What is your favorite Ancient History Curriculum?

[fourcatmom]

I had settled on BiblioPlan, now I am second guessing myself. We bombed on History this year and don't want to blow it again. I have a rising 6th grader who loves History! I would like a program that is pretty laid out, not wanting to piece it together myself. I want maps, timelines, notebooking, lots of extras!

 

What's your favorite? And Why?

 

Thanks! :001_smile:

 

And then I will place my order so I don't keep wondering if I am making the right decision :tongue_smilie:

[LNC]

For what you want I would consider

Biblioplan

Mystery of History

History Odyssey

 

I use TQ with History Scholar notebooking pages and Mark Twain Media workbooks. But I have to put it all together in a 36 week lesson plan format. HTH!

[Evergreen Academy]

We have used Biblioplan without their extras, and if you added in the new resources they sell, that might meet your needs. It was a great course, though if you try to do everything, the way we did, it can be a bit much. In considering it for future years, I would cull down the fast and furious reading and read-aloud schedule and stretch those over a longer time.

 

We are just now finished Heart of Dakota's Creation to Christ course, with two 11-year-olds and a fairly advanced 14-year-old who used the course with the enrichment addition and of course his own math, science, etc. I worried that it wouldn't be enough for him, but it was really a fantastic year for all of them, and we all loved every single read-aloud. Because many of the books are older, the language was very rich, and it didn't feel too young for an older child. It was a very full schedule, but not as intense as some we've used; just right.

 

There was some mapping - not a ton, and it included notebooking pages. My boys found the spaces provided in the notebooking pages too small for comfortable writing, and they ended up using looseleaf paper in page protectors in their binders, along with the pages. If I were to use this course again (and likely will a few years down the road with my youngest), I'd buy a hardbacked notebook I saw at Michaels, that had blank pages on the left and lined on the right, and use that for the history notebooking; I'd choose a timeline from Simply Charlotte Mason and have them record things in that when the guide directed them too. In any case, you might want to check out the course, I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

[fourcatmom]

Thank you for the advice. It's funny because BiblioPlan, HOD and MOH are the three I have looked at the most. I have heard a lot about TQ though as well.

[hsmom2011]

We are just finishing up Biblioplan Ancients, and it has been our best history year. Dd loves doing the maps, and the worksheets are just right for her. She doesn't like to write long narrations for history, so the short answer questions have been a good review for her. I also like the flexibility BP offers with the supplemental readers. Dd has been able to choose which books she would like to read outside of the required daily reading.

[thowell]

I have Diana Waring Ancient Civilizations for dd12 next year and it looks great!

[fourcatmom]

I think the thing that gets me with the BiblioPlan is when I look at the "day in a life" tab on the BP site, it just doesn't mesh with what I think a 6th grader should be doing. She loves History and she is really interested in Ancient History so I know she will just soak up whatever I pick. That is all the reason I want something that is Bible based. Maybe I am just reading to much into this one part on their website. It also seemed like it was only 3 days a week but I guess the other days can be for projects, writing and notebooking.

 

My plan was to use the MOH spine with it and she can read SOTW as well. I would add in living books, she will enjoy this to and then do activities and the maps and timelines. I know there are a lot of extra ancient activities that I have heard and read about that I can add it. She will also do notebooking and I thought about adding the IEW Ancient course for her to since writing another passion of hers.

 

If anyone has any specifics, please pass them on. I know there was a thread awhile back about this.

 

Thanks:001_smile:

 

 

We are just finishing up Biblioplan Ancients, and it has been our best history year. Dd loves doing the maps, and the worksheets are just right for her. She doesn't like to write long narrations for history, so the short answer questions have been a good review for her. I also like the flexibility BP offers with the supplemental readers. Dd has been able to choose which books she would like to read outside of the required daily reading.

Edited May 26, 2012 by fourcatmom

[thefragile7393]

History Odyssey from Pandia Press gets a vote for me....it has all you mentioned.

