The Mystery of History is a four-volume Christian world history curriculum that teaches ancient through modern history chronologically from a biblical worldview, designed for grades K-12 with multi-age lesson activities.
What is The Mystery of History?
The Mystery of History is an award-winning world history curriculum written by Linda Lacour Hobar and published by Bright Ideas Press. The series places biblical events alongside secular history on a unified timeline, presenting history from creation through modern times across four volumes. Each volume includes a hardback student reader and digital companion guide with activities differentiated for younger, middle, and older students.
Key Takeaways
- Four volumes cover creation to present day from a young-earth, Christian perspective
- Designed for family-style teaching with activities for ages K-12
- Open-and-go format requires no advance lesson planning
- Each volume takes roughly one school year at 3 lessons per week
- Companion guides include maps, tests, and hands-on projects
The Four Volumes
Multi-Age Teaching Approach
Each lesson provides three activity levels designed for younger students (roughly K-3), middle students (4-6), and older students (7-12). Parents read aloud to younger children while older students can read independently. This structure allows families to study history together rather than running separate curricula for each child. The hands-on activities and projects engage kinesthetic learners who need more than reading and discussion.
What Sets It Apart
Most history curricula separate sacred and secular history into different courses. Mystery of History integrates them on one timeline, showing where Abraham lived relative to Egyptian dynasties or how the early church spread while Rome declined. For families wanting their children to understand biblical history within world context, this unified approach fills a gap other curricula leave open. The pace of 84-108 lessons per volume at three lessons weekly fits a standard school year.
Companion Guide Contents
Each volume's companion guide runs 500-600 pages and includes pretests, weekly quizzes, semester exams, mapping activities, timeline figures, book lists, and detailed activity instructions. The guides eliminate the research parents would otherwise need to create meaningful projects. Audiobook versions of each volume's first quarter are included with the complete sets for auditory learners or families who practice car schooling.
The Bottom Line
The Mystery of History works well for families wanting a Christian worldview integrated throughout their history studies rather than treated as a separate subject. The multi-age design makes it practical for homeschools with children across grade levels. Individual volumes run around $100 each, with discounts available through retailers like Christianbook and Rainbow Resource. The open-and-go format means parents can teach effectively without hours of weekly preparation.
