S in Canada Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Well we decided to try ABeka history for grade 4. It is really slow and boring for both dd and I. I have tried to spice it up a bit with some history pockets from Evan Moor. Looking for other slimmed down easy to get through almost skim over American history resources to help us out. Any advice is welcomed! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Ok, let me tell you how we used this. Only because I had it on my shelf. I used it as a timeline to tell me what to study next. THAT IS IT. we tried using it in the beginning and it was so dry! So I see what comes next, I go to the library find something on each reading level for the girls to read. We are also reading The Light and the Glory for Children as a nightly read aloud. I purchased the Homeschool In the Woods Cd and use that for some crafts and if the girls are not really interested in a certain time period we wrap it up in about a week. Now if they are interested we stop and use anything we find. I should mention we have been on Colonial times for over a month now, but the girls are learning and they LOVE IT!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Well we decided to try ABeka history for grade 4.It is really slow and boring for both dd and I. I have tried to spice it up a bit with some history pockets from Evan Moor. Looking for other slimmed down easy to get through almost skim over American history resources to help us out. Any advice is welcomed! Thanks Are you trying to spend a whole year on American history? Why not focus more on Canadian history, with reading from The Story of Canada or something like that? If you want American, I would just read through SOTW 3 and 4, or get a bunch of American biographies from the library and read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 I really hated Abeka history. I switched to All American History By Celeste Rakes. My kids LOVE it! Its great. It says grades 5-8, I have a friend who is starting in 4th (she is doing the 1st 2 units in 4th and the 2nd 2 in 5th) and I really think that will work well! Check it out! http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/1504.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Do you want to stick out the year with American history? I have no experience with these, so please take it with a grain of salt, but you might try Escher's The Story of the USA. There are 4 volumes: Explorers & Settlers, A Young Nation Solves Its Problems, America Becomes a Giant, and Modern America. I believe they are a simple outline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klothos Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Janis Herbert (awesome book!) Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Bulla The World of William Penn by Genevieve Foster George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began by Lucille Penner Katie's Trunk by Ann Turner We the Kids: The Preamble of the Constitution by David Catrow The Pop-Up Book of Ships by David Hawcock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryde55 Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 Have you considered looking at Veritas Press -- Explorers to 1815 and 1815 to Present? The teacher's manual (either hardcopy or on the enhanced CD) has to-the-point lessons with follow-up answer worksheets & some mini-projects. The history cards are 32 cards per set and hit the highlights of major historical events. I just got a set to supplement our Sonlight 3 + 4 American history in a year. The songs on the CD might be a bit childish-sounding, but my 1st & 5th graders love them and the repetition of the song helps with remembering those facts & dates. Somethingn new to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldGirl Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Yep, very dry for us. Beautiful Feet Early American History is literature based. You might find a program like that much more interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightly Salted Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 You might also look at Sonlight's Core 3 and Core 4 or combo Core 3/4 - also literature based. I went to an A Beka school and well remember how BORING it was! :hug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie78 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 When we first started homeschooling I went with Abeka simply because the private school my oldest son attended used it and it was the only thing I was familiar with. It wasn't long before I regretted it though. As a previous poster said, I used Abeka history for a spine, checked out books and movies from the library based on the book, found some crafts on each subject, and made up my own worksheets based on the text. It required a lot of work on my part but was the only thing that made it bearable for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheri Warren Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Abeka = boring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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