Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

cam112198

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    398

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by cam112198

    Independent History and Science?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I have 4 children ages 7, 4, 3, and I just had a baby 2 weeks ago. I only homeschool dd7. Dd3 and ds4 go to preschool. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed about starting back in January with a newborn. Is there anything for History and Science for a 2nd grader that would be somewhat independent? All of my other subjects are very teacher intensive, so I was looking for something for a few subjects that could be done somewhat independently. Does this exist? Any suggestions?

    Which do you think is easier to implement....

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I don't think this would be a problem at all if your library offers online holds. I love to go online to our library when it is convenient for me and put whatever we want on hold. Then, I just go in and pick it up off of the hold shelf.

     

    Do you know if your library offers that service?

     

    Our library does offer that service! That's a great idea! I see you have a little one due in January! Congratulations!! You're not too far behind me! Our due date is December 19th, but have a c-section scheduled for December 9th.

    Which do you think is easier to implement....

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    SOTW 3 contains the beginnings of the Colonial period. We learned about Jamestown, and the American Revolution, and all sorts of other things. It really comes alive when you set it in the context of the rest of the world. It just makes more sense! You get a global picture of how people were wrestling with new ideas (there's a great chapter on Newton and Locke right before the Revolution stuff) and new ways of governing, so you can better see what was happening in the 13 colonies.

     

    We add in some literature to flesh out some of the major points. Calico Bush, our current read-aloud, is about the settling of Maine. Maggie is a bound-out French girl, and we can see how the French and Indians were characterized by the English settlers. We really like historical fiction to fill in the spine--SOTW is perfect for the intro to the time period, and has its own engaging stories--I never knew what "defenestration" was, for example, until I read SOTW! lol

     

    Anyway, I am loving the way my child gets a global perspective on Am. history.

     

    As far as state studies, we live in VA, so our state history is really early Am history. For the presidents, we just memorize a list, and plenty comes up in SOTW 3 and 4. I also have a presidents book we can add in for fun. Grammar stage is just a taste for us--a really meaty study might come in logic for us. We memorize the states and capitals in 5th grade--13 colonies now when they come up, the rest then.

     

    Thanks Chris in VA!! I enjoyed hearing your perspective on how SOTW makes American history come alive set in the context of the rest of the world!

     

    just to second what others have said about SOTW, although we are only in the Ancients.

     

    I love how flexible it is. We can go as in depth as we want or skim the top if we want, and I do that based on how crazy life is in any week or based on the interest of my son. At the bare minimum, we read the chapter (broken up into 2 days), do narration and review questions from the AG, do the coloring page while I read aloud. Map work and literature throughout the week, often the extra books become bedtime stories. Then if there's a project that looks interesting in the AG and we have the stamina to do it with a crazy toddler around we do it. Otherwise we skip it and move on the next week.

     

    I think the only part that might be a challenge with a newborn is the library run (but we could do it every other week and still be fine) and the extra craft projects. But you could also do those in the evening or saturday if you have dad home to help.

     

    I do think it would be nice to have the flexibility to go more in depth during some weeks and other weeks just do the bare minimum! Thanks for your response!

    Which do you think is easier to implement....

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Thank you guys for all your responses!! I used SL Core 1 last year and used SOTW a little bit. So I am a little bit familiar with it. We are using HOD Beyond this year, and I am finding that I do not want a complete program. I really am just looking for history. And I don't like doing history everyday. I would prefer to do it 2 or 3 times a week.

    Let me ask you this....if you use SOTW, do you take a break to do a state study or to learn the states and capitals? Or the presidents? What about American History? When you do get to SOTW Vol. 4, is there enough American History, or do you supplement?

     

    I have a 2nd grader doing SOTW 2, and I think it is very easy also, even w/library trips. I haven't used the other program, and I don't have a newborn, but I can tell you how we do SOTW.

     

    First, I learned to take the A.G. to the copy shop and have an entire copy of the student pages made this summer before we started. It cost around $5. I had them 3 hole punched, and now she has her entire year printed off. So simple! Now, I only occasionally have to make a coloring sheet copy for my younger child when she wants one, or onto card stock for a project. I highly recommend this, as copying onto your copier from the book itself was very difficult for me last year. (They did have to cut the binding off of my book, and put the entire thing into a binder too.)

