Anyone NOT like Story of the World?

[Jenny in GA]

I am still so conflicted over whether to have my 9 and 7 year old daughters continue with Five in a Row, or switch to Story of the World, and I'm trying to get as much information as possible to help me with my decision.

 

Could you share your experiences with it? Do your kids like it? My fear is that it would be dry and boring, like your typical textbook. Also, do your kids get bored studying Ancients for months?

 

So whether you love it, hate it, or somewhere in-between, could you share some more thoughts about it?

 

Also, if there anyone who transitioned from the Unit Study approach to SOTW, and if so, how was that transition and why did you make it?

 

Jenny

[JMDRAD]

I am still so conflicted over whether to have my 9 and 7 year old daughters continue with Five in a Row, or switch to Story of the World, and I'm trying to get as much information as possible to help me with my decision.

 

Could you share your experiences with it? Do your kids like it? My fear is that it would be dry and boring, like your typical textbook. Also, do your kids get bored studying Ancients for months?

 

So whether you love it, hate it, or somewhere in-between, could you share some more thoughts about it?

 

Also, if there anyone who transitioned from the Unit Study approach to SOTW, and if so, how was that transition and why did you make it?

 

Jenny

 

 

I used Sonlight Core 1 this past year for first grade and loved it. But I also love, love, love the SOTW too! I have used it to supplement Sonlight. I like the maps and coloring pages in the activity books. Although, SOTW easily stands on its own. The books are not at all boring and even my four year old will listen in. I plan to buy the rest of the books just because they are so enjoyable to read, NOT at all like a textbook. As for studying the Ancients for months on end: We started last July and are still going strong with the ancients. We just started studying Rome. My girls have loved it. My six year old comes home with all kinds of books on ancient civilizations (Magic Tree House, etc). The SOTW series is also on audio book narrated by Jim Weiss. He does an amazing job with his storytelling. We have a CD by him called Egyptian Treasures that I would highly recommend with an ancient civ. study.

[HeidiKC]

Have you looked at Story of the World? It definitely isn't dry and boring. My kindergartener got the CD set for Christmas (Vol. 1 - Ancients). He STILL requests that about 80% of the time at bedtime. He absolutely loves it (Jim Weiss helps!) and wants to hear the stories over and over. We also have Vol. 2 in book format. I read some of it to him last summer when he was 5 as well as to my 9-year-old son. They loved it and it was not even slightly boring.

 

I also really like the comprehension questions in the AG and there are little "Cards" for each chapter with a description of even or person, and you copy and then color and cut out. I'm sure you know this, but there is also mapwork to go with it.

 

I am still so conflicted over whether to have my 9 and 7 year old daughters continue with Five in a Row, or switch to Story of the World, and I'm trying to get as much information as possible to help me with my decision.

 

Could you share your experiences with it? Do your kids like it? My fear is that it would be dry and boring, like your typical textbook. Also, do your kids get bored studying Ancients for months?

 

So whether you love it, hate it, or somewhere in-between, could you share some more thoughts about it?

 

Also, if there anyone who transitioned from the Unit Study approach to SOTW, and if so, how was that transition and why did you make it?

 

Jenny

[TKDmom]

We used SOTW 1 last year. It wasn't dry. My DC loved it. I didn't love it. But I couldn't tell you why. I got annoyed with the tone of it for some reason. Maybe it was just b/c I was pregnant the whole time we were reading it. So now I associate it with nausea, exhaustion, and grumpiness. ;) I do plan on trying it again at some point.

[mommy4ever]

We are using it. It isn't a text book, not at all! She wrote it as the title says, Story of the World. My girls 11 and 6 have been enjoying it immensely.

 

I find it is easy to read. Easy to work with, especially as a new homeschooler. The kids are learning, we are in the library often gathering storybooks about that period, other history books, etc, and they love going to the library. We often max out our library cards! The activity guide helps to make sure the kids are retaining some of it, or at least understand what we are doing :lol:. And the extra things are fun to do if there is time.

