Has the TWTM way NOT worked for anyone?

[mommy24angels]

.....especially in regard to history and science for the grammar stage?

 

I keep thinking I've got next year's curricula for my 6yo chosen and then (like many other people) I read something that makes me think maybe what I've chosen won't work for us. I keep going back and forth between using Sonlight Core B and Science B w/CLE Math, CLE L/A, & CLE Bible. But......I really like SOTW too! I know it would be less expensive to do history and science as outlined in TWTM if I just buy the spines and then checkout other books from the library compared to buying everything from Sonlight- so that's an added bonus.

 

So, has anyone tried doing history & science as outlined in TWTM and didn't like it (or your dc didn't like it)? Just looking for some feedback. Thanks!

[Dmmetler]

My daughter preferred CHOW to SOTW at age 5 when we started Ancients, and Sonlight was perfect for her-just enough history, geography done mostly via music, and lots of books to read. She wanted to do US history next, so we're going to go on with that this coming year, and then try a WTM/SOTW cycle, going more in depth.

[kalanamak]

I don't do history and science WTM way. My son is not a natural at reading and writing, and I am doing WWE for his narrations, not history. He finds the material more interesting and more hand-picked. I also think history is too complex for the young mind. The greed and foolishness of history is too much. I focus on biographies and technology/geography. (This year we have entered into the slave trade. ) I discuss history through art, too. How the Greeks portrayed themselves vs. how later European painters portrayed them. Right now we are reading Time Cat, and with each chapter, I go over where it is in history, where it is located, what "famous thing" the chapter is claiming brotherhood with, etc. We just did the Isle of Man, e.g. There are some real Isle of Man lovers on the internet, with lovely pictures and histories.

 

For science, we've done mostly hands on. Some page work in RSO, but we knock those books off in 3 months, and the rest of the year do hands on, or field trips or museums, or some books with nomenclature. I also then point out science in our day to day lives, and use the nomenclature in context. But I have confidence, science-wise, and I have a very go-go-go boy.

 

I don't believe souring him to science by making it tedious with writing at age 8 is best, in the long run. I follow the bottom-line advice in WTM about the grammar years: your goal is to have the three Rs up to 5th grade level at the beginning of 5th grade. We did the sequence of bio-earth-chem and then also are doing physics the second 6th months of third grade. For fourth, as his LA are gaining speed, I'm going to be more eclectic and cover some of each of the sciences in 4th, with a little more attention to memorization and detail (or will do so if it goes over well. I do note that on the standardized tests I've given kiddo, he always does well in science and "social studies" even without any standard grade school curriculum, so I think some is getting in by osmosis. :)).

 

The anything outside of the 3 Rs should be fun and gravy at this age, IMO. If I thought doing science and history the WTM way would help my son get to the 5th grade level of the 3 Rs, I would be doing them the WTM way.

Hope this is clear, I have to run, HTH, and cheers!

[Just Robyn]

You could read the negative reviews of TWTM on amazon.

 

You can check out SL books from the library too, and if your library doesn't have them, you can request them.

 

I haven't tried history and science exactly as prescribed in TWTM, so no input there. I have done similar things. I have used Noeo science. Unless I'm remembering wrong, that is very similar. They both have the child read from a book and then notebook about it, right? Noeo just uses different books than TWTM and has a 3 year cycle instead of 4. Anyway, that particular approach worked very well for my oldest ds, but not for my middle child who needs more hands-on. I can't speak to the specific books suggested, but the method.

[boscopup]

We've strayed from the science recs, and have done interest-led random studies and now are using a textbook that encompasses multiple sciences. I actually would have been fine with using the WTM cycle, but I couldn't find a science text that I liked, and we really do better with one text to get our main info from, then supplement with library books as we can.

 

We do use SOTW for history and love it. We're a little over halfway through SOTW1, since we started in January. My son LOVES it. He now takes it everywhere with him to read when he gets a chance. He is making application between what he reads in SOTW and what we read in the Bible (after I gave up trying to line the two up, so now we're way ahead in the timeline in SOTW than we are in the Bible, but DS is noticing things in the Bible stories as we read and pointing out what he learned about that in SOTW - very cool!).

