Major holes in dd's knowledge after classical education for 6 yrs

[HappyGrace]

I love all these ideas-thank you! :)

 

I am generally happy with how we've approached school stuff, but I am glad I discovered this area of general weakness so I can correct it. I feel a lot more hopeful after reading all these WONDERFUL ideas; I think it will just be a matter of expanding our horizons a little bit with some different types of resources. I am actually really excited about it, and I think logic stage is a perfect time for this horizon expanding!

 

Thank you!

[katilac]

One more suggestion: both my kids love Reader's Digest, and it covers quite a mix of topics. It's mostly kid-safe, but I learned the hard way to scan the cover before handing it over - - my poor oldest dd was traumatized by reading about the BTK killer :sad:

[WIS0320]

I think I have the Cultural Literacy book, now just have to remember where I put it. We're reading the Core Knowledge books themselves, trying to read them every week (although we're only in the Kindergarten book so far).

 

 

 

Core Knowledge's sequence is my loose guide for pulling all the threads together. Obviously we are new homeschoolers, my oldest is only going in first grade so I'm not an expert. But I have been pleased with the CK sequence guide and think it really could be beneficial to any type of homeschooling family to keep abreast of as they move through the grades just for that sort of content that can otherwise easily be missed.

[abbeyej]

I agree with this. I have been using Newsademic with some of my kids and it is great for knowledge about what is going on in the world, gives background on current issues, and generally just increases knowledge of a wide variety of 'things'. It has increased the cultural literacy of my kids. Even just reading the articles and discussing them, then having me talk about what I remember about events etc, creates awareness in them about general topics.

 

http://www.newsademic.com/

 

Is this an e-magazine, or do they send print copies?

[LindaOz]

Is this an e-magazine, or do they send print copies?

 

It's an e-magazine. You can select whether you want to access it on site or have it emailed to you. I get it as an email and just print out what I want to use.

[Tree House Academy]

We haven't covered the government things either - nor the periodic table - nor would he likely know which president was called "Ike" and my son is a rising 7th grader. The reason is simple: We didn't do American history with Government in the earlier grades. We will do it his 8th grade year.

 

I guarantee you could poll a few ps kids and ask them the same questions and they, too, wouldn't get them. You know why? Because, if they did cover it briefly, unless it was on the "big test," it was likely pushed to the side and forgotten. Trust me...your dd is learning so much more than she would ever have learned in ps and she will eventually cover all of those thing...just maybe in a different order or at a different time that her ps counterparts. No worries!

[Haiku]

any school kid would know it.

 

 

 

Ummm ... doubt it.

 

I would not let some BrainQuest cards throw you into a tizzy about your whole method and history of education. None of the questions you listed are must-knows for a kid that age. They are basically trivia, which is the point of the BrainQuest cards. They are a trivia game.

 

If you're honestly worried about this, work through the BrainQuest cards with your child and have fun seeking out the answers together. Don't make BrainQuest cards a litmus test for how effective your homeschooling is.

 

Tara

[boscopup]

Many of those questions sound like things I wasn't taught until high school.

[lailasmum]

In the UK there is a magazine called aquila that is very general knowledge based but goes into things in reasonable depth.

[melmichigan]

My kids read Studies Weekly and Science from Studies Weekly over the summer to appease the state curriculum requirements. You can see them here.

Edited June 15, 2011 by melmichigan

[mamachanse]

I wouldn't be worried about missing most of them at all. I always pick up the What Your x Grader Should Know series at our used book store. I like the social studies section and the biographies. I read ds the ones h is interested in.

[agst1967]

I actually just found BrainQuest Workbooks at our Barnes and Noble! They had one for each grade level. I picked them up for those days that we are running errands, or sick days for the kids to do if mom is not feeling well!

 

They have different categories...time and money, social studies, etc. THey are really colorful and my kids LOVE them!!

 

Alicia

[HSMom2One]

First of all, I would say that most Americans don't know the answers to a lot of those questions. Have you ever seen Jay walking? :D The one thing that really worries me about the 4-year rotation is the way that American history just gets shoved in with the rest. I definitely think that kids need to know about world history, but we do live in America. I think I am going to take a couple years off from the cycle and focus on American history.

 

I agree with the magazine idea. Does she ever watch the news? I know there is a lot of terrible stuff on there, but some of that stuff could be picked up by reading a newspaper or watching the news. I do think that since most HSers don't allow their kids to watch a lot of TV, they are missing some of the stuff that people pick up from TV.

 

It sounds like that game will help her fill in some blanks. I am interested to see what other people suggest. Oh, and by the way, I don't think not knowing any of those things will hurt her in the long run. As long as she knows how to research, write, read well and loves learning, life will be just fine!

 

:iagree:

I think there is a LOT of merit in these points! Much of what the OP listed in missed questions is stuff that is gained by reading books, magazines, etc. I wouldn't be so upset by my dd not knowing all of the answers to those. Classical education prepares people with essential skills that are lacking in mainstream education, but I do have to agree that U.S. History should be a strong focus at some point. Logically, it would seem that during high school when government and economics are covered you would be involved in heavy duty U.S. History, otherwise middle school. And what about your own state and regional history? Local history? Somewhere they need to be added as a side road for young students too.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[calandalsmom]

My 7th gr son knew all of those. I think my 5th gr son would not know them all. Somewhere in between he'll pick them up.

[Mosaicmind]

Sorry, but my kids who have gone to ps don't know these things and neither do all of my "only" home schooled kids. I honestly didn't know some of the answers to a few of the questions.

[Honey Bee]

You could leave some kids almanacs around like this one.

[silliness7]

I've only read the first page, so forgive me if this is a repeat. Memoria Press has some kind of study guide of 200 things you should know about American History. Apparently these bastions of Classical Ed saw a need too. Here it is.

 

I picked up something similar at our used book fair for 25 cents. It from Logos only it's geography related. This one is fancier than the one I got. No CD with mine. Guess that's why it was a quarter.

Edited June 16, 2011 by silliness7

[walkermamaof4]

You could leave some kids almanacs around like this one.

 

Did you notice that there is a 2012 National Geographic kids almanac? Can someone explain how that works?

 

Edited to say - all 3 volumes of the Old Farmers Almanac for Kids are available on PBS. http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/browser.php?k=The+Old+Farmer%27s+Almanac+for+Kids

Edited June 16, 2011 by walkermamaof4

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

An almanac is not a record of history. It is an annual calendar, a handbook of weather forecasts, tide tables, statistical data, helpful hints of various kinds, astronomical information, and other miscellany.

 

You buy an almanac for the upcoming year and read through it as you go through the months.

[tammyw]

duplicate of other posts.