Amy Jo Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Is it worth it? (I have 4, 2 are school age ATM, neither would be able to read independently.) I really want to go 100% AO, but I'd like to keep us all in the same time period. (I've looked at SCM, but I like AO better.) Is tweaking the schedule worthwhile? My goal is to simplify btw, I enjoy tweaking, I just do to much of it. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 For me, it's a space issue. I keep lots of material on hand and it is MUCH easier to get out the 'year 1' bin and put 'year 4' away. I wouldn't have enough shelf space if I had year two and year 4 stuff about. My two boys are about 5 years apart but are great friends. They really enjoy doing things together. They like that they are reading about ancient history at the same time, it gives them lots of ideas for games and imagitive play. It is much easier to play "trojan horse" if you are both reading it. My good friend and my homeschool 'mentor' has taught four kids, three now gone on to college. When I asked her she said "do anything, by hook or by crook, to get them on the same cycle. Your life will be so much easier." That is my real reason, lol. I have found that I should just do whatever she tells me because she is always right. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 The boys are 5th, 7th, and 8th grade. For ease of planning and book shelf space, I've kept them in the same era. We do it together and my requirements and expectations in terms of memory retention and writing match the age but the assignments are similar. I look forward to our hour of history each day. I gather them up and we sit in a circle around the table or side by side on the couches. Well, normally I enjoy it....today I thought I'd go out of my mind! They were completely unable to come up with coherent thoughts and when it came to note-taking, no one could spell a single word. Literally, the 5th grader was soooooo spacey that when he wrote his name, he looked at it, and then handed his assignment sheet to me and said, "Mom, did I spell my name right?" Oh yeah, it was all down hill from there. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&M Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I like AO, but I have never figured out how I would get anything done if everyone was doing different history and literature. I have always done history all together. I used SOTW for many years and now I use TOG so that I can still use SOTW with my younger children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Yes, without a doubt it is worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldGirl Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I couldn't do it any other way. Our days are already very busy. Plus we are able to share and learn together which is very enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I definitely keep my kids in the same time period for history (and same topic for science too). I tend to gear the main readings toward my 8yo, but I read aloud so everyone hears, and then I add supplemental books that are often picture books geared more to my 5yo's level. The 5yo usually does pretty well with understanding the main readings, but I do sometimes have to stop and explain things to him. (This year we're using SOTW volume 2, which is maybe a bit below the 8yo but which the 5yo understands fine; last year, we used H. E. Marshall's This Country of Ours, which was fine for DD but which required much more explanation for DS1.) If there's a worksheet or something that is applicable, the 5yo may or may not participate, but they can both participate in activities, games, recipes, etc. They do feed off of each other too and will often dress themselves up and pretend they're in such-and-such a time period together. I can't imagine finding the time and energy to do two sets of history plans either! (Then again, we're a very history-oriented family, so there's a lot of supplemental stuff to do; a family that's not so into history might find it relatively easy to have two basic curricula going.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iona Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 i'm interested in hearing replies as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) I'm planning to keep all my kids in the same period. Last year I did SOTW 1 with ds7 (first grade) and dd5 (kinder). This worked fine because she was motivated to keep up with him, while her 'normalcy' was a good example to encourage him. Dd aged 2 only participated very marginally (it was weird the tidbits she picked up though - eg she spent half a day toddling around saying excitedly "I'm thinking about Shamshi-Adad!", probably without the faintest idea of who that was lol). By 2014 (gasp! That seems so far away!) she will be in prep year (aka 6yo kinder) and ready to join in for our second go round. Although I haven't tried it any other way, I really feel that it'd be easier to do the same topic at a few different levels than to have several children all learning about different topics, if at all possible. Edited January 7, 2011 by Hotdrink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If it helps, from the AO site: Every class in Charlotte Mason's schools followed the same period of history, covering that historical era for each level, every term. But the advisory for AO decided that producing the booklists necessary to make that happen would be a mammoth task, so found a different way to organize history. I'm also planning on teaching my girls the same cycle at the same time. I totally agree with the other posters that it's easier. And it won't mess up the way you follow AO much, just the history part. You can probably leave the literature as is by grade level; not all the literature selections line up with the history anyway. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranberry Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'm wondering about this too. I have a 2nd and Ker and we're in SOTW2 right now, but I worry next year that vol. 3 and 4 are going to be way over my 5 (then 6 yr old's) head? Anyone deal with this? I guess just focus more on the picture books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wilhelm Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I have a 7th, 6th and 4th grader........... I was going to do them all together for history, but changed my mind. I thought it would be easier but the more I worked trying to pull together challenging reading for each child on the same time period I thought.... !!! why do all this work and worry when AO has lists for each grade already......... good, challenging books. So, I am keeping the girls in one grade level (always have) and letting the boy do his own level. It is working out wonderfully! This is our first complete week and I am impressed with how my kids have taken to all the reading/narration/freedom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I have a 2nd and Ker and we're in SOTW2 right now, but I worry next year that vol. 3 and 4 are going to be way over my 5 (then 6 yr old's) head? Anyone deal with this? My boys were 2nd and 3rd for SOTW 3 and we tried SOTW 4 for 3rd and 4th. While there have been some that liked them for those young ages, we did not (I have posted about it several time, if you are interested look at some of my other posts). So my suggestion would be to do something else even for your 3rd grader, how about a couple years with an american history focus? If you do go on to SOTW 3, you could just not require anything in history for your 1st grader. In fact this is my plan for my next two. No history until 3rd grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) -- Edited November 10, 2021 by prairiewindmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've done it both ways, with my oldest on one period, and the youngers on another. It was do-able, mainly because my oldest is a few years ahead of the others and I was only teaching 3 at the time. Now that I have more "in school" (using TOG), it's much, much easier for me to have them all together. Plus, I can sometimes have the olders learn by reading history books and things to the youngers. I can also have discussion time with my two oldest together, which helps save time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I cannot fathom homeschooling with my dc in different time periods in history (unless we used a strictly textbook approach.) We tend to incorporate a lot of field trips, family movies and discussion, etc. into our history studies, so it is necessary to stick with a topic for the year, so that I can plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 YES! Keep everyone in the same time period. It will save you lots of hassle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Thanks everyone. I think I'll just tweak the history a bit to match up with SCM's levels. For me, it's a space issue. I keep lots of material on hand and it is MUCH easier to get out the 'year 1' bin and put 'year 4' away. I wouldn't have enough shelf space if I had year two and year 4 stuff about. Wow - great idea. I never thought how nice have a 'year 1' box would be (and simple). Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I definitely think it is worth it. This is coming from someone who has done AO last year with just one. Then this year when I tried to do it with two, one a non reader and the other just getting going (so I would have to read most aloud) I found it overwhelming. Two options to consider. Check out http://www.milestonesacademy.com It is similiar to AO, but it does keep everyone in the same period for history. Read the section on history rotation. That being said, I do follow Milestones partly, but I am now adding in TOG, which also keeps them in the same period. I definitely think it is the way to go if you will have two non readers. Also, since you will be adding more kids into the mix down the line, it will get more complicated, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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