If you have a larger family, how do you do history?

[staceyobu]

Just curious. Do you do everyone together? Everyone in the same time period? Everyone on their own?

[Sasharowan]

With my 4, it is ds 14 on his own, but in same time period. Ds8 and dd10 together. Ds4 "helping".

[SilverMoon]

.

Edited September 5, 2023 by SilverMoon

[Quiver0f10]

When my older kids were younger we started with WTM history all on the same period. The next set of kids did SOTW and now we use TOG. We meet together at the beginning of the week then the D level work indepednently throughout the week until our discussion at the end of the week. During the week I read and do maps etc with my LG/UG kids.

 

I am thinking of going back to sotw for the younger ones, WTM style for middles and GB for my highschoolers, but we would all study the same time period. Not sure how well this will work with a large family.

Edited March 2, 2010 by Quiver0f10

[johnandtinagilbert]

Honestly, there is no way we could be in different years...I'd be loca!

 

We use TOG.

 

D level meets weekly for discussion or lecture, but completes all other areas solo.

 

UG does independent reading, but also works with me for geo., lit analysis, projects and read aloud.

 

LG all with me, about 30-45 min/ 4 days/week.

 

For us, TOG means high quality, my way, without the research

[johnandtinagilbert]

When my older kids were younger we started with WTM history all on the same period. The next set of kids did SOTW and now we use TOG.

 

I am thinking of going back to sotw for the younger ones, WTM style for middles and GB for my highschoolers, but we would all study the same time period.

Don't want to highjack, but Quiver, why are you thinking of leaving TOG?

[Quiver0f10]

Don't want to highjack, but Quiver, why are you thinking of leaving TOG?

 

Mostly because I'd love to do a simpler GB study with my HSers. Less books spread out over more time. However, I''m not sure that I am confident enough to pull it together on my own and I really don't know how well it would work with 7 kids schooling next year, kwim? Maybe I need to tweak TOG instead of throwing it all away.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Mostly because I'd love to do a simpler GB study with my HSers. Less books spread out over more time. However, I''m not sure that I am confident enough to pull it together on my own and I really don't know how well it would work with 7 kids schooling next year, kwim? Maybe I need to tweak TOG instead of throwing it all away.

I know just what you mean! I want to slow down sometimes, but I always worry if I do, I'll come to a halt. *I* need the push...sad to say out loud.

[Quiver0f10]

I know just what you mean! I want to slow down sometimes, but I always worry if I do, I'll come to a halt. *I* need the push...sad to say out loud.

 

Yes! This the hardest time of the year too. I am ready for spring break!

[lotsofpumpkins]

Mine are still pretty young, but I've found that having everyone listening to the same history just isn't working. My boys just don't have the same attention span as my dd. We've changed things up a couple of times this year, and I finally realized that I need to let dd have her own program. So, she'll be starting HOD Bigger soon. The boys will do HOD Little Hearts together. (We'll be doing our own math/LA at the appropriate levels).

 

We'll see how all that goes! In 2011 we'll either stay with HOD and two separate programs (actually 3 since I'll have the 3 year old doing some Little Hands too), OR we might switch to something else to start ancients, combining the oldest three (they'll be 4th, 3rd, and 1st then). But I'm not worried about that yet; I need to learn to take it one year at a time! For this year, my oldest needs a chance to soar without having to slow down for her brothers. My boys need to increase their attention spans! I think in another year things will be completely different. I'm considering using the history modules at Simply Charlotte Mason to combine everyone. I would like to get everyone on the same page at some point in the future.

[rwjx2khsmj]

We do it all together. Read SOTW, discuss... ds illustrates and narrates. DDs dig deeper. All spend time reading about topics of interest. We spend lots of time talking and sharing what we are reading/learning.

[laughing lioness]

We do history together, mainly cause everyone loves history and when I start reading aloud, they all come around to listen. Anyone who can read independently has their own history to do as well.

[Peek a Boo]

Everyone in the same time period is a requirement for my sanity. :tongue_smilie:

 

We use a combo of SOTW for grammar stage kids, VP for everyone, and WTMish working through KHE and writings. Right now VP leads the way, and we use the parts of the other two that line up with VP.

 

We start with the VP card. Reading assignments are doled out according to skill level. "WTMish writing" follows the WTM recommendations for each grade/stage. I'll read SOTW to the youngest. VP usually has something for bigs and something for littles, and occasionally there's an assignment I can give to all of them. The mock newspaper article is a good example of that. The littlest one squeaked out two basic narration sentences on his, and the oldest filled the whole page with a good article.

 

Some days we all sit down together, talk about the story, work through the cards together, and some assignments are just more fun for them to bounce off each other. More often than not they'll rattle off the list of cards to me (they memorize the names of the cards in order), and sit down with their own work when they're ready for history.

 

something similar here-- i call it trickle up history, lol.

 

everyone gets a basic overview.

The littles are assigned their stuff first, and I assign further reading to the older ones. or they might color a map while I do more w/ the olders.

Once the little guys are established w/ their assigments or dismissed from group time, I move back to the older ones. more discussion.

Eventually they are dismissed earliest by youngest ages, with the oldest being the last to be excused from the group session.

 

this works well w/ science and SWR too. :)

[TengoFive]

We do SOTW all together. Usually we'll listen in the car on the way to swim practice and then the next day we'll read the books, watch the videos, etc. I divvy up the extra reading by grade level. I couldn't manage with the kids on different time periods, or if I did at least one of them would have no history interaction from me and would be confined to textbooks. We love being on the same time in history. It makes field trips so much better when we can all understand the meaning of what we're seeing.

[Laura W.]

Everyone's in the same time period here. We use Biblioplan - SOTW is our spine. I read SOTW and the K-2 readers to everyone, then the older one reads her other history assignments on her own.

 

Blessings,

 

Laura

[LindaOz]

Last year I had everyone doing separate history - and that worked for last year.

 

But, this year, I felt to bring us all back together - our school year has not long started. My older kids have already done SOTW so this is the plan for this year's Ancients study:

 

-All together for Mystery of History readings and discussion and any other associated reading I decide to do all together.

-Then, based on MOH readings, Grammar stage kids do notebook page/pictures etc as described in WTM Grammar stage (also still use Usborne World History and other easy history encyclopedias I have around for extra info and pics).

- Logic stage kids do outlining from MOH narrative, and written reports/summaries of associated topics (some of which are given in MOH further research suggestions).

- Ninth grader to ease into reading and writing about more advanced works as listed in WTM and other sources relative to our MOH topic.

 

We all do the timeline and mapping suggested in MOH as well.

They all do reading from the WTM Ancient lists according to their stage in their assigned reading time.

 

NB: My 5yo doesn't really join us for this yet; he's welcome to but I'm not requiring it. He can join in next year. Although, he did color a dinosaur to go on our timeline today. :)

[Homeschooling6]

When my children were younger we did history together.

 

About two years ago it started getting a bit more difficult. History was not getting done. My oldest was in 4th at that time, had toddlers running around and trying to teach everyone how to read. It was getting pretty hectic.

The last two years I have used textbooks and the two older do that on their own. The younger ones have no formal history. I use a read aloud book and lots of audio books. MOH, SOTW, Dina Waring and many others.

 

Next school year my two oldest will use MFW EXP1850 more on his own and I will use MOH for the younger ones. I want to start with the Old Testament with the youngers now.