Question about child spacing in terms of four-year history cycle

[curlie]

I don't *really* need to worry about this yet, as my children are all pre-school age and younger, but I was wondering how this would even work for the future. I really like the four-year history cycle concept, but I have three children. The first child and the middle child will be two school years apart, and the middle child and the last child will be two to three school years apart (third child was born after the technical cut-off date, but since I'm homeschooling this doesn't matter... advice?). Anyway, because of that spacing, do I have any options for keeping them all on the same cycle? Doing three cycles at a time is really overwhelming to me at this point. Would two be my only option? If so, would I just keep the first and third child on the same cycle and work with the middle child alone?

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. :)

[Mrs Mungo]

I keep all my kids on their own cycle. It's easier *for me* although I completely understand why the other way is easier for other people. It's easier for me to know "these are the things we do in X grade" instead of constantly adjusting.

 

eta: we do everyone's history projects on one afternoon and everyone's science project/experiments on another afternoon.

[WTMindy]

I don't *really* need to worry about this yet, as my children are all pre-school age and younger, but I was wondering how this would even work for the future. I really like the four-year history cycle concept, but I have three children. The first child and the middle child will be two school years apart, and the middle child and the last child will be two to three school years apart (third child was born after the technical cut-off date, but since I'm homeschooling this doesn't matter... advice?). Anyway, because of that spacing, do I have any options for keeping them all on the same cycle? Doing three cycles at a time is really overwhelming to me at this point. Would two be my only option? If so, would I just keep the first and third child on the same cycle and work with the middle child alone?

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. :)

 

Just fold the younger kids in as soon as possible and keep going with the same rotation. I don't know if you are planning on doing SOTW or not, but my youngest was 3.5 when we started and I was amazed at what he picked up just by sitting in and listening with his own coloring page. I didn't really care if he "got it" or not, but he picked up quite a bit. It was so cute because he wanted to do a "narration" too. So, I would write a few words for him to trace and then he would illustrate the story. Very cute. In fact, those are some of my favorite memories of his work. :)

[Pajama Mama]

My kids were kind enough to be spaced 4 grades apart:) My middle child goes to school but the other 2 are in 5th and 1st grade. I guess if my kids weren't so neatly spaced I would just fold the younger kids into the oldest child's history schedule. They wouldn't do the same level of work or use all of the same books but I'd keep them in the same time period.

[prairiegirl]

It sounds as if your children are spaced apart the same as mine are. My oldest is in third grade this year so, according to the 4 yr. history cycle, she would be learning about the years of 1600 -- 1850. My first grader would just jump in at this time frame as well. From what I have read, it doesn't really matter when a child starts to learn history as long as they are getting it chronologically. So if my 1st grader starts doing history in 1600 that is okay. Then when my youngest would start 1st grade, my middle one would be in Gr. 3 and my oldest would be in Gr. 5 and we would start the cycle over again with Ancients. Confusing, isn't it?

 

Let me confuse things even more. In the real world, I am not starting my 1st grader with history as he does not have any interest in these sorts of things. So I am going to wait until he is in Gr. 3 and start history with him and his sister (who will be in 1st grade) with the Ancients. My oldest will start back the second time around with Ancients as well.

 

These are another two ways that you could handle the history conundrum. Clear as mud? :confused:

[Joanne]

I don't *really* need to worry about this yet, as my children are all pre-school age and younger, but I was wondering how this would even work for the future. I really like the four-year history cycle concept, but I have three children. The first child and the middle child will be two school years apart, and the middle child and the last child will be two to three school years apart (third child was born after the technical cut-off date, but since I'm homeschooling this doesn't matter... advice?). Anyway, because of that spacing, do I have any options for keeping them all on the same cycle? Doing three cycles at a time is really overwhelming to me at this point. Would two be my only option? If so, would I just keep the first and third child on the same cycle and work with the middle child alone?

 

My kids are 13, 11 and 9. I have additional students that are 13, 9 and not even 5. I do history together as a unit, simplifying as needed for the youngers and supplementing as needed for the olders. SOTW is working for all of them, with the activity guide and with additional notetaking, outlineling and reading for the olders.

 

I was not in a life situation to do the repeating 4 years cycles. But I've not found it difficult to create a good learning environment for the spread ages of my students.

 

I'll keep working through the SOTW series, even with my 7th graders, I'll add more material but won't abandon it.

