How to work in 4 yr cycle with multiple children??

[acsnmama]

I'm not a huge WTM follower, and I've chosen HOD for the fall.

 

However, I do like the idea of the 4 yr cycle, but how do you work it for multiple children, especially including younger ones, with older siblings...

[*Lulu*]

We do a 5 year cycle here instead of a 4, but the principle is the same. Punk started the cycle his 1st grade year and Sister and Bug just sort of tagged along. As they have each matured and become more interested I have folded them into the activities. This year in our history cycle we have been covering modern history; Bug and Sister listen to read alouds and participate in the map work and some of the other activities but Punk has done a great deal of reading and watching documentaries above and beyond his younger siblings abilities/maturity level.

 

Everyone will go through the cycle twice regardless of what year of the cycle we are in when they start. My plan is that thier junior and senior years they will do history research papers/projects instead of the cycle.

[Dustybug]

Hello from a fellow HOD user! :)

 

We've used HOD for the past four years, but we're switching to something else this year to combine my two oldest. I want to eventually get to the 4 year cycle for both of them, but probably won't officially start it until my oldest hits 5th grade.

[Crimson Wife]

One reason I deviated from TWTM world history cycle to do 2 years of American history rather than early & late modern world history was because my DS was going to be joining in. World history just gets so dark and it's easier to keep things positive with U.S. history. This year we are doing world geography and we will start a 3 year world history cycle in the fall. I feel much better about covering early & late modern world history in 7th & 8th (oldest DD) and 3rd & 4th (DS) than 3rd & 4th and K & 1st.

[kiwik]

I am not home schooling. Just trying to cover history after school. I have two boys two years apart. The younger is quite mature as far as listening to stories go though (they are nearly 4 and 6). I am sort of just working on a 2 year vague overview mostly using fiction. After that I will have a second attempt at SOTW1 in a more formal way.

[Zoo Keeper]

Here's an article by SWB herself on combining children in the 4 year cycle.

[Koerarmoca]

We are doing a 4 year cycle for history and science. We have prek, 2nd, 5th & 9th graders. It has been wonderful! I just make extra/more challenging work for the older two and keep it light for the younger two. (my prek child listens for about 5 minutes then gets distracted but she gets something out of it) My older two usually want to dig in deeper with living books and such. I love having all 4 learning the same subject matter at the same time, it makes things so much easier on me too. My eldest two often read aloud from history or science while I prepare lunch and then we discuss what they read about while we eat.

[prairiegirl]

_{I have 3 children and have always done the 4 yr. history cycle. When my dd was in gr.3, my ds. was starting gr.1, I just folded him in to the time frame we were studying (I think it was early modern.) My youngest started gr.1 when the other two were in grades 3 & 5 and we were starting back to Ancients. My understanding of folding siblings into the cycle is that it is not important when they start it but, rather, that they are going through it chronologically so as to see how things progress. As my oldest got into logic stage, I would have her read different books and have different expectations for her than I did for the younger two. We started TOG this year for the first time and that has made things easier. I have them all together for the lecture/info part and then they do their own things for activities/essays and books.}

[thebacabunch]

Since you are afterschooling I would suggest getting sotw on audiobook and listening to them in the car while you drive them around. The activity guides are super fun too! You could do a few activities a week. Just start with ancients and go from there.

[boscopup]

You just fold in the next kid when they are ready for history. They might be jumping into the middle of the cycle, but that's ok. Just keep moving forward.

 

My middle one is joining DS1 sort of next year. DS1 will be doing the 2nd half of US history (Sonlight Core E) before we start over with Ancients and do a 4-year cycle. I've found books at DS2's level to go along with what we're doing in Core E. So they'll be in the same time period, but reading different books. DS2 will hear the read-aloud for Core E, since I read that at breakfast. Some of them are over his head, but that's ok. He's learning listening skills. ;) Next year, I'll get picture books from the library to go along with that week's studies.

 

When my oldest is in 5th, DS2 will be 2nd, and DS3 will be K. We'll start over at Ancients, and I plan to use TOG for that. We'll see how it goes. With TOG, DS1 will be reading his own thing, and the younger two will have read-alouds (picture books from the library, SOTW). So DS1 will kind of be working separately from his brothers, but the main topic for the week will be the same for everyone.

[Kathryn]

Have your children four years apart ;) kidding, but I'm happy my children's spacing works out well for the four-year-cycle!

[Stellalarella]

We are now in year 4, but SOTW4 was not a good fit for my 9yo, 7yo, 6yo and 4yo. SO, we have read a lot of picture book biographies of people from that time period, instead of reading SOTW. Of course, it's been fine for the older two kids.

 

I'm actually looking forward to starting over on ancients next year because I know we can all hang together.

[Holly]

Have your children four years apart ;) kidding, but I'm happy my children's spacing works out well for the four-year-cycle!

 

I think this suggestion is just a bit late for the OP...and me. :lol:

 

I'm planning on rotating through the cycle, and they will begin and end in different spots. I can't see any other way to work it out without splitting everyone up. I have debated splitting up for high school (and working independently), but I have awhile to think about this. We are currently using a 6yr cycle, so that complicates things a bit more.

[MinivanMom]

Since my kids are all about two years apart, we do two year cycles instead. We do two years of world history, then two years of American history. I just fold the next child in when he or she is read to join. Dd9 did two years of world history and is now doing two years of American history. Ds7 has joined her for the two years of American history, then he will do his two years of world history. Dd5 will get folded in when we start world history again. It has worked so far, but I don't plan to combine my children forever. Eventually I plan to let dd9 move onto her own path and work independently from the younger children as she starts to prepare for high school.