sagira Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I'm excited :D I've waited three years to start SOTW and here my ds is turning six (sniff; already). Please share your excitement, your plans, your book list (if any), sans or with activity guide? My plan: History 4X a week, short lessons a la Charlotte Mason in the early years Day 1 SOTW 1 reading and narration Day 2 Mapwork and encyclopedia reading Day 3 Book of Centuries, activity or project Day 4 Supplemental reading We are using the activity guide. I don't know how far we'll get with the crafts, but we'll definitely be using the maps, activity pages and likely the coloring pages. We're using Usborne's Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History as our reference. Book list to go with our Ancient History studies: Archaeologists Dig for Clues Gilgamesh the King Time Travelers Pharaohs and Pyramids The Twelve Labors of Hercules Pompeii: Buried Alive! Tut's Mummy Detectives in Togas Aladdin and the Other Favorite Arabian Night Stories The Great Wall of China Aesop's Fables Senefer: A Young Genius in Egypt The Token Gift The Trojan Horse The Usborne Book of Living Long Ago The Magic Treehouse: Mummies in the Morning, Hour of the Olympics, Vacation Under the Volcano and Days of the Dragon King Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 We did a few chapters this past school year but, even though the kids LOVED it, it kind of fell by the wayside. We plan to catch up over the summer. I spent a good chunk of today searching our library's online catalog, using the Activity Guide book recommendations to get me started, and adding and subtracting based on what our library has. I was surprised to discover quite a few videos in the juvenile section! As I'm going through, I'm setting up a spreadsheet with the SOTW chapter numbers, the dates we plan to cover each chapter, titles and call numbers, so I can get it all down instead of going back through the AG and the library site each and every week! Theoretically, this should save me a lot of time. Today, it's almost killing me. :tongue_smilie: I also started to go through the AG to decide which projects we'll do so I can make a list of needed supplies and stock up as far ahead as possible. I'll make a separate spreadsheet that joins our reading list and activity list. We plan to have a SOTW chapter/Kingfisher/narration/outlining day (I have 2 in the grammar stage and 1 in logic), a student pages/timeline day, and spend the rest of the week reading, but nothing is set in stone. We have a lot of pool time calling us this summer! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Me! Me! My dd wil be 6 this fall and we will begin! I too will be using the AG and many of the books you listed. I am going to have my 4yod tag along, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulubelle Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I just started it about a month and a half ago with my 6 year old! I just go chapter by chapter and order all the books I can get at the library the week before. There are a lot of suggested reading for the mummies that really overlap - that surprised me, but my husband let me know that I over did the library requests from the list. We did get all 4 suggested reference books though. We are doing the coloring pages and the mapping and word searches. The only thing we really haven't been doing is the projects. My son is just not into them. I've also added a couple of videos for ancient egypt and we got the Reading Rainbow one on mummies and it inspired us to go to the MFA in Boston to see them in person - which was pretty cool! My son soaks up history! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Suggestion--if your child isn't too sensitive and can handle some gore, the Mary Pope Osborne Odyssey series is really good. It's told in order, so the story makes sense, and it gives a great feel for the Greek mindset. If you send me your email, I'll also send you a notebooking file I've got. It's only the first 16 chapters or so, but I really liked using the pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 Suggestion--if your child isn't too sensitive and can handle some gore, the Mary Pope Osborne Odyssey series is really good. It's told in order, so the story makes sense, and it gives a great feel for the Greek mindset. If you send me your email, I'll also send you a notebooking file I've got. It's only the first 16 chapters or so, but I really liked using the pages. Do you think this series can be read by the child himself in, say, sixth grade? I was ogling them too a few months ago. I'm glad you told me about the gore, as my ds is sensitive. Thanks for sharing, everyone :) Anybody else? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I think the MPO series could be read by a 3rd grader. My dd could easily read these in second grade, but she wanted me to read them aloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 We'll be starting SOTW this fall! My little one will be 5 this fall. I'm really looking forward to re-learning history with her. :) We'll be doing lots of read-alongs, activities (we have the Activity Guide), and we'll do lots of our own ideas as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 We're starting SOTW in the fall too. One dd will be 6, the other will be 4. I was going to take 2 years to do ancients, taking it nice & easy, as this will be dd5's K year, but now I'm not sure. Several of you starting SOTW have dc that will be 6 in the fall, as my dd will be. Does it make a big difference if it's K or 1st when we start, if we just do it for 1 year, if she's going to be 6 soon? Will the academic progress she's made or hasn't made make a difference? If we only take one year for SOTW1, then we'll be done with the first cycle at the end of 3rd grade instead of 4th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio12 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Suggestion--if your child isn't too sensitive and can handle some gore, the Mary Pope Osborne Odyssey series is really good. It's told in order, so the story makes sense, and it gives a great feel for the Greek mindset. If you send me your email, I'll also send you a notebooking file I've got. It's only the first 16 chapters or so, but I really liked using the pages. we are half way through this and I totally agree. if you pm me, i would love to see your notebooking pages. we are 3/4 of the way through SOTW 1 and just love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio12 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 We're starting SOTW in the fall too. One dd will be 6, the other will be 4. I was going to take 2 years to do ancients, taking it nice & easy, as this will be dd5's K year, but now I'm not sure. Several of you starting SOTW have dc that will be 6 in the fall, as my dd will be. Does it make a big difference if it's K or 1st when we start, if we just do it for 1 year, if she's going to be 6 soon? Will the academic progress she's made or hasn't made make a difference? If we only take one year for SOTW1, then we'll be done with the first cycle at the end of 3rd grade instead of 4th. we did SOTW 1 last year for kindy because i couldn't wait and i wasn't sure i would be homeschooling all the way through so i wanted to get through as much as i could. dd did fine starting at almost 5 and