[Just Another Jen]

My sons all loved it. My daughter does not. I switched over to the Memoria Press Famous Men Series for her. I think she's a "just the facts ma'm" type. The boys also loved hearing about war/battles/conflicts. She's my peace loving hippie girl. She knows it all happened but she'd rather not dwell on it.

[MaMa2005]

My DS has loved SOTW 1 this year. He loves the maps that go along with each lesson (from the activity guide) and enjoys regaling the adventures of _____ at night to his dad over dinner.

 

I already have SOTW 2 for next year and have found DS sneaking it out of the curriculum closet to see what we will be studying. :D

[Woodland_Mom]

We used FIAR when my children were younger. When my oldest son turned 7 we began SOTW. We love it! I agree with previous posters, it is not dry and boring AT ALL! Get the Activity Guide, and you'll have a complete history plan, including a literature/reading list for picture books and other sources to make the history really come alive.

 

Many topics are covered in ancient history, so I don't think it seems like you're covering the same thing for an entire year. Your simply studying a people, places and events from a particular time period.

[Oakblossoms]

My older two didn't like it when they were younger. We have started and stopped a few times. This year was like magic though. We went through Volume 3 without a hitch. We are almost done with it. They actually asked if we would be doing Volume 4 next year because they are really interested in Modern History right now.

 

My youngest boy is not interested in it at all. I've really tried but he just hasn't enjoyed it. I had hoped to always keep them on the same rotation but I think it's too much for my boys.

 

My advice. See if your library has it or can order it for you. The Audio by Jim Weiss is excellent. Try it out and see if your kids like it. The Activity Guide is great because if they find a topic interesting you can check out more interesting books or DVD's and color some pages.

[SophiaH]

My dc love Story of the World in any form: book, Audio CD, read-aloud. I believe it's well-written and engaging for children.

 

What I don't love about it is using it as a spine. We used SOTW 1 last year and then began SOTW 2 this year with the whole shebang--narrations, coloring pages, comprehension questions, etc. But the one chapter a week pace with two-three different sections in each chapter was way too fast to really dig into any topic. I often describe it as feeling like I was in a whirlwind, and feeling like I was always behind. I dropped everything except the audio, which dd listens to during rest time--what a relief!

 

So, there's not necessarily anything inherently bad about it, it just wasn't working for us in the way we were using it for how I wanted to cover history.

[5LittleMonkeys]

My dd1st and dd5th loved SOTW Ancients this past year. They liked the way it was written like a story book, enjoyed coloring the pages while I read and really liked all of the activities that you could do with each chapter. They had fun looking for and reading library books that we would check out from the library. My library didn't have a lot of the recommended books but it didn't seem to matter. We found tons of alternatives. There were several chapters that they just didn't find as interesting as others so we would just do the bare minimums on those. We could spend as long or as short a time on any given chapter. We spent almost a month on Ancient Greece and even incorporated an Ancient Greece history pocket.

 

I had trouble with the narration and review questions in the beginning because I just wasn't used to this type of dialogue but after a couple of months it became extremely natural to me and even carried over into other subjects. I love how flexible and completey customizable it is. The AG holds my hand when I need it but it doesn't throw everything off if I deviate from it.

 

My oldest (6th at the time) did not enjoy the whole SOTW package. She does not like anything crafty or artsy so the activities, for her, were not fun. She preferred to read the SOTW book on her own because the pace we were going at was too slow for her. She did the outlining of KFH and read a lot more of the literature selections. She worked at her own pace and finished months before the other two did. She said the SOTW book was too easy for her but that each chapter gave a good basis for her to determine if she wanted to explore further and learn more detail about a person or place.

[simka2]

I have mixed feelings about it. I think it is a great resource, and accomplishes what it sets out to. It's the "STORY" of the world. I think it makes history approachable for children, and that is awesome!!!

 

Sometimes, I wish it fleshed out certain things a bit more. Other than that, we really enjoy it. ;)

[lailasmum]

We are about 3 weeks off finishing SOTW1. Its been one of the best parts of our last year. Its not at all dry or dull. Because it is stories its very accessible and because you are studying different cultures every few weeks it keep the interest alive. We have mixed activities from the activity guide and projects from other places.