     

    We go to the library one afternoon a week after school the same day each week as part of our routine. I request the books for the next couple of chapters while I am there. I pick up the ones that are onshelf, and the others will be ready when I come next week. The key is starting this a week before you start, so you are requesting for the next week. We spend about an hour there. The kids play computer games and choose books in the children's area.

     

    We do history 2x a week. The first day I read aloud, and dd colors while she listens and answers comprehension questions. Then she gives a narration. Mine actually prefers now to just write hers by herself w/out giving it aloud anymore. We look at the globe, practice her memory work (lists from the back of the encyclopedia) and maybe read a short book from the library.

     

    The 2nd session of the week, we read the last section. If there were 3 sections in the chapter, we read 2 the first day, and one the 2nd. Do questions, and narration. Then we do the mapwork. We also practice the memory lists.

     

    The extra books from the library usually come into play for her silent reading, or at bedtime. I try to read at least one or two to my 5 yr old, especially the good picture books at her level.

     

    We do an activity every few weeks.

     

    What a great idea!!

     

    You might be just fine. Most newborns are pretty easy to take to the library or museum. They can just be worn on mom. They are also pretty content to sleep while you teach. (I had one with severe colic, but there were still times that he was happy to just be held/nursed.) It is when they start crawling and walking that things get more difficult!

     

    That is very true!! Maybe it won't be as rough as I think it might be. I also like the option of using the cd if I need to.

     

    Well, we haven't used Beyond yet but I do have it and I've spent alot of time pouring over everything. I have used SOTW 1, 2, and 3. I think they are pretty close to being equal as far as ease of use. I just don't think there is much difference at all. Neither of them really need any extras though you may at times wish to add a picture book here or there.

     

    If I were you, I'd make a choice based on what I was really looking for... if you want just history, go with SOTW. If you are looking for a full curriculum and would also be implementing HOD's storytime or other components, then go that way. Beyond's history looks great to me but it is much fuller than just one subject. It's a complete curriculum.

     

    But, just for ease of us, I'd expect them to be about the same.

     

    I thought I was looking for more than just history initially, but I really think I am just looking for history.

    Do workboxes work with teacher-intensive curriculums?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Mine are plastic file boxes with a lid that comes completely off. It's a space saver for sure. I stack them up in a corner when we're done and they're out of the way.

     

    I bought the bright, multicolored hanging files (I think 12 for each box, although we've never used all twelve in a single day yet) and used the tabs that come with them to number them. I keep a regular folder in #12 that's for completed work. All the work they do in a day gets put into that folder and then later in the day/night, I take it all out and look it over, mark what's wrong and give it back to them to be put into a subject folder on their bookshelf the next morning.

     

    Have fun with it!

     

    Thank you so much!! That sounds similar to what I want to do. I want the last folder to be for completed work. I will look for the plastic file boxes that the lids come off.

    Do your books and teacher manuals fit in the hanging file folders?

    Do workboxes work with teacher-intensive curriculums?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I have been so intrigued by the idea of workboxes. I was wondering how it worked with teacher-intensive subjects?

     

    Would I just put the independent stuff in the workboxes? I have done a lot of searches about workboxes, but can't seem to figure that part out.

     

    This is what we are using this year for 2nd grade:

     

    Abeka phonics and language

    A Reason for Handwriting

    AAS

    WWE

    Sonlight Readers

    CLE Math

    HOD History, Bible, Poetry

    God's Design Science

     

    Do you think it would work with what we are using?

     

    Thank you!!

    Abeka phonics question

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I used to do Abeka Phonics 2 with each child. But, when I found FLL and WWE, I liked it so much that this year my second grader is just doing the Letters and Sounds 2 workbook. After Abeka Phonics 1, they have learned so much and are reading so well that it seems the L & S 2 workbook gives just enough reinforcement of the whole phonics thing. I just found that the 2nd grade was a lot of repeat info or info they could get from other things. Just my 2 cents, so to speak.

     

    Thanks Mommy7! I do agree that a lot of it is repeat from last year!

×
×
  • Create New...