She LOVES science.... HATES History....

[Twilight Woods]

DD would do Science every day. She cries when we do History. What do I do? For Science we are doing interest led. For history we are using SOTW1 with AG. We listen to the audio and do a oral narration and do a project. SHould I just listen to the audio then craft/map forget the narration?

[Hunter]

DD would do Science every day. She cries when we do History. What do I do? For Science we are doing interest led. For history we are using SOTW1 with AG. We listen to the audio and do a oral narration and do a project. SHould I just listen to the audio then craft/map forget the narration?

 

Science is interest led. History is a textbook. Do I need to say more? :lol:

 

I looked at SOTW, and...it's somehow seemed hard and babyish at the same time to me. The sentences were too long for the student I wanted to use it with.

 

I'm got so frustrated looking for a world history spine that I gave up and started doing American History for now, while I research my options and hunt down affordable copies. I been dragging home library books by the arm fulls, almost daily.

 

Maybe the textbook will only be for ME, and I'll just read REAL books and talk to the student. And maybe write a simplified version of portions of the textbook for the student. When it comes to primary ancient history, I think we have LESS, not more than we did in the 90's :confused:

[Twilight Woods]

Science is interest led. History is a textbook. Do I need to say more? :lol:

 

I looked at SOTW, and...it's somehow seemed hard and babyish at the same time to me. The sentences were too long for the student I wanted to use it with.

 

I'm got so frustrated looking for a world history spine that I gave up and started doing American History for now, while I research my options and hunt down affordable copies. I been dragging home library books by the arm fulls, almost daily.

 

Maybe the textbook will only be for ME, and I'll just read REAL books and talk to the student. And maybe write a simplified version of portions of the textbook for the student. When it comes to primary ancient history, I think we have LESS, not more than we did in the 90's :confused:

 

She is fine if I just read the books suggested in the guides and didn't make her do anything else.........

[edeemarie]

She is fine if I just read the books suggested in the guides and didn't make her do anything else.........

If she likes regular books, then I would just read to her. You can get something like All Through The Ages that will give you great book selections for all historical time periods that are age appropriate. You could just maybe add a timeline or a book of time to that and I think that would be plenty for history.

[helena]

Here's what I've been doing for my 10yo this year.

Mon. SOTW CD and reading

Tues. map (only takes a few minutes) and reading

Wed. reading

Thurs. Kingfisher History Encyclopedia and reading

Fri. notebooking and reading

 

The notebooking is a surprise hit! I printed up a bunch of different styles of pages and bought a set of Martha Stewart glitter glue (:001_smile:), and wham!! she loves it. Somehow in her mind this isn't a drag like our old SOTW schedule.

 

Reading is a combo of reading levels and fiction, nonfiction, and biographies.

 

My main goal was to have history be mostly "cuddled up with a good book."

 

We're also doing History of Science from Beautiful Feet, maybe something like that could be a good compromise. I don't think it would be hard to supplement (with a little planning) to make sure it's just enough science and history for one solid school year.

[sagira]

What about history focusing on scientific discoveries, inventions, scientists? This could be worth a try. I know Beautiful Feet has some, or you can piece your own together. Ds9 was the opposite - he loved History, he didn't like Science - until he started watching Beakman's World on Netflix and reading Joe Kaufmann's How Does It Work? book. His interest got piqued by my selection of interesting, modern living books. He still loves History more - he adores SOTW - but he likes Science now too.

[Alte Veste Academy]

If she likes regular books, then I would just read to her. You can get something like All Through The Ages that will give you great book selections for all historical time periods that are age appropriate. You could just maybe add a timeline or a book of time to that and I think that would be plenty for history.

 

:iagree: I would do a timeline (5 minutes a week?) and mapwork (ditto) and read lots of high quality history books.

 

You might consider approaching history through science. Inventing the Future would be a good spine for that. You could also pick read-alouds and picture books that have a heavy science bias to bait her.

[Critterfixer]

I use SOTW as a spine--that is, it mostly stands on the shelf supporting some other books, and I break it out when I need a section that I can't find a good book for at the library.