[AK_Homesteaders]

My children thought it was dull and boring. They don't like textbooks, and even though it tries to come across as a story (like a "living book"), it is still came across to all of us like a textbook. My children loved the activities, but they were not able to connect them to the stories. I saw the connections, but I think the problem my children had was that they were so bored with the stories from the book that they were sort of numbed while I read to them. All they were doing was quietly putting up with it until we got to activities. I had read so many wonderful reviews, so I went into it with a very positive attitude, but after a couple of months we put it away. I had been using everything from Ambleside Online except history because I thought we'd prefer SOTW, but since that was a flop for our family, I spent the rest of the year doing most of Ambleside's suggestions.

 

It was nice to get away from it also because it helped me change my philosophy about teaching history to young children. When we read SOTW, I constantly found myself telling my children that all that pagan stuff about their gods and preparations for death was just that --- pagan. I had to stop and remind them that we don't believe that, or they'd ask me if what those people believed was true. I finally wondered why I was trying to teach them things that weren't true. My middle son who was only 5 at the time one day said that those people believed in their gods and the things they do just as much as we believe in our God. Then he asked me what makes our beliefs any better than theirs. He was only 5, and that was a legitimate question. All I could tell him was that it boils down to faith. For a 5 year old, that's not much of an answer.

 

Those people back in ancient times had every bit as much faith as we have. They could not prove their stance. It was all about faith, just like for us. That's when I realized that it is important for young children to be firmly grounded in their faith before learning about the pagan beliefs and rituals of the ancients. By "grounded", I don't mean that they can simply tell us what the Bible says or repeat what we believe. No matter how much we *think* a 5 year old is grounded, most are only going with what they have been taught. Yes, they believe it, but I don't believe they can be what I call truly grounded until they are old enough to have more developed critical thinking skills and reasoning abilities.

 

The ancients were very "dark" and I did not want the young years of my children's history education focused on that pagan darkness.

 

Then I found Truth Quest History. What a blessing! It has been SOOOO refreshing. The young years focus on American History. At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to do that because there is so much more to history than just the "New World". But, after spending some time on the Truth Quest website and giving it a fair chance, I totally understood and agreed with the philosophy. Even while doing SOTW, I sometimes read biographies and historical fiction that we already had at home, and my boys could relate to that so well. They had a blast when I read those stories. They'd pretend to be Daniel Boone or another person we'd read about and let their imaginations go wild. The stories and the characters were wholesome. They were good examples for my boys. I never had to stop and say "we don't believe that". My boys were learning history and loving it, and it did not interfere with our faith. When I found Truth Quest history, I was able to recall how wonderful it was to teach history naturally (without a program). We'd been reading other books on our own, on the side, but since it wasn't part of curriculum, I didn't really think of it as history. But it was, and it was wonderful.

 

Now we're using Truth Quest exclusively, and it is wonderful. There is plenty of time to teach the ancients formally. Truth Quest does that, but it waits until the child is older and their thinking skills are more developed. It is a beautifully simple approach. There's plenty of time to fine tune all the details about history with our children, but when they are young, the idea is to get them excited about learning everything they can and to have fun. I want them to have a love of learning, and so far that is what is happening with my children. Every time I try to use a program that attempts to teach with stories but that is really still a textbook, it is a flop. My children love real, living books, and that is what works for us.

[everlastingstarflower]

We used SOTW I last year and both of my kids loved the stories and the activity coloring pages. They would color while I read the story and we'd answer the questions at the end. They didn't understand the concept of summarizing for the narration part so I wrote out narrations for them and they used it as copy work. We did a few of the art/craft activities but, as another poster mentioned it became a little hectic so we dropped the art/craft part and focused on the reading, coloring, questions, map work and narration.

 

We also checked out every book on the activity book's reading list that we could get from our local library, district library and the PA Power Library. My kids were able to read most of the books themselves so the extra reading for them helped to cement that week's history lesson in their minds even more. Some of the books were very fun....there were a few that my dd found a challenge to read because she thought they were boring. But, they both loved the SOTW stories.

