History Pockets?

[Classically Minded]

I was looking at the Evan-Moor History Pockets and was wondering if they are worth buying? Does anyone here use these to go along with SOTW?

[kfeusse]

We used the Eygpt set and my kids loved it. They still go and look at the projects every once in a while. I thought they were worth the money...especially if you can find a book that someone is selling second hand.

[RainbowSprinkles]

I bought a few to use along Sonlight for American History. My dd loves to do hands-on stuff. They are a big hit here so far :)

[anneofalamo]

we got ancients, and then broke down and got Egypt and Greece the whole thing...we love them!!!!

[Jen in PA]

DD loves them.

[miracleone]

We bought the Ancient Civilization and had fun with it. We didn't do the activities are too redundant but went online and searched for more things to do to include in the pockets. It was fun and my DD7 (at that time) enjoyed showing it off. I would say it gives you a headstart but you can do many other online activities/printables and add them to the pockets to make it more unique.

[Nakia]

I bought some to go with our SL American history this year, and my kids like them a lot. I was able to find them used here for a really good price.

[walkermamaof4]

Does the grade 4-6 matter much? Has anyone tried them and the grade 1-3 ones and found their kids unable to handle the 4-6 ones? Thanks!

 

Also, how do they compare with the time traveler cd's from homeschool in the woods?

 

Thanks so much!

[Mallory]

We are using some this year for 4th and 5th grade. The boys do like them, but they wouldn't have worked for us in 1st grade, because for whatever reason me leading crafts has never really worked out.

 

But now they are big enough they do them on thier own. My 4yo even joins in for some and they help him.

[Spryte]

We like them, and use them along with SOTW 1. We're using the grades 1 - 3, because that's what I had on hand (and my kiddo's in first, anyway).

 

We put the pages, and the flat projects, right into DS's history notebook.

[KrissiK]

We did the Native American one last year for 1st grade. It just got to be a little much. So, we probably won't do them again.

[TKDmom]

We did the Native American one last year for 1st grade. It just got to be a little much. So, we probably won't do them again.

 

What was too much about them?

[elinnea]

I personally don't like them- too much busywork. However, my kids loved them.

[Annabel Lee]

I didn't know what they were until I got them to use w/ Guesthollow American Hist. 1 (I think Time Travelers CDs are used more w/ GH AH 2). My boys don't do all the projects for every project, especially not the extra writing since they have to write a narration for history. We also just 3-hole-punch the pages and put them in history binders along w/ other work, although I made some pockets just to show them and see if they wanted to do it that way (to which I got a resounding "Yes! That's cool!"). My boys enjoy having a concise 1-page summary about certain figures/events, and the bookmarks for the same purpose. They love doing any recipe, as well, and I've only been able to get them to do add'l writing when it comes to rating food. Go figure.

Most of all, they appreciate having a simple map that they don't have to assemble that we mark and color. I could find those elsewhere and that's not why I got the HPs, but as it turns out, the map, the main summary page and the bookmark are what we always use.

 

ETA: My 7yo does the 4th-6th gr. HPs right along w/ my 9yo, no problem. I think it depends on what you're requiring the kids to do with it (do you precut or do they cut everything out? do you all read aloud together or do they read it independently?) and the individual children.

Edited October 22, 2010 by Annabel Lee

[Mom in High Heels]

We did the ancients for 1st grade and Indy loved them! There was a bit of writing involved in each pocket, but he did okay with that. It just took him longer than it would have if he were older. This year we're studying the middle ages and Renaissance, and when we get to America, we will be doing the Native American HP as part of our curric (History Odyssey). I wish they offered a middle ages set because Indy would be more than happy to do them. I suppose I could make something up on my own, since I know how they are set up, but...that's too much like work.:D

[Lorax]

I think it's going to depend on your child. My dd found all the cutting and gluing very tedious. She also prefers drawing her own pictures to coloring pages, so these did not work for us at all.

[Wheres Toto]

We have the American Revolution, Native Americans, Plymouth Colony and Ancient Civilization ones. I'm on Evan Moors email lists and I periodically get updates where you can buy one, get one free. I buy the ebooks so that we can use them repeatedly since my kids are so young. So far we've done parts of the Plymouth Colony and Native American ones (last year). I plan to start doing a more in-depth use of them very shortly (like next week if I get my self in gear). My kids like them. I find they get a lot out of them and remember the activities they've done. The text provides a brief overview that is easy for them to understand and we can expand upon easily using picture books. We don't make them into pockets though. We cut out the pieces and glue them to cardstock to put in our notebooks.

[Susie in CA]

We tried last year. My boys hated it. We can't get into the cut and past type activities at all. We won't do them again.

 

Susie

[lisak]

My girls have both enjoyed using History Pockets. We have completed several at both grade levels. Differences -- grades 1-3 have less writing and it seems larger crafty pictures. Grades 4-6 have timelines, smaller crafty pictures and more writing assignments.

 

I also have the Time Travelers for Explorers. My younger daughter began it last year and we didn't get very far. The two products are totally different. The Time Travelers has a schedule laid out for you to follow, it has a lapbook, notebooking type pages, penmanship or copywork. It is very thorough and worth the money.

 

My daughter is using Guest Hollow this year and I gave her the choice of what she wanted to use. She chose History Pockets. She is comparing this product to Hands of a Child lapbooks. She does many of those for science. And sometimes we find what we need on Homeschool Share.

 

I like the History Pockets because they are well laid out and can be used with a variety of ages and curriculumn choices. We even printed some of the Egypt pieces for use in VBS this summer. As one of the other posters, I also have been purchasing the PDF's. They are nice as you can print them on whatever color of paper you choose. I think if you purchase the enhanced PDF, you can resize the pictures. You would have to check and verify that, as I have never purchased that way. If so, I could see that as being a neat way to make the product work for however you wish to complete it, whether a notebook page, lapbook, pockets, etc.

[lisabelle]

We're using History Odyssey this year and it calls for the EM History Pockets. It was one of those things I wasn't sure I wanted to bother with. DS (11) was really into crafty-type stuff until he started public school and then lost all interest in anything art-related.

 

Turns out, it's just right for him right now. He really enjoys making the pockets. I'm a scrapbooker, so I have a box of paper that I've cut into, and I let him rummage through there as he wants to decorate his pockets and activities. He didn't want to color anything, but once I asked him if *I* could color in some of the pictures he decided that looked pretty fun as well. HO is pretty reading intensive, so I like using the pockets to break things up--that and documentary Fridays. :)