Ruby Rose Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My kids are 6 & 3. Obviously my schooling is geared toward the 6 and the 3 is just along for the ride. We started the year off great. Then around Nov the kids eyes started glazing over so we put history on the shelf. Now, after a 2 month break we have started again. I like it but the kids, not so much. They are very big on science, math, and pretend play, which I allow a LOT of. I'm not sure how to proceed with history. Do I just continue to plug away at it or try again next year for 2nd grade? I don't want to be "behind" in our rotation, and I'm already fretting that my 3 yo will already be behind if I just keep him on the same rotation as my 6. Meaning he will not start the Ancient rotation until 2nd as is and 3rd if I hold off until next year. We are only on Chapter 10 so we would really have to plow through material to finish this year. I know in the grand scheme my worries are ridiculous, but I'm not sure how to proceed from here. Advise? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I wouldn't worry about the 3yo. If the 6yo isn't getting much out of it I would put it on the shelf until next year. I waited until second grade to start history with my oldest and the only reason I did it this year is because she loves it. I'll probably start later and less formally with my other kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manyblessings Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Maybe look into a literature based history. The point of re-visiting history over and over is to expose them to the information in greater and greater depth, and with them being capable of deeper understanding. Don't become consumed by trivium order but focus on simply trying to expose them at least twice during their education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I put it away and don't regret it at all. If the child isn't interested or retaining anything, it's not worth the time spent. Shelve it for now and start up next year. Read some interesting biographies and things so there'll be a few pegs and it will be fine. If you're really worried about the rotation (which isn't that big a deal, IMO), you can skip chapters throughout the books to condense it, do history through the summer, or leave volume 4 for the next rotation, since it deals with some pretty heavy stuff, and your kids might not be ready to cover that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I actually don't start history until 2nd or 3rd grade. Before then it really isn't going to be retained. You can read historical fictions for certain time periods, but don't stress getting through Story of the World yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 There are many people who decide to take more than 4 years for the rotation. Some benefits are that you don't have to "rush" to get 42 chapters into a 36 week year (or whatever your schedule is), you can spend extra time on the areas that interest you without feeling "further behind", plus, you may want to focus for some point specifically on American history (or whatever your state is, or your home country, etc) and a longer loop might leave time for that. If your kids like acting out the stories, check out what Julie has done studying the ancients with her kids at her blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigger Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My DS hated when we were going chapter by chapter, but totally got into it when it was truly in story form, listened to straight through on CD in the car anytime we were out and about - no activities, no projects, no worksheets during the time we were listening through, just listening to it was our history. Some drives we'd listen to just a chapter, some rides were five or six chapters - I left it up to him how long we'd listen and once we were through it all, then we moved on to the activities and projects! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekfk Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) Read a lot of fun history books for this year. American Girl is great for learning US history. My 6 year old is crazy about them. Also the Little House on the Prairie books. You can also look into books like Good Times Travel Agency and the You Wouldn't Want To Be series of books. The Who Was series is great for historical biographies. The Magic Treehouse books often cover history as well. Even a 3 year old will enjoy the Magic Treehouse. Look also for level 3 and 4 readers at your library. They often cover events or people in history. If they are exposed to a lot of fun history, it will start to make more sense. Edited January 23, 2012 by ekfk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thank you all so much for your encouraging feedback! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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