 

We were doing history twice a week and they would literally beg me to allow them to have a history lesson almost every day. We finished our curriculum at the end of April so we could take a break for May and they were disappointed that we weren't going to be having history all summer. Maybe my children are just history lovers but, they cannot wait to start SOTW 2 in August. My ds is especially excited because he enjoys knights & castles, pirates and reading about wars so SOTW 2 is going to be right up his alley.

[Colleen in NS]

Could you share your experiences with it? Do your kids like it? My fear is that it would be dry and boring, like your typical textbook. Also, do your kids get bored studying Ancients for months?

 

Yes, my kids have loved it over the years, and no it doesn't get dry and boring and my kids don't get bored with sticking to, say, Ancients, for a whole year. This is because we flesh it out (nice and plump!) with lots and lots of library books. History is so full of stories, you'd never get bored if you keep looking for them in the library. SOTW is meant to be a starting point for history study, not the end.

 

EDIT: I just read through a few more responses, and realized that many people mean the SOTW book PLUS the AG. I am just referring to the SOTW book in my post. We read a chapter a week, and then read library books on the topics/people/stories brought up in the reading.

Edited May 19, 2010 by Colleen in NS

[mom2mags]

I'm new and considering switching from FIAR to the WTM way, including SOTW. Thanks for asking this question!

 

I'm excited about SOTW. I've loved our time w/ FIAR, but my dd is wanting to go deeper on subjects than just what we can cover in a day or a week. I think she will LOVE this. :) I love that the activity guide is ready to go, and I just have to get some books from the library. She will love the hands on projects. That will be the harder part for me, but I'm aiming to get as many supplies together over the summer as possible.

[jec3113]

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Story of the World! We love it. We read the books, use the activity guide, the test booklet and own the CD's as well. It is the highlight of the day. My kids actually read ahead in the book as well as in the recommended encyclopedias. Doesn't get much better than that!

[MIch elle]

It's best used in grades 4 & up; then it's age appropriate and more likely to be remembered. :001_smile:

[momof2girls]

I followed the AG, and we got bogged down in details. I think if we did just a couple of activities rather than almost all of them in addition to the reading, maps... we just got overwhelmed.

 

I will say when I stuck with doing the map and coloring pages while they listened to the cd and we chose 1 or 2 activities and extra readings it worked better.

 

We're going to try again with Winter Promise Hideaways in History (the older version that uses SOTW as the spine) next year.

 

K

[justamouse]

We love it so much that I just bought another copy. (Mine was packed and closing has taken longer than we thought. I needed SOMETHING to give me a spine and stuff they enjoyed doing so the lessons would stick) I couldn't wing it anymore (perhaps under normal circumstances-these aren't), so I bought it again. Matter of fact, it just came today and they're loving it. Not dry in the least.

[NanceXToo]

I've only done the first 9 chapters of SOTW Volume 1 so far- we did it over the summer last summer.

 

We stopped over the school year to focus on Oak Meadow, which we're finishing up this week.

 

In the next week or two, I intend to go back to doing SOTW and continuing with it over the summer.

 

What we did last summer, we did not consider dry and boring at all! The main SOTW book is told in a storytelling kind of way and does not seem at all textbookish or dry. We enjoyed it.

 

The activity book lists supplemental reading books, which we would get from our library and read most of. Some of them were more kids' books that she enjoyed. Some of those books were a little more "dry" or above her age level so we'd play it by ear. If she was enjoying it or tolerating it okay (as was the case with the majority of the books), we'd read them. Once in a while we'd skip one or cut it short if it just seemed too much.

 

She always enjoyed the coloring pages and map work, and of course it would usually list some sort of hands-on activity or project and we always enjoyed doing those together. Stuff like making our own scented oil, making a model of the Nile River, carving our names in clay tablets in hieroglyphs, using fabric paint and a button down shirt to make Joseph's coat of many colors, making little pyramids out of clay, and so on- we had a lot of fun with those things.

 

We're looking forward to doing more of it this summer!

