covering 2 periods of history

[ange]

I have 2 children (4th and 5th grades) currently in private classical school. My 4th grade dd is in the middle ages in history, and my 5th grade ds is in renaissance and reformation. I am struggling w/ what to do next year. The schedule they are currently on would have my dd moving on to renaissance and reformation and my ds moving on to American history. My son loves history and is looking forward to American study, but that leaves me wondering if I can also cover R&R for my dd. Has anyone here ever covered 2 different history periods at once for different children? I thought about doing American history w/ all my kids (I also have ds almost 5 and ds almost 7 - I'm not planning any formal history for them at this point). However, I hate to leave that "gap" in my dd's history study. I am also considering signing ds up in an American history class in a local co-op to free me up to focus on dd, but I was looking forward to going thru history with ds. Any suggestions or advice? :confused: Thanks!

[Susie in CA]

I would start with American History for everyone. Your dd will be in 5th next year. She'll get around to all the rest of World History. No worries.

 

Susie

[Jen+4dc]

I would start with American History for everyone. Your dd will be in 5th next year. She'll get around to all the rest of World History. No worries.

 

Susie

:iagree:

 

There's so much available on that, so many picture books and library books and educational videos/games/toys to help the youngers get some exposure, too.

 

I would never try to do two time periods at once, I think it would be way too much work for *me.* Plus, when they are all on the same time period you get those great dinner table discussions (and book discussions and imagination/playtime games, etc). I find that my kids are always playing a "Fablehaven" game or a "Percy Jackson" game or a "Golden Goblet" game depending on what Read-Aloud we have going at the moment. :D

 

But, you may be able to handle two time periods, I know others on these boards have made it work.....maybe they'll chime in with some ideas.

[Amy in KS]

Could you listen to the Rennaissance and Reformation stories via SOTW or MOH audio cd's over the summer and then start with US history in the Fall with everyone?

[EKS]

I do two different periods. My kids are 6 years apart in age, so they don't do anything schoolwise together. It works just fine.

 

I think that American is best done after a full course in world history (as your older child will have had). If you do American with both next year, you'll be shortchanging the younger one, who won't get the sense of context for American history.

[Storm Bay]

My dc are all doing different history. However, we don't do as much discussion as is fit for true Classical Education. My eldest doesn't like history and hates discussing it, so we compromise. She reads it, answers questions and writes some papers. My middle one loves history, and is doing American History II. DS is doing SOTW 2, and reads it aloud to me. He discusses it more than my dd's do, but it's not his passion. Math & sicence are more up his alley. My dc tend to do better doing school apart from each other due in part to the fact that they all tend to like to hum or do other distracting things while they work. Right now they're each in a different room.

 

We are not model WTMers. We do a modified approach (not my original plan, but I have one very challenging dc and the others, while much easier in many ways, aren't considered easy kids by most.) But