Question for Mystery of History users...

[AimeeM]

A couple of questions for those who use Mystery of History.

Is it a stand alone text, or is it heavily dependent on living books/outside literature sources?

Would you consider it an engaging curriculum for a reluctant history student (she hates history, I love history, and i would love to change her mind about it!)?

How heavily protestant is the program? We are Roman Catholic. I have heard of Catholics using the program and wonder if it is easily adaptable?

[Mommee & Baba]

I can answer a few.

 

Yes it's a WONDERFUL stand alone history text!

 

As for getting a non-history child to like history. For us I had YOUNG learners that LOVED the first lesson activity and everyone there after. They loved the timeline as well. They didn't really like the summary cards but we would take turns on which lesson they had to summerize for us, then mom would do the next lesson..and so on.

 

At the end of every lesson when we added a figure to the timeline we began from the beginning and worked our way each time up to the current new figure to add. The kids amazingly remembered nearly all that we had learned already!! (at that time we had over 30 on the timeline)...

 

We ended up shelfing it as my dd's were just too young about half-way through the book that alot of the lessons were confusing them. And it was because I had a 4 and 6 yr old doing it. BUT they made it HALF-WAY and loved it and learned ALOT. We're doing SOTW now and I refuse to sell MOH as the kids beg for us to keep it and start it up again when they are older. (I personally think it's best for 4th grade +)

[AimeeM]

Thanks Mama :o)

Autumn is 10 and dyslexic so we are trying to gently help her enjoy literature. I had heard that MOH is a stand alone so I am eager to try it... of course, assuming I can find out from others if it is an okay fit for a Catholic family. I would prefer a secular text, to be honest, but HO is very Lit heavy.

[MerryAtHope]

My dd who has not loved history until this year really liked MOH 1, so I think it can turn a non-history-lover around! We do add in lit from Sonlight, but that's because I want to, not because the program requires it. There are some fun things you can get from the site if she likes hands-on too--the coloring pages or the note cards--I got those instead of making my kids write out the cards, and then we just used them like a trivia game. I'd let my kids roll the dice to determine how many points they'd get for a card, and we all took turns asking questions (they loved asking me to see if I would remember, LOL!).

 

Merry :-)

[SnMomof7]

Which volume are you thinking of using? Volume 1 is ancients up to Christ so I think a Catholic could easily use it - not so much with future volumes that deal with the reformation etc.

 

Yes, you can use it alone, or you can add supplements to it - it is flexible but easily stands alone.

[kandty]

Which volume are you thinking of using? Volume 1 is ancients up to Christ so I think a Catholic could easily use it - not so much with future volumes that deal with the reformation etc.

 

 

Oh man! I just bought volume 1 today because I had heard many catholics rave about the program, but no one told me about the later volumes. I looked at a table of contents of one of them (2, I think) and I saw many saints listed and thought it would be Catholic friendly . . . . of course I have looked at so many history programs lately I could be mixing them up. :confused: