soonermomma Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I have decided to let my kids give options and suggestions on what they study this year. We have not had any kind of formal history yet, just a little bit of social studies. They would like to learn about the US. Any suggestions for a US history program that would be appropriate for a 2nd and 4th grader? We would also wouldn't mind throwing in some geography. Any orogram you have found more successful than others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 When my daughter was in elementary, we used The Story of the USA workbooks as a spine, along with "American Adventures: True Stories from America's Past" (a 2 vol. set, 1770-1870 and 1870-present), Liberty's Kids, Oregon Trail video game, lots of historical fiction from the Sonlight lists, activities from the websites of various historial sites (Plimoth Plantation, Williamsburg, etc), and field trips. HSBC usually has a good deal on monthly video field trips to Williamsburg, which my daughter enjoyed as a 4th grader. Our goal was a secular program, so we picked the books from the Sonlight list and the library that worked with that goal. We were mixing this in with SOTW vol. 3 and 4, which was our main spine, over 2 years, so I used the Story of the USA (not the same as the Hakim books, which we use for middle school) workbooks as an auxiliary spine. The main spine that Sonlight recommends is Boorstin's "Landmark History of the American People" for that age group. For geography, you might enjoy the games at Sheppard Software (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com). If you have an iphone or ipad, we have enjoyed Aliens vs. Presidents, and I have had a lot of recommendations for Stacking the States. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 You might want to take a look at this free curriculum: http://www.guesthollow.com It was, I think, designed for your a 3rd grader but easily adapts to older/younger. Can't beat free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2OandE Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I'm using parts of Road Trip along with reading a lot of living books. I also found some state pages online somewhere to keep a journal and what not. We are going to be covering some US History, Geography, map skills, time and time zones, etc all in one. Mine are 2nd and 4th as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillehei Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Sonlight has a great 2 year course (D and then E) with lots of literature and it is very in depth. We did D+E, the condensed version) and it was a bit too much. I love unit studies and we love Homeschool in the Woods. There is a new kid on the block called Trail Guide to Learning which looks good to me, too. Most of the major homeschool companies have some form of US History. My favorite US History, though, is Notgrass America the Beautiful. It is for 5-8th graders, but if you can wait, it is worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mschickie Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I would also recommend the Sonlight Intro to US History. We did core d last year and dd really enjoyed it. She learned so much and has determined that Jean Fritz is one of her favorite authors. She enjoyed the readers and especially the read alouds like The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Johnny Tremain. I was a history major in college and I still learned a thing or two. I loved their book on Eli Whitney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 When my daughter was in elementary, we used The Story of the USA workbooks as a spine, along with... I like the looks of the Story of the USA. Somehow I have missed hearing about that series :-0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I like the looks of the Story of the USA. Somehow I have missed hearing about that series :-0 It's not one that I see widely discussed. I think that, even out of those who look at the Sonlight material, more people use the Landmark series as their spine. They also have a Story of Western Civilization series that looks similar, but I haven't actually seen or used them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 It's not one that I see widely discussed. I think that, even out of those who look at the Sonlight material, more people use the Landmark series as their spine. They also have a Story of Western Civilization series that looks similar, but I haven't actually seen or used them. THANK YOU! I saw both sets at CBD, including teacher's guides. They are now on my wishlist :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wutzz Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 You might want to take a look at this free curriculum: www.guesthollow.com It was, I think, designed for your a 3rd grader but easily adapts to older/younger. Can't beat free! I second Guesthollow, especially if you enjoy using literature. There are many selections chosen with a reluctant reader in mind, which also can be a plus. I have spent a good amount of time reviewing Guesthollow's Amer. Hist. and I really like it a lot. I'm just trying to figure out how to line it up with SOTW. I wonder if anyone has used the two together, if so willing to share!? I'm getting ready to begin SOTW 3 in a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I am planning U.S. history for a 2nd and a 4th grader as well. Here is a list from Cathy Duffy with reviews which is helpful for many of the popular programs: http://cathyduffyreviews.com/history-geography/history-geography-index.htm I have used Edward Eggleston's books-- A First Book in U.S. History Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans. Used together, these would make a nice history course, though it only goes up to about 1900. I always recommend the latter title to everyone who hasn't read it yet. My kids *love* these stories of "Great Americans." Last year I used Mara Pratt's American History Stories, volumes I-IV. These became a favorite for the children and me, though I had to pre-edit them before I read them aloud to the kids due to archaic terms. These were written around 1900 and have not been revised, only reprinted. However, they were worth the time! I bought the Rainbow Book of American History (Miers) for this coming year. It is out of print, and I bought a musty, old copy on Amazon because of several people's enthusiastic reviews, especially that it is a lot like CHOW. I haven't read the whole book yet, but the more chapters I look at, the more impressed I am with this book. I love historical fiction and biographies as a way to cover U.S. history, but I also want a good spine like this one to teach the basic outline. It covers through WWII. I great quality book you may want to include is: Why America is Free: A History of the Founding of the American Republic, 1750-1800 It gives a good history of the founding of our country including understanding the Constitution. Your 4th grader would probably get more out of this than your 2nd grader. I am planning on reading it to my kids this year. Another supplement to consider is: 200 Questions About American History (student guide, teachers guide). I am planning on using this for quizzing and for memory work. Here are some geography recommendations: --Map Trek--historical maps with lesson plans. You can use these maps to correlate with your history reading. --The Complete Book of Maps and Geography, grades 3-6. A fantastic workbook! --Geography as recommended in the Core Knowledge K-8 Sequence. You can download the sequence for free for the CK website. The Baltimore Curriculum Project also has free lesson plans you can download. Let me know if you want more info on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingyhag Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I am pretty sure the Rainbow book you mention is about to be republished by Beautiful Feet books under the title of "A Child's First Book in American History". It is suppose to be released this summer, but it's not on their website anywhere. Only learned about it thru their catalog. I was hoping it was available when I place an order last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I am pretty sure the Rainbow book you mention is about to be republished by Beautiful Feet books under the title of "A Child's First Book in American History". It is suppose to be released this summer, but it's not on their website anywhere. Only learned about it thru their catalog. I was hoping it was available when I place an order last week. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I am pretty sure the Rainbow book you mention is about to be republished by Beautiful Feet books under the title of "A Child's First Book in American History". It is suppose to be released this summer, but it's not on their website anywhere. Only learned about it thru their catalog. I was hoping it was available when I place an order last week. Wow! I'm keeping my eyes open for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingyhag Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 If you go to Beautiful Feet books, you can download a pdf of their catalog. In the first few pages, there is a whole page dedicated tot he book. It is the same authors as the Rainbow book. Suppose to be 300 pages long. Paperback priced at $21.95, Hardback $29.95. You can't have too many history books can you? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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