 

This is only our first year, so I can't tell you how it will work out long term, of course. He's getting way more history than he ever got in school, so I don't think you can really go wrong at this age. He's not being bored by lessons about what a police officer is or what a neighborhood is. :tongue_smilie: He's learning all kinds of cool facts instead, and next time around in logic stage, he'll start making more connections.

 

I was very tempted by SL Science, especially those Discover and Do DVDs! I haven't been interested in SL History so much. We really prefer having one narrative text that we read from, then supplementing that with other books. SL is a great program though, and again, in first grade, I don't think you can really go wrong with history.

[texasmama]

We have used SL for history for three years now, which doesn't follow the traditional 4 year history cycle. My kids have loved the history spines and the readalouds. It has worked well for us. I believe that part of what my boys find enjoyable about history is that I am reading as they listen. We sit on the couch and read history. My 5 year old was usually listening in casually, as well. SL has no written tests in the history curriculum, and we did the "tests" at the end of the chapters of the "Story of the USA" books as oral ones, alternating between the boys for answering questions. We also had many discussions about history along the way.

 

We did reading in various books for science the first two years. Last year, my boys took an Apologia science class at co op. For my older one (4th grade), I required him to write his own (short) answers to the questions/homework. I wrote for my 2nd grader as he narrated. I mostly read aloud the chapter they were studying, though I did require them to read a page at a time of the book at various times during the year due to time constraints. This worked well.

 

Neither science nor history is writing intensive for us in these early years. In fact, history involves no writing for my boys at these levels.

[prairiegirl]

We do history the WTM way. We love SOTW! We have gone through the first history cycle and used SOTW all the way and have no regrets.

 

We don't use the science recs but follow the 4 yr cycle.

[Enough]

I follow the bottom-line advice in WTM about the grammar years: your goal is to have the three Rs up to 5th grade level at the beginning of 5th grade.

 

Can you point me to the page/section in TWTM where this advice can be found? I have read TWTM several times (um, apparently not super-thoroughly! :tongue_smilie:) and, quite frankly, would love to see in print that it is OKAY to just do the 3 Rs. I am a new HSer, trying desperately to not get overwhelmed (read:neurotic) with all of the choices out there for curricula/educational activities and also, comparing myself with what others are doing.

 

mommy24angels, no advice for you, sorry! I am just starting out myself, and although we are using SOTW (and really like it) and plan to continue it for the time being, we are using it very loosely and mainly as a springboard for a ton of historical lit (ala SL; their Cores are drool-worthy). As for science, I am pretty sure I do not want to use *anything* structured for science in K-8, which reals out the recommendations in TWTM. So, I am eagerly reading the responses to this thread.

[LidiyaDawn]

We don't follow TWTM - never have & never will. It's just not the sort of educational style that fits our family ~ which isn't a knock against the methods, the book(s), or the author… it's just a statement about us. ;)

 

(I do, however, own the SOTW series - I didn't buy it *because* of TWTM or anything… I bought it because I liked what I'd seen of them online and figured that even if the kids didn't enjoy them, I would. We've used them a bit, in our own ways, and I'm glad we have them.)

[rootsong]

I didn't discover TWTM until the logic stage. But we don't follow the suggestions exactly like the book (in the logic stage) because I think it would be too time intensive for me. My son would be reading and then writing all sorts of outlines, summaries, definitions and adding to his timeline. I think that he would need a lot of my help to dig out the information he should be writing his outlines & summaries on, but more than that, there would be no answer key. I'd imagine that I'd have to spend a huge amount of time rereading everything he just read and then reading his whole notebook all the time to see if what he was writing is correct. I think that would take me way more time than I have in a day! I do prefer to use curricula that lay all the lessons out for him, with questions and tests, and answer keys. :D

 

I just don't function well without answer keys. :tongue_smilie: But I do lovelovelove TWTM book anyway. I just don't happen to follow this part exactly. Also, I have several other kids. I don't feel I have the time to be keeping up with a bunch of notebooks that they put together & add to themselves. Perhaps if I had just one child and I knew a whole lot about history....

