mothergooseof4 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I am ashamed to say, we have NEVER done one. Kids are in 3rd, 4th, and 7th. We mean well, start them, get about three weeks into it and FAIL! The thought of it still lures me, and Homeschool in the Woods timelines and figures are so pretty, but I know I wouldn't do it. BTW, my oldest is doing the one in America the Beautiful because it is in the activities and he does it himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professormom Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I am ashamed to say, we have NEVER done one. Kids are in 3rd, 4th, and 7th. We mean well, start them, get about three weeks into it and FAIL! The thought of it still lures me, and Homeschool in the Woods timelines and figures are so pretty, but I know I wouldn't do it. BTW, my oldest is doing the one in America the Beautiful because it is in the activities and he does it himself. With the ages your kids are at, you wouldn't have to do anything. Just give them timeline books and the figures for the week and let them do it. The 7th grader could help the youngers make sure their AD and BC doesn't get mixed up. At the beginning of each year (or you could do quarter or even just each week depending on how you plan), I put the figures for each week in separate envelopes in their weekly folder. All they have to do is pull them, color them (if you want them to:-) and stick them. I usually have this marked on their week plan to do on a heavy academic day because it pulls in a lighter activity and it seems to them like they are getting a break.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2Hh Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Yes- I am. well not a totally complete failure. but we never finished ours last year. It still bugs me. I don't know whether to add to it this year or start over with what we're doing this year. My problem was trying to find clipart/image to use for each Bible story we were doing (which was a LOT! and not easy to find) and I couldn't keep up with it. Ds didn't seem to care about doing it that much. I think this year will be easier- IF and WHEN we finally start it! I made workbox cards with images of the books we're using for history and I realized I can print them again and use them on the timeline as they have either a picture of the person or a relevant title, etc. the other problem is I have perfectionistic tendencies so that slows me down. It it's not turing out just wonderful I tend to just not do it.... :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durriyyah Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 DD1 is spotty at completing hers, but that's on her plate. I got a subscription to National Geographic and picked up a ton of old magazines because I thought it would be fun to cut out graphics and put it on the timeline... but they all sit on the shelf, never touched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I've heard SWB say that timelines in the elementary grades are basically pointless since the concept of time is difficult (if not impossible) to grasp at that age. Soooo don't feel like a failure- I'm sure you're spending time on the important things, and a timeline at that age certainly isn't one of them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnmusic Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I've heard SWB say that timelines in the elementary grades are basically pointless since the concept of time is difficult (if not impossible) to grasp at that age. Soooo don't feel like a failure- I'm sure you're spending time on the important things, and a timeline at that age certainly isn't one of them!! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I've heard SWB say that timelines in the elementary grades are basically pointless since the concept of time is difficult (if not impossible) to grasp at that age. Soooo don't feel like a failure- I'm sure you're spending time on the important things, and a timeline at that age certainly isn't one of them!! Oh this makes me feel lots better!! I'm not the OP but I've never gotten a timeline started in this house either!!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Hate them! Tried doing them. Total failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We are supposed to do a timeline for 3rd grade history but my boy rather read History: The Definitive Visual Guide (From The Dawn of Civilization To The Present Day). My boys dont have the patience and neither do I. We will put in much more effort to timelines when they are in middle school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We actually forget about our timelines. ;) We'll be reading about Beowulf and I'll suddenly realize that we haven't updated our timelines since the Akkadians were allied with the Sumerians. Doh! Kids, go get your timelines!!! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We're doing MOH 1 this year and a timeline is built right in the weekly lessons. I purchased the HIW figures, which is a huge time-saver, and my dd loves doing this on her own. It's a nice break for her and she enjoys coloring the figures and arranging them in time order. She even wants to write the timeline divisions on the paper! Although she's in 4th grade and may not fully grasp the concept of time right now; this is a keepsake she will have and can use & update during her middle school years. So, since it's fun for her and doesn't take too much of my time, why not? BTW: This is the 1st timeline we've been able to stick to. The HIW pre-made figures and having it built into the curriculum made all the difference in the world for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We were a fail at timelines until I removed the timeline book and premade figures from our day. We use twine hung on the wall and just clip a index card with a drawing or blurb for the event/person we want to add. Since it is all ways in view and it is fun seeing the line fill up it actually gets done. At the end of the year we pull down the cards and glue them to pages and add them to the subjects notebook they created during the year. I keep a stack of index cards handy along with clips so it is an instant thing. I sort of disagree with SWB about timelines for grammar stage children. Yes, the idea of thousands of years ago might be hard to get a true feeling for but knowing one event happens before another or seeing on the timeline that this person lived before that person is an idea children can grasp. It puts what the child is learning in some sort of order that they can visually see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I am ashamed to say, we have NEVER done one. Kids are in 3rd, 4th, and 7th. We mean well, start them, get about three weeks into it and FAIL! The thought of it still lures me, and Homeschool in the Woods timelines and figures are so pretty, but I know I wouldn't do it. BTW, my oldest is doing the one in America the Beautiful because it is in the activities and he does it himself. Are you using SOTW? If so, you can download timeline cards coordinated one per chapter at the yahoo group, hannahs homeschool helps. I just gave my dd one each time we started a chapter, and she glued it in. It's really for logic stage, but this was easy-peasy, and I didn't get obsessive. We just made a book out of paper, with a cover that had lots of pretty pictures on it. Here is an example. Super easy, got the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I hate timelines. I'm thinking of just buying one already done. :lol: This is so me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We have never been successful at a timeline until this year. My ds11 is doing one for TOG year 4, and I printed out and bound a timeline for him, printed out pictures of key events, and got everything all ready ahead of time. He really enjoys doing it and seeing it all come together, but until now he really didn't care about all that. It's a developmental thing, and as someone else has referenced SWB's recommendation that timeline work wait until the middle grades, I'll second that, based on experience. What my dd 7 loves doing is lap books about what she's reading, and we group the mini-books together to show the various topics and "clumps" of time. She doesn't care about the dates and years yet. Actually, I just posted pictures of their timeline and lap book on my blog this past week if you want to go look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 DS uses a computer program to enter info and pictures. We can print the finished product on legal sized paper. If it weren't for the software, a timeline wouldn't be happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 DS uses a computer program to enter info and pictures. We can print the finished product on legal sized paper. If it weren't for the software, a timeline wouldn't be happening. What software? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) What software? Easy Timeline Creator. It's an older piece of software, but works on my Windows 7 machine. ETA: You have sweet sweet blog BTW... Edited October 23, 2012 by Heathermomster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 We aren't creating a timeline until our second cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I finally gave up and bought a timeline book last year. This year were are making a Book of Centuries. It's going much better than timelines ever did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I finally gave up and bought a timeline book last year. This year were are making a Book of Centuries. It's going much better than timelines ever did. Did you buy a book or template? I'd like to do something more formal for my eldest. Right now I'm doing Tanglewood's BoC - it's basically a page for each person studied, not really a timeline. I decided if our timelines depend on clipart to color, they won't get done. Kids are going to have to draw their own entries! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) Did you buy a book or template? I'd like to do something more formal for my eldest. This year we each picked a journal with lined pages. We spent quite a bit of time deciding how to divide the pages and set up the BOC. That was the hardest part. Now every few days we add interesting dates and info. She likes drawing her own pictures. I do strongly encourage ;) certain dates, but I try to let it be hers as much as possible and let her decide what to include. This is working much better for us. It's also nice to be able to include more detail about events and people than many timelines allow. Edited October 24, 2012 by Hilltop Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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