Disadvantages to spreading one year's worth of history over two

[Kidlit]

My dd's are young--2nd & K next year. I've been thinking about spreading SOTW 2 (and/or possibly TOG year 2) over the next 2 years. I'm also thinking about spending one semester in history and one on science. We did SOTW 1 this year, but by the end of the year we were mainly just doing it as a read-aloud with narrations sometimes. I even skipped some chapters at the end to finish up with Rome. Thus, I am hoping that by slowing down our pace we can really dig in a little more. I'd live to hear from anyone who has btdt experience or who has older children and can maybe see a potential problem I'm missing. All opinions are welcome, of course. (if any of this doesn't make sense, please excuse--I'm typing on my iPod with its lovely predictive text)

[Satori]

I think it's better than cramming 2years in one. We are taking 1.5 years to do SOTW1 ourselves, but that's mostly me slacking.

 

(also typing on iPad device, pardon the briefness)

[St. Theophan Academy]

We always take more time in the middle ages than most since I feel most programs skim over a lot during that time. at the ages of your kids - I wouldn't worry too much, if you want to take extra time, do it. You will probably go through modern times more quickly the first go around, since a lot of that is really to heavy for little ones, so it all usually works out in the end. We actually just skipped modern times on our first cycle. Disadvantage - if you are an "A" type, it is going to drive you crazy feeling like you are behind - but eventually you will get over it :) and realize that history cycles do not run the world, and your kids will do fine even if they don't get 3 perfect cycles as lined out (coming from someone who wanted it all marched out perfectly for everyone K-12, then reality set in :)

[ELaurie]

I think it would be fine to slow down and spread one year of history studies over two years, but IMNSHO :001_smile: your children are young; the goal at this age is to provide them with some exposure to history and literature from around the world, and to encourage a love for history.

 

If I were considering spreading one year of history over two years, I'd do it when they are older, and can really appreciate the level of depth you would like to provider them with.

 

Our dc will be in 6th and 4th next year - they're old enough to begin exploring tangents that interest them - artist or musicians, literature, scientific discoveries from an historical period. I don't think they would have gotten as much out of a more in depth study when they were as young as your dc.

 

YMMV, of course; you can't go wrong either way :001_smile:

[....]

We're doing 2 years of US history (this is our first year) with a 4th grader and 3rd grader. I don't see any harm in it. We're reading thru SL Cores 3 and 4 over the next two years. The kids are actually enjoying it a LOT.

[Chris in VA]

I think it would be fine to slow down and spread one year of history studies over two years, but IMNSHO :001_smile: your children are young; the goal at this age is to provide them with some exposure to history and literature from around the world, and to encourage a love for history.

 

If I were considering spreading one year of history over two years, I'd do it when they are older, and can really appreciate the level of depth you would like to provider them with.

Our dc will be in 6th and 4th next year - they're old enough to begin exploring tangents that interest them - artist or musicians, literature, scientific discoveries from an historical period. I don't think they would have gotten as much out of a more in depth study when they were as young as your dc.

 

YMMV, of course; you can't go wrong either way :001_smile:

 

:iagree: wholeheartedly. Can't say it strongly enough.

[Haiku]

Thus, I am hoping that by slowing down our pace we can really dig in a little more.

 

If you only spend one semester on history, spreading it over two years won't be slowing down. Just a thought.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with spreading it over two years. It throws off the four-year cycle, but I don't think that's an unbreakable rule. I think history and science are perfect subjects to tweak to fit your individual family.

 

Tara

[Kidlit]

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I myself just felt so rushed last year, even just with SOTW 1. Busy-ness really set in in the springtime and I feel like we really glossed over much of what we studied. Actually, what I was thinking of doing is continuing with the 2 years of study for 1 year of history all the way through one cycle. This would take my oldest dd through seventh grade, and it would also give us more time for deeper studies as they get older. Thoughts on this, anyone?

[Kidlit]

If you only spend one semester on history, spreading it over two years won't be slowing down. Just a thought.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with spreading it over two years. It throws off the four-year cycle, but I don't think that's an unbreakable rule. I think history and science are perfect subjects to tweak to fit your individual family.

 

Tara

 

Ah, there's the rub. In my mind, I really just can't figure out HOW to do a whole year's worth in one semester, so I'm "tricking" myself into thinking this would work better. Sigh. I need a simple solution, especially while my baby (who turns one today!) is in the demanding, watch-me-every-minute stage of life. C

[ELaurie]

If not, get them if you can. Let you ds listen to them over the summer. Listen to them in them car if you have a busy schedule. :tongue_smilie:

 

Don't worry about glossing over a bit of Roman History for now. Really :001_smile:

 

In my experience, the most important goals for the very early years are the traditional three R's. Everything else is, to varying degrees, a bonus :) Reading the chapter aloud with narrations at this age is enough. It really is. Most kids in PS don't learn any Ancient History in K and 1st grade!