A decent library has plenty of history "textbooks" but more importantly I've been able to find some decent biographies of the people and their associated events. Best of all, most of them have pictures.

When I can I pick up DVD's about historical events or people and we watch those in the evenings or on the weekends.

Sometimes I do maps from the Blackline map collection I have. But I'm planning to go my own way on maps with geography. It's all well and good to make sure the child has a good idea of what region the history is taking place in, but I feel we jump around too much with SOTW for the maps to actually be of much help. I'd just rather confine them to geography.

[Twilight Woods]

All great ideas Thanks! I am thinking that maybe I will go with the reading library books and timeline and see how that goes and if she ever gets more interested add in more stuff down the road.... for now I will read SOTW b/c I love it.

[Hunter]

.... for now I will read SOTW b/c I love it.

 

:lol:

 

Now if I can just find a text I love. :glare:

[Twilight Woods]

:lol:

 

Now if I can just find a text I love. :glare:

 

:D

[woolybear]

Not a huge SOTW fan here. It might even make me cry too.:) This is for the 6.5 yo, right? Why not go with interest led too. Go to the library and pick out different books. Maybe use Usborne Encyclopedia of World History as the spine and if anything sparks her interest, read more about it. Maybe stop reading history to her for awhile. Try some field trips, some dvds, hands on projects.

[Twilight Woods]

Not a huge SOTW fan here. It might even make me cry too.:) This is for the 6.5 yo, right? Why not go with interest led too. Go to the library and pick out different books. Maybe use Usborne Encyclopedia of World History as the spine and if anything sparks her interest, read more about it. Maybe stop reading history to her for awhile. Try some field trips, some dvds, hands on projects.

 

Yes this is for my 6.5 DD. :) Im thinking of doing this.

[IsabelC]

You could use SOTW as a framework for yourself, and just do a few picture books and a few practical activities with your child. (Plus some DVDs if you do screen entertainment in your house).

 

Eg for Shakespeare, we read one picture book about Shakespeare and the Globe, plus a few picture book prose versions of plays (which I have "pre-exposed" them to last year). Then we did a battle re-enactment using foam boffer swords and fake blood. All kids like to throw fake blood around. Don't they?

 

The other thing I do to make SOTW more interesting when we read it aloud, is that I borrow some relevant books before and some after. So we might read something a few weeks before we get to it in SOTW, and then when we read that chapter, the kids can go "OH, that's such-and-such!" and feel happy that they already know some of it. Then we might get a different version or a different aspect of the topic the next week, so there are several opportunities for things to sink in without having to make the kids write narrations.

[PeterPan]

You might try tossing SOTW. My dd didn't like it either, and she loves history. No point reading something that makes her hate history. If she's going to hate it, at least let her hate it for what it is, not because she's stumbling over one person's writing style or whatever. Guerber, VP, there are lots of other choices. Or just do the interest-led stuff, as you say. Take the narration points the SOTW AG gives you and use them as memory work or things to make sure she learns as she reads the picture books with you. That way she learns what she needs to learn but learns it in a way that fits her. That's what VP does. They put the points on the cards that you need to learn, and then you flesh it out with ANYTHING.

 

CHOW has an outlining workbook to go with it she might like. It's very concrete and a different writing style.

[ChandlerMom]

I would toss the history in a heartbeat. SO much time, nothing gained by tears.

 

I'd take a break from history, then work it in sideways with science. Try books like Ancient Science (experimental, too). There are good books like, "Mathematicians are people, too" which are rather entertaining biographies. When she is older ((MS level), if she's still not enthusiastic about history, Hakim wrote the "Story of Science" published by Smithsonian and JHU Talent put together lab books to go with it -- explores science moving thru history.

 

Just saying there are ways that don't require tears. I also agree a lot of history is simply too heavy or too irrelevant for some kids to take in. A little maturity can make the world of difference, but not if they set their minds against it. ;)

[besroma]

DS 6.5 *loves* VP self-paced history. There is a WTM member organizing a group buy.

 

You can also sign up for a free two-week trial on the VP website to check it out.

[Karen in CO]

Yes this is for my 6.5 DD. :) Im thinking of doing this.