[Susie in MS]

Diana Waring's History Revealed: Ancient Civilizations and the Bible HANDS DOWN!

 

Enough schedule to keep me on track, enough choices and elbow room to make it my own, captivating articles and talks, maps, discussion questions, recipes, guidance in art and crafts, activities for all learning styles.....just plain good stuff!!

 

You can see and listen to samples at AIG.

[NatashainDFW]

Biblioplan is set up to be done three days a week. I think this is actually really good because it leaves me two days a week for science. You could always throw in projects and what not from the SOTW AG if you wanted to add more and make it a five days of history a week schedule.

[thowell]

Diana Waring's History Revealed: Ancient Civilizations and the Bible HANDS DOWN!

 

Enough schedule to keep me on track, enough choices and elbow room to make it my own, captivating articles and talks, maps, discussion questions, recipes, guidance in art and crafts, activities for all learning styles.....just plain good stuff!!

 

You can see and listen to samples at AIG.

 

:iagree::iagree: thanks to you!

[coffeefreak]

We're in love with MOH. I used it with my oldest when she was in 2nd grade. We had to skip a lot of lessons, but it still stuck with her. Next year, she'll be in 7th, my youngest will be in 4th, and I think it's going to be perfect! I'm pairing it with Ambleside Online years 2 and 6, which means I'm doing my own 32 week schedule. I looked at all the programs you're talking about (I even considered Winter's Promise), and none of them use MOH as the main spine. The only one that does is Illuminations and it's HELLO EXPENSIVE!!!! We're talking several hundred dollars for a schedule and that's it. :001_huh: I always salivate over HOD, but I just can't afford purchasing 2 separate years, so, I decided to make my own and go with what we love (Ambleside). In the long run, it will be cheaper, even if it requires more work from me over the summer.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

PS there is another free site, Guest Hallow, that has a schedule, but it's not for a 6th grader so it would still take some work. It might be worth looking into though. It gave me lots of ideas.~Blessings!

[hsmom2011]

Biblioplan is set up to be done three days a week. I think this is actually really good because it leaves me two days a week for science. You could always throw in projects and what not from the SOTW AG if you wanted to add more and make it a five days of history a week schedule.

 

:iagree: I like the 3 day schedule for the same reason, we also do science 2x's/week.

[cjgrubbs]

We loved loved loved Mystery of History volume 1!

[PeterPan]

Well do you want the nutso option or the sane option? :)

 

The sane option is to do MOH with the TQ guides to add extra books. Some of my dd's favorite books for ancients came from the TQ guides, so I definitely recommend them.

 

The insane option? Let her do the VP online self-paced history. She can do OTAE in the fall if they do the free one month trial. She would work 2-4 hours a day and get it done in one month. Then let her start NTGR at the pace she likes and keep going right on into MARR. Then the following year do the 2 american history courses for 7th. And along with that you would add TQ books, VP books, etc. etc.

 

My dd did something pretty similar (MARR in 6th, NTGR last fall during the free trial, the two american courses this year which she's still finishing up), and she loves it. But like I said, it's the insane option, hehe. MOH would be a lot more sensible pace. :)

 

Definitely check out the TQ guides and the VP catalog, no matter what. They have awesome lit.

[mom@shiloh]

I think you need to determine how you like to teach and how you want your kids to learn -- that's always the tricky part for me. I really liked MOH. I liked the way it wove the Biblical history with the rest of the early civilizations, however I always felt like we were just skimming everything. It feels like a snippet here and a snippet there which is ok if you just want an overview. I felt like my kids knew just a very little bit about a lot of things and it was hard to keep it all straight. Would you rather go more in depth with the Greek and Roman civilizations since those are the ones whose cultures have carried over into modern times? I think that I liked MOH because I already had a knowledge base to hang all those other cultures on. I could see how the Phoenicians and the Babylonians fit into what I already knew, but I'm not sure if my kids were ready to make those connections yet.

