serendipitous journey Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 May I? Please? :) We got bogged down with SOTW 1 a couple of times last year, and threw in the towel before we even got to the Romans. I kind of just want to move on to SOTW2 in the fall and not fret about ancients until they come 'round again -- though I plan to sneak in some of the literature so he has elementary school exposure to the mythologies. If you think this is a terrible idea, please tell me why. If you think it's okay I'd love to hear that too:D. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I don't think it's a terrible idea or anything, but why not do just a week on the Romans or just read the sections in SOTW or watch a video or something and then move on? The Romans are kinda important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joani Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Can you just read through the rest of SOTW 1 over the next few weeks at bedtime? I do think it's a great idea to start fresh with the Middle Ages in the fall. My kids who were in public school last year are reading/listening to SOTW 1 over the summer and I think that's enough to be prepared for SOTW 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 We're no help. We're quitting SOTW (except for the Audio's and the odd idea or two from the Activity Books) and transferring over to Winterpromise. :tongue_smilie: We'll play SOTW Audios in the car (go through all 4 volumes every year, till they know it by heart ;) ) Disclaimer: What I am about to say is considered blasphemy. My kids don't like SOTW. :001_huh: They like the "activities" crafts, cooking etc, they don't like the book itself. Two sentences (or less) will pass before there eyes glaze over and they start to pick at the carpet or run off. *I* myself think its interesting, but is certainly is a long drawl for the little ones, really I think the yougnest should be about 8 before considering it as a RA or Independant. My kids are more imagination, crafts, projects based then in for chapter books. Very sad for me and to wrap my mind around not doing WTM. :( If the kids interests are waning, then just grab 2 or 3 "key" books, that cover that time period in a fun and informative way, read those over hols, perhaps watch a movie/doco or two, then continue on to SOTW2 next year. You have to do, really, what feels right for you and your kids, read advice, sure, but take it with a large grain of salt (including my advice :D ) and then just forget what everyone said and decide for yourself. We're moving over to Hideaways in History, I'm going to get some plushy animal toys to play the 3 narrators (a Indian Jones Caterpillar, a Cricket & A Spider with glasses) which will also replace their lack of Ziggy (they love their puppets & plushies). So we'll do an overview of History with HIh this year, and just get Science Play as our book, and next year use Animals & Their Worlds. In effect, I look stranger than you in my choices, so hopefully that makes you feel better:tongue_smilie: :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) I don't think it's a terrible idea or anything, but why not do just a week on the Romans or just read the sections in SOTW or watch a video or something and then move on? The Romans are kinda important. Can you just read through the rest of SOTW 1 over the next few weeks at bedtime? I do think it's a great idea to start fresh with the Middle Ages in the fall. My kids who were in public school last year are reading/listening to SOTW 1 over the summer and I think that's enough to be prepared for SOTW 2. Sigh. I suppose you're right. I don't know, I'm just irritated at the SOTW1 presentation right now -- Button, who is a deep and linear thinker, doesn't really follow the thread of a lot of it b/c it's glossed over. His narrations were weird, clearly he was hearing and understanding but not really putting it together -- I was like that myself, and didn't understand history until I read things that really made a coherent narrative out of it. Not that SOTW isn't excellent, it's just been frustrating. I may use the corresponding sections of Human Odyssey to wrap up the Ancients section. :tongue_smilie: Thanks for helping me stay the course!!! ETA: farrarwilliams: just re-read your ideas about books/movies ... do you have any Ancients videos you could suggest for a sensitive fellow? eclecticmum, you must have posted while I was drafting this -- thank you for your perspective! Button doesn't love SOTW, either, and I hate to smoosh any latent enjoyment of history -- perhaps, with what you and farrarwilliams are suggesting, we can do the literature from CHOLL and leave it at that. Or maybe work through the Ambleside cycle ... Edited July 22, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joani Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Sorry, I was assuming that SOTW 1 was working for you because you were sticking with it for SOTW 2. If it's not, reading anything that covers the time Romans will do the trick. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) Why stick with SOTW if you weren't liking it and got bogged down? There are other spines out there, you know. I personally like Builders of the Old World. And, of course, you don't have to do the narrations. If you're just going to gloss over it and move on to focus on something else, then why not skip them? It's okay to literally just read it. ETA: As for literature... I don't know. You could just take out a pile of Rome books, read them over a week or two and call it a day. How old is he? Obviously, Macaulay's City is good (and it's a DVD too) and there are piles of good Pompeii books. We enjoyed reading Detectives in Togas aloud. I remember we had a Stephen Biestry book we really liked. But I have the benefit of a good library, where I can just show up and find a bunch of books and not research ahead - at least not for a topic like Rome where there's plenty of stuff. Edited July 22, 2012 by farrarwilliams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 SOTW2 is, in my opinion, the most disjointed