LBC or SOTW or SL- any input?

[Annie Laurie]

I'm looking for history for next year for kids who will be 5th, 4th, and 2nd grades.

 

Some background:

 

I've been fine about the 3 Rs but have been very inconsistent with history. We've tried several SL cores, several WP programs, and MFW 1st grade and Adventures. We've been doing SL Core 3 w WP AS 1 for over a year now, we have a 3 month old so history has been put on the back burner frequently.

 

For next year, I figured we could either continue with Core 4, use SOTW 1, or do LBC. I'd appreciate any input on those programs or on which works for those of you with multiple kids to combine.

 

Sonlight:

 

Pros-

I already own most of Core 4, so that might be the least expensive. Having all the books together would be helpful right now.

 

Cons-

SL is too much reading aloud for us right now, with a new baby, and my kids are just so-so on the SL books from Core 3. But I could sub some books, and do some audio books to make it work.

 

SOTW:

 

Pros-

This is probably what my kids would prefer because they want to do ancient history again.

 

I like the idea of doing a thorough history cycle and just continuing w SOTW, my oldest of this group of kids would do it for 5th-8th grades and I could beef it up a little. Then he'd have time for one more history cycle at the rhetoric level.

 

I could combine easily with this. My other kids, even the second grader, could go through the SOTW cycle too.

 

Cons-

I'm used to SL and a little afraid I'll get overwhelmed having to find my own readers and choose from read alouds in the activity guide and such, and keep up a pace myself. I am operating on little sleep and have a very high-needs infant and have no brain currently.

 

LBC:

 

Pros- Looks like a nice compromise of SL and SOTW, in that I'd have a loose schedule, I like the weekly format.

 

Not having to go to the library is a plus for me right now.

 

Cons- I'm a bit hesitant because of the way it's divided into grades- how do I combine?

 

Also, we'd have to start in the middle somewhere and not do an orderly history cycle. Sometimes I feel like my jumping around has confused my children about the chronology of events, but then again, how much of that do young kids get or even care about? Maybe it's okay to jump in the middle for now, and then do a complete cycle by the time they are in upper middle school or high school.

 

My kids did SL Core 1, but not Core 2, so doing LBC 4th grade, with the middle ages might be good, and then studying the Civil War would be a good place to continue after doing Core 3. But is LBC grade 4 appropriate for a 5th grader? And would it be too much for my 2nd grader? Can we combine with this?

 

 

Thank you so much if you made it this far!