 

My 7yo hated history until I changed it to interest led. But I keep it somewhat chronological. Last year, we covered ancient Egypt with lots of crafts and lots of art projects and sticker books and stories and myths. Right now, we're deep into Vikings. She wears a cloak and carries a wooden broadsword with her most of the day. We're reading lots of stories and myths, looking up Viking villages, following the routes of raids and tracing family history back to our own Viking roots.. She loves the Useborne Time Traveler book.

 

After this, we're planning to move over to Medieval times and watch society develop and fight off and integrate the Vikings. There is no reason history for early elementary can't be fun and somewhat chronological.

 

We did have to skip ancient Greece and ancient Rome because those were her sister's favorite time periods, and she didn't want to study them at all. Hopefully she'll get over that by the time we circle back around in 5th grade.

[Twilight Woods]

My 7yo hated history until I changed it to interest led. But I keep it somewhat chronological. Last year, we covered ancient Egypt with lots of crafts and lots of art projects and sticker books and stories and myths. Right now, we're deep into Vikings. She wears a cloak and carries a wooden broadsword with her most of the day. We're reading lots of stories and myths, looking up Viking villages, following the routes of raids and tracing family history back to our own Viking roots.. She loves the Useborne Time Traveler book.

 

After this, we're planning to move over to Medieval times and watch society develop and fight off and integrate the Vikings. There is no reason history for early elementary can't be fun and somewhat chronological.

 

We did have to skip ancient Greece and ancient Rome because those were her sister's favorite time periods, and she didn't want to study them at all. Hopefully she'll get over that by the time we circle back around in 5th grade.

 

I asked her what she was most interested in learning and she said "nothing" just Dinosuars. Which we are currently doing for Science before we being Zoology [ANIMALS!!!]..... Sooooo I am thinking of maybe doing a state studies or president studies......... then try to move her into something more Chronological.

[Karen in CO]

We did dinosaurs for a long time. I have one of those How to Draw books for dinosaurs. She draws families of dinos, colors them, writes the name on the back, gives them names like 'Joe' and 'Molly' then laminates them. She plays with them and drives me batty with. It seemed like it took forever for her to get over her distaste for history. After giving her some time to rest and forget she hated it, I got one of those uncover a mummy kits and the Dover Egypt kit and was terribly excited about doing them with her. She picked up my enthusiasm. After Egypt, she went right back to dinosaurs until we started reading How to Train Your Dragon, and I explained to her that Vikings were real.

[Walking-Iris]

This is just my opinion so take it it for what it's worth. Others may agree or disagree. I find that the Peace Hill Press books (SOTW and WWE) are really advanced for the suggested age levels. The way people use them anyway. We've been dipping in and out of SOTW Ancients for a little over a year now, following rabbit trails and reading other library books etc. We linger where there's interest and move on if there's not. I also use the suggested books as a sort of review. Sometimes because of ILL the books aren't in my hand until after we'v epassed that chapter. I noticed that my ds appreciated the review aspect of looking at that topic again later.

 

The book does say designed for grades 1-4. I prefer to aim for the upper levels of that grade range. I started SOTW in 3rd and we'll likely try to leave Ancients behind at some point this year. I think about my oldest at 6 and no way would SOTW go over very well. At 6, as far as history, just focus on geography and read some good biographies and stories.

 

There's nothing wrong with "unschooling/relaxed" history when they are little. History is always building on itself our whole lives. We are never done learning history. Aim for instilling a curiosity about history so that the interest in learning about it will hopefully stay intact their whole lives. If they learn too soon to dread the history book coming down from the shelf, then that would be contrary to the purpose.

 

I just bought History Pockets: Ancient and it looks a little more interesting for the younger child.

 

ETA: My 5 year old loved hearing Magic Tree House books as read alouds. Sort of sneaky way to talk about history.

[campmom]

Have you ever looked at My Fathers World, I bet your DD would like Adventures it is just fun. They believe in keeping history a little "lighter" while they are young and get into more of the "heavier" stuff when they are a little older. Also Adventures ties some science into the history like making butter, baking bread (yeast experiments) she might like it.