[fourcatmom]

It's funny but I did receive a VP catalog in the mail yesterday but hadn't had a chance to look through it. I did go to the VP site and watched a few samples and I can see where that would be a good fit but it is quite expensive, especially looking at potentially two courses a year. How predictable is the free course? By that I mean, do they offer a free course (a free month) each year?

 

I would still have to look though it more to figure out what else I would need to buy to make the course work but I appreciate you pointing it out to me as I hadn't ever looked into it.

 

 

 

 

Well do you want the nutso option or the sane option? :)

 

The sane option is to do MOH with the TQ guides to add extra books. Some of my dd's favorite books for ancients came from the TQ guides, so I definitely recommend them.

 

The insane option? Let her do the VP online self-paced history. She can do OTAE in the fall if they do the free one month trial. She would work 2-4 hours a day and get it done in one month. Then let her start NTGR at the pace she likes and keep going right on into MARR. Then the following year do the 2 american history courses for 7th. And along with that you would add TQ books, VP books, etc. etc.

 

My dd did something pretty similar (MARR in 6th, NTGR last fall during the free trial, the two american courses this year which she's still finishing up), and she loves it. But like I said, it's the insane option, hehe. MOH would be a lot more sensible pace. :)

 

Definitely check out the TQ guides and the VP catalog, no matter what. They have awesome lit.

[PeterPan]

Well you never know, but they've run that free trial the last couple years toward the end of the summer. They dropped the cost of the classes this year, and you can do the multi-child discount with one dc. So the first class is $250 and the 2nd is $125. $375 for a year isn't that bad. I mean it's money, but the courses are really, really good. OTAE especially is on the younger end, which is why I advise buzzing through it. MARR is quite meaty and will be unfamiliar to most kids, so it's fine with an older dc. NTGR is sort of in the middle there.

 

They also ran a $99 group buy deal a while back, but I have no clue if/when they'll do that again.

[fourcatmom]

Thank you for the information. One more question - if I add TQ would I really need the guide or would it be easy to just supplement with their Timeline and maps and maybe notebooking pages. I think she might be a bit old for the binder one but I haven't spent that much time looking at TQ.

 

Thank you for suggesting VP though - ran through several demos already and I learned some things. I like the way it leads you though and ask you questions. I think I will let her try a demo and she what she thinks about it.

 

 

 

 

Well you never know, but they've run that free trial the last couple years toward the end of the summer. They dropped the cost of the classes this year, and you can do the multi-child discount with one dc. So the first class is $250 and the 2nd is $125. $375 for a year isn't that bad. I mean it's money, but the courses are really, really good. OTAE especially is on the younger end, which is why I advise buzzing through it. MARR is quite meaty and will be unfamiliar to most kids, so it's fine with an older dc. NTGR is sort of in the middle there.

 

They also ran a $99 group buy deal a while back, but I have no clue if/when they'll do that again.

[PeterPan]

Well I bought my TQ stuff years ago. I haven't kept up to know all the new-fangled stuff they have. The guides are what have the booklists, and the booklists are what we found helpful. But MOH (if that's where you go) has booklists, and the VP catalog has awesome booklists. Many of the TQ books are going to be oop and thus cost you $4+ each to get a hold of. So there's that angle too.

 

It's touch choosing between good things, isn't it! :)

[fourcatmom]

Thank you. I have a hard time paying money for just a booklist. I might be interested in the other materials they have to offer.

 

Thanks again:001_smile:

 

 

Well I bought my TQ stuff years ago. I haven't kept up to know all the new-fangled stuff they have. The guides are what have the booklists, and the booklists are what we found helpful. But MOH (if that's where you go) has booklists, and the VP catalog has awesome booklists. Many of the TQ books are going to be oop and thus cost you $4+ each to get a hold of. So there's that angle too.

 

It's touch choosing between good things, isn't it! :)

[Susie in MS]

Thank you for the information. One more question - if I add TQ would I really need the guide or would it be easy to just supplement with their Timeline and maps and maybe notebooking pages. I think she might be a bit old for the binder one but I haven't spent that much time looking at TQ.

