When I found out that we would be living in our RV for a while, I knew that having regular schoolwork to help the kids focus – even during the summer months – would be a benefit to our sanity. Going non-stop without a focus or structure is not good for any of us. I wanted to make this road schooling experience positive, but also productive.

I needed options for learning activities that could benefit all four kids in all their different grades and ages. It had to be flexible and work well with frequent field trips and outings as a family. I love when our topic of study directly connects to an outdoor event or field trip. It is homeschool gold!

So, I prepped ahead before we set out on the road. I planned to use the biographies in the Master Books What a Character series as the foundation of our learning. Then, I made a bucket list at each location where we camped. This list was developed from the people we read about so the learning could be multi-dimensional.

This form of homeschooling takes on a unit study approach. The What a Character series is such a great supplement to history. Or like us, you use it as the foundation of your studies in a thematic approach. Here is what we did.

Stack of books from the What A Character series from Master Books Homeschool Curriculum. Text reads Mastering History with Master Books.

Flexible Elementary History Curriculum, In-Depth

Whether you are enriching your child’s learning over the summer or are homeschooling full-time, making it fun helps children love learning. That’s what we all want.

We want our children to see learning as beneficial and helpful. So, when our life gets a little chaotic, I look for dynamic ways to work in learning. It benefits me by providing structure to our days and it benefits the kids by enriching them with knowledge.

For this RV life experience, I planned to do a school day a few days each week during the summer. It helped us slow down, spend time together, and forced the kids to settle in together.

I think that is a good thing!

Master Books What a Character Notable Lives from History series history addition to homeschool history curriculums study.

I used each character in the What A Character Scientists series to plan field trips for my kids. The first day, we went on a family walk on a local trail. The kids noticed the plants and bugs. They even took a couple of leaf samples that we kept seeing along the path.

After we got back to our RV, the kids looked up the scientific names of the leaves. They sketched them and colored them — as botanists exploring their surroundings.

Master Books What A Character series Inventors and Scientists volume. Homeschool history curriculum for elementary kids.

We read the story about Carl Linnaeus, who catalogued plants and animals and gave us the two-name classification system that scientists still use today.

After reading the biography, the kids and I looked up the scientific name for each of the leaves they found. Then, they wrote the Latin two-name classification for each. After, they colored their leaves as if they were naturalists keeping records in their journals.

I love that the What A Character series tells the story of each historical figure or animal in a way that is interesting to children of all ages. From my 16-year-old to my 10-year olds, all were engaged and learned interesting facts.

Child seated at table in RV camper road schooling with MasterBooks curriculum.

Master Books What a Character Notable Lives of from History Series

The What a Character series includes a volume for Inventors & Scientists, America’s War Heroes, Extraordinary Animal Heroes, and America’s Famous Spies. Each volume is a wonderful collection of engaging biographies of people and animals that have had an impact on history.

The collection is a wonderful addition to a comprehensive history curriculum. It is also in and of itself a great form of history that focuses on the world and America. Older kids can pick a character and do more in-depth research to create a research paper or project. Younger kids can explore the time period that a set of characters lived and attend a living history event. Local field trips help them immerse themselves into that time period.

There is so much quality learning in each book. And, you can see that it works as a summer supplement, or a foundation for a full homeschool history curriculum. They coordinate well with science units too.

You can follow our roadschoooling journey and more What a Character lessons on my Instagram page. To check out What A Character books and the full curricula offered by Masterbooks.

What are you using to teach your children about history? Any resources you recommend?

Road schooling with Master Books homeschool history curriculum What A Character Series.