Is the MFW schedule repetitive in the history cycle?

[Amy in KS]

I started out loving Adventures but about half way through the year, I felt like much of it was very repetitive. I LOVED the very enriching bookbasket, but wished there was more variety in how the books and activities were scheduled. I bought the ECC manual and it sort of looks the same way. Of course, I'm basing this on looks, not experience. Are the history years the same way? I'm considering skipping to CTG and adding geography bookbasket books and the geography songs to it.

[mom@home]

:bigear: I've considered the same thing. I would like to hear the answers to your question.

[bethben]

ECC is very repetative. VERY. Your instincts are correct. I have no idea about the rest of the years because I jumped ship after ECC.

Beth

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Can you (or someone) explain more what you mean by repetitive? I'm totally inexperienced with them but had been considering them for near future years. I would appreciate more detail. :)

[razorbackmama]

ECC is very, very repetitive.

 

We've only done some of RTR, but I don't remember it being as repetitive as ECC.

[sassenach]

By repetitive, do you mean that it has the same pattern to each day? Can you expand a little?

[Amy in KS]

Thanks for verifying what I was thinking about ECC. I was hoping someone would tell me I was wrong about it.

 

What I meant by repetitive was the same pattern of activities every week. For example, one day of the week is always coloring a state sheet, another day is always reading from the same type of history book, the next day is always study a bird related to the etc... This is from the top of my head, not the manual. Don't quote me on this. But it did seem as though the weekly pattern didn't vary much. I THRIVE on variety...

 

I loved the bookbasket choices, though. I was hoping Adventures was just like that because it was a state study. It sounds like ECC is like that as well, but it's a country study. I'm hoping the history manuals have more variety beyond ECC...

 

Can anyone who has done CTG and beyond comment...

[cbollin]

I've done ctg and beyond. I'm not sure you want to hear my comments though.

 

many things in life are repetitive.;) meals, chores, family reunions.

Sometimes we need to shift the furniture in a room or change the sheets, or get a new hair style. I think that is the case with any curriculum out there that the parent/teacher needs to give herself permission to have fun with it.

 

ADV being repetitive: well, there are 50 states to overview. It's going to be lather rinse repeat with 50 of them. But I've heard plenty of good ideas over the years when teacher shake it up a bit and do other stuff. So, give yourself permission to teach a little outside of the box once in a while and use the state sheet as a poster to decorate for your student instead of an assignment to "make them do". Then find something the kid likes (say like sports.) and then use that interest to talk about it in the context of that state. What's the major league baseball in that state? what's the minor league? what sports are there? Then, fill in the state sheet and use it as decoration. It's 2nd grade, you're the teacher and their parent. you can make it fun.

 

ECC: When we're teaching similar things about 15 countries, things will seem similar. There are only so many topics in geography and cultures to discuss in this age group. I shook it up a bit and I've taught ECC twice by the way. Once when oldest was 2nd grade and then 5 years later with a 7th and 4th grader (and a kindy kid around the house).

We served breakfast around the world. We looked in travel brochures. Listened to music. did crafts. Yes, several of the activities and assignments were very similar. You don't get "new books" every 2 months for the package. But you do get new books each country in book basket. So, grab an extra craft or two from basket.

 

Some countries weren't too different from each other in terms of culture. Others were very different. Some of the crafts involved sand art but you didn't do sand art in each country. Some were do something with wire, but not wire in each country. In ECC, my experience with the repetitive nature was more along the lines of "which coffee flavor can we try new this week?" Or we'd have fun with our passports at the "border check". I tend to think books like Global Art help with the tweaks needed to add the variety in the structure.

 

Even though I agree there are routines in the curriculum around a theme (geography, state study), I really don't see a problem with that. I guess if you hope that the manual is filled with alternative ideas, you'll be sad. But that company has a message board with an Ideas forum for each of the programs (up to high school). Lots of extra ideas there. But I saw it a lot like meal planning. I have ground beef and potatoes in the cabinet - how can I dress it up, or at least set the table differently?

 

CTG and RTR: it's ancient history and Bible and science. I didn't find the repetitive nature as with ECC/ADV. Some kinds of assignments are repeating all year (copywork with Bible, memory work with Bible, create your own style of notebooking page, art assignment, music. Read books)

 

EX1850 & 1850MOD: my kids did not mind the state sheets at all since it was gently spread out over 2 years and it just wasn't a problem for us.

 

just a very different opinion and teaching experience.

 

-crystal

[KJsMom]

Thank you for your differing opinion. I just finished piecing together this curriculum for next year and I'm really looking forward to it. Then I read all these posts and was thinking "Oh, shoot. What did I do now?" Everyone was saying repetitive and I was talking to the computer, "Repetitive what? How? Please, tell me more." So thank you for explaining. I think I can handle it!

[razorbackmama]

It's very repetitive, but it's a lot of fun.:001_smile:

[Amy in KS]

That's a great point. Life is about routines.

 

I don't really expect different books every month. I was thinking more variety in terms of how the materials are presented. For example, one week the student may make a major geography features out of clay and water in a pan, the following week may focus more on a major landmark there.

 

I think still ECC looks great. It probably wouldn't be very hard to look through and add something unique to each week ahead of time. I was planning on adding small continent "suitcases" with country items (photocopies of money from their, stamps, important items for the country) for the younger siblings anyway.

 

I also think I would want to change the chapter books scheduled to one of the chapter books mentioned in the booklists. Is there one or two of the missionary biographies that are the best? I don't think we'll want to read all six, especially with Hero Tales scheduled.

