Story of The World vs Simply Charlotte Mason History Curriculum

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Comparing Story of The World vs Simply Charlotte Mason is like comparing apples and oranges. They are both quite different from each other.

History is a subject that I love as an adult but I loathed it during my school years. Dry and boring were the only words I’d use to describe it.

For that reason, finding a history curriculum that was engaging and colorful for my children has been of utmost importance to me.

Two history curriculums that fit that bill for me are Story of the World and Simply Charlotte Mason. They are very different but both are full, comprehensive curriculums based on wholesome literature.

For a full comparison of the two, keep reading…

Comparison of Story of The World vs Simply Charlotte Mason

I have used both of these curriculums to one extent or another and so I feel as though I’m qualified to share an opinion on them.

In fact, when I was homeschooled my mom actually used Story of The World and so I have a couple of different perspectives on that curriculum.

Here’s what you need to know…

Simply Charlotte Mason History Bible and Geography Curriculum

simply charlotte mason history curriculum

Before I get into the comparison I think it will be helpful to give an overview of each curriculum and what it includes.

The history curriculum from Simply Charlotte Mason is a combination of three subjects: history, the bible, and geography.

There are 6 volumes that can be repeated.

Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Middle Ages, Renaissance & the Reformation
Early Modern
Modern Times

It is meant to be taught family style but there are individual reading suggestions according to grade level.

It is a Charlotte Mason-style curriculum with very little written work required. The vast majority of the curriculum is made up of reading and oral narration.

The components include:

Book of lessons (available in physical format or pdf)
Required reading (booklist can be found in the lesson book or on their website)
Visits to…Geography book (available in physical format or pdf)
The Stuff They Left Behind (a portfolio of images)

Story of The World

This history curriculum may cover more than just history but it is intended to just cover that subject. If it covers more than that it is done inadvertently.

There are four volumes that can be repeated throughout the years of school. It can also be taught family style.

This curriculum is what you make of it. You can do it simply as a read-aloud or you can do all of the activities and extensions that are found in the activity book.

It is a classical approach to teaching history.

The components include:

The story read aloud (you can also purchase an audio version or a pdf)
An activity book (you can get a pdf version of this)
A book of tests

History Curriculum Comparison

Below I’m going to share our experience using both curriculums and then a comparison between the two.

Our Experience

We used Story of the World as a read-aloud for our first year of homeschool. We did a few of the activities but mainly just read through the book.

We used volume 1 and got about halfway through.

This school year I chose to use Simply Charlotte Mason as I liked that it combined three subjects into one and also that the Bible was taught chronologically with world history.

We enjoyed Story of the World but I wanted to try Simply Charlotte Mason.

We used Simply Charlotte Mason for the first half of this school year and then decided to put it down for a while.

In this life season of having a toddler, it was a real challenge to get through all of the assigned reading.

We did enjoy the curriculum, but it wasn’t a good fit for our season of life right now.

Since deciding to put it on the shelf, I actually decided to pick Story of the World back up and see how that works for us.

This time I went ahead and purchased the audiobook so that I could have a break from reading. It also means that we can listen to it in the car if need be or just simply for some review.

This is a very recent change and so I can’t tell you for certain if it’s going to work long-term. Right now we’re enjoying it and it’s working well.

Related: 1st Grade Curriculum Choices

A Comparison

Some of the differences between the two curriculums I’ve already gone over such as the style of teaching, Charlotte Mason vs Classical.

SCM has 6 volumes while SOTW has just 4. SCM covers 3 subjects while SOTW is focused on history specifically.

Both curriculums offer a PDF version but SOTW offers an audio version of their textbook.

SOTW has loads of activity suggestions and student pages while SCM relies heavily on oral narration.

You’ll find that SOTW has one main read-aloud and then several suggested books that are entirely optional.

SCM again has one family read aloud and then a book for different grade levels. They break grades up into groups such as 1-4, 5-8, etc.

The SCM teacher’s manual is all in black and white and so very printer-friendly if you choose to use the pdf version. The curriculum is broken up into 180 lessons which also include the exam weeks that are typical of the Charlotte Mason method of teaching.

SOTW isn’t broken up into lessons for you so you’ll need to decide how much you’ll do per week and how often. This may put some people off, but it’s also great because it makes it very flexible.

With the SCM curriculum, the lessons are spread out to cover all three subjects in one week. It looks something like this: Monday – Bible, Tuesday – Bible & Geography, Wednesday – Bible & History, Thursday – Bible, Friday – History.

It should also be noted that the Bible portion of the curriculum is purely reading straight from the Word. Aside from some mapping activities, most of the Bible portion is just reading, discussion, and oral narration.

The Geography portion requires the Visits to (whichever area your volume is focused on) and the lesson book will guide you to which lesson to do each time. It requires both Hungry Planet and Our Material World as reference books.

Story of The World has less reading required overall and has a lot more hands-on activity ideas. I feel as though it does appeal to more learning styles than the SCM curriculum does.

The chapters are short and the audiobook reader (Jim Weiss) is engaging and easy to listen to. I’ve been very impressed with how much my son has comprehended while listening.

How to Choose the Right Curriculum For Your Family

The reality is that no one can make this decision for you as you know your children best. I will try to sum up some stand-out points that may help your decision.

Choose Simply Charlotte Mason if:

You prefer the Charlotte Mason style of homeschool
You like to combine multiple subjects
You enjoy reading
You have older children (late elementary and up)
You like to print curriculum from home
You enjoy having lessons set out for you

Choose Story of The World if:

You like flexibility with your curriculum
You like to have an audiobook version
You have several learning styles to cater to
You have young children
You want something you can repeat throughout the years of homeschool

Cost

I actually found it difficult to compare the cost of the two curriculums because there are several different components.

However, because Simply Charlotte Mason covers three subjects in one, that alone puts it above Story of the World when it comes down to financial cost.

However, both curriculums are reasonably priced and are non-consumable meaning you can use them over and over again.

Final Thoughts

I don’t think you can really go wrong choosing either of these history curriculums, however, you alone will know which will be the best fit for your family.

I’ve heard a couple of homeschool moms talking about combining the two, or at least picking some suggested read alouds from one to add to the other.

Remember that the curriculum must work for you and that you need not be a slave to it. Have fun!