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New history curricula to me, has anyone heard of Learning Adventures?


ma23peas
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Yes, we used and LOVED AWOA. AnWOA is good, but we prefered AWOA by far.

 

The curriculum is quite INexpensive actually. See it looks bad when you see that $100 price tag, but what you are getting is every single subject except for math. AND if you have more than one child it can be used for all of them from 4-8 and tweeked for 3rd, and high.

 

The book is over 1200 pages long so it is packed. You will not need to supplement. You either buy the readers or use the library. Aditional history and science reading is done with what ever library books or books you have on hand.

 

If you have any specific questions, please ask.

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Susie!

 

Thanks for your help, it was referred to me b/c I was seeking a constitutional curricula for my 6th-7th and 9th graders....as I looked over the courses prior to (Beyond the Revolution) I realized we have already read every single book on their list! :) So, I guess the creator is fairly like minded with me! :) I mean every single one!! We already have our other subjects lined up so I don't need a unit study that is widely encompassing, so I wasn't sure if Beyond the Revolution would be over kill for us...I've bought the 5000 Year Leap and Common Sense by Paine but I was looking for a top 10 list of MUST READS that we can read together to form our constitutional study..not sure if this would fit the boat...??

 

Any insight you can give would be great!!

Tara

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It would be a bit expensive for just that, but I don't know what else would do as good of a job in that area for those ages. What you would have to do is look at each history section to see if she is covering the constitution that day or not. I would make notations, with sticky notes or something, of the lessons that address the constitution. It would take some work on your part as it is a really big book. It would work easier if you place the book in 3 binders (1/3 of the pages in each binder) so that you can flip through it easily.

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I looked at this a while back. Would you say it does a good job with Language Arts, no supplementation needed? How?

 

When you say you looked at it, do you mean just the samples? The sample doesn't show you how complete the program really is. Also book two has WAY more language arts in it than book one. There was so much LA in bk 2 that often we had to split the day's assignments into 2 days. It was EXTREMELY thorough. For those that have done something like R&S they may want to add to the LA in book 1, but it really isn't necessary unless your child is very weak in that area. The writing lessons were tops. *How* is it that no supplementation is needed? Well, it is ALL in there! :D Reading comp, evaluation, character sketches, grammar, punctuation, writing of all sorts, compare and contrast, plot, spelling, etc, etc, etc.

 

When I say it covers the subjects, I really mean it. It is not just a schedule. It is all in the book. The scripted lessons for every subject, the assignments, the craft instruction, recipes, scripture memory, experiments, etc. It is there. You don't have to refer to separate books for recipes, grammar, craft instruction or anything, becasue it is all included. The library book reading for science and history are for reinforcement cuz the info is in the scripted manuals already. The only outside books needed are the Bible, and assigned readers.

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At the site it says for grades 4-8, how do you adjust the curriculum for your k and 2nd graders?

 

Generally what folks do if they have youngers is let them tag along. The readings are captivating so they learn from that. They can watch the experiments and participate in the craft projects. A person with youngers would need a separate phonics/LA program for them. Of course all would need math anyway.

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At the site it says for grades 4-8, how do you adjust the curriculum for your k and 2nd graders?

 

We are still working on reading with K and 2. They have Explode the Code and we use CLE Language Arts for all grades anyway. So that covers what is above their level. Math is suited to grade. And the Bible, history and science will be done together as a family.

 

They basically listen along and the crafts are pretty fun so I know that they will love those.

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Sorry, never used or looked at Hewitt.

 

The reason that you don't hear more about it is cuz the 1st book is Ancient/World and books 2-5 are American. Books 2 and 3 are written and the others are v-e-r-y slowly coming along. Dorian had to go back to work to help with income, and the used market started competing with her own material (as it does with all curricula). That didn't leave her much time for writing. She still has plans to continue, but no promises are made as to when this will come about.

 

Another thing that has hurt its popularity (and it was smoking hot a few years ago!) is that book 2 was overkill. Most people were like me, and expected something that mirrored book 1 a bit better. For me the state studies part of the American studies were terribly boring as many of the states share the same history and gov. So you get a lot of overlap there. If that were totally removed from AnWOA and W&O they would be PERFECT imo.

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Would it be easy to use secularly?

 

 

It would be easy enough to pluck out the Bible portion, but I am trying to remember how much would be woven in the other subjects. It has been a few years since we used it so maybe someone else who has used it recently can jump in here.

 

I was looking at your siggy at what you are using now, and have to wonder why you would ask?

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I'll put in another good word for LA. It is, by FAR, the best and most well done curriculum I have used. I have used a lot, too. :D It is different from, say, Tapestry of Grace in that it is a true unit study which incorporates all subjects into a seamless program. So, to begin with Egypt, you are using a wonderful literature book, The Golden Goblet, for discussion, vocabulary building, character study, grammar lessons, historical fiction, and spelling. She is a very talented writer, and weaves it all together conversationally with the history learned through the book. Other books on Egypt are a plus for having pictures to use along with your lessons. There are Bible lessons that are amazing. There are hands-on projects to bring the history to life. Alongside the study of Egypt, you are having science lessons on the desert, so you see how everything is woven together like a unit. We have many memories of eating Egyptian foods while reading, making the Nile, on and on. It is exceptionally well done and I think it is a tremendous value for all that you get. I like Konos, TOG, and many others, but LA is my favorite for having a truly enjoyable school day. Just open and go, not much prep. The manual is meant to be read aloud to the students and everyone can really learn together. Younger kids can just sit in on the book readings, science lessons and experiments, and history crafts and cooking projects. The subjects are labeled so you know when it's science time, history, time, etc. So much fun. So little work for mom to do to prepare. The Holts are precious people who will talk to you by phone and encourage you. They even have a game for fun review. It's too bad they don't have the big budget to do a lot of traveling to curriculum fairs or do much advertising. Once you get started using it, you will say, "Wow". :)

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well, several reasons for switching to TOG here:

 

I needed something for High School, something that would cover all grades as much as possible, and something completed.