[razorbackmama]

That's a great point. Life is about routines.

 

I don't really expect different books every month. I was thinking more variety in terms of how the materials are presented. For example, one week the student may make a major geography features out of clay and water in a pan, the following week may focus more on a major landmark there.

 

That sort of thing is already included, especially in the science studies. For example, during an Africa week we did a small experiment to see how elephants keep themselves cool. In Saudi Arabia we had a pan of sand and learned why camels feet are so wide.

 

If you do the cooking, the foods you cook will be different every time.

 

We haven't gotten there yet, but in Japan I believe there are some origami crafts to do.

 

The geography game is repetitive, but that's very necessary for the child to learn how to play the game and to learn where the countries are. Plus every time you move to a different continent it will be a different continent.

 

I'd say the structure and the pattern is repetitive (except in the science realm - there is a lot of variety there), but the information is most definitely different every time.

[Momma H]

I just wanted to say that I kind of thought it was repetitive when I did it but then I thought, WAIT!!!!!!!! How are you supposed to teach something that is the SAME BUT DIFFERENT?! i.e. countries !!!!!!! :lol:

 

There needs to be some continuity to it or it is not going to have a flow. How different can learning about a country be as far as getting your basic information about it? How expensive is it going to be if you have to use tons of different materials for 15 countries?

 

The book basket helps and we used the internet to find specific things we wondered about each country. There are things to do to shake things up a bit like Crystal said. You can look on the interent to see if you can answer questions you have had about the country. You can cook food from that country.

The list could go on and on. It depends on how much time you want to spend and how much money.:001_huh:

 

Personally, I think that it would be really hard to make something that has repetitive information super varied, and exciting all the time while still giving the pertinent information. I know I couldn't. It is a super fun curriculum and we learned a ton. :001_smile: My kids loved it and so did I.

[Momma H]

Silly me!! I forgot to add that we have done other levels of MFW and did not find it repetitive. It just has a nice routine but it is not repetitive.

[Amy in KS]

Thanks all!

[cbollin]

I was planning on adding small continent "suitcases" with country items (photocopies of money from their, stamps, important items for the country) for the younger siblings anyway.

 

that sounds like fun! great idea!

 

 

I also think I would want to change the chapter books scheduled to one of the chapter books mentioned in the booklists. Is there one or two of the missionary biographies that are the best? I don't think we'll want to read all six, especially with Hero Tales scheduled.

 

hmm...

i liked them all, so I'm not much help on that part. But from listening to lots of online talk, I get the idea that David Livingstone's life is one that people swap out because of personal preferences.

I get the idea that the Cam Townsend book is duller start than others - but I don't like saying leave it out either because of the importance of what he did for Bible translation.

 

I cried a lot reading Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward books. those were good, but then again, some people prefer doing just the Hero Tales version of them. Parts of Gladys are more intense than other biographies. But by the end of both of those, I was in tears and had to let my husband read last chapters.

 

Nate Saint - do that one? it's just a wow story. ok, I cried at that one too.

 

Muller - that seems to be the one I remember the least. But I'm sure others like it better. But I don't remember crying. :lol:

 

this question (which biographies were best/which to swap out) is too tough for me.

 

-crystal

[marsha617]

I would like to know as well. I am making a Rainbow Resource order soon. I am curious to know which Christian Heroes books to purchase. Thanks Crystal for your input. I will order Nate Saint but which others?? Someone chime in!

 

Marsha

[MamaMamaMama!!]

Thanks for verifying what I was thinking about ECC. I was hoping someone would tell me I was wrong about it.

 

What I meant by repetitive was the same pattern of activities every week. For example, one day of the week is always coloring a state sheet, another day is always reading from the same type of history book, the next day is always study a bird related to the etc... This is from the top of my head, not the manual. Don't quote me on this. But it did seem as though the weekly pattern didn't vary much. I THRIVE on variety...

 

I loved the bookbasket choices, though. I was hoping Adventures was just like that because it was a state study. It sounds like ECC is like that as well, but it's a country study. I'm hoping the history manuals have more variety beyond ECC...

 

Can anyone who has done CTG and beyond comment...

 

 

I guess Im so routine oriented I didnt even know that there was repetitiveness in ADV:lol: My house sorta thrives on that anyway. I guess that's why we like MFW so much!

 

that sounds like fun! great idea!

 

 

 

 

hmm...

i liked them all, so I'm not much help on that part. But from listening to lots of online talk, I get the idea that David Livingstone's life is one that people swap out because of personal preferences.

I get the idea that the Cam Townsend book is duller start than others - but I don't like saying leave it out either because of the importance of what he did for Bible translation.

 

I cried a lot reading Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward books. those were good, but then again, some people prefer doing just the Hero Tales version of them. Parts of Gladys are more intense than other biographies. But by the end of both of those, I was in tears and had to let my husband read last chapters.

 

Nate Saint - do that one? it's just a wow story. ok, I cried at that one too.

 

Muller - that seems to be the one I remember the least. But I'm sure others like it better. But I don't remember crying. :lol:

 

this question (which biographies were best/which to swap out) is too tough for me.

 

-crystal

 

We read Muller before and LOVED it. They are all great stories IMO.

[mama2cntrykids]

I have to say...there are some great ideas out there for ECC. I'm very excited to start next month! Even my 9.5 y/o ds was asking to start school today, he wants to learn about these countries. That's my boy!