 

(We use K12's Human Odyssey for history, and are starting Apologia for science)

[cathmom]

I found WTM shortly after the first edition was published. I enthusiastically began doing it with my oldest, only to find that he really doesn't like history, and having all other subjects filtered through history REALLY made him not like history!:lol:

 

I had begun with my second child, who was just K/1st age, but then abandoned the whole thing when it was so disastrous with my oldest. I regret this now - actually, it's my biggest homeschooling regret! My second child loved the method, loves history, and I think would have been better off with WTM (she's dyslexic). And then my third child also loves history.

 

(BTW, the only history my oldest ever liked was the American Civil War, and then in college he discovered the history of Taiwan, and said that we should have just done those two for history! I could just see myself saying to college admissions officials, "Well, yes, he has a few gaps..." :D)

 

So here I am with my second set of children, implementing WTM to some extent, again.

[kalanamak]

Can you point me to the page/section in TWTM where this advice can be found? I have read TWTM several times (um, apparently not super-thoroughly! :tongue_smilie:) and, quite frankly, would love to see in print that it is OKAY to just do the 3 Rs. I am a new HSer, trying desperately to not get overwhelmed (read:neurotic) with all of the choices out there for curricula/educational activities and also, comparing myself with what others are doing.

 

 

Well, it is in the LA chapter, 3rd edition, pg 52. It is un the area called "General instructions for grades 1 though 4", which, IMO, you should read, outline, underline, and re-read.

"Your goal will be to bring the child up to fourth grade level in each area --spelling, grammar, reading, and writing -- by the end of fourth grade."

 

And page 206, the second page of Finer Things: Art and Music: "Give the academic basics your best time and teaching energy during these early years."

 

I don't think the intention is to ONLY the 3 Rs, but they are basic. Elsewhere, and I can't remember off the top of my head SWB says that a child who doesn't cover the Japanese emperors will be okay, but one still struggling to read and write won't move into the logic stage very well. I, personally, intend to delay (if needed) the logic stage outlining etc. until kiddo is ready, even it he is 12 before we start.

 

I do the three Rs as much as kiddo and I can stand, which is about 13 hours/monthx 12 months of math, 15 sessions of 20 minutes grammar and 15 minutes of spelling per month x 12, and 18 sessions of 15 minutes of WWE per month x 12. Since we can do more than that, just nothing that INTENSE, I do do art, music, science and history (and PE and life skills and geography and Latin), but ONLY after my 3 Rs are done for the day or week. HTH.

[Dinsfamily]

Well, it is in the LA chapter, 3rd edition, pg 52. It is un the area called "General instructions for grades 1 though 4", which, IMO, you should read, outline, underline, and re-read.

"Your goal will be to bring the child up to fourth grade level in each area --spelling, grammar, reading, and writing -- by the end of fourth grade."

 

And page 206, the second page of Finer Things: Art and Music: "Give the academic basics your best time and teaching energy during these early years."

 

I don't think the intention is to ONLY the 3 Rs, but they are basic. Elsewhere, and I can't remember off the top of my head SWB says that a child who doesn't cover the Japanese emperors will be okay, but one still struggling to read and write won't move into the logic stage very well. I, personally, intend to delay (if needed) the logic stage outlining etc. until kiddo is ready, even it he is 12 before we start.

 

I do the three Rs as much as kiddo and I can stand, which is about 13 hours/monthx 12 months of math, 15 sessions of 20 minutes grammar and 15 minutes of spelling per month x 12, and 18 sessions of 15 minutes of WWE per month x 12. Since we can do more than that, just nothing that INTENSE, I do do art, music, science and history (and PE and life skills and geography and Latin), but ONLY after my 3 Rs are done for the day or week. HTH.

 

Great advice!

 

I do like WTM and follow some of it. I particularly like the grammar and writing. We are using SWB's products for those. However, we are using SL for Lit and history. It isn't that I don't like SOTW or the 4yr rotation but that I (and more importantly, my dc) really like SL. In the grammar stage, I want my dc to like the content subjects and really foster that love of learning. SL does that for us.