[Sarah CB]

For a second there I thought you were talking about planning your family according to history rotations :lol:

 

I have been blessed with three children who completely conform to our family's history rotation. My other child is currently listening in to the Middle Ages while in kindergarten. He enjoys listening to SOTW and we also have the CDs so he's very familiar with all of the stories from volume 1 as well. Starting a child mid-rotation hasn't been an issue for us. He just does what he's capable of doing at his level. The benefit is that I can do read alouds as a family, or at least with the two boys (they're two years apart). This morning we sat down together and read about vikings. We looked at a map of where they attacked and that prompted a discussion about Alexander the Great and how much land he conquered. The boys excitedly planned their history project - they're making a viking longhouse for their Playmobil vikings to live in. Then we read our lit selection and discussed alliteration.

 

I really enjoy having the kids learning together and they enjoy bringing what they've learned into their playtime.

[~FireFly~]

I agree with the idea that it doesn't matter where you start, unless you're like me and need to start at the beginning, as long as you go forward. You have to do what works for your family. If that means keeping everyone on the same page, then do it, if you/they need/can work on things separately, then do that.

 

In our experience, my older two, (now 17 and 15) worked on the same history lessons/stories at the same time while they were in 1st-7th grades...it was easier for all of us. But now my ds9 is working on the SOTW2 and the older two are studying their own time in history. DS17 is studying Japanese Hist. and DS15 is studying American Hist. This year it works for us.

 

HTH,

~FF~

[Laura Corin]

I only have two, but I ended up putting them on different cycles, even though they are 3 1/2 years apart. This was partly because we ended up stretching our cycle to add in more US, Chinese and UK history, partly because it just seemed to be a waste of their time to keep them together. If I read aloud at a level that the youngest could understand, then the eldest was learning nothing; if I taught to the eldest, then the youngest was lost. I didn't feel that teaching to the middle was useful to either (that philosophy is one reason why we don't have the boys in school).

 

So we have two different cycles: Calvin is in the early nineteenth century, having taken a year out from chronological history for a unit study on China. Hobbes is in the middle ages - he will go all the way through SOTW before he does his China year.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Amy in Orlando]

I keep all mine on the same cycle. And when I first had high schoolers, we did whatever science the older one was doing!

 

Same here - my 8 yo is on the same cycle as my 14 and 15 yo's. It makes life so much more sane for me.

[IsabelC]

I have about the same age gaps as you. Second child is exactly 2 years younger than first child. Third child is 3 yrs 2 months younger than second.

So kids 1 and 2 are both starting on the Ancients, they'll both learn much the same stuff except the 1st grader will do a bit of writing and the kindergartner won't. Kid 3 will be ready to start at grammar level when her sibs begin their logic stage rotation. Yes, the middle child will go through it one year "off", but then she'll have an extra year at the end to go a fourth round with the Ancients as the youngest begins her rhetoric stage.

 

(Of course, all this may change, but that's the general plan at this stage!)

 

ETA, I should add that one reason why we've decided to go this way is because dc1 is a bit slow with LA and dc2 is average or slightly fast, so although they are 2 years apart in age, they're more like about 6 months apart in ability. With science, dc1 is quite advanced, so their stuff will have to be more different.

Edited October 31, 2009 by Hotdrink

[patchfire]

I keep all my kids on their own cycle. It's easier *for me* although I completely understand why the other way is easier for other people. It's easier for me to know "these are the things we do in X grade" instead of constantly adjusting.

 

This is what we plan to do. I could, in theory, start ds on ancients next year in K while dd is doing it, but mine are far enough apart it wouldn't really offer me any advantage, I feel. Of course, having them closer together, I might feel differently, but I'm OCD enough I'd rather have it set by grade.

[Quiver0f10]

I don't *really* need to worry about this yet, as my children are all pre-school age and younger, but I was wondering how this would even work for the future. I really like the four-year history cycle concept, but I have three children. The first child and the middle child will be two school years apart, and the middle child and the last child will be two to three school years apart (third child was born after the technical cut-off date, but since I'm homeschooling this doesn't matter... advice?). Anyway, because of that spacing, do I have any options for keeping them all on the same cycle? Doing three cycles at a time is really overwhelming to me at this point. Would two be my only option? If so, would I just keep the first and third child on the same cycle and work with the middle child alone?

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. :)

 

I have 5 kids doing the 4 year rotation, will add another in the fall, and keep them all in the same cycle. We use TOG right now, but have used SOTW/WTM recommendations in the past.

[Kelli in TN]

I keep all mine on the same cycle. And when I first had high schoolers, we did whatever science the older one was doing!

 

Same here. Whatever the oldest kid needs to be doing is what we are all doing.

 

We are having a break from the cycle this year as we finished modern times last school year and my oldest at home is in 8th grade. I want him to start a new cycle as a freshman, so we are doing a year of state history so we can all start the cycle again next school year.