Doing history as a family, in the evenings. Does anyone do this?

[Alte Veste Academy]

I'm seriously thinking about moving our history reading to the evening hours, after dinner but before bedtime read-alouds (which are always literature). I would probably still have the kids do their timelines, mapwork, and projects on school mornings, but I would like to do the bulk of reading (history spine and historical fiction) in the evenings, when DH is home to learn along with us.

 

Does anyone else do this and want to share how it works for you?

[cjgrubbs]

I think that is an awesome idea! It's harder when the kids get older bc of outside activities - it just wouldn't work for us now.

 

Definetly do it! You can always stop if you just don't like it!

[Soror]

lewelma's dh does their history read aloud and discussion in the evening, along with discussion and such. I haven't here but have been considering it for the future. Right now we are going pretty low key with content(we're just k and 2 here though).

[curlylocks]

I think that is an awesome idea!

...

 

Definetly do it! You can always stop if you just don't like it!

 

I would love to do this...

[Heathermomster]

I'm seriously thinking about moving our history reading to the evening hours, after dinner but before bedtime read-alouds (which are always literature). I would probably still have the kids do their timelines, mapwork, and projects on school mornings, but I would like to do the bulk of reading (history spine and historical fiction) in the evenings, when DH is home to learn along with us.

 

Does anyone else do this and want to share how it works for you?

 

We don't do that, but it sounds like fun. I've been known to read aloud a history text to the family while DH painted the living room and on long road trips. Combined with family museum visits, that sounds really fun.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I think that is an awesome idea! It's harder when the kids get older bc of outside activities - it just wouldn't work for us now.

 

Definetly do it! You can always stop if you just don't like it!

 

True. True... And right now all of our outside activities are mid to late afternoon...

 

lewelma's dh does their history read aloud and discussion in the evening, along with discussion and such. I haven't here but have been considering it for the future. Right now we are going pretty low key with content(we're just k and 2 here though).

 

Thanks! Now that youngest is 6.5 and is not so antsy during long read-alouds, it's become a viable option.

[AimeeM]

I'm considering it - although it would just be me, maybe dh, and the 11 year old. The 3 year old isn't very tolerant of sitting through textbook readings (or any readings, for that matter) ;).

[Alte Veste Academy]

We don't do that, but it sounds like fun. I've been known to read aloud a history text to the family while DH painted the living room and on long road trips. Combined with family museum visits, that sounds really fun.

 

Oh, I do like DH to go on our field trips with us, so I didn't even think how he would enjoy them even more if he shares in the rest of our history learning. Thanks!

[Alte Veste Academy]

I'm considering it - although it would just be me, maybe dh, and the 11 year old. The 3 year old isn't very tolerant of sitting through textbook readings (or any readings, for that matter) ;).

 

LOL Yes. DS6.5 is growing into sitting still nicely now or I think he would just interrupt us constantly. As it is, if he has wooden blocks and some play figures or Legos in front of him, he can listen for quite a long time.

[SorrelZG]

I do something like that. Well, honestly, I'm not particularly attached to any certain time. History and science reading are actually in our read-aloud category right alongside literature.

Edited September 27, 2012 by SCGS
being a dork

[GoVanGogh]

We often watch documentaries during the evenings and weekends with DH. DS generally tells his dad what he knows about the subject before we start the movie, then we pause it along the way for DS to tell DH other facts - in a way, to catch DH up with what we are studying, but it is also a nice way for me to quiz DS about his knowledge of the subject.

I try to schedule our historical field trips on the weekends and during vacations, so DH can attend.

If we had more time in the evenings I probably would shift all of our history to the evenings, as DH loves history.

[Julie Smith]

Sounds like a good plan to me. Right now are evenings are getting to full for much of anything, so I know for us we likely wouldn't get to it. I like (for us) having the deadline of everything must be done before Daddy gets home.

 

But there was a time when it would have worked out perfectly for us. I know dh would have liked learning some history along side us.

 

If it ever works out we will listen to SOTW with him during a long car trip. He likes to stop audio books, or read alouds every so often to point things out or offer his opinion or to even say, "I didn't know that".

[Alte Veste Academy]

I do something like that. Well, honestly, I'm not particularly attached to any certain time. History and science reading are actually in our read-aloud category right alongside literature.

 

The timing has to do with when DH is home. I do lit at lunchtime and bedtime and keep that sacred so official school doesn't crowd it out. I personally find stories at bedtime magically calming in a way that no other subject is. Everyone is different though, of course. That is just my bias. :)

 

You're not a dork. :lol: I saw what you edited and it's no biggie. I was not very clear. DS6 has been sitting still for long periods for read-alouds since he was wee. However, the reading we are doing for history is at a higher level than the picture books and chapter books he was accustomed to. He has recently become more interested in the longer, meatier history reading and is able to sit still for that content for longer periods.

