So, I have to ask - SOTW

[SereneHome]

It seems that many of you start SOTW with pretty young kids - 4-5 yrs old.

 

I've looked over the book itself and it seems it would be too much information for a young kid (yes, I understand all kids are different).

 

Am I missing something? Is it not as intense as I think it is?

 

Also, has anyone done this with a child who doesn't read yet?

 

I am planning to do US history this year and was going to wait until next year when he will be 6 and hopefully knows how to read by then.

 

Thoughts?

[EKS]

I purposely waited until my younger son was 6 1/2 (first grade age) before starting SOTW. We did a world geography study during the first half of kindergarten and American history in the second half. When I decided to do this, my main goal was to delay SOTW a year, but the benefits were amazing. The geography really helped him know where things were in the world, which was good, but the American history allowed him to have context for all of the wonderful books written for lower elementary level kids that are set in American history.

 

After doing a homegrown geography program from September to December of his K year, I got K12's History K for the remainder of the year. It does geography and American history and it was a wonderful gentle introduction to American history for that age. Highly recommended.

[SereneHome]

Thank you, I'll take a look. I was planning on doing Adventures in America - it seems simple and flexiable and yet, not a lot of planning on my part - I like that LOL

[RootAnn]

Well, with my oldest, I waited until 2nd grade to start SOTW1. But, the next kid in line was in K and she tagged along. (We did a year of US History instead of SOTW4, BTW.)

 

We were back around to Ancients this year with a 6th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, and a pre-schooler. Guess who could answer the questions well after reading each secttion? Yep - the pre-schooler (age 5)! The books get increasingly more detailed, longer, and less story-like (IMO) as you go through the series. I wasn't going for mastery of the material in SOTW1 -- just exposure. At the beginning of this year, I was amazed at how much dd#2 remembered from when she was 5.

 

Younger ones coming along for the ride can listen in to the stories. If you take longer than a year to go through each book, they might even keep their interest in the later books because they will have matured along with the material.

 

I don't recommend starting SOTW when your oldest is really young. But tag-alongs? Absolutely!

[Julie Smith]

I started SOTW when Eldest 7 1/2 and Youngest was 6. I tired to find a good compromise since I felt it would be best to start at around age 7. So a little later than I wanted for Eldest, and a bit earlier for Youngest. Unlike most people here we are going through them pretty quickly. After we finished with book 1 and 2 we relistened to them before starting book 3.

[Farrar]

We did it in kindy and my kids are youngish for grade. They were not reading yet. Even now, they read fine and we use SOTW (among some other things - it's not our primary spine anymore - this is our early modern year) but I still read it all aloud.

 

I think it depends greatly on your goals and what you want them to get out of it. My primary goal is exposure. They enjoyed our ancients year very much. We did lots of projects and read lots of fun picture books of myths and stories. We read the SOTW text and did some oral narration stuff, but not the ones in the AG - more CM style of whatever they could remember. They still remember some things from it and reference things. They can put civilizations in general chronological order and could tell you that Caesar was Roman, that Hatshepsut was Egyptian and very general stuff like that.

 

On the other hand, if your goal is that kids really memorize and recall the level of detail in the text, or that they be able to do the "official" narrations in the AG, then yeah, hold off. Don't start until they're seven or so. That just wasn't my personal goal.

[craftyerin]

I am not starting SOTW until my kids are older. I used both volumes 1 and 2 in the classroom (private classical school) and don't think my kids are ready for them yet. I don't fell the need to go through the 4-year cycle 3 full times, either, so I'm good with going a trip through SOTW in 2-5th grades. Until then, we are using FIAR.

[Harriet Vane]

My dd started it in second grade, and my ds in first grade. That was about the right time for ds. I think dd would have been fine starting SOTW earlier, in kindergarten or first grade. Both kids love the amount of detail that is given.

 

I didn't really worry about retaining every detail. We did narrations and lots of the activities and supplemental reading. When they were younger I treated the tests as an open-book activity to do together, though sometimes they did the tests as real tests. About halfway through book two both kids were taking the tests as tests, and doing just fine.

 

Neither kid has ever perceived SOTW as intense. Rather, history has long been a favorite subject in our home.

[SereneHome]

My goal is exposure, everything else is a bonus. I am also not planning on doing history full time, more like once a week or something. We read a lot of non-fiction books that touch on different periods, so I just want them to be able to recognize certain terms, but even that is a bonus.

 

Farrar, what are you using as a spine if not SOTW?