 

 

 

Just wanted to mention that TQ is more than just a book list. There is commentary through out and Think Write questions to help with writing assignments and get the child to think about the issues. The commentary helps connect the dots.

[fourcatmom]

Just wanted to mention that TQ is more than just a book list. There is commentary through out and Think Write questions to help with writing assignments and get the child to think about the issues. The commentary helps connect the dots.

 

Thank you. I didn't realize that. That helps.

[Susie in MS]

Thank you. I didn't realize that. That helps.

Your welcome.

 

Maybe the sample pages here will help.

[abrightmom]

Well you never know, but they've run that free trial the last couple years toward the end of the summer. They dropped the cost of the classes this year, and you can do the multi-child discount with one dc. So the first class is $250 and the 2nd is $125. $375 for a year isn't that bad. I mean it's money, but the courses are really, really good. OTAE especially is on the younger end, which is why I advise buzzing through it. MARR is quite meaty and will be unfamiliar to most kids, so it's fine with an older dc. NTGR is sort of in the middle there.

 

They also ran a $99 group buy deal a while back, but I have no clue if/when they'll do that again.

 

Elizabeth,

 

FYI: Unless I'm misunderstanding something the VP self-paced online classes start at $199 with a $100 discount for the 2nd class/student. I THINK it WAS $250 and it is now a bit lower which is so great. Here's the page on the VP site.

[PeterPan]

Elizabeth,

 

FYI: Unless I'm misunderstanding something the VP self-paced online classes start at $199 with a $100 discount for the 2nd class/student. I THINK it WAS $250 and it is now a bit lower which is so great. Here's the page on the VP site.

 

You're right, I just lost track. :)

[fourcatmom]

I know everyone has given me some great advice but I want to ask another question, the other program that I have looked into a lot is HOD, Creation to Christ.

 

Can anyone shed some light on this curriculum? I have had trouble searching threads for info since most people don't write the title out - I am not finding a lot of information. Maybe I am missing on how to search.

 

Thanks!

[besroma]

I know everyone has given me some great advice but I want to ask another question, the other program that I have looked into a lot is HOD, Creation to Christ.

 

Can anyone shed some light on this curriculum? I have had trouble searching threads for info since most people don't write the title out - I am not finding a lot of information. Maybe I am missing on how to search.

 

Thanks!

 

I found this http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=268484&highlight=creation+to+christ

 

and this http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=278967&highlight=creation+to+christ

 

You may have already seen those. We love the ancient history portion of TOG, and you can purchase individual units if you don't want the entire year.

[fourcatmom]

Mary you always come in and save me. I should just pay you to choose my curriculum for me and that would be less stress. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I found this http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=268484&highlight=creation+to+christ

 

and this http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=278967&highlight=creation+to+christ

 

You may have already seen those. We love the ancient history portion of TOG, and you can purchase individual units if you don't want the entire year.

[besroma]

Mary you always come in and save me. I should just pay you to choose my curriculum for me and that would be less stress. :tongue_smilie:

 

Aw, shucks! ;)

 

I'm glad to help. It's easy because we like similar curricula!

 

Oh, and if you do get TOG and purchase it used....make certain what you are purchasing comes with the Loom cd.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

We LOVE Mystery Of History. I don't know why to be honest. My kids ABSOLUTELY love it. Since switching to this, history has become a favorite subject in our house! It just works well for us. So, my vote is for MOH!!

 

 

This year I will be doing a mix of MOH and SOTW since I will have a 1st, 2nd and 5th grader using this schedule.

[fourcatmom]

I think this is where conferences can come in really handy. It would be very valuable to be able to actually hold one of the books and look through it instead of looking at everything online. I don't want to spend $100+ and be disappointed.

