if your child begs to do a different time in history

[lorrainejmc]

Do you go with it? My dd wants to do more modern history. She is fascinated with how people lived in more recent times. We are in the early chapters of SOTW1 (chapter 6, I think) and she is not getting into it. Would you just skip ahead? Or would you go through 1 and 2 at a faster pace, skipping the AG but maybe making a timeline, then spend longer on the periods she has more interest in? My only goal is that she is enjoys what she learns and retains it, which is not happening now. We did touch on a lot of the times she wants to learn more about when we were doing FIAR. She remembers so much detail from FIAR.

[NavyWifeandMommy]

We are doing acients again because my daughter is wanting to do it again. We did a bit 2 yrs ago.

[Skadi]

Is she in first grade? Because they're so young, I think the first round of SOTW (grades 1 - 4) don't have to be as sequential. That said, it's important to explain to children that we cannot fully comprehend modern times without first understanding how it developed from the periods that came before. Also, she has to learn to pay attention to material that she might no absolutely love -- it'd only be engendering bad habits that she'd have to overcome later if she's able to dictate the material, IMHO.

 

Could you try to get her to answer what aspects of modern history she finds fascinating, so that you can focus on those things during your study of the ancients? It may be that some of the things she's interested in modern times actually trace their origins back pretty far.

[Annabel Lee]

Lorraine, I went back & forth about this issue this spring. I posted about it in a thread titleld "When the kids want to do history out of order", which would pop up in a search on these boards. My mind works best in list format when I'm this tired, so please pardon that. Here's what I learned:

 

1. It's OK to do large chunks of history that are chronological within that chunk, but the chunks are out of sequence. Just keep a timeline. Following interests has huge advantages.

 

2. Children's interests can be fleeting and wishy-washy, here one day and gone the next. Don't mess up something just for their interests' sake if it's something you feel strongly about (educational philosophy/methods).

 

3. Who says it has to be either/or? I want to keep a thin thread of American History running all the time, no matter what we're studying. By "thin", that means bare-bones reading the info., or going very slowly since it would only be touched on infrequently throughout the week/month. I want to pick it up fully in the summer times, though; maybe even state history/geography in the summers would offer some fun, experiential learning. We start Ancients this fall. I just can't let all the U.S. history books on the shelf go to waste before they grow out of them. ;P

[boscopup]

I think it'd be fine, though you may need to find an alternate resource if SOTW4 bores her (it's written for a slightly older crowd). My young 7 year old is reading SOTW4 and likes it, so she may also. He loves history and really likes World War II! One of the books we got from the library that had Roman stuff in it was actually a book with mulitple major events throughout history. So that's how he decided World War II was the most interesting to him. I haven't skipped over there... We'll finish SOTW1 in October. But I did go ahead and get SOTW2, 3, and 4 so he could read through those on his own. He finished SOTW2 in about 5 days. He's taking longer with 3 and 4, reading them at the same time. He reads 3 at night in bed with his reading light, and 4 in the van. :D

 

At this age, I don't think staying on cycle is that important. You can always do interest led for a bit, then come back to the 4-year cycle later. Or as a PP mentioned, you can do some interest led alongside your SOTW.

 

Another thing... My DS found the early chapters of SOTW1 a bit boring too. I think he really got interested somewhere around chapter 15 or so. I don't know if it was age, reading it himself, or if the material was more interesting. That's also when we simplified things (we had been using Biblioplan, and I dropped that), so that may have also contributed. History is relaxed now, so we read one section and narrate, and I get all the library books I can on the subject to have in the book basket.

[Hunter]

I think that is it imperative that mom be able to teach with her strengths and not overly cater to a child's learning style and current interests. TWEAK to their interests and styles but not CENTER around them.

 

Mom needs to be centered and confident when teaching. Many moms here are empowered by using the 4 year schedules in TWTM, and their students reap the benefits of a powerful teacher.

 

She can study modern history on her own from the book basket. She doesn't need to uncenter you, to study modern history. Every time she is interested in something, she doesn't need your direct instruction and she certainly doesn't need you to discard planned lessons.

 

I think you should stick with your plans, whatever they are.

[mommymilkies]

We are doing a bit of this. My oldest dd is very into ancient history (it must be genetic :lol: ). So this year I am doing Medieval with my 9 year old ds and Ancient with my 1st and 5th graders and then US history for everyone. :tongue_smilie:

[abbeyej]

I think it's really important for kids to get a chronological walk through history AT SOME POINT. I think the logic stage is probably the most important time for this. For grammar stage kids, I think a chronological approach can be a very nice plan. But I don't consider it vital at all. What's more important is that kids gain lots of bits and pieces of knowledge and that they learn to enjoy history and all of the people, places, and events it involves. Later, in logic stage, they can assemble all of those pieces into an overall framework and begin to see how all of those pieces influence each other. (And, if they have that outline in their heads going into high school, you can be a little more flexible about the approach you take then. If they haven't had a chronological walk through history in middle school, I think it's more important in high school.)