a half years old (dec birthday). looking back at her work at the beginning of the year, she has come so far in her ability, but i don't think we lost much starting early. and she loves history, that is the goal right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 We're starting SOTW in the fall too. One dd will be 6, the other will be 4. I was going to take 2 years to do ancients, taking it nice & easy, as this will be dd5's K year, but now I'm not sure. Several of you starting SOTW have dc that will be 6 in the fall, as my dd will be. Does it make a big difference if it's K or 1st when we start, if we just do it for 1 year, if she's going to be 6 soon? Will the academic progress she's made or hasn't made make a difference? If we only take one year for SOTW1, then we'll be done with the first cycle at the end of 3rd grade instead of 4th. It depends on a couple of things. Do you think your is dd mature enough to listen to the story, follow it, understand it? If so, then go for it! I think you could take it nice and slow too, and stretch it over a period of 18 months and just linger longer over certain chapters of interest. Another suggestion is to just go with the flow and see how it goes, and if you end up slowing down, say, during the Middle Ages because your dd has developed a passion for medieval knights let's say, you can. You're not in a hurry. You can take things nice and slow. No need to try to finish all 42 chapters in one year. My ds is going to be six this Fall, and I'm not sure yet how much he'll take in. It's the fact that history is fun and the introduction to it that's most important. I will require narrations, however. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 we did SOTW 1 last year for kindy because i couldn't wait and i wasn't sure i would be homeschooling all the way through so i wanted to get through as much as i could. dd did fine starting at almost 5 and a half years old (dec birthday). looking back at her work at the beginning of the year, she has come so far in her ability, but i don't think we lost much starting early. and she loves history, that is the goal right? Ah. That's the core of what I was trying to say. We must have been posting at the same time :) I like to read what everyone is doing :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 We're starting SOTW1 this fall, as well. We bought the AG, the book, and the tests. I've already mapped out in a binder which books I need to request and when. And we've bought some of the Bellerophron coloring books to go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajunrose Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 My just turned 6 year old DD will be working on this in the fall. I can't wait and am very excited. I haven't been able to work out a plan just yet but will when I return from vacation in a month :) I'll be following this thread closely. Stephenie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I'll be starting it this fall with my son, too. I've got the AG and plan to do some supplemental reading and a lot of the projects. I've got a rough outline done but need to browse through and make a list of books to request at the times I need them. He's VERY excited about it all. We'll (hopefully) be doing it three days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 (edited) Here is a related thread. What books were you glad you purchased/read when doing SOTW1? You can see what plans I am using in my sig. It is three days a week. Approximately One hour on history and a little more on literature/readers. The websites are a huge hit. Here is my favorite book of all: Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green These stories were carved into temples and tombs, written on papyrus, and parchment in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Together they cover a written history of over 2,000 years, the stories being told as far back as 5,000 years ago. Quote: Green brings to the stories in this volume not just his gifts as a storyteller, but also his particular ability to bring sense and clarity to a formerly confusing and scattered mass of legend. Some highlights: The Great Queen Hatshepsut, which tells how the god Amen-Ra came to form Hatshepsut and placed her into her mother's body. The Story of the Greek Princess: Helen of Troy escapes from Paris and seeks shelter in Egypt. The Girl with the Rose Red Slippers: Also known as The Egyptian Cinderella. (It was based on the real Egyptian Queen, Rhodopis, who was a Greek slave who married a Pharoah.) This book was very well written, IMO, but you might note that I tend to particularly enjoy books written in this time period (1950s) because that is what I have grown used to. Another must-have for Egyptians is the Usborne Beginner's Egyptians. It covers everything, taking in the scope of several other books put together, and has a great overhead view of the nile valley at the beginning. You can buy it in a Kid Kit with projects for under $10!! I was also thrilled to find Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. This is based on a folktale told by native people living near ruins in Zimbabwe. I was glad to find an Ancient African tale that was neither Egyptian nor about Anansi. I have more book reviews in my sample and on more threads, linked in the first one. DD isn't big on read alouds and didn't go for Sonlight, so I have to get really exciting books. lol Edited June 8, 2009 by Lovedtodeath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 we did SOTW 1 last year for kindy because i couldn't wait ..... dd did fine starting at almost 5 and a half years old (dec birthday). looking back at her work at the beginning of the year, she has come so far in her ability, but i don't think we lost much starting early. and she loves history, that is the goal right? It depends on a couple of things. Do you think your is dd mature enough to listen to the story, follow it, understand it? If so, then go for it! I think you could take it nice and slow too, and stretch it over a period of 18 months and just linger longer over certain chapters of interest. Another suggestion is to just go with the flow and see how it goes, and if you end up slowing down, say, during the Middle Ages because your dd has developed a passion for medieval knights let's say, you can. You're not in a hurry. You can take things nice and slow. No need to try to finish all 42 chapters in one year. My ds is going to be six this Fall, and I'm not sure yet how much he'll take in. It's the fact that history is fun and the introduction to it that's most important. I will require narrations, however. Thank you--it's reassuring. I can't wait either, but I'm making myself wait until September. We have plenty other things to keep us occupied until then. I'll go ahead and take it easy, see how it goes. You're right--maybe we'll take 18 mo. and then go into SOTW2. We have plenty of time. I do think she will be able to sit through the story. She's been listening to longer and longer stories. We do most of our reading at bedtime, and now some of the picture books we've been getting from the library have full pages of text w/o pictures, and she'll say, "I'll just sit on my bed and listen." (I sit in an easy chair in her room, and she's usually on my lap to see the pictures.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.