MOH or Omnibus?

[Ann.without.an.e]

I just can't decide which is best for dd for next year. We are using Mystery of History 2 this year and I would like for her to complete the cycle of history with us. At the same time, I also really like Veritas' Omnibus I. If I use it, she will be starting with ancients again and we did that last year.

Should I keep her in MOH and if so, how long (through middle school or all the way through High School?)

SHould I go ahead and switch her to Omnibus I next year?

Should I switch her to the Omnibus volume that coincides with the same time period we will study next year?

 

I hate these decisions so any thoughts or experiences are appreciated!

 

Char

[Ann.without.an.e]

In case in matters, she will be 7th grade next year. She has a very advanced reading level, so that isn't a concern. She has not had the opportunity to study very much modern History though.

[SilverMoon]

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Edited July 12, 2022 by SilverMoon

[amtmcm]

Hi! We've used both MOH and Omnibus and enjoy them both tremendously.

 

We just started with Omnibus II this year and it's going great! It covers Middle Ages, which coincides mostly with MOH 2 & 3. I personally would put your DD in Omnibus II next year, alongside your family in MOH 3, and the following year do Omnibus III alongside MOH 4 (hopefully it will be out). Then you will all stay in synch.

 

Also, Omnibus III includes Hitler's Mein Kampf and Marx's Communist Manifesto, which I personally think is better suited for an 8th or 9th grader - we experienced a big leap in maturity from age 12 to 13.

 

Omnibus is VERY well organized and allows for self-study along with a CD-Rom with answers and discussion notes for the parent. However, we are really enjoying the online class offered by Veritas Press. My DD loves chatting with her classmates, the teacher is excellent and she is inspired by the peer discussion. So either way it is a great curriculum, but I wanted to add a plug for VPSA (and no, I don't work for them). :)

[3byzaz]

Wow - Char, we are in the same boat. Sort of, anyway! I have an 8th, 6th and 2nd this year. We are in MOH 2 - will be done early cuz we used part of it last year with BP Ancients. I am debating what to do next. With MOH 4 not being done and it really not incorporating American, I feel like I need to find something to fit these criteria: something that would do both world and Amer., that we could stick with, AND that I could combine my kiddos and stay in same history period. Hmmmm...that shouldn't be toooo hard, right!!? It has been!

 

Ominbus appeals to me cuz it fits a lot of those requirements, BUT...and I hope this doesn't offend anyone...it looks a little dry? Is it dry or boring? I would like my guy's history program to be interesting. I love the VP younger history and lit suggestions, but the Omnibus ones do look a bit on the tough and dry side????

 

Any help is GREATLY appreciated! Hope I am not hijacking!

[Cleopatra]

My understanding is that Omnibus is used in conjunction with Spielvogel to actually count as history, otherwise it takes more of a literary bent.

 

I have the first three volumes of Omnibus, and Omnibus I definitely looks more difficult than the others. I'd start her in the volume that follows your natural history rotation ..... you can always scroll back around or study some of the books in Omnibus I at a later date.

 

3byzaz, we're doing some of the secondary books in Omnibus I this year and we're not finding it dry or boring. We've already done novels studies for the past few years a la "Teaching the Classics" and I find Omnibus is a wonderful compliment. It gets excellent discussions going and usually my dd can't wait to give her opinion or tell me what she thinks about a particular situation or question. Because the books are classics, they deal with issues/feelings/struggles that transcend cultures and generations and that's part of what makes the program interesting. That said, for history you need Spielvogel to put the books that you are reading into historical context.

 

 

ETA: I should have said, Spielvogel or another history book because I know some people are using different books for the history spines with Omnibus!

Edited December 15, 2010 by Cleopatra

[Ann.without.an.e]

My understanding is that Omnibus is used in conjunction with Spielvogel to actually count as history, otherwise it takes more of a literary bent.

 

 

 

ETA: I should have said, Spielvogel or another history book because I know some people are using different books for the history spines with Omnibus!

 

So, you would not only recommend that I keep her in the same time period as the rest of us, but have her continue MOH in addition to Omnibus? I have never heard of Spielvogel :blushing:

[Cleopatra]

So, you would not only recommend that I keep her in the same time period as the rest of us, but have her continue MOH in addition to Omnibus? I have never heard of Spielvogel :blushing:

 

Yes, if it was me :D I would continue in the same rotation of MOH and add Omnibus books from the same period. I think that would be easiest for you and since she'll only be in 7th grade, there's lots of time to go deeper into Omnibus.

 

Spielvogel is an optional history text that VP recommends to go along with Omnibus. For each Omnibus book, the corresponding pages are noted in Spielvogel for that period in history. I think the readings are short but it allows the child to place what they're reading into a historical context. There are a number of editions of Spielvogel as well as a few different books, for example there is Spielvogel's Human Odyssey which is geared more towards high school and then Western Civilization which is a college text. It can get a little confusing ......:confused1:

 

Here are some links to threads that might help but there are so many, perhaps you want to do a search yourself. Another idea is to post on the high school board. There are quite a number of knowledgeable ladies there who would be better help than I. :001_smile:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105097&highlight=omnibus+spielvogel

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154897&highlight=omnibus+spielvogel

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115034&highlight=omnibus+spielvogel

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99558&highlight=omnibus+spielvogel

 

All the best!

 

ETA: Sorry .... to clarify my first paragraph, I would keep her in your current rotation (which looks like it will be MOH 3 ....???) and choose books that correspond to that period from Omnibus. I'm not familiar with MOH's later books but I think that their book 3 might straddle Omnibus II and III. You'd have to check that out. HTH!

Edited December 16, 2010 by Cleopatra
Clarifying information