Reading SOTW just for "fun"

[Mom2TheTeam]

I'm just curious if anyone has read SOTW just for educational fun. We use MFW 1st and are about 75% done. We really have loved it. However, I can't keep myself from constantly looking at other things. (I wish I could use everything! :p ) So, I got SOTW vol 1 from my library just to look at myself. The kids saw me looking at it and asked me to read it to them. So, I started reading....they really liked it and wanted me to keep going. I haven't read much. But, it got me to wondering....could we just read it...for fun? Of course, we can do anything we want. ;) But, is this a bad idea for any reason? We wouldn't do any activities with it. We'd just read the book. Maybe if we come across a topic we want to investigate more, we will get some things at the library. Other than that, we would just read it through. Thoughts?

[Walking-Iris]

Of course!!! You could read a textbook for fun if you wanted to!!! My kids have a 1st grade level science textbook that I bought at a garage sale for a quarter. They love it because of the big, colorful pictures.

 

BTW I've read all 4 volumes of SOTW.

 

I can't think of one single reason why it's a bad idea. :)

 

ETA; my oldest ds thinks looking at the dictionary is fun.

[Julie Smith]

I'm just curious if anyone has read SOTW just for educational fun. We use MFW 1st and are about 75% done. We really have loved it. However, I can't keep myself from constantly looking at other things. (I wish I could use everything! :p ) So, I got SOTW vol 1 from my library just to look at myself. The kids saw me looking at it and asked me to read it to them. So, I started reading....they really liked it and wanted me to keep going. I haven't read much. But, it got me to wondering....could we just read it...for fun? Of course, we can do anything we want. ;) But, is this a bad idea for any reason? We wouldn't do any activities with it. We'd just read the book. Maybe if we come across a topic we want to investigate more, we will get some things at the library. Other than that, we would just read it through. Thoughts?

 

That is sort of how we do it on occasion. First we listen to it one section at a time. (Each chapter is broken into on average 2 or 3 sections). After each section the boys do a copy work sentence.

 

But once a book is done we quickly listen to the previous books.

 

So we did SOTW # 1 and 2 slowly with copy work.

Then we quickly listened to SOTW #1 and 2. Usually about an hour a day.

Now we are listening to SOTW #3 slowly with copy work.

Once we are done we will quickly listen to SOTW # 1, 2, and 3.

Then we will slowly listen to SOTW #4.

 

We don't do activities. No one here likes them. We do take rabbit trails if we want to.

[Murrayshire]

It would be great for bedtime RA's or Morning Breakfast Stories......or do both! I'm thinking I'll use the audio books like this for my two youngest next fall.

[Plink]

My kids and I listen to it in the car just for fun. DH loves it too.

 

We are a bit weird though, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt.

[Jess4879]

This is how we are going to use it next year. I do want to add in a timeline though.

[Mom2TheTeam]

Thanks everyone! I'll have to decide if I'm going to buy it to read more leisurely or if I'm going to use the library copy and just read though it quickly over a few weeks. We'll probably just read however we want to and just keep renewing. If someone puts a hold on it or the number of times we can renew runs out, then I'll buy it. It isn't that expensive. :)

[No More Perfect]

We plan on reading through Vol 1 in July and August to for ancient history review. We won't be counting it as school but just doing it as a read aloud. I think it should be fine to do it just for fun!

[laughing lioness]

Of course! You should! My kids have read it for fun and have listened to the CD's of SOTW for hours for fun. Last year we read The History of the Medieval outloud for "fun" -seriously! They had such a great foundation from SOTW that it all made sense to them.

[Plateau Mama]

We listen to all 4 volumes every year. I kep them in the car and we listen when we are driving. My 10 yo has listened to them 2-3 times, he loves them. I need to put them on his surface so he can listen to them at will. My younger (5), doesnt care for them yet.

[Mom2TheTeam]

I really need to replace the stereo in our car. The CD player works, but is wonky and starts skipping after a while. But, we do try to listen to books in the car. It sounds like this might be a good one to listen too. :)

 

I ended up buying the activity guide. :lol: I wanted the coloring pages and maps. I don't think we will do many of the activities, but I wanted to have the option and wanted the book lists in case we want to learn more about any topic. But...we really are just doing it for fun. :laugh:

[matrips]

My kids and I listen to it in the car just for fun. DH loves it too.

 

 

Same here.

[Hunter]

I use textbooks as read alouds all the time.

 

The Rod and Staff grade 4 geography text is one of my favorite read alouds.

 

I can get used PS textbooks at Amazon for a penny. I don't need TMs as I'm only using them as a read aloud. I like the short choppy sentences and explicitly taught vocabulary of the grade 1 and 2 books.

[AdventureMoms]

My 4yo saw me reading it and did the same thing. We are using it as a read aloud with coloring pages. If she wants to do activities or supplemental readings on any topic we may, but mostly she wants to know what happens next. She begs for more. We're just rolling with it for now.

[boscopup]

Absolutely! We did SOTW1 and 2 the "normal" way, but my son read 3 and 4 on his own, then he went back and read the whole series a couple times while we went on to US history this year. My SOTW copies are bent and battered with all the love. :D

[HLDoll]

I'm not sure how many times my oldest has listened to all the SOTW volumes read by Jim Weiss. It's definitely "fun" audiobook time around here!