Mystery of History is by far my favorite stand alone history curriculum. It is written in story format, and tells history in chronological order from a Biblical perspective. Linda Hobar does an amazing job keeping history interesting and exciting. Often my children were not content with just one “story”, they wanted another, and another.
These books are for all grade levels. There are three levels of review exercises/activities after each week’s lessons. You choose the level that is best for your child. There are also timelines, geography exercises, quizzes, and test. The first two books have everything in one book, the next two have them split into text and companion guide. The companion guide is also available in CD format. There is an audio CD set for each book, which I find very beneficial for listening in the car or for them to listen to with headphones. Other available pieces are coloring pages, challenge cards, notebook pages, and craft packs. Some are free on their website, and others cost money.
One year we did MOH, we used a tri-fold project board for our timeline, and made lapbooks. There are free timeline figures available online, but I went with ones from Homeschool in the Woods
https://store.homeschoolinthewoods.com/collections/history-through-the-ages-timeline-materials . They seem to work very well with this curriculum. Some people keep notebooks or make their own lapbooks. Another year, we chose to use composition books and glue in lapbook pieces along with timeline figures into a book for each child. I have been able to find many things free through google search, pinterest, and homeschoolshare.com that we have used for our notebooks. You do not need to “buy” all the pieces that go with the set. There is definitely enough out there online that is available for free, if you are willing to search for a little bit.
The books cover the following:
Volume I: Creation to the Resurrection
Volume II: The Early Church and the Middle Ages AD30-1460
Volume III: The Renaissance, Reformation, and Growth of Nations 1455-1707
Volume IV: War of Independence of Modern Times 1708-Present