 

While we always get SL done, I really do focus on the 3Rs. We do a lot of fun things like Latin, art, and logic but math and LA get done first. For many weeks surrounding the birth of the baby, we only got math and LA done.

[mommy24angels]

Well, it is in the LA chapter, 3rd edition, pg 52. It is un the area called "General instructions for grades 1 though 4", which, IMO, you should read, outline, underline, and re-read.

"Your goal will be to bring the child up to fourth grade level in each area --spelling, grammar, reading, and writing -- by the end of fourth grade."

 

And page 206, the second page of Finer Things: Art and Music: "Give the academic basics your best time and teaching energy during these early years."

 

I don't think the intention is to ONLY the 3 Rs, but they are basic. Elsewhere, and I can't remember off the top of my head SWB says that a child who doesn't cover the Japanese emperors will be okay, but one still struggling to read and write won't move into the logic stage very well. I, personally, intend to delay (if needed) the logic stage outlining etc. until kiddo is ready, even it he is 12 before we start.

 

I do the three Rs as much as kiddo and I can stand, which is about 13 hours/monthx 12 months of math, 15 sessions of 20 minutes grammar and 15 minutes of spelling per month x 12, and 18 sessions of 15 minutes of WWE per month x 12. Since we can do more than that, just nothing that INTENSE, I do do art, music, science and history (and PE and life skills and geography and Latin), but ONLY after my 3 Rs are done for the day or week. HTH.

 

I think part of my hangup about finding history curricula is that I always HATED history so I want to find something that my ds LOVES & make it interesting for him (and me). Thanks for the reminder that it's really not the most important thing! I know I've got my 3 R's nailed down so I should feel good about that! He loves CLE!!!

[2_girls_mommy]

It seems to me on these boards that it is the science recs that get followed the least. That is probably because they haven't written a curric yet like SOTW.

 

We have followed the science and history for 3 yrs now. I haven't done anything else because it works so well. We won't be switching this coming year either.. just moving up to the next levels!

[KrissiK]

We love love love history (SOTW), but I've found it difficult to do science as recommended. I don't know why. Although I do like the idea of doing one science subject per year (biology one year, earth science the next, etc.) as opposed to how they do it in many grammar age texts. We made our way through earth science/astronomy this year, but I just wasn't happy, so I'm looking at something else, probably RSO, for next year. The one thing I love about science TWTM way is that it's cheap. I priced the books I'd need and it's about $40+/- (plus library books) and that's about a third or less of other curriculi I've been looking at. So, I don't know. But, the rest of her recs in the book I've found to be right on target.

[Aquinas Academy]

I'm taking my first foray into non-WTM science next year. I've use Noeo for years and loved it, but I'm no longer convinced that studying only one branch of science each year is the best way to go. We'll be doing a more interest-led, intergrated approach to science next year.

I absolutely love WTM history though. :)

[Dinsfamily]

I think part of my hangup about finding history curricula is that I always HATED history so I want to find something that my ds LOVES & make it interesting for him (and me). Thanks for the reminder that it's really not the most important thing! I know I've got my 3 R's nailed down so I should feel good about that! He loves CLE!!!

 

I hated history growing up too. I've found since we started hsing that it was the poorly written textbooks that sucked the joy out of it for me. I don't emphasize history as much as WTM but the dc and I really are enjoying the narrative spines and living books approach. History is so much more interesting to me now and I'm learning more than I did in ps through high school.

[PeterPan]

You're really wise to compare the *idea* of WTM with the *actuality* of your dc. For us, the approach to content in WTM for history and science has never flown. However the SKILLS she wants you to hit while working in those subjects each year (writing, reading lists, etc.) have fit us. So it's ok just to take the aspects that will be good for your dc and ditch the rest. Some kids might be ok with a history encyclopedia and making entries in a notebook, but some kids that age would rather live it, build it, re-enact it. Just gotta know your kid.

[Little Nyssa]

I have liked WTM overall VERY much. We used FLL, WWE (text only-- workbook did not work for us), SOTW, math & science recommendations.