 

I would also caution you against trying to combine TOG with SOTW. I tried combining SOTW with VP when our dc were younger. Sometimes, less is more. I think it's better to find one thing, and do it well, than to make yourself crazy trying to do to much :tongue_smilie:

[Kidlit]

Thanks, ELaurie. I know this--I almost hyperventilate when I think about doing ONE MORE THING, and yet . . . something about TOG appeals to me. "Less is more. . . less is more. . .less is more. . ." I shall repeat this to myself as I DON'T order one more thing. :tongue_smilie:

[PeterPan]

Amy--If you're looking for an alternate, sanity-saving option, have you thought about the VP self-paced online classes? Your rising 2nd grader is at a perfect age to start. A little pricey, but they're SO good. They'd save you a ton of time and stress.

 

You're at a very parent-intensive age, so it's not shocking you're having a hard time getting everything done you'd like. You can either make a schedule that helps you stay on track (history 3 days, science two days, LA and math in the mornings, science/history in the afternoons while the baby naps, whatever) OR you could have seasons for things. For instance knock out science in the summer and do history in the fall and winter. OR you find something that takes over one of those for you. Exploration Education has a very good science set-up that would be relatively independent. The VP online, self-paced history would be independent.

 

The main thing is, don't knock yourself out. What you'll find is that kids don't always retain all the specifics of what we worked so hard to teach when they were young. They retain the skills and the particular facts that interested them. But a lot just becomes pegs for remembrance.

[boscopup]

Reading the chapter aloud with narrations at this age is enough. It really is.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I would also caution you against trying to combine TOG with SOTW. I tried combining SOTW with VP when our dc were younger. Sometimes, less is more. I think it's better to find one thing, and do it well, than to make yourself crazy trying to do to much :tongue_smilie:

:iagree: here too. I was trying to combine SOTW and Biblical history in the beginning. My first grader and I weren't really getting the connections, and we felt rushed through both SOTW and the Bible. It was hectic and I dreaded history. Then I slowed down and just did SOTW with the AG. We do one section a day, narrate that section (using the AG to guide us), do the mapwork on the last day of the chapter, and we may or may not do a project (mostly not, and I've found that the projects really don't add anything to DS's understanding of history anyway, though your child might be different). Oh, and on the first day, I have DS read from the Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History. It's usually a 2-page spread. He tends to read ahead in that and SOTW.

 

Since we slowed down and just did SOTW in a simple manner, we've been soaking in more information from both SOTW and UILE! We do 2-3 books recommended in the AG as book basket books, but they aren't required reading. DS likes to read those on his own. He's really taken off in his interest in history since we stopped trying to merge history and Bible together, stressing us all out with too much to do. He LOVES history now. It's one of his favorite subjects. He takes SOTW in the van with him and reads ahead. Yesterday when we finished having Sparta and Athens war against each other, he told me what would happen in the next chapter. I haven't read that chapter yet. :tongue_smilie:

 

Sometimes less really is more. My son is retaining more because what we're doing is so simple and easy to get done every week. I'm not stressed at all anymore because history is so easy to do.

 

In the logic stage, we'll go a bit deeper, and then in the rhetoric stage we'll go a lot deeper. I'm very happy with how things are going now though. We're just getting so much more out of history. Oh, and my son? He's been making connections between our Bible readings and what we read in SOTW! Our Bible readings are way behind SOTW in the timeline, but he remembers talking about things mentioned, and gets so excited when he is able to point those out! So we're correlating the two on our own without trying. Why did I put so much work trying to do that earlier? :lol: We'll probably do something like MOH in the logic stage to help with that, but for now, I'm just so pleased with where we are and what we're doing. Did I mention that it's easy? :D

[Haiku]

One thing to remember when considering spreading "one year's worth of history" over two years is that SOTW books are just one person's interpretation of a year of history. History is a continuous story that flows together so it really doesn't matter how you predetermine the chunks you break it into. Don't get fixated on one book equaling one year. One book is just one book's worth of stories. :)

 

Tara

[ELaurie]

Thanks, ELaurie. I know this--I almost hyperventilate when I think about doing ONE MORE THING, and yet . . . something about TOG appeals to me. "Less is more. . . less is more. . .less is more. . ." I shall repeat this to myself as I DON'T order one more thing. :tongue_smilie:

 

:001_smile:

[Sahamamama]

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I myself just felt so rushed last year, even just with SOTW 1. Busy-ness really set in in the springtime and I feel like we really glossed over much of what we studied. Actually, what I was thinking of doing is continuing with the 2 years of study for 1 year of history all the way through one cycle. This would take my oldest dd through seventh grade, and it would also give us more time for deeper studies as they get older. Thoughts on this, anyone?

 

My kids are also young, but I would rather spiral -- that is, introduce the storyline succinctly, then come back to it when the student is more mature. The "aha" moment will be there (hopefully), as in, "Oh, I remember Columbus!" when we do the second round. HTH.

 

FWIW, I have also toyed with the idea of teaching History for 18 weeks and Science for 18 weeks... just to have one less "subject" on the plate for each half of the year. I might do History in the Fall & Winter, then switch to Science in the Spring & Summer. HTH.

[Sahamamama]

Ah, there's the rub. In my mind, I really just can't figure out HOW to do a whole year's worth in one semester, so I'm "tricking" myself into thinking this would work better. Sigh. I need a simple solution, especially while my baby (who turns one today!) is in the demanding, watch-me-every-minute stage of life. C

 

Could you make it a matter of simply reading through a list of books? Get all your books lined up in chronological order, then divide by 18 weeks (or any number). You'll know how much to read in any given week to complete the study in half a school year.