 

Well we had an interesting night here. I let me dd watch some of the VP videos and she said she liked them and she liked it better then the books since she though she would learn more that way. Then we looked at HOD and she said it looked, "too strict." I told her I wasn't sure if VP was too young for her but I was glad that she enjoyed it. Then, 10 minutes later she is in bed crying. I asked her why and she tells me that she doesn't want to be in 6th grade and she is overwhelmed. I told her in HS it doesn't really matter what grade, it's not like going to junior high and that nothing really is going to change. I guess I made her sad by saying that she might be too young for VP but what I meant was when I was watching it, I wasn't sure if it would appeal to her or if she would think it was too young for her. Oh, what a night. See how picking the right curriculum for this child is really important. There are so many things that are just overwhelming to her.

 

??? I guess we will see what she thinks in a few days and we decide which way to go. I just need to make the best decision for her.

Edited May 28, 2012 by fourcatmom

[fourcatmom]

Diana Waring's History Revealed: Ancient Civilizations and the Bible HANDS DOWN!

 

Enough schedule to keep me on track, enough choices and elbow room to make it my own, captivating articles and talks, maps, discussion questions, recipes, guidance in art and crafts, activities for all learning styles.....just plain good stuff!!

 

You can see and listen to samples at AIG.

 

 

This does look interesting as well. I like the price too. Did you use the young elementary craft book with this or something else. The samples in that looked too young for a 6th grader, imo. I would be interested to know if you use any other resources with this. I didn't see all these things listed on the site. Thanks!

[Susie in MS]

This does look interesting as well. I like the price too. Did you use the young elementary craft book with this or something else. The samples in that looked too young for a 6th grader, imo. I would be interested to know if you use any other resources with this. I didn't see all these things listed on the site. Thanks!

 

The elem book is too young for a 6th grader unless she just wants to do it for fun. I have used part of the elem for my 1st grader, but had to stop at about unit 4. This grieves me greatly. The reason I had to stop is because there are no resources available to *me* for these other units. I don't have money to buy any and our library is a no go. I do have resources for older children as I used this with my olders before they graduated.

 

 

Yes, we did use extra resources with my olders when we used the main guides. Before this was called History Revealed it was called Digging Deeper. Basically the child (or you) picks out 1 or 2 topics per unit that interest them and they dig for more info. This would be where they could get their inspiration for writing, skits, comics, news articles, etc. The guide has wonderful suggestions, but you can use what ever books are available to you. You can also use the net or encyclopedias. We got all of our pics of the architecture from the net.

 

The Bible, articles and the talks have plenty of info so you will cover a lot with just them. I like to use Victor Journey Through the Bible (I think there has been a name change) because it has photos of land, artifacts, etc. It really brings the Bible to life. There are also some maps and charts, etc.

 

We choose to read 1 related historical fiction per unit as our lit. There is so much available today that it makes it easy. Back when DW had her very first guides it was hard to find resources for this time period. If you do decide to go with HR and need some suggestions for hx fic just shoot me a pm if I don't respond here and I can tell you what we have read for each unit.

 

I look forward to using this with my little one. She is just now in 2nd so unless I can find funding for books her age, it will be a while before we get back to it. The main books would be great for a 6th grader and up.

 

Here you will find some great resources that can be used (remember pick and choose, don't be overwhelmed).

[Susie in MS]

I forgot:

 

The elem book isn't really a craft book, although it does have crafts. It is really a guide that includes suggested Bible readings, puzzles, songs, games, coloring pages, suggested books to read, and more. It has the same 9 units that the main guides do. It is intended to be used by those who have older children using the main guide and want their youngers on the *same page*. Of course it can be used as a stand alone as well, but for say 4th grade and under. HTH

[PeterPan]

I think this is where conferences can come in really handy. It would be very valuable to be able to actually hold one of the books and look through it instead of looking at everything online. I don't want to spend $100+ and be disappointed.