There are just a couple of the supplementary readings that did not work well for us:

1. Green Thumbs for gardening (1st grade science). While this is a great book for learning to garden... we also needed something about how plants grow, parts of plants, names of plants, etc, in order for this section to be complete.

2. Savitri-- this is a beautiful, beautiful book retelling an Indian (from India) fairytale-- but it was too scary for my DS. The god of the dead actually takes the people's souls out, in the form of tiny people, and drags them away. This terrified DS. In the end, she cleverly cheats Death, but this ending did not make up for DS's confusion and fear. It's a beautiful book but, to me, better suited to an older age, yet it is a picture book. I definitely pre-read all recommended readings after that one! We will hope to reread this fairytale later in prose form much later in DS's educational career when we study India.

3. Five Chinese brothers-- this story is about the various ways they try to execute the five brothers, because a child drowned and it was supposed to be one brother's fault. I could not understand why this is a children's story. Definitely too violent & scary for us, and a child dies! I know fairytales do not all have happy endings, but this was too much.

[cathmom]

3. Five Chinese brothers-- this story is about the various ways they try to execute the five brothers, because a child drowned and it was supposed to be one brother's fault. I could not understand why this is a children's story. Definitely too violent & scary for us, and a child dies! I know fairytales do not all have happy endings, but this was too much.

 

Isn't that the one where one of the brothers swallows up the sea or something? If so, I used to love that book as a child! Just goes to show, preread and know your child LOL.

[Deniseibase]

We don't use the history encyclopedias - I have the only dd in the world who dislikes the Usbourne/DK/Kingfisher style of book with lots of pictures & little blurbs all over everything. We do a lot of supplemental reading instead.

 

We don't do science the WTM way with my son, we do very child-led science. That works for him because he is still very young and VERY interested in science. Just this week, in the course of our normal lives, he has asked why can't we see air, how come centrifugal force stops gravity, where do hormones come from, why do babies have such big eyes before they are born, how do worms eat, if all living things need air, why do fish die in the air, how do plants get food, how do walls have force (dunno what that means yet), and so on. I just grab the computer or some picture books from the library or a relevant experiment book and he is FASCINATED to hear the answers, even if it takes me a couple days to get back to him. Now I must confess, with my dd, when she asked questions, if I said, I dunno, let's find out, she'd scowl and say never mind!! Too much work to interrupt whatever she was thinking about to read a book or do an experiment, I guess!! In the early years she got short shrift on science, but now that we are using a middle school earth science book she is learning it well enough.

[boscopup]

We don't use the history encyclopedias - I have the only dd in the world who dislikes the Usbourne/DK/Kingfisher style of book with lots of pictures & little blurbs all over everything. We do a lot of supplemental reading instead.

 

My son hated the Usborne book when I was reading it out loud to him. Neither of us was getting into it. Then one day I realized he could read it himself, so I had him do that. Now he likes it! Go figure. I can certainly understand a kid not liking it though. I don't like little blurbs of information like that either. I prefer a full narrative, like SOTW.

 

That's why we don't do well with WTM-style science either. There's no single narrative. It's read a bit here and a bit there. So we're using a textbook for science this year and seeing how we do with that. So far, it's gone really well, especially since we just started learning about vertebrates/invertebrates, cold-blooded animals, etc., and last week a toad showed up in our back yard and we got to have an extra discussion about it. :D Because we had used a textbook, we actually had learned several interesting things at a high level and then were able to apply it to a specific animal we found, without having studied that animal specifically yet (though it may be coming up soon in the chapter we're in).

[HSMom2One]

...that the authors and publishers of TWTM (and all of their supplementing curriculum) actually provide and pay for a hs forum where people can critique (and in some posts openly diss) their work? Amazing! I think it speaks very highly of SWB to allow this. I truly respect her and am so thankful for the resource that she has so freely given to the hs community.

 

I would add though, that while some constructive criticism could be helpful to an author, I'm really hoping this thread doesn't become too disrespectful. It's kind of like being invited to someone's house and given warm hospitality, then standing under their roof badmouthing them.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Critterfixer]

Whether the WTM will work or not work for a family depends on 1) their personal philosophy regarding education and 2) their willingness to tweak the things that need tweaking for each individual child.

