mymommy1 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 I am brainstorming and searching and discussing with hubby about first grade history/geography. He doesn't want to start with ancients, so I am looking for not SOTW, etc. I'm looking for something differnt - maybe American, maybe not. I like the idea of WP Hideaways in History. It's kind of like architecture through history. I've considered BF Early American Primary. I've also seen a history of science and one for transportation for older kids. Is there something like that for younger? What about American history/patriotics through holidays? We lean toward CM, living history, but am looking for something with some activities. I don't mind taking an activity book and adding library books, etc. We did SL K this year and found we quickly but the TG aside and just read at his speed. Any ideas? TIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Galloping the Globe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Have you looked at Christian Cottage. Vol 2 would have several countries to visit, and is loaded with activities. If you want to try a free unit (called Oceanography) taken from vol 1 you can down load it here: http://www.currclick.com/product_reviews.php?products_id=243&reviews_id=632&it=1 If you want to look at all 4 vols to see if you are interested in any ofthem you can go to www.christiancottage.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer2911mom Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Have you looked at Heart of Dakota's Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K8LYN Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 We don't want to start with Ancient History this next year (kindergarten) because we want to wait until W#2 is a bit older and can absorb some of the info along the way. I bought Around the World in 180 days as a guide for a world geography and some world history for our daughter. Each continent is about one month- two months for Europe since there is so much, and three months for North America to cover some of the US states. I'm actually going to do USA geography this summer (we have some flashcards for $1 from Target and a paperback from when I was in elementary school witht he basic facts of each state. Then I am planning Around the World in 180 days Sept-May, and June-Aug return the the states. We travel quite a bit (and so do family members) so we have quite a bit to talk about for the states. I use All Through the Ages as a source for more literature to pick up from the library. Or we pick up what we see int he non-fiction section. I'm hoping that my daughter will have a more global idea of the world before we really start into history. Around the World in 180 days is a complete curriculum that the kids will do as we go, and do again as we continue through history. We do not write in the student text and use what we want, but I love some of the interesting facts- of course my daughter remembers these best. Have fun with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymommy1 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Do you think Beyond would be too much for a first grader? He can listen to stories, but not do all the writing and assignments. Thanks for the other suggestions as well. I hadn't thought of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishmommy Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 What about a unit study approach like Five in a Row? It covers social studies, geography, etc. all the while teaching with WONDERFUL literature. We absolutely LOVED it for first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsrae Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 I've been having the same struggles as well; I have and younger daughter that joins us for school, and I think age 3 is a little young for ancient history :) I am loving http://www.guesthollow.com/. It is free, focused on living books, and has lots of activities...all things I know we will love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymommy1 Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 I forgot about All Through the Ages. I'll check into those ideas. For K we did a very scaled down version of the Guest Hollow plans. Those are a true treasure for free! I think we might do those again when my younger son is a little older. FIAR users - I've looked at it. My son would not read the book everyday. Do you think I could just do the activities? I need to check it again. It seems kind of like unit studies to me, and I just can't wrap my head around those. My son learns a lot by listening to the book. If so inspired, he usually makes up his own activities. Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrapmom3 Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 We don't read the FIAR book every day--it just depends. FIAR has been good for ds because it has introduced him to a wide variety of topics. We do all the science activities per ds request and then pick and choose among social studies, language arts, and art. We have been doing sort of a trip around the world idea for social studies this year. We tie a FIAR book ( or other picture book) in with a country study then do activities from the manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer2911mom Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Do you think Beyond would be too much for a first grader? He can listen to stories, but not do all the writing and assignments. Thanks for the other suggestions as well. I hadn't thought of those. Beyond is written for 6-8 year olds. If you think Beyond might be too much, you could look into Little Hearts for His Glory, written for 5-7 year olds. Here is the placement chart: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php These programs have lots of doable activities. I've done LHFHG and have read through the Beyond manual extensively just this week. If you're looking to avoid Ancients early on, that is in line with the goals of the author. If you post your question on the HOD forum with specifics on your child's skill levels, you'll most likely get helpful advice on placement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIS0320 Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 (edited) I've been exactly where you are at and I finally, finally ordered something yesterday! We're doing TruthQuest's Am. History for Young Students 1, with A Living History of Our World: America's Story Vol. 1 by QueenHomeschool as our spine. I'm going to add in some History Pockets and some recipes and crafts as we find the time and interest. I didn't want a curriculum that was too scripted, I wanted something that would use and offer a lot of book choices and I wanted a guide that we could slow down if she finds something interesting (I'm guessing Pocahontas is going to be a hot topic around here, she being a real princess and all...) or skip things that aren't really interesting. I do like that Guesthollow has a lot of crafts/dvd recommendations so I'll be lining the two up as we hit various topics and seeing what our library has. Good luck choosing! I forgot to mention that we are going to use Road Trip USA in conjunction with the history and visit the states that we are reading about in history. It will probably take a couple years to get through it if we stick with TQ and go through all three of their Am. history guides for littles. I like Evan Moor's Beginning Geography too, it looks like good basic skills. http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2011/03/road-trip-usa-geography-and-history.html Edited April 8, 2011 by drexel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Although I mentioned Christian Cottage because it is more suited to geography AND has a LOT of hands on.... I am a FIAR user. My dd and I enjoy it very much. It does have the above as well, just not as much. But it includes somethings that CC doesn't. But to answer your question: No, you do not have to read the story everyday (but they are great), and it is easy to use. If you want to see good sample pages go here: http://www.learningthings.com/categories/FIAR.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 For geography, A Child's Introduction to the World is a really great book. Little Passports is really awesome too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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