 

Well we had an interesting night here. I let me dd watch some of the VP videos and she said she liked them and she liked it better then the books since she though she would learn more that way. Then we looked at HOD and she said it looked, "too strict." I told her I wasn't sure if VP was too young for her but I was glad that she enjoyed it. Then, 10 minutes later she is in bed crying. I asked her why and she tells me that she doesn't want to be in 6th grade and she is overwhelmed. I told her in HS it doesn't really matter what grade, it's not like going to junior high and that nothing really is going to change. I guess I made her sad by saying that she might be too young for VP but what I meant was when I was watching it, I wasn't sure if it would appeal to her or if she would think it was too young for her. Oh, what a night. See how picking the right curriculum for this child is really important. There are so many things that are just overwhelming to her.

 

??? I guess we will see what she thinks in a few days and we decide which way to go. I just need to make the best decision for her.

 

A few observations here. On the Diana Waring thing, I have some of her ancients books, and they *are* adorable and fun, but the structure is really driven by you and non-traditional to boot. You might find them nice as a *supplement* to VP. Your dd said she's concerned about reading to learn and liked the video format of VP. That can mean a couple things. One, you ought to do standardized testing this summer if she hasn't had any this year. You want to know where she's at with reading comprehension, etc.. We test yearly, and I highly recommend it. The CAT from Seton or CLP will only be $25 and will tell you just enough. Definitely do that. My dd is very, very bright but she was more of a historical *fiction* person than non-fiction. We've had to work into non-fiction very, very slowly and gently, starting with simple, engaging texts that we read this year purely for the purpose of reading, comprehending, and outlining. She literally might not be ready to read non-fiction to learn.

 

On the young thing, if she enjoys it, she enjoys it. Don't tell HER your insecurities. *IS* she a young rising 6th grader? I'm just taking what you said literally. Nothing says she has to be a 6th grader if she's young, blooming late, and feeling overwhelmed. The boards have a really big effect of turning off your eyeballs to your own kid and putting them on some mental checklist you have to do to keep up with the crowds and what "should" be done. It might be that some "easier" materials, done quickly and in a way she realizes she can master, would be JUST the ticket for building her confidence. Success breeds success. Do you school through the summer? In your shoes, given what you've said, I would be tempted to buy the OTAE now (just bite the bullet), let her do it at her pace (which she'll probably fly through), challenging her to finish it by the end of July in order to do the free trial in August. Each card of lessons takes 2.5 hours, and there are 32 cards in a course year. So she can get it done in 2 hours a day, which she'll probably do gleefully. And for the free trial in August challenge her (with some awesome prize of course) to complete all of NTGR. At that point you've done 2 courses for a total of $199, which is pretty awesome to me. Then for the regular school year do MARR. That's what my dd did in 6th, and I can tell you it's NOT going to seem babyish to you or her. You're going to be very, VERY happy with it and blown away with the content. Lots of connections and rabbit trails. Lots of stories, great games. It's really amazing.

 

Then in 7th you're set up to do the 2 years of VP american, geography in 8th (what we're doing) and start a 4 year cycle or whatever you want for high school (AP, whatever).

 

Go with what the child likes. If she likes VP, give it to her. Seriously, you really can't go wrong with it. And don't fret about it looking young. Would that totally be the end of the world if *she* was the one who came to you a while from now and said "Mom, this is a bit young. I love the content, but I want to finish faster to get on to the next one that I know is a step up." Wouldn't that make your day? And it DEFINITELY steps up as you go through the levels.

 

Well whatever. You've got a lot of choices. You can add all the books and activities you want onto the VP history. You're going to know the topics, so all you do is use your library or the VP catalog and add in books to go with it. The course itself comes with pdfs (on the home page for the lessons) that will tell you the suggested readings. My dd has always preferred historical fiction, and the VP catalog has some really, really good historical fiction. Yes, my dd would have turned up her nose at HOD too. She didn't want *non-fiction* and she doesn't want to be told what to do when. They love narrative, so they want to enjoy and savor and imagine and get into it. The VP online does that exceptionally well. Historical fiction works with that. Yes there's a time and a place for structure and reading non-fiction, but it doesn't have to be *now* kwim? That's what high school is for. Let her enjoy now. The VP sequence is amazing and will have her understanding the timelines and dates, making connections. It's WAY better than what I could have taught her myself frankly.