 

 

I use TWTM as a basic guide-book, but I am probably more concerned with the skills taught than I am with the actual curriculum and specific books recommended. If I know that I need to teach narration then I can choose the ways that I want to teach that skill, as well as how much time I need to spend on it based on the blueprint. If I want to read a tale from Africa or India I can actually pick something else than the recommendations if I see fit. I might even chose a different history reading than SOTW if I like, but I would still follow the SOTW spine.

In science I do follow the teaching of one study per year, but I found that just finding my own books for biology and earth science is easier and more interesting than using a text. It is more work, but combined with a lot of just getting out and doing things seems to be enough at this time. One thing I plan to do this year with our science is a lot less work-sheet and coloring for the main bulk, and a lot more exploring.

For the classical end of it I have decided to compile a list of people in science that they need to learn about as it relates to the topic we are working on. We are starting on atmospheric science, and along with learning how to identify and draw the various types of clouds I felt it would be good for them to learn a little bit about who came up with the names. So that will be a part of the science notebook this year. I also think it would be easy enough to create a list of noted scientists for the historical period and cover them along with the other historical figures.

 

Something that hit me this morning: I went out to pick blueberries with my mother this am. I am the oldest of four children that she home-schooled at various ages way back with home-schooled meant that there must be something deeply and philosophically wrong with you if you chose that option for your children. Or something wrong with your kids. I was telling her about a writing curriculum that I was looking at for third grade and we had just looked at Math Mammoth together a week ago as a supplement for our summer math. She had a wistful look on her face as she mourned, "Oh, I wish something like that had been available when I was teaching. I know you would have loved something like that and your brothers needed it." The WTM was not there, the internet was not there and the environment was so hostile that our instructions on having finished our schoolwork early were to play inside or only in the back-yard, QUIETLY! Things have come a long way from that time. I am so thankful for that. And that wasn't so long ago.

Edited May 30, 2011 by Critterfixer
Late thoughts

[PollyOR]

Thank you for sharing. :)

 

Something that hit me this morning: I went out to pick blueberries with my mother this am. I am the oldest of four children that she home-schooled at various ages way back with home-schooled meant that there must be something deeply and philosophically wrong with you if you chose that option for your children. Or something wrong with your kids. I was telling her about a writing curriculum that I was looking at for third grade and we had just looked at Math Mammoth together a week ago as a supplement for our summer math. She had a wistful look on her face as she mourned, "Oh, I wish something like that had been available when I was teaching. I know you would have loved something like that and your brothers needed it." The WTM was not there, the internet was not there and the environment was so hostile that our instructions on having finished our schoolwork early were to play inside or only in the back-yard, QUIETLY! Things have come a long way from that time. I am so thankful for that. And that wasn't so long ago.

[LittleIzumi]

My dd is 5.5 and so far has ZERO interest in history whatsoever :tongue_smilie:. I don't use history at all right now, besides scripture stories. We use Stack the States for a bit of geography but that's it. I'm NOT classical in my approach in lower grades anyway. Dd is extremely visual and science/art mad.

[LidiyaDawn]

...that the authors and publishers of TWTM (and all of their supplementing curriculum) actually provide and pay for a hs forum where people can critique (and in some posts openly diss) their work? Amazing! I think it speaks very highly of SWB to allow this. I truly respect her and am so thankful for the resource that she has so freely given to the hs community.

 

I would add though, that while some constructive criticism could be helpful to an author, I'm really hoping this thread doesn't become too disrespectful. It's kind of like being invited to someone's house and given warm hospitality, then standing under their roof badmouthing them.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

It would look really bad if she immediately shut down any conversations about her books/etc that weren't glowing reviews, wouldn't it? When you put a product out there, you need to be willing to accept both the agreement and the disagreement ~ and I do agree with you that it shows character to acknowledge that and not run about trying to squash the negatives. I don't, however, think it's "amazing" -- I think it's character and good business practice. ;)

[Gwenny]

We are only finishing up our second grade year, so I haven't gotten too far yet, but my dd is doing great following WTM pretty closely. She doesn't enjoy school, but then again she doesn't enjoy doing anything but playing.

