Too early to start SOTW?

[mumztheword]

My DS turned 5 in May, and we're hoping to do an easy, relaxed K program starting in the fall. I bought Saxon K, which so far he loves, and we're doing a crazy amount of reading. He just today read his first BOB book on his own!

 

I've heard (on another board) that SOTW should really be started in Grade 1, but I've seen siggy's here that indicate some people might be using it as early as K.

 

Should I wait? Or should I go for it? I have a 3.5 year old too -- so maybe there's a better time to start based on where she'll be? I don't want to go overboard and burn out, but it seems like it's basically just more, well, stories.

 

Thanks!

[JaneGrey]

Absolutely no problem when I gave mine selections from SOTW to read on his own beginning when he was 5yo. In fact, the reason I didn't rely on SOTW for history last year was that the readings were so easy. (He turned 6.)

 

However, I also decided to call last year 1st grade for purposes of calculating our history cycle. What would you end up doing with your 4-year history cycle?

 

Depending on your answer to that, you might wait til younger turns 4 and begin to read SOTW to them both. I think there'd be more comprehension then for both of them. Not that your 3.5 wouldn't gain anything by beginning it all sooner. Just depends on how much you want them both on the same page.

[Chris in VA]

I'd wait, personally. There are so many fun activities in SOTW 1, and I just loved doing it. I did start in K, in January, and finished SOTW 1 at the end of 1st grade, but I was a new homeschooler and just couldn't wait to get to the "good stuff." Had I to do it again, I'd have relaxed more in K and gone on more field trips and done more fun art and such.

[FO4UR]

I would wait. My ds turned 5 in January, and I've got a 3yo too (and a 2yo) so our dc are about the same ages. I think that extra year (or two) makes a big difference. It's probably not going to harm him in any way to be read some history, but I think it would take time away from reading other great books...that he won't want to read when he's older.

 

I am waiting to start "1st grade" until ds is reading somewhat fluently, can do basic copywork, writes his numbers with ease, and we finish off our Kindy readings. Given my ds's fm delays, this is a tall task.:001_huh: I will fold dd into the history and science when she meets the same requirements, which will probably be at a younger age than ds.

 

Congrats on ds reading his 1st Bob Book:party:

[mommylawyer]

I started SOTW with DD1 back in March (she turned 5 the previous December). She loves the stories and the coloring sheets. Not so fond of the "map work." She's hit or miss with the narration pages - I ask her the review questions right after I read, then I ask her to tell me about the story and I try to write, verbatim, what she tells me. I write using her words so she can go back through her notebook later and read the lesson - which she's done a couple of times.

 

She and her 3 y.o. brother LOVE the activities!

 

[i need to update my blog, but there are some pictures of a couple of the activities from SOTW1.]

 

http://mommylawyerme.blogspot.com/

[Julie in Austin]

The thing is: SOTWI is fine for a 5yo, but SOTW4 is not fine for a 8yo. It is a huge leap in complexity and difficulty and, to be honest, dry-ness.

 

So I would wait.

[Mommy22alyns]

The thing is: SOTWI is fine for a 5yo, but SOTW4 is not fine for a 8yo. It is a huge leap in complexity and difficulty and, to be honest, dry-ness.

 

So I would wait.

 

 

I was planning to just divert completely when we hit that age and do a year of US/state history with the girls. Or who knows what might come out in the next 3 years. :) Then I'd pick back up and go through the cycle again. That would have Sylvia starting her "formal" schooling with the US unit.

[Zelda]

Depends on the kid, I guess, but its a lot more fun when the child is fully engaged in the subject. My 5-year old could take it or leave it but my 7-year old loved it. I eventually dropped it with the younger child.

[Goldilocks]

I waited with my DS until he was in 1st. Since he has an early birthday he was already 7. I really, really wanted to start earlier but decided to stick with the WTM recomendations. I;m glad that I waited. Even at 7 I felt like he was too young for some of the activities in the activity guide.

 

We ended up using FIAR for K and really had a great time.

[Rosie_0801]

A lot of people use K to do a bit of geography so the kiddies have some idea where all this cool history stuff happened. I'm intending to do that and a bit of prehistory if they're interested. The lovely thing about K geography is you can take care of it with a few good jigsaw puzzles of maps and whatever is in the library.

:)

Rosie

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I started DS in SOTW in K in order to keep both kids together in history. On the wise advice of a friend we focused on Mesopotamia and Egypt that first year rather than trying to do it all. It was a huge help as that was also our first year homeschooling. DS did a great job and I adjusted my expectations accordingly-he didn't do much independent reading on the topic and I took a lot of dictation for narrations. The material was all in his head and he did a lot of drawing to represent what he learned.

[michaeljenn]

Hmmm... I did not wait to start it and it was tooo much for my children at that age. Their sweet little brains just did not get it. They would rather be playing in the dirt!! They were both early reader too. My oldest started reading at 4 and my second one began at almost 5. They are very smart and absorb history now. I expected too much from them when they were young, trying to do WTM as written. It burned us all out. So, my answer is to wait!!! There is honestly no rush. I do not plan to start it with my younger children until 7 or 8, or later (or earlier) depending on the maturity and interest level of the student.

 

Hope this helps.

[swellmomma]

My Ker will start with SOTW Monday HOWEVER that is because big sis and bros are going to be using it, so for ease of matching cycles he will start. If he was my oldest I would hold off and wait. What I plan to do is 3 rotations for him followed by a civics course for grade 12. It's not hard to implement with Ker's I just think that for the most part K should adopt a less is more mentality, we have years to intorduce our children to things, we don't have to do it all in the K year.

[Adrianne]

The thing is: SOTWI is fine for a 5yo, but SOTW4 is not fine for a 8yo. It is a huge leap in complexity and difficulty and, to be honest, dry-ness.

 

 

 

I agree with Julie that if you start too early you will run into problems later on. So don't go too fast.

 

BUT

 

The thing I love most about SOTW is the stories in SOTW feed the imagination. My boys spend countless hours "playing history".

 

Could you start reading the stories for enjoyment especially the supplemental reading? Then do the activities if needed. You can always go slow or redo next year.

 

I would encourage you, if you can handle it, to start and play it by ear. See how it works for you. Just remember you can stop at anytime.

 

Happy reading!

[mumztheword]

I love the idea of my kids doing SOTW together, so I'll hold off on it for now. I'm awaiting my FIAR order -- so excited to see what that's all about.

 

Thanks everyone for your common sense and opinions!

[Paula in MS]

With your oldest being 5, I would wait until first grade. A friend of mine just bought Galloping the Globe for her 1st and 2nd grader. This would be great for kindergarten. I wish I had seen it for kindergarten. It is literature based and is a study of countries around the world. It would be a nice study before formal history.

 

Paula