[Alte Veste Academy]

We often watch documentaries during the evenings and weekends with DH. DS generally tells his dad what he knows about the subject before we start the movie, then we pause it along the way for DS to tell DH other facts - in a way, to catch DH up with what we are studying, but it is also a nice way for me to quiz DS about his knowledge of the subject.

I try to schedule our historical field trips on the weekends and during vacations, so DH can attend.

If we had more time in the evenings I probably would shift all of our history to the evenings, as DH loves history.

 

Oh, that is really cool about the documentaries. I could move those to the evening too. We all love them!

[Alte Veste Academy]

Sounds like a good plan to me. Right now are evenings are getting to full for much of anything, so I know for us we likely wouldn't get to it. I like (for us) having the deadline of everything must be done before Daddy gets home.

 

But there was a time when it would have worked out perfectly for us. I know dh would have liked learning some history along side us.

 

If it ever works out we will listen to SOTW with him during a long car trip. He likes to stop audio books, or read alouds every so often to point things out or offer his opinion or to even say, "I didn't know that".

 

Thanks. I guess I should strike while the iron is hot. Everyone is home in the evenings and interested. I think it would be fun to have that kind of shared knowledge and experience.

[Julie Smith]

Thanks. I guess I should strike while the iron is hot. Everyone is home in the evenings and interested. I think it would be fun to have that kind of shared knowledge and experience.

 

For awhile we did French in the evenings. My husband speaks french (but never taught the kids french)

 

So every evening I would read a page of a picture book in English, and he would read the same page of a picture book in French. It was a nice thing to do every evening, and worked well for awhile.

 

(French is one of those subjects I just have to keep tackling anew. I look forward to when my boys are old enough that to join a class with me and we have the outside pressure for it. Till then I keep finding new ways to tackle it so when we do start a class it wouldn't be all new to us. )

[Upward Journey]

I'm seriously thinking about moving our history reading to the evening hours, after dinner but before bedtime read-alouds (which are always literature). I would probably still have the kids do their timelines, mapwork, and projects on school mornings, but I would like to do the bulk of reading (history spine and historical fiction) in the evenings, when DH is home to learn along with us.

 

Does anyone else do this and want to share how it works for you?

 

I'm going to start doing this next week w/ SL Core 5. I used this core many years ago when my oldest was in 5th grade (2001 I think). We loved it. Child #2 went back to school the year that I'd planned on doing it with her and the next two are now the right age for it, so I'm going to start working on it in the evenings with all of them. I'm going to ease them into it gently so that they don't realize it's school :D take 2 years to do it and use everything as a read aloud.

[Elfknitter.#]

This was the only way history got done when I was working. It was nice to read aloud to the kids after dinner and a good way for me to reconnect with them. Now that I'm home, we can get more done in a day, so we're not doing it as often. It tends to happen when we don't get and it needs to have it done because of other plans.

[canadianmomtofour]

We actually take Fridays off altogether and do history, geography, and science experiments on the weekends when dh can help. It takes the stress out of interruptions from the younger kids with another set of hands around.

[Alte Veste Academy]

For awhile we did French in the evenings. My husband speaks french (but never taught the kids french)

 

So every evening I would read a page of a picture book in English, and he would read the same page of a picture book in French. It was a nice thing to do every evening, and worked well for awhile.

 

(French is one of those subjects I just have to keep tackling anew. I look forward to when my boys are old enough that to join a class with me and we have the outside pressure for it. Till then I keep finding new ways to tackle it so when we do start a class it wouldn't be all new to us. )

 

That is cool. I use Spanish picture books in the same way. It would be really cool for DH to speak Spanish though. What an enormous benefit that would be!

 

I'm going to start doing this next week w/ SL Core 5. I used this core many years ago when my oldest was in 5th grade (2001 I think). We loved it. Child #2 went back to school the year that I'd planned on doing it with her and the next two are now the right age for it, so I'm going to start working on it in the evenings with all of them. I'm going to ease them into it gently so that they don't realize it's school :D take 2 years to do it and use everything as a read aloud.

 

I have often thought that if my kids went back to school, I take up lots of history reading in the evening so they don't come to hate the subject like I did when I was in school. Maybe it was just me but it seems like history was the most botched subject when I was in school, a real snooze-fest.

 

This was the only way history got done when I was working. It was nice to read aloud to the kids after dinner and a good way for me to reconnect with them. Now that I'm home, we can get more done in a day, so we're not doing it as often. It tends to happen when we don't get and it needs to have it done because of other plans.

 

Thanks. I think it would be a nice way for DH to connect too, after work, to be a part of school.

 

We actually take Fridays off altogether and do history, geography, and science experiments on the weekends when dh can help. It takes the stress out of interruptions from the younger kids with another set of hands around.

 

I used to reserve all day Friday for nature study but with the kids getting older, that got harder to maintain. I'm tempted to try something again though, with more active learning on Fridays. Hmmm. Thanks.