 

I must be one of the few following the recs for science. I love the WTM way! We just pick a spine (not necessarily the one recommeded), divide it up over the year, and pick books each week about the subject. I truly can't think of anything easier. Whenever a project is recommended in one of the library books, we try to do it.

 

We use SOTW with lots of library books for history and it really seems to be working well. This past year, I can really see that she is learning so much and is now starting to connect things in her mind. She reads a ton and now understands many of the little references to history that are made in her books and feels proud of herself.

 

The only 2 parts of homeschooling my dd likes are history and science, so I certainly won't be changing it.

 

Gwenny

[redsquirrel]

I make a distinction between the suggestions made by SWB in her books and the method of classical education. Those are two different things.

 

I use many materials that she does not suggest and have been very happy with them. They work for me as a teacher and for my kids.

 

But, whenever I stray away from the classical method I always regret it. I spend too much, I work too hard, my kids don't learn as well.

 

You might want to listen to the audio download from Peace Hill Press "the Joy of Classical Education" (a steal at .99) and you will see that it matters much less what you use than how and when you use it. I would also like to suggest "Homeschooing the Real Child" available for 3.25.

[Rosie_0801]

I would add though, that while some constructive criticism could be helpful to an author, I'm really hoping this thread doesn't become too disrespectful. It's kind of like being invited to someone's house and given warm hospitality, then standing under their roof badmouthing them.

 

 

Nah, it's more like being invited to someone's house, given warm hospitality, then settling into the comfy chairs for a rip roaring academic discussion about education theory.

 

Her ideas on education theory are not personal insults directed towards us and our ideas on education theory are not personal insults directed towards her.

 

Rosie

[yellowperch]

It seems to me on these boards that it is the science recs that get followed the least. That is probably because they haven't written a curric yet like SOTW.

 

We have followed the science and history for 3 yrs now. I haven't done anything else because it works so well. We won't be switching this coming year either.. just moving up to the next levels!

 

The Story of Science series by Joy Hakim is something like SOTW. The target audience is older but I would strongly recommend it for especially keen kids who like science, history and both reading and being read to. It is truly outstanding. we have only tackled the first third of first book but so far it is really rich with lots of ways to branch out and expand on themes etc. There are teacher guides and student workbooks as well.

Edited May 31, 2011 by yellowperch

[Classical Book Worm]

I think TWTM is a wonderful book that may work well for many families. We don't follow it very closely, if at all, because:

 

-I don't think history should be the focus of my son's education.

-I don't like SOTW for a first grader. CHOW is much more age appropriate at this age.

-The handwriting, grammar, spelling, writing, dictation, naration, oh my! WAY too tedious and fussy for me. Doesn't have to be so complicated!

-I don't like a humanities approach to science. I also think TWTM does not emphasize science enough, especially given the reality that a large part of the work force is in the area of medicine/health, technology, engineering, and computer science.

 

This is just my opinion. Lots of people love TWTM, and it works for them just fine.

[cathmom]

The Story of Science series by Joy Hakim is something like SOTW. The target audience is older but I would strongly recommend it for especially keen kids who like science, history and both reading and being read to. It is truly outstanding. we have only tackled the first third of first book but so far it is really rich with lots of ways to branch out and expand on themes etc. There are teacher guides and student workbooks as well.

 

Is that a series or just one book?

[Critterfixer]

Is that a series or just one book?

Three books, and they are excellent. IMO, more for Logic stage.

[boscopup]

-I don't think history should be the focus of my son's education.

 

I think you can follow much of WTM without making history the focus. We're a math/science household here. History gets 2ish days a week, and it doesn't take long. The one thing I do differently from WTM is that our "literature" is not history-cycle-based. I use good ol' classic literature instead. So I feel like history is definitely not taking over here. In fact, SOTW helps us to not be taken over by history, I think. :) I had been leaning toward TOG multiple times, but history taking over was a big reason why I stepped back. Now with SOTW, we read one section, 2 days a week, narrate each section, and do a map once a week. Easy peasy. I throw in some library books that can be read by my son at his leisure. We probably spend about an hour a week on history.

