I know what you're thinking. At least, I know what I would be thinking, if I were in your place, paging through History Through the Ages Suggested Placement Guide. Actually, I know what thoughts ran through my head, and so I'm going to give you a quick run-down, to save you the time and trouble.

My first thought, paging through, was that this book was one of those "nice to haves," sort of a luxury item, something we could muddle along without. But then, we've been using a wall-poster timeline for years, and have figured out, more or less, where to put our notations.

My second thought was that this book would be a reassuring resource for the paralyzed perfectionist - the person who doesn't dare start a project in the first place, for fear of "getting it wrong." We have at least one of those in our family, and one of our ways of coping is - when the "look" or "feel" of the outcome matters - to give clear directions, make up "mock ups" or examples ahead of time where needed; and allow minimal direction, plentiful materials, and plenty of scope for the imagination in areas where the child can relax.

Getting a copy of the beautiful timeline book, Record of Time, is one of those instances where our perfectionist works better with some clear-cut direction. Nothing makes her happier than to match her results to some standard, and she was afraid we'd mar the book by putting timeline figures "in the wrong place." (This is the child who wanted us to print the timeline figures on paper the same off-white color as the timeline pages.) I've softened some of that rigidity by assigning her certain time-spans where she gets to place figures, and assigning others to her more easygoing younger sister. (I would have had to do that anyway, with the competition to be the one to paste the figures in the book. Cooperation is a skill we're still working on, and will be, for some time.)

If you are not using the Record of Time but are using Home School in the Woods' timeline figures, you can still glean some good information from the Suggested Placement Guide (and yes, "Suggested" is emphasized in the title). Two pages of directions at the start talk about timelines in general, placement of figures (this is something we've debated, ourselves, when figuring out where, during his lifespan, to put a person on the timeline), specifics on sizing timeline figures, whether pre-printed or printed from CD, from Home School in the Woods to fit the Record of Time, tips and tricks (coloring, adhering, paper choice, emphasizing eras or periods of history), and final thoughts on the best use of timelines to cement learning.

I have not yet tried this with my co-op history class, but I suspect this book would make a good resource for my students when they are doing timeline work, to give them an idea of where to place figures. Some of the more independent students would be happier to consult the Suggested Placement Guide rather than wait for individual attention to their questions.

A Table of Contents helps you find specific pages in the Record of Time, and an alphabetized Index helps you locate the placement of particular figures from the Home School in the Woods timeline figure sets.

Keep this resource in mind if you have a paralyzed perfectionist in your family - especially if you are the one anxious about "getting things right," or if you've never done timeline work before and you're afraid of "messing it up." Here I feel compelled to say: Relax! It's all a part of the learning process. I think that's why the author emphasizes "Suggested" in the title. ...but if you find you can't relax, and you're more likely to keep the Record of Time on the shelf rather than risking doing something "wrong" - which would be a real shame! - check out the Suggested Placement Guide.