[Tonia]

We're using it and loving it. My dd just said today that history is her favorite subject.

[Lovedtodeath]

My DD still loves Ancient History. One year is definitely not too much. SOTW was too much for her last year. She hated any kind of read aloud and preferred more visual fare.

[hopeallgoeswell]

I am still so conflicted over whether to have my 9 and 7 year old daughters continue with Five in a Row, or switch to Story of the World, and I'm trying to get as much information as possible to help me with my decision.

 

Could you share your experiences with it? Do your kids like it? My fear is that it would be dry and boring, like your typical textbook. Also, do your kids get bored studying Ancients for months?

 

So whether you love it, hate it, or somewhere in-between, could you share some more thoughts about it?

 

Also, if there anyone who transitioned from the Unit Study approach to SOTW, and if so, how was that transition and why did you make it?

 

Jenny

 

Jenny,

We just finished SOTW 1 w/AG. My dd endured the SOTW book. It did not have enough Christian content in it for me, so I ended up adding and editing a lot. That being said, the AG was WONDERFUL!!!! Some weeks we used only the AG (coloring pages, maps, activities, book list). It is kind of like a unit study, which dd and I liked. I am not set on using the book next year but might stick with the AG for lots of great ideas.

 

HTH!

[my2boysteacher]

We have used SOTW for the last 2 years. When I asked my boys what they wanted to change for next year they both asked for a different history curriculum. We have been using SOTW as written, with narrations, activities, extra books from the teacher's guide and a timeline hanging in the school room. When I ask them about something we studied a few months or even weeks ago they draw a blank. They have retained very little. I know the first pass through is supposed to be 'hanging the pegs', but I had hoped for a little retention!

We will be switching to HOD, but I will hang on to our SOTW books and maybe we'll try them in few years when they are a little older.

[Shelly in the Country]

We love, love, love SOTW! The AG is well worth the money, too. I didn't have it when I went through SOTW with my firstborn, but I am using it now with ds 6. I wish I had purchased it when dd was beginning school. I don't do all the activities in it, but it is helpful.

[joyfulmomSDG]

When we read SOTW, I constantly found myself telling my children that all that pagan stuff about their gods and preparations for death was just that --- pagan. I had to stop and remind them that we don't believe that, or they'd ask me if what those people believed was true. I finally wondered why I was trying to teach them things that weren't true.

:iagree:

I noticed this with SOTW also - particularly for the younger ages which would be primarily the Ancients level, I think.

 

Mystery of History (MOH) was good for my older one from about 5th grade up. (we began h'schooling her 4th grade year) I plan to use it as a "spine" for my younger ones from about 2nd up, without doing everything in it to the letter. It would be really easy to add living books to while still utilizing the timeline, mapping and other lesson activities.

[dsacco]

We tried SOTW the first year I pulled them (2nd & 5th grade) - they really DID NOT like it. We have tried again a couple of times (with me thinking it was their age and not being used to being at home)..... and still they would get bored.

 

I liked it!! But I also like a lot of things my kids don't ;) It'd be so much more fun if I was just teaching myself sometimes!

[tabd22]

I enjoyed it very much, my 2 dd's ..not so much. I heard groans when we pulled it out.

 

This year we did HOD and they enjoyed that much better.

[Aubrey]

We've been doing SOTW for 4 yrs & have loved the whole thing. There are a couple of ch's in ea book that are dry, but it's by far the best thing I've seen for kids' history. Thorough AND interesting, written in narrative form instead of...like a textbook.

 

Instead of being bored w/ studying the ancients for so long, ds asked for a "Greek Party" for his 5th bday. We did Olympic games, pin the eye on the Cyclops & a gingerbread parthenon.

 

Does he remember it all? Nah. Life's been awfully distracting. But he remembers some. Napoleon. Alexander the Great. And he doesn't need much to jog his memory about the other things. When we talk about it, though, his eyes light up, & he says he can't wait to do it again. Like pp, I'd hoped for better retention, but then I reread WTM & remembered that the goal is to whet their appetites. SOTW does that.