 

So, basically, lol, do what you want. :) If the ancients just aren't working for you and for her (and she's young -- I'm assuming she's in 1st or 2nd grade), go ahead and do something else. Especially if you'll be starting Latin in another year or two, most good programs will cover some ancient history as you study the language, so you'll at least be getting some supplemental Greek and Roman history and mythology then as well. Read about lots of people throughout history, study parts of history chronologically -- but it's okay if it's not *all* chronological. Look at maps and read about inventions and...

 

Then, when she gets to logic stage, really focus on putting all those pieces into their proper order.

[T'smom]

I am shocked at some of these responses! IMNSHO, you should let her follow her interests. Especially in the 1st grade. That's why most of us homeschool, isn't it? To give our children an individual education? She should be learning to love learning. If it were me, I would drop ancients and do modern. BUT if it's important to you to do ancients right now, I'd add modern to it. And go easy on the ancients. I think it's really important to let kids explore their interests.

[T'smom]

I think that is it imperative that mom be able to teach with her strengths and not overly cater to a child's learning style and current interests. TWEAK to their interests and styles but not CENTER around them.

 

Mom needs to be centered and confident when teaching. Many moms here are empowered by using the 4 year schedules in TWTM, and their students reap the benefits of a powerful teacher.

 

She can study modern history on her own from the book basket. She doesn't need to uncenter you, to study modern history. Every time she is interested in something, she doesn't need your direct instruction and she certainly doesn't need you to discard planned lessons.

 

I think you should stick with your plans, whatever they are.

 

I very strongly disagree with this. Very strongly. The teacher is the adult and is MUCH better able to operate outside of their 'comfort zone' than a 1st grader.

 

She can study modern history on her own?!? She's in the 1st grade!

 

I know I'm coming at this with my own bias- but the whole reason I homeschool is to give my child the best education possible. I believe that is best done by following the child's interests. Making adjustments when it's called for is the whole point. Sticking to planned lessons no matter what is NOT.

[zenjenn]

If she is interested in more recent times, another alternative might be to do American History this year (presuming you are American.) American History is so great because it has a clear beginning that is relevant to being a citizen of this country, without having to go back to ancient times.

[lorrainejmc]

OP creeping in here.....

 

This thread has taken an odd turn. I never said what age/grade my dd is, so I don't know where 1st grade came from. She is 9. I think that makes her 4th grade, but as I am N Irish, I'm not sure....

 

You know what? I don't think I am totally committed to a 4 year chronological history cycle. We have homeschooled for 2 years and until this spring were doing unit studies with my younger 2 included at their level. I feel drawn back toward unit studies and so does my dd. We all miss unit studies as a family. It worked for us so I think we'll just go back to what is comfortable and fulfilling.

[boscopup]

This thread has taken an odd turn. I never said what age/grade my dd is, so I don't know where 1st grade came from. She is 9. I think that makes her 4th grade, but as I am N Irish, I'm not sure....

 

Sorry, I think some of us early posters assumed it because you said you'd used FIAR, and we were probably thinking you'd used it *recently*. ;)

[Dmmetler]

We're doing American history with my DD this year for that exact reason-she's reading the American Girl books and is excited about the characters and their lives, and wanted to know more. I figure that following her interests in this is more important than sticking with a history cycle right now, and that we've got lots of time to go through SOTW in order.

[abbeyej]

I'm sorry you were offended. I don't think any of us intended that.

 

Yes, references to FIAR and SOTW1 made us think she was younger. I still think of 9 as "young" though, and stand by what I wrote above. Do what delights you both for now, while she's in this elementary / grammar stage. Help her learn lots of bits and pieces and come to enjoy history.

 

I'll also reiterate that I think a chronological walk through history (4 years isn't the only way to do it, but I think it's hard to do it well in less than three) is very, very valuable in the logic stage years (generally around 10-14). It gives kids a chance to assemble all of the bits and pieces they've studied in the early years into a coherent framework and it helps them see the many connections throughout history.

[Hunter]

I don't think a 4 year history plan is important. I do think that WHATEVER a mom's teaching style is, is important. If it's unit studies, or flying by the seat of her pants, or textbooks or TWTM, it just important that mom is able to use her strengths.

 

I don't think a mom OWES a child to put aside months of planning and expense, each time a child finds a new interest.

 

T'smom, if it is YOUR style to run with your child's interests as they pop up, that is great! Go for it! That's YOUR style.

 

Homeschooling is a ton of work and a huge expense for many families. Moms need all the support and resources they can get, and mom being able to teach with her strengths is her biggest resource.

 

lorrainejmc, if this is a wakeup call that you need to go back to unit studies, then that is what you should do. Just use YOUR strengths, WHATEVER they are :-) Do YOU want to do modern this year? You will be putting FAR more time into this than your daughter will.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Hunter

[Momling]

We are doing acients again because my daughter is wanting to do it again. We did a bit 2 yrs ago.

We just finished our second year of ancients too (once with galore park, once with SOTW). We're moving into the middle ages now.