 

BTW, picking the right curriculum for the child isn't important. You're going to make mistakes, and that's OK. The only thing that matters is listening to your kid and being willing to be flexible. :)

Edited May 28, 2012 by OhElizabeth

[fourcatmom]

A few observations here. On the Diana Waring thing, I have some of her ancients books, and they *are* adorable and fun, but the structure is really driven by you and non-traditional to boot. You might find them nice as a *supplement* to VP. Your dd said she's concerned about reading to learn and liked the video format of VP. That can mean a couple things. One, you ought to do standardized testing this summer if she hasn't had any this year. You want to know where she's at with reading comprehension, etc.. We test yearly, and I highly recommend it. The CAT from Seton or CLP will only be $25 and will tell you just enough. Definitely do that. My dd is very, very bright but she was more of a historical *fiction* person than non-fiction. We've had to work into non-fiction very, very slowly and gently, starting with simple, engaging texts that we read this year purely for the purpose of reading, comprehending, and outlining. She literally might not be ready to read non-fiction to learn.

 

On the young thing, if she enjoys it, she enjoys it. Don't tell HER your insecurities. *IS* she a young rising 6th grader? I'm just taking what you said literally. Nothing says she has to be a 6th grader if she's young, blooming late, and feeling overwhelmed. The boards have a really big effect of turning off your eyeballs to your own kid and putting them on some mental checklist you have to do to keep up with the crowds and what "should" be done. It might be that some "easier" materials, done quickly and in a way she realizes she can master, would be JUST the ticket for building her confidence. Success breeds success. Do you school through the summer? In your shoes, given what you've said, I would be tempted to buy the OTAE now (just bite the bullet), let her do it at her pace (which she'll probably fly through), challenging her to finish it by the end of July in order to do the free trial in August. Each card of lessons takes 2.5 hours, and there are 32 cards in a course year. So she can get it done in 2 hours a day, which she'll probably do gleefully. And for the free trial in August challenge her (with some awesome prize of course) to complete all of NTGR. At that point you've done 2 courses for a total of $199, which is pretty awesome to me. Then for the regular school year do MARR. That's what my dd did in 6th, and I can tell you it's NOT going to seem babyish to you or her. You're going to be very, VERY happy with it and blown away with the content. Lots of connections and rabbit trails. Lots of stories, great games. It's really amazing.

 

Then in 7th you're set up to do the 2 years of VP american, geography in 8th (what we're doing) and start a 4 year cycle or whatever you want for high school (AP, whatever).

 

Go with what the child likes. If she likes VP, give it to her. Seriously, you really can't go wrong with it. And don't fret about it looking young. Would that totally be the end of the world if *she* was the one who came to you a while from now and said "Mom, this is a bit young. I love the content, but I want to finish faster to get on to the next one that I know is a step up." Wouldn't that make your day? And it DEFINITELY steps up as you go through the levels.

 

Well whatever. You've got a lot of choices. You can add all the books and activities you want onto the VP history. You're going to know the topics, so all you do is use your library or the VP catalog and add in books to go with it. The course itself comes with pdfs (on the home page for the lessons) that will tell you the suggested readings. My dd has always preferred historical fiction, and the VP catalog has some really, really good historical fiction. Yes, my dd would have turned up her nose at HOD too. She didn't want *non-fiction* and she doesn't want to be told what to do when. They love narrative, so they want to enjoy and savor and imagine and get into it. The VP online does that exceptionally well. Historical fiction works with that. Yes there's a time and a place for structure and reading non-fiction, but it doesn't have to be *now* kwim? That's what high school is for. Let her enjoy now. The VP sequence is amazing and will have her understanding the timelines and dates, making connections. It's WAY better than what I could have taught her myself frankly.