 

FIAR is kind-of apples to oranges though, imo, because it's lit-based curric where SOTW is hist-based. I like having something concrete like the timeline to help me see what needs to be covered when. It helps me decide what I want to leave out & what I want to leave in instead of always having this panicky feeling that I *might* be missing something.

 

We do unit studies w/ SOTW once or twice a yr. We paused for a couple of mos to really read around & do projects & play w/ the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Ancient Greece. We did a unit on Holland, which was my favorite, & on their own, the kids have made up games about Greenland/Vikings & other things I suddenly can't remember. We're doing pioneers this summer, & we'll do WWII soon--victory garden, propaganda, etc. And of course we'll play Axis & Allies, but that's a whole other thread. :lol:

[Mommamia]

We tried SOTW the first year I pulled them (2nd & 5th grade) - they really DID NOT like it. We have tried again a couple of times (with me thinking it was their age and not being used to being at home)..... and still they would get bored.

 

I liked it!! But I also like a lot of things my kids don't ;) It'd be so much more fun if I was just teaching myself sometimes!

 

:iagree: Same thing in our house.

[Guest momk2000]

I purchased SOTW 1 a couple of years ago and in reading through it, did not care for it. We never used it.

[Crimson Wife]

When we started our study of history, I borrowed SOTW Vol. 1 from the library to see how my DD would like it. She declared it "boring" but liked reading the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. In fact, she reads that for "fun" (go figure).

 

I decided to do unit studies loosely following the SOTW AG. We did that for Ancient & Medieval history. However, I've decided to switch to American History rather than doing Vols. 3 & 4. My 2nd will be joining in and I just think modern world history is too dark.

[LarlaB]

I wanted to love it, but didn't...I prefer Mystery of History, particularly for Ancients.

[Greta Lea]

It's been their most favorite thing about school since the age of 11yo (one is 16 and the other is 12yo).

 

My boys are both VERY *visual* learners. When they were younger, they NEEDED books with pictures. Also, they both say they get more out of SOTW when they read it idenpendently (auditory processing issues). My 12yo ds has dyslexia and he's found that he comprehends more from the readings if the reads along to the audio version of SOTW.

 

My now 16yo ds finished the series when he was 14yo. He was sad sad the series was finished!

[Stacy in NJ]

My one significant complaint would be only about the organization of the chapters. All four volumes are arranged strictly chronologically. Really, the books would flow better if they were arranged first by civilization and then chronologically.

 

 

Something like this for SOTW I (Ancients):

 

The Near East

Egypt

Greece

Rome

China

India

The Americas

 

You get the idea.

[Lovedtodeath]

In that case you can use the encyclopedia as your true spine and read the SOTW chapters around that.

[Scrapmom3]

We didn't like it here. It didn't keep my son's interest at all and he was bored. I don't know if it was the content--Ancients-- or the style of the book. I think he would have been more interested in Am history. Since most people seem to love it, I have been hesitant to disagree.

[robsiew]

We love SOTW here. We started with MOH and that was fine in Level 1, however Level 2 quickly lost my younger two kiddos. So, I switched them all to SOTW and I wish I had started there and left MOH for Logic stage. Oh well.... I didn't start with the AG, but I recently got it and am sorry I didn't have it from the beginning. SOTW is not dry and even holds the attention of my 4 y/o (and we don't use the audio, it's just me reading!). I think it's a great grammar stage history... I don't worry about covering things quickly or not as in-depth now because we'll have 2 more go arounds with history before they are done.

[Stacy in NJ]

In that case you can use the encyclopedia as your true spine and read the SOTW chapters around that.

 

Our encyclopedia (Kingfisher) is arranged chronologically as well.

[HollyDay]

I could not stand SOTW vol 1. But, we really enjoyed vol 2. I used BF for the next couple years, but I will pick up vol 4 next year. So, it has been hit or miss here. I would say vol 2 was an excellent choice for us the year we did it, so I hope vol 4 is great too.

[gpsings]

I liked that it was very diplomatic and engaging, but we wanted something that delved a little deeper into biblical history as well. ;) I still have my volume one if you're looking to buy. :)