of the series. This is because history itself is pretty disjointed during that era. If you don't like SOTW1, I would be VERY surprised if you like SOTW2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Why stick with SOTW if you weren't liking it and got bogged down? There are other spines out there, you know. I personally like Builders of the Old World. And, of course, you don't have to do the narrations. If you're just going to gloss over it and move on to focus on something else, then why not skip them? It's okay to literally just read it. :iagree: I am a bit :lol: at the irony of the title and the statement that your kids don't love SOTW. Kids are different. It's OK to pick something else. A Child's History of the World and A Little History of the World are both wonderful. Pick something that makes them history lovers, not something to get it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) Sorry, I was assuming that SOTW 1 was working for you because you were sticking with it for SOTW 2. If it's not, reading anything that covers the time Romans will do the trick. :) Why stick with SOTW if you weren't liking it and got bogged down? There are other spines out there, you know. I personally like Builders of the Old World. ... SOTW2 is, in my opinion, the most disjointed of the series. This is because history itself is pretty disjointed during that era. If you don't like SOTW1, I would be VERY surprised if you like SOTW2. :iagree: I am a bit :lol: at the irony of the title and the statement that your kids don't love SOTW. Kids are different. It's OK to pick something else. A Child's History of the World and A Little History of the World are both wonderful. Pick something that makes them history lovers, not something to get it done. well okay, now I feel silly. :) I suppose I just want the feeling of being a WTMer. Our math is all screwjiggy (very accelerated, plus poor handwriting!), our science is NOT WTM, our literature isn't either (poor Button detested mythology: "I want stories that are either true, or about kind people"), &c. This child won't do anything the way it's written -- though he's mellowing out as he gets older (nearly 7). I so want to just do SOTW and feel marvelous about our Truly Legitimate History. I've been going through the Human Odyssey book (I have the first volume, ancients - middle ages) and I think it will be just the ticket. At 7, Button should be able to manage it as a read-aloud and it starts where our astronomy/earth studies leave off (as in, prehistoric peoples -- we are old earth). The sections are manageable, there are nice little intros to the chapters and also summary sections, which I think will help Button stay oriented; it is interspersed with interesting stories; and I think Button is much more tolerant of mythology now so we could hit the major myths and stories. Also the Mcauley books (I didn't know about the DVD -- thanks, farrarwilliams!). This seems like so much fun, and since we school year-round I think we'll be up to the modern era by fourth or so. that sounds like _fun_. Now to sell Button on it ... thank you so much everybody. and am :lol: at my own ridiculous self! -- we have "A Little History" (even illustrated! which is such a decadent treat) but not Builders, though Builders is on my short list ... maybe I can find it at the library to preview ... ETA: Thinking about the narrations, it wasn't that I wanted to gloss over the history, it is that the sections didn't give enough context/detail/whatnot for Button to get a real grip on what was going on and why. As I reflected on it, I thought that his disjoint narrations reflected a lack of deep understanding, and I didn't like to keep throwing history at him if it wasn't making sense. His narrations from, for ex., Eggleston's "Great Americans for Little Americans" or from "Fifty Famous Stories" were much more coherent. I think Human Odyssey will be ideal for that: it works to make connections clear, and also draws out cultural constants (as in, people building a civilization need a substantial surplus of food -- where do the different peoples get it? people are interested in the problem of living a moral life among other people :) in a mysterious world -- how do the different cultures approach that challenge? &c). At least for this child, in our family. Maybe. Edited July 22, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 well okay, now I feel silly. :) I suppose I just want the feeling of being a WTMer. -snip- I so want to just do SOTW and feel marvelous about our Truly Legitimate History. ^ This is/was me. I was literally in sweats over the thought of abandoning it. I read LCC (Latin-Centered Curriculum) and bent my will a little to include the thought of Latin everyday, and Block Scheduling. But I realized it still wasn't working. My kids are not average classical kids. They are messy, interactive, creative, destructive, problem-solving children, that want to 1. Drive my classical thoughts to the insane & 2. Explore everything in depth and with labs/projects/building and art. Not very Classical, but it works for them. I am still keeping some of the classical ideals and small ideas, but the WTM-way just isn't working here, but is causing the kids to glaze. Rather than "reading" about how they created "mummies" they want to "do" it. We've done about 7 projects on mummies, with me talking about the process throughout them examing it. On the other hand, you could read Story of the World yourself, one chapter at a time, and bring the "information" to them in a form that will excite and interest them (don't ask me how, I don't know :tongue_smilie: ) If my children want a story read thats not a picture book (and even picture books have their limit I have found out) they want bullet point format. :lol: They want one simple sentence that encompasses one idea, and if they are interested in that, then they want me to expand upon it. They are still getting the Audios CDs in the car, and thats my final decision :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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