 

BTW, picking the right curriculum for the child isn't important. You're going to make mistakes, and that's OK. The only thing that matters is listening to your kid and being willing to be flexible. :)

 

Just want to respond to a few things. I do appreciate all the feedback and the assistance. I made some bad choices with curriculum this year and I am fearful of the same mistake so that is driving my insecurities with curriculum, especially history. I know how much my dd loves history - watches the History channel all them time and is constantly seeking new information and putting pieces together. She does LOVE to read. She reads at a at least a 7th grader level and she does do the STAR test, the CA test and she has scored advanced in all the areas. She does have extreme anxiety and every once in awhile when I am not expecting it, it flares up. I believe she was more upset at the thought of "growing" older and being in at a "junior high age" and that is not a pressure I am putting on her that is just what she knows from her friends and from attending ps. She is at that age. I don't care what program she uses, as long as she is engaged and is learning. My immediate thoughts on watching the first demo on VP where you had to choose which animal one on the ark, seemed young for a rising 6th grader. She is young emotionally, she is not young academically. That one demo doesn't sum up the whole program or the whole experience and I understand that and that's why I let her watch it. I wanted to see if she would like it. She is a visual child, and I do think it would work.

 

I learned last year that both of my kids seemed really overwhelmed by the large text book style books loaded with information. I don't know if this is a bad experience carried over from PS or what. My 10 yo will break out into tears if I opened up a textbook. And it's not a reading problem. I have spent a lot of time this year understanding their learning styles and accommodating their needs so that they are learning, enjoying and embracing what I bring to the table.

 

Again, I appreciate you showing me VP. It is more then likely what we will do. I am happy she likes it.

[fourcatmom]

Oh, Elizabeth!

 

Your box is full...:001_smile:

[mom31257]

I actually plan on using Bob Jones Heritage Studies 6th grade with historical fiction added in. Their new student activity manuals look great. They have maps, outlining, graphic organizers, essay writing, etc. If you use their 6th-8th grade materials you cover all of world history and American.

[BFamily]

I actually plan on using Bob Jones Heritage Studies 6th grade with historical fiction added in. Their new student activity manuals look great. They have maps, outlining, graphic organizers, essay writing, etc. If you use their 6th-8th grade materials you cover all of world history and American.

 

 

This is what I am doing with DS10 this year, and he's really enjoying it. In addition, I fold in Dorothy Mills' Book of the Ancient World, Book of the Ancient Greeks and Book of the Ancient Romans at the appropriate time along with historical fiction to match the time period for reading. This year our historical fiction includes The Golden Goblet and Pyramid; Greek Myths and The Trojan War; and The Bronze Bow and City. This year has certainly been our most enjoyable year by far for history! We'll definitely be doing the same thing for history next year with the BJU 7th grade text/activity manual, Mills' books and historical fiction.

[Saddlemomma]

I think you need to determine how you like to teach and how you want your kids to learn -- that's always the tricky part for me. I really liked MOH. I liked the way it wove the Biblical history with the rest of the early civilizations, however I always felt like we were just skimming everything. It feels like a snippet here and a snippet there which is ok if you just want an overview. I felt like my kids knew just a very little bit about a lot of things and it was hard to keep it all straight. Would you rather go more in depth with the Greek and Roman civilizations since those are the ones whose cultures have carried over into modern times? I think that I liked MOH because I already had a knowledge base to hang all those other cultures on. I could see how the Phoenicians and the Babylonians fit into what I already knew, but I'm not sure if my kids were ready to make those connections yet.

 

 

 

I agree with you. We are doing MOH 1 this year and my dd, 4th grade, (who likes to really delve into a subject) feels we're just skimming the surface. So, I've gone totally off schedule with it. Now we read the three periods in each chapter, I let her pick which subject she would like to learn more about. The rest of the week we expand upon that subject.

 

For this reason alone I chose Diana Waring's History Revealed (Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries) along with MP's Middle Ages for next year. With History Revealed, you spend 4 weeks on a topic with lots of activities for extra reading, cooking, acting, hands-on projects, reports, science of the time and so on, to choose from. I'll be able to let my dd explore her interests more.