serendipitous journey Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I am in the process of trying HO Level 1 (Early Modern) with A. -- we are in the second week -- and since neither of us particularly enjoys SOTW, and since it will take a chunk o'time to read the SOTW assignments, I am wondering if we are better served by not using SOTW or by including it? My goals at this point are: to get A. onto a history track that I don't have to personally design; to have him learning some history and developing related skills RE note-taking, writing, &c; and not to spend time needlessly -- we do a generous amount of academics, and his classical piano takes up a lot of time too. My other option is to continue with the AO history rotation, but he really really detests that. He enjoys HO more, but 1. it is more time-consuming and 2. he hasn't had to do the SOTW stuff yet. any thoughts about just these options? thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 oh, well, it may be a moot point. DH and are pow-wowing about this ... I think A. did better, well-being-wise, when we were doing more AO. I think all those complicated readings are somehow stabilizing for the child's personality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 We're just in Ancients, but I think that SOTW isn't at all necessary, but adds some depth to the lessons and makes them a bit more interesting. The 2 page Usborne spread is detailed for what it is, but it is only a 2 page spread. And the dictionary copy work and map work serve their purpose, but are pretty dull, IMO. But... if your kid doesn't think that they're interesting, then I don't think that there's much of a point, except to add a bit more details. t do actually think that depth is better added by going to the library every week and taking out books on what the topic is. So far I haven't had any trouble finding a bunch of books on each week's themes. But this is a lot more labor-intensive than just reading SOTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 We're just in Ancients, but I think that SOTW isn't at all necessary, but adds some depth to the lessons and makes them a bit more interesting. The 2 page Usborne spread is detailed for what it is, but it is only a 2 page spread. And the dictionary copy work and map work serve their purpose, but are pretty dull, IMO. But... if your kid doesn't think that they're interesting, then I don't think that there's much of a point, except to add a bit more details. t do actually think that depth is better added by going to the library every week and taking out books on what the topic is. So far I haven't had any trouble finding a bunch of books on each week's themes. But this is a lot more labor-intensive than just reading SOTW. Thank you so much for this! I do prefer HO to AO history on the whole, and may try to jump ship now or later. I'm enthusiastic about the idea of adding depth via books vs SOTW (for us) -- you are right about the library; I thought I could incorporate the CHOLL lists and perhaps request them ahead of time. OTOH it may be cheaper for us to just by a bunch of books than "rent" them from the library ... :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My 9yo son really enjoys SOTW, so that works for him (he's also doing HO Level 1 Early Modern). I think it helps him to have read the Usborne spread and then to have the names repeated, plus some more depth, in SOTW. (I don't have him do the copywork; I just have him look the words up in the dictionary. He does do the maps, though, and he likes those.) But if you don't like SOTW, you could just use the supplemental books listed, or you could try Child's History of the World, also suggested in HO. DS1 doesn't care for CHOW, though; he says it makes it too repetitive when he's also read Usborne AND SOTW, so ymmv. But overall, he really likes this program and is thriving on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I wouldn't even bother trying to find the specific books suggested, unless something sticks out as really great. There are sooooo many kids nonfiction history books out there, and they're mostly sort of the same, and really the pictures are the best part of many of them. I'd just go to the nearest decent library and browse the shelves and pick a bunch of books on each topic that look interesting to read and to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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