English and History connundrum

[ejeanes]

I am all confused as to what to do for my kids for history next year. They are 4,6,8,10. I was thinking of SOTW or Mystery of History or My Fathers World. MFW is the five year cycle. Problem with that is that my oldest Daughter will miss out as she moves into a HS level in 3 years. I feel like she'll miss out on major important things she should have had earlier on. SOTW seems for younger kids. I'm not sure what in the world to do.

 

I also want to have the English be all inclusive as far as grammer, phonics, reading and spelling go. Is Bob Jones or Abeka the way to go and how in the world do I say, heck I'll shell out 700 bucks on those books? So confused as to what I need to do here.

[Kate in Arabia]

I have been using SOTW with two kids who are 3.5 yrs apart in age. My 12 yr old will be doing SOTW 4 with my 8 yr old this fall. There is a difference in how they use it. For my younger, he basically sticks with the book, easier additional reading, the read alouds/videos, basic mapwork, and a basic narration. For my older, he has outlining from a different resource, harder additional reading, the read alouds/videos, more mapwork (he has to fill in more information), and I expect more from his narrations -- chiefly, he needs to include information from the other readings/videos he's used for that topic.

 

My younger likes the coloring pages, my older only does sometimes.

 

So for me, using SOTW has been fine with kids at different levels.

[abrightmom]

I am all confused as to what to do for my kids for history next year. They are 4,6,8,10. I was thinking of SOTW or Mystery of History or My Fathers World. MFW is the five year cycle. Problem with that is that my oldest Daughter will miss out as she moves into a HS level in 3 years. I feel like she'll miss out on major important things she should have had earlier on. SOTW seems for younger kids. I'm not sure what in the world to do.

 

I also want to have the English be all inclusive as far as grammer, phonics, reading and spelling go. Is Bob Jones or Abeka the way to go and how in the world do I say, heck I'll shell out 700 bucks on those books? So confused as to what I need to do here.

 

What grade will DD10 be in?

 

As far as history is concerned you are looking at some fun programs! They are different though . . . MFW is more than history as it schedules multiple subjects such as history, science, geography, time line, notebooking, music, and art. It is designed to use in a multi-teaching format. I haven't used it in that way yet but many who do say that it works! MFW uses SOTW 2, 3, and 4 in the last 3 years of its history cycle. This makes it easier to fold your youngers into what you are studying.

 

For SOTW or MOH (or both if you'd like!) you should look at Biblioplan. It's history (with some literature, mapping, timeline) that is scheduled for you using SOTW and/or MOH as your spine resources. There are schedules for grammar, logic, and rhetoric levels with corresponding encyclopedia and other reading assigned. It is a doable schedule as far as I can see!! It is quite popular so you could search some threads and read more about it. Go to their website as well. They have recently revamped several of their year plans to include parent supplements and Cool History Packets :D. I recently inquired and their Year 2 (Medieval) will be up and running in its revised format this fall! It's quite affordable with a reasonable schedule. It is designed to teach to multiple ages. It is also just history so you are free to choose your other subjects as desired.

 

As far as your oldest daughter is concerned you shouldn't worry about it :001_smile:. That is, of course, easier said than done. I know!! The time line is what it is. She will learn a lot and even if she were going into first gradet this year there is no way you can ever teach her all that she needs to learn or could learn! It's more important to focus on teaching her how to learn and instilling a love for learning. I keep reminding myself of that . . . I get caught up in "fitting it all in" and lose the fun in the process.

 

You just decide where to begin and your criteria for deciding will fall to you to determine. You may want to look ahead to high school and consider what or where she'll be studying. Then determine what periods in history are most important to you or to her! You could also let her decide where to start (what time period) if that seems reasonable to you. It is also quite reasonable to fill in some knowledge gaps in off seasons by helping your daughter select material to read (summer breaks and such). If she is already a good reader and loves to read then that is all the better! If she isn't then perhaps you can purchase SOTW or MOH on cd and let her listen. There is a lot to be said for just hearing the stories . . .

 

As far as all inclusive language arts I'm no help there!! I think you may need to research more about your goals in the language arts. There is a lot to consider: phonics, spelling, reading/literature, grammar, spelling, penmanship, writing. There are some fine programs to choose from (too many!).

 

FYI: SOTW 1 is intended for grades 1-4, SOTW 2 for grades 2-5, SOTW 3 for grades 3-6 and SOTW 4 for grades 4-8. If you read the Well Trained Mind and/or purchase the ACtivity Guide to accompany the SOTW volume you select it will tell you how to use the material with an older student (adding in appropriate encyclopedia work and literature).

 

:grouphug: Choosing is daunting. I wish you the best as you work through the process.

[mom31257]

I am all confused as to what to do for my kids for history next year. They are 4,6,8,10. I was thinking of SOTW or Mystery of History or My Fathers World. MFW is the five year cycle. Problem with that is that my oldest Daughter will miss out as she moves into a HS level in 3 years. I feel like she'll miss out on major important things she should have had earlier on. SOTW seems for younger kids. I'm not sure what in the world to do.

 

I also want to have the English be all inclusive as far as grammer, phonics, reading and spelling go. Is Bob Jones or Abeka the way to go and how in the world do I say, heck I'll shell out 700 bucks on those books? So confused as to what I need to do here.

 

Have you considered CLE for English? I switched my ds to their LA right after Christmas. I really like that grammar, usage, phonics, spelling, and even penmanship are all included. I wished that I had known about it earlier for my older dd. It's also very affordable. You can test the kids to see what level they would be at, too.

 

If you want to do SOTW with the younger kids, you could have her listen in to SOTW, use Kingfisher as a spine for her to do outlining, and add in historical fiction at a higher level for her. She could read those on her own and write about them.