 

-I don't like SOTW for a first grader. CHOW is much more age appropriate at this age.

I haven't seen CHOW, but I have yet to see anything in SOTW1 that was inappropriate for a first grader, in case others get concerned by this comment. I do understand some folks don't want to introduce their first graders to myths, and if that's the case, yes you'd want to stay away from it. That's actually why I don't have my 4.5 year old sitting in at this point. He's still figuring out myth vs. reality. Huge difference between 4, 5, and 6 year olds though. I don't know if I would have done SOTW1 with my son at 5, but at 6, it was no problem at all. He has such a thorough grounding in Bible stories (including the worship of false gods), that he's pointed out when things weren't real. He loves the book and reads it himself. :)

 

-The handwriting, grammar, spelling, writing, dictation, naration, oh my! WAY too tedious and fussy for me. Doesn't have to be so complicated!

 

I haven't found it complicated at all... "writing" includes copywork, dictation (starting in 2nd grade), and narration. That's more simple than typical school writing usually is. Handwriting can be done as part of copywork once letter formation is down pat. So it ends up being grammar, spelling, writing. Pretty simple really. Now it is possible to make anything more complicated than it has to be. Some of us are good at that sometimes. :D

 

-I don't like a humanities approach to science. I also think TWTM does not emphasize science enough, especially given the reality that a large part of the work force is in the area of medicine/health, technology, engineering, and computer science.

This I agree with. ;)

[Erika]

I have not tried the TWTM way for history and science. Just other things seemed a little more interesting to me. But yet, I'm a believer in TWTM way for grammar & writing. So who knows maybe I will switch to it one day. But for now I like the six year history school of Living books curriculum that includes US history each year.

[kalanamak]

I think you can follow much of WTM without making history the focus. We're a math/science household here.

 

{regarding LA}

I haven't found it complicated at all... "writing" includes copywork, dictation (starting in 2nd grade), and narration. That's more simple than typical school writing usually is. Handwriting can be done as part of copywork once letter formation is down pat. So it ends up being grammar, spelling, writing. Pretty simple really. Now it is possible to make anything more complicated than it has to be. Some of us are good at that sometimes. :D

 

I am sciency, and think political history a very psychologically complex subject. I intend to give it a good go the last four year cycle. For now, history is more geography (maps and "human's interaction with earth's crust"*), some dates and general major event, and the slow and fast evolution of technology.

 

I have not found the LA parts fussy or difficult. My son is not a natural reader or writer, and we have to put work into it. Call me crazy, but I am spending more time on his weaknesses than his strengths, at least in the three Rs. (He will never be a visual artist, and I'm not spending a lot of time flogging that horse.)

 

*my dad was a prof of geography, and somewhere in his 90s he mentioned to me that geography was "the study of the earth's crust, and human's interaction with it". Good enough for me.

[boscopup]

I am sciency, and think political history a very psychologically complex subject. I intend to give it a good go the last four year cycle. For now, history is more geography (maps and "human's interaction with earth's crust"*), some dates and general major event, and the slow and fast evolution of technology.

 

Yes, I do want to do a good study of history in the rhetoric years. For now, it's basic SOTW, easy peasy stuff. We're hitting major events and getting small amounts of information. It's good enough for me. Knowing history is really helpful for adults, as we all vote, and history does repeat itself over and over again. ;)

 

(He will never be a visual artist, and I'm not spending a lot of time flogging that horse.)

Ditto this! Our fine arts focus will be on music, which DS will likely be good at (DH and I met in a community band, so we both have musical talent). He doesn't have a visual artistic bone in his body. When we went to K orientation night at his old school, the teacher told the kids to draw a picture of their family. My son grabbed 5 crayons in his hand at once, and drew a rainbow. :lol: He did later in school draw a family, and they were the easiest stick figures you can imagine. If you asked him to draw his family today, it'd probably look the same. :tongue_smilie:I think my 4 year old can draw more realistic pictures. :glare: