Oh, I am dying here with the flu, but since my children are all nicely sleeping :) and I am too sick to lie down, I thought I would get this question in to you all. Here's the scoop: We have three girls, ages 3, 1, and 1 (twins). I know it's ridiculous to be thinking about this NOW, but I want to plan out how to do history with them when the time comes. :iagree:I agree with Mrs. Bauer about teaching history chronologically. I have vivid memories of Sunday School lessons whipping us all over the place, with no explanations for the timeframes -- King David one week, the triumphal entry the next (it was Palm Sunday), then Easter, back to the United Kingdom, then on to Pentecost, etc., etc., etc. I was in my THIRTIES before I had any sense of the order of things, and this with Bible, which I knew backwards and forwards, but not in a straight line. So... First, we want to start the oldest (Tigger) a year later (2nd grade) than WTM starts history. That way, the littles (Puppy and Monkey) will be in K, and better able to keep up. For the first year or so before this we will probably work on time concepts (getting a sense of time) and My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures OR My Father's World Adventures (US History/Symbols). Not sure about that yet, but I don't want Tigger to be in 5th or 6th grade before she gets to the Boston Tea Party. Secondly, we think it would be best (more realistic) for us to stretch it out over 5 years, and THAT's the question: Do any of you s-t-r-e-t-c-h history out over 5 years, and if so, how do you divide it up? Most of the cycles are for 4 years, but we want to incorporate a lot more Bible into our history study than SOTW does for the first two years, then move that out to be a separate subject. I can see my way through for a bit, then I'm at a loss::confused: Year 1 -- Prehistory/Creation, Old Testament, Ancient N.E., Ancient Egypt Year 2 -- Greeks, Romans, New Testament, Early Church Year 3 -- Middle Ages -- not sure about this? Year 4 -- Renaissance, Reformation, Exploration? -- not sure about this Year 5 -- Modern Times? -- not sure about this Finally, the +1 part refers to something my husband (at this point) wants to put in the plan. For Year 6 (Tigger in 7th, Puppy & Monkey in 5th), we would take a "World Tour" -- place more of the focus on geography and cultures, study the non-Western world more closely, probably using Sonlight's Level 5 Eastern Hemisphere materials that cover Asia and Africa. We are missionaries, so we have an "all nations" perspective, and don't want our girls to be Westocentric. In the years after the World Tour, we would repeat the history cycle once more (taking less time? 3 or 4 years?), and if we are still homeschooling the girls in senior high school, they would take a Government/Economics course somehow. So... does anyone have a nice breakdown for a 5 year plan (with dates;)) for this history-challenged mama? Thanks in advance! Sahamamama P.S. Sorry to drag on with the details. Usually I'm not this long-winded, but my editor got flushed down the toilet.

We got our mirror out today, and my daughter, The Vain One, ever interested in the beauty of her own cute face, was FASCINATED by seeing her lips make lines and circles. What a trip. This is a VERY funny, egocentric, adorable three-year old. I'm not sure whether or not she paid any attention to the b's and d's and buh's and duh's coming from Mommy (me), but hey, it was fun to watch her admiring her little self. Thanks so much for the tip. We'll see if it clicks. :)

Shoot me, but I'm about to say that I think the Rhetoric Stage ("high school") should be about s t r e t c h i n g, about breaking OUT of one's comfort zone, to some extent. Not that every subject needs to be tortuous, but that nobody is going to get through a rigorous curriculum without some disliked assignments and subjects. For me, in high school, it was Geometry and Algebra. Gag. But I had to do them, and I had to do well. It was a good "exercise." Maybe it would help for you (and your son?) to look at the sequence in that sense -- as a workout, not always pleasant, but beneficial. You are his parent, you might have to just simply require him to read what he is not interested in. How many high schoolers have to do THAT? It's part of growing up and gaining the maturity to stick with something that isn't a party. That said, the idea of a chronological, inclusive "Reading List," along with Discussion Assignments and Writing Assignments sounds like a way to increase your son's motivation by giving him some wiggle room -- you can decide which materials are "The Core," and then help him to add in some more interesting (to him) materials where they come into the timeline. He would be responsible for progressing at a reasonable pace through the readings/discussions/writings, and you would be responsible to supervise this, backing off maybe a bit more each year. It could help him to get through history and become a self-reliant learner at the same time. Plus, it's a compromise between absolute structure (for your benefit) and absolute freedom (what your son thinks he wants). I hope this helps!

My beginning reader often confuses "b" and "d." If I tell her, "That's a b," then she knows the sound, but we can't seem to get through to her recognizing the letters on her own all the time. I've tried the bed thing. And the thumbs thing. Any other ideas, that might actually work? :) Thanks!