Age for Story of the World

[Lisa R]

I know SWB recommends SOTW for grades 1 - 4 but I'm wondering who has actually used it for those grades. Did it seem too hard or over their heads?

 

If you didn't use it in grades 1 - 4, when did you start and did it work out better for you?

 

Thanks!

[redsquirrel]

I use it for those grades in the order suggested and in the manner suggested. We have had no problem with it being over their heads. It seems just right. My kids love it!

[kokotg]

I've got 3 kids, 5-9, doing SOTW1 now, and they're all doing fine with it, although it's clear that the 7 and 9 year olds are retaining more than the 5 year old. My now 9 year old did it when he was 5, too, and for him that was too early. For a kid who's more interested in history (he was more math/sciency at that age) I think it would be fine, though.

[boscopup]

My 6 year old understands SOTW 1.

[Lostinabook]

I'm using SOTW 3 for my 3rd grade ds & the book itself is fine. He understands and enjoys it. However, I bought the activity book mainly for the booklists and that hasn't been as useful as I'd like. A lot of the suggestions have an independent reading level of 4th grade and higher and that won't work here if we're going to finish the textbook in a year. If your child is a fast reader it would probably be fine though.

[Mommamia]

My dc did not retain much in first grade. I've decided to wait until 4th or 5th grade to start. It caused me a bit of stress. But, your mileage may vary....:001_smile:

[Mallory]

I did one round through starting when my oldest were K and 1st through 3rd and 4th for all 4 volumes.

 

We were okay with SOTW 1 and 2, pushed through with SOTW 3 and gave up on SOTW 4.

 

We started over this year with SOTW 1, the boys are in 4th and 5th, and we love it. It is so much better then when we did it in K and 1st.

 

Ideally I think SOTW 1-4 would be perfect for grades 3- 6. That is what my next one will do. Start SOTW 1 in 3rd grade.

[Snowfall]

I don't think my dd is going to retain much from it this year in first grade, but she is remembering enough that I think it's worthwhile. She tells me she loves ancient Egypt and has had me look up videos on ancient Egypt and China on Discovery Streaming for her. There have been other times where she's surprised me with a sudden exclamation of "Hey! We learned about that in history!" when I didn't think she'd paid any attention. I do think that the tone of SOTW1 will be offensive to her in another year or two, just because it's written in a manner that would appeal to a very young child, so I can't see her still liking that tone at age 8 or so. Just my opinion, though.

[Robin in DFW]

It lists the recommended age/grade ranges for each book in the series.

 

hth,

Robin

 

FWIW...I am using SOTW 4 with my 13 year old son...we started it last year, got about half-way through, and after a failed attempt at a U.S. History course in the fall, we have gone back to finish the second half of SOTW 4 for the spring semester. We are doing it M, W, F and do other history readings on T, TH.

[CarrieF]

I would suggest getting and listening to the audio CDs that go with SOTW. For whatever reason, when my sons were in K and 2nd and we did SOTW-1 they retained the information a lot better after listening to the CDs. :001_huh: Not to mention, I enjoyed having someone else do the reading! :001_smile: HTH.

[Lisa R]

Thanks everyone. I think we might give it a try with the audio CD's next school year.

 

Lisa

[Satori]

We started at age 5 with the plan to just take our time and enjoy SOTW. I realize this is probably a year earlier than suggested, but I know my daughter would get into it. It definitely isn't over her head, and she begs to learn more history, so it's been a great success so far. She recently turned 6, and now I can turn to her if I forget something about history.

[catz]

My younger started listening in at 4 because her older brother was doing it. We crawl through it as we can(we'll probably finish level 2 after 3 years on the 2 levels). We also do outside reading and I do every local history field trip I can find. I have no expectation of long term retention - we enjoy it almost as a story book and always refer to the maps. I find my daughter retains the pieces she's most interested in - usually any women or scandels in history! She was Cleopatra for Halloween at age 5 and a Medieval Maiden at age 6. :001_smile:

[elinnea]

Ideally I think SOTW 1-4 would be perfect for grades 3- 6. That is what my next one will do. Start SOTW 1 in 3rd grade.

 

:iagree: That's what I did with my ds2. For K-2 we did a lot of interest-led history and then last year in 3rd grade we started SOTW 1. For us this has worked very well.

[happypamama]

I'm using SOTW2 for my 3rd grader and kindergartener. The kindergartener gets most of it; occasionally I need to stop and clarify something for him. The 3rd grader likes it pretty well, though she could handle something more difficult. I think it's a good happy medium for both of them.

[NanceXToo]

I started using it at the very end of 3rd grade. Picked it up again the summer after 4th grade. And will pick it up again this summer, the summer after 5th.

 

I don't want to do it over the school year while we're doing our main curriculum, so we do it more for fun on an as-we-have-time-for-it basis over the summer.

 

I have found these ages to be a good time for it and couldn't even remotely see my 5 year old getting anything out of it, or a 6 y/o, but every family's different. Personally I think it seems great for ages 8 (maybe 7) to 11.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We also have been doing SOTW for grades K/1 and 1/2. We listen to the CDs while the boys color the pictures from the Activity Guide. Then we do a map and/or some of the projects suggested. Here's what we did yesterday from SOTW 2, Ch. 11- we made Merovingian Kings' capes and wigs.

[Aubrey]

Ds is in 4th g & has used SOTW as recommended, & it has been perfect. Dd has tagged along since she was 3yo, & although I think that depends on personality--she's tenacious about keeping up w/ bro--she's done brilliantly, too. She even insisted on doing narrations when she was little bitty.

 

Not only has SOTW *not* been over their heads, they've enjoyed it so much they've incorporated it into their imaginary play.

[kalphs]

We started SOTW with Dd at the age of 6 yo but ended up switching to "A Child's History of the World."

In the front of the fourth book SWB lists the grade level for each book in the series.

[lailasmum]

I started Sotw1 with my dd when she was 5 1/2 it was definitely worth doing, she retained a lot and enjoyed it.

[KrissiK]

We're doing it at the ages suggested and it's working out great. We started mid-year with DS1's 1st grade year and DS2's Kinder year.

[2_girls_mommy]

I am doing it for the suggested ages. My 1st grader started w/vol.1 in 1st grade. We are in vol. 3 for 3rd grade now, and will move into 4 for 4th next year.

 

In fact, my younger dd has always tagged along and gotten a lot out of the program as well. She is in first grade in vol. 3 this year. I just make sure that I get picture books on her level to read along, and I help her with her maps and spend more time looking at the globe and going over it with her. There has once in awhile been a topic that was too over her head. But even in those cases, I just focus on what I want her to get out of it, and I give her a copywork sentence with something she can gain from it. Instead of learning about the 30 year's war in Europe (which was difficult for even me and my 3rd grader to follow!) I gave her a sentence about something else to focus on from that chapter, and left it at that. But mostly she gains so much from this. At 6 yrs old she loves Queen Elizabeth I and she loves the American History chapters on Native Americans!