Please compare/contrast SOTW and MOH.

[cheryl h]

We have started using SOTW 1 this year, and it has been fine. MOH looks like it covers more biblical history, which I like, but looks like even after book 4 is written they will not emphasize US History much. Please help me as I have not been able to get the MOH books 'in hand' to see for myself. Thanks.

[Love2Smile]

:lurk5:

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I do SOTW with my 2nd grader and MOH with my 6th grader. SOTW is geared at younger kids then MOH is a good program to do after SOTW. My daughter LOVES MOH, but we do both world history and american history at the same time (at all grade levels). We like to do that because then when we get to that era of world history they can see the whole picture.

[Krissi]

We used both this year. Moh is written as a Christian curr, sotw for a general audience by an author who is a Christian. Sotw can easily be beefed up for older, as it is for intended for 1st-4th. Moh's intended audience is 5th-8th. The author of moh throws in more opinion and writes a bit too "friendly", if you will, for me, but I still like the book. Sotw activity guide has LOTS more additional book listings than moh 3 that I used. I like the book lists. I appreciated the good reading in moh 3 covering the Reformation in detail.

[cheryl h]

I didn't realize MOH was better for older kids, maybe too much for younger? I would have liked to use it for all four dc, but I do have SOTW 2, so I can always use it for ds/dd6. How do the activities compare? I kind of like that MOH has quizes and pretests, I like to use them for review.

[Sue G in PA]

MOH would be fine for your 9yo and 11yo. The lessons in MOH1 are short and very doable for those ages with the 6yos listening in. I wouldn't require much more out of the 6yos than to sit in on the reading. I used MOH with a 11, 9, 8 and 7yo with a 5yo listening in when he felt like it. The 11, 9 and 8 yos did very well with it. The 7yo didn't do ALL the activities and I also didn't make him to the pretests or other tests. Your 6yos could easily do some of the elementary activites. I think I remember we built a pyramid or zigurrat out of legos. That was fun for the boys. MOH is definitely Christian and so covers things that SOTW 1 does not and vice versa. The 2 go together very nicely, IMO.

[siloam]

I didn't realize MOH was better for older kids, maybe too much for younger? I would have liked to use it for all four dc, but I do have SOTW 2, so I can always use it for ds/dd6. How do the activities compare? I kind of like that MOH has quizes and pretests, I like to use them for review.

 

MOH was written to be a reader for grades 4-8, and SOTW was written to be a read aloud for grades 1-4. Volume 1 works very well as a read aloud for younger kids, though there is a step up in detail in volume 2, so that works better as a read aloud for middle elementary and not young kids. My oldest did listen to it in 2nd grade, but she is an auditory learner and history buff, my other three wouldn't do well with it till they were closer to 4th grade (hands on learners). Volumes 3 and 4 are written with more detail like volume 2, not volume 1. Though many people find that while they are bothered by the lack of Biblical content in SOTW volume 1 they are fine with the level of church history in SOTW volume 2.

 

The activities in MOH at the youngest level are much more doable than the activities in the SOTW activity book. The mid level MOH activities are more like the SOTW activities. It really depends on if you want projects (mid level) like doing a mini archeological dig in your back yard, complete with gird or just something easy to reinforce the activity like making each other mummies by wrapping each other in TP, or having an ice holding contest.

 

At the volume 1 level both have audio versions, both have coloring pages and both have maps. MOH has prompts and instructions for creating a 3x5 memory card system similar to the SOTW cards provided in the activity guide. MOH does have cumulative quizzes and book recommendations by lesson and age level, but it doesn't have the narration questions. MOH also has lapbooks, if you like those.

 

At the volume 2 level MOH no longer has coloring pictures, and at the volume 3 level I don't think the lapbooks are done yet either and the audios will be a while yet as will be volume 4 (roughly 2014).

 

Heather