 

~Learning Adventures really is only up to 8th grade. (and I would add if you want a good college prep in high school, you'll need to make sure their 7 & 8 grade years are very solid academically) I'd say the ideal time to use LA is somewhere between 4th- 6th)

~The author never completed the curriculum. (she only completed 3 out of 5 books)

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well, several reasons for switching to TOG here:

 

I needed something for High School, something that would cover all grades as much as possible, and something completed.

 

~Learning Adventures really is only up to 8th grade. (and I would add if you want a good college prep in high school, you'll need to make sure their 7 & 8 grade years are very solid academically) I'd say the ideal time to use LA is somewhere between 4th- 6th)

~The author never completed the curriculum. (she only completed 3 out of 5 books)

Very helpful!
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We haven't really switched from LA to TOG...guess I should update my siggy :blush:. Right now we are beginning TOG 2 and the Middle Ages because we already did LA book 1 a few years ago and loved it. I like it so much that we will return to it for the Renaissance section and continue on with it. Not sure if we will combine some TOG activities or not, since I like to tweak things. :D But the TOG days seem like 'Lets get down to business!' and the LA days seem like 'let's relax together and have fun'. I do agree with the comment about volume 2 (ANWOA) having too much detail, and when we did it before we left a lot of the extra out and moved ahead. We own, but have not yet used, W&O, which I can hardly wait to use! Did I mention that I am *eclectic*??;)

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We haven't really switched from LA to TOG...guess I should update my siggy :blush:. Right now we are beginning TOG 2 and the Middle Ages because we already did LA book 1 a few years ago and loved it. I like it so much that we will return to it for the Renaissance section and continue on with it. Not sure if we will combine some TOG activities or not, since I like to tweak things. :D But the TOG days seem like 'Lets get down to business!' and the LA days seem like 'let's relax together and have fun'. I do agree with the comment about volume 2 (ANWOA) having too much detail, and when we did it before we left a lot of the extra out and moved ahead. We own, but have not yet used, W&O, which I can hardly wait to use! Did I mention that I am *eclectic*??;)

 

You sound like me!!:lol: I can't ever just have one program I need 3 or 4 and pull from them all. I'm trying to streamline more though. That way my kids will stay sane.:tongue_smilie:

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Do you think A world of adventure is doable in 3rd? My plans are to use Trisms for 8th-12th. So assuming she gets all 5 yrs done by the time my oldest is using them, I would need to use them for 3rd through 7th grade. (He is 5 so there is plenty of time. ) Do you think that would work? Can you tell I like to plan:lol:

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As far as using LA with younger kids, it was a real hit at our place. My girls still (recently, even) talk about the wonderful celebration meals and events we had to close each unit. We decorated the table and included them on all the cooking projects. They had many crafts to display. They were 5 and 6 at the time and helped their older sister do impromptu plays, did science experiments, listened to and even added to the discussions over the read alouds. They remember eating tropical baked bananas and fried fish under the table (their cave) while I read Call It Courage. They remember the Greek Olympics we had in our backyard when Dad was the *prideful contestant*...and was defeated by his daughters in every game. He was cute in that outfit, though. :D We made lots of crafts together and enjoyed the day together. I saved the factual history info and language arts lessons to read to the older dd after the littles went to play. There isn't an amazing project every single day, some days have too much text and I didn't read every word, but there is plenty of interesting variety to allow even the young kids a lot of learning fun. Sorry to be so mushy!

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The cover says this is a program using library books and the bible. No library here - so does that make it impossible to use the curriculum? Or can the curriculum stand alone?

 

Here is cathy duffy's review. It sounds like you only need a few books although there is the option to use a lot of others. If oyu go to rainbowresource.com They sell AWOA and they also have the books that are essential listed for purchase.

http://cathyduffyreviews.com/unit-studies/world-of-adventure.htm

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The cover says this is a program using library books and the bible. No library here - so does that make it impossible to use the curriculum? Or can the curriculum stand alone?

 

It doesn't make it impossible, it makes it more expensive depending on what books you choose to buy.

 

You will need the lit books for certain. I also added a few science topic books like deserts, etc and history topic books lke Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and a few of the BF books that were on topic. You don't have to add the science and history books as they are for reinforcement of material already covered in the guide and to add color pics.

 

So you can make do with just the lit books and your Bible.

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I finished AWOA in a year and my kids were 7th and 9th grades. If I had younger kiddos I would have stretched it out over two years just to extend the fun.

 

Thank you. I will have a 5th grader next year (and a 2nd grader along for the fun stuff). I was thinking this would be great for her if I spread it out for her 5th and 6th grade year.

 

Jan

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  • 2 weeks later...

For those of you who have used ANWOA could you just omit the state studies ? Would that be too hard? We are absolutley loving AWOA and would love to continue on but don't want to get bogged down. If it is too difficult to skip those portions what are you using instead?

Thanks, Christa

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