenting the period from Adam to the Messiah will begin with Creation (before 2000 B.C.) and end with the resurrection of Christ (c. A.D. 30). (The nice thing about the notebook style timeline is that it's cumulative; every year's study can be added in. You can continue this time line as you study later periods by adding pages.) As you study each period, there will be times when you will document decades on one page, and other times when you will document several centuries on one page. Place the appropriate section of the time line across the top of each 8.5" x 11" page to represent increments. The shorter lined pages will go in between these pages to hold notes. If there is not room on your time line to include all of your chronology, cull some of the dates or add pages with larger segments that leave more room. Use the time lines in this book as a guide. There is disagreement about Bible dates, especially before Abraham (c. 2100 B.C.). Our time lines give the commonly accepted dates agreed upon by Bible scholars.
Illustrate Pages
On the blank pages add illustrations. Utilize the Internet. Thousands of illustrations, maps, Christian clip art, etc., are available on the Internet. A few examples are shown on this page. You can also draw your own illustrations, use illustrations from the web or trace or photocopy the illustrations from Reproducible Maps, Charts, Time Lines and Illustrations (What the Bible Is All About Resources). See example below .

Add Notes and Outlines to Lined Pages
On the lined pages add notes or outlines about key events or people. Write a brief summary for each event, development, or invention. Include: Who did it? When did it occur? What it was. Where it occurred? Why it was important? Write a short biography for each person you research. Information that you may include: birth and death dates, where they were born, where they died, what they did that was important, etc.
Timeline Maker
A tool to make your Timeline Book easy and fun!
Timeline Maker 2.1
Easy timeline charts for EVERY subject—past, present and future!
The Timeline Maker is perfect for your homeschool portfolios and/or notebooking!
Timelines are not just for history! See science and literature samples below.
Timeline Samples
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For more creative ideas see ScrapbookingtoLearn.com
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