[Farrar]

My goal is exposure, everything else is a bonus. I am also not planning on doing history full time, more like once a week or something. We read a lot of non-fiction books that touch on different periods, so I just want them to be able to recognize certain terms, but even that is a bonus.

 

Farrar, what are you using as a spine if not SOTW?

 

 

If that's the case and your kids will enjoy it and not be too sensitive (some people hold off because they have kids who would be upset by know about wars and so forth, even if ones from long ago), then I would say go ahead and start in kindy if you want to.

 

We used SOTW1, then we used SOTW2 and part way through it I grew frustrated. I don't know ancient history that well, but I do know medieval history and while there wasn't anything wrong with SOTW, I also knew it wasn't exactly how I wanted to present history. I knew that I wanted more social history - history of "everyday people." SOTW is all the "great men" of history, as well as the myths and legends. By the end of that year, we had started using Builders of the Old World more than SOTW2. Builders of the Old World is an older spine that covers Western history only from ancients to the Renaissance/Reformation and includes more social history.

 

For second grade, we took a break and did US history. We didn't use any particular single spine. Now, we're finishing the early modern period and we've globe hopped and gone a bit more geographically. We use a little of SOTW3, a little of A Little History of the World, a little of other things. Basically, we're winging it. Next year, we may go back to SOTW4 for fourth grade. I haven't found anything else that I think is comparable. Then, I'll just supplement it.

 

That's what we've done... but I feel free to "wing it" for history. Do whatever works for you.

[SereneHome]

I am still very new to this, so figuring out what works, what doesn't. Thank you so much for the info

[Bree]

We tried SOTW 1 for my 1st dc K year and it was too much. We are going through SOTW 2 now and it has been a lot better. DS is just starting 3rd grade and does great with it. My 6 year old listens to most but she loves the extra books we get from the library most of the time :)

[junepep]

I thought that my eldest might have been able to start STOW last year at 5.75, but my youngest would have only been 4.25 (yay decimals!). After looking at all of the fun activities and stuff, I'm glad that I waited. Kit definitely wouldn't have gotten as much out of it last Sept and Mim wouldn't have gotten anything out of it at all (beyond perhaps an everlasting hatred of history).

 

We wound up doing little mini units on prehistoric times, Rome/Greece (mostly gods/goddesses/culture) and Egypt just because they came up in every day life (because of MEP's roman numerals and the statues & mummies @ the Met museum & listening to the SOTW audio books in the car). I feel like it gave them both a taste, without overwhelming them.

 

If you're anxious to get started, why not play the audio CDs on car trips and then if your child gets curious about something specifically then you can get a few books from the library, watch a few documentaries, get some coloring pages from the internet or pick up some toys or activity books relating to the topic from amazon (or the local library again - but mine is sort of sparse on activity books). Good luck!

 

edited for clarity :D

[momtoamiracle]

I started it at the beginning of this year (1st grade for just turned 6 yo) and it was too much. His eyes would glaze over. I shelved it and wil do it this fall, when he's a little past 7. For him I think it will work best that way. We did K12 history for K and I really liked it. I just wish I could have gone at my own pace and did it once a week instead of two or three times a week.

[2_girls_mommy]

I started in 1st as suggested inWTM. It was perfect. My ydd was 4.5 at the time, and she followed along just fine. The projects and picture books and coloring sheets were perfect for her. I didn't expect anything of her, but it gave her an overview and a familiarity for world history and the major cultures. She continued to follow along, but is now on her 2nd time through SOTW vol. 1 in 3rd grade. So this is her official first time through ancients. Before that she was just a tag along :) The older dd moved into logic stage WTM history studies of the ancients.

[nrself]

I said in another thread today I think SOTW works great for logic stage too. You can definitely save it till then. You shouldn't feel guilty if you leave it out completely. Or another option for the first few years, if you agree with the idea of instilling "pegs" for hanging history on later, would be picture books and biographies for youngers or collective biographies like Baldwin's Famous Stories Retold or Tappan's Heroes of the Middle Ages type books.

[Coco_Clark]

It seems that many of you start SOTW with pretty young kids - 4-5 yrs old.

 

I've looked over the book itself and it seems it would be too much information for a young kid (yes, I understand all kids are different).

 

Am I missing something? Is it not as intense as I think it is?

 

Also, has anyone done this with a child who doesn't read yet?

 

I am planning to do US history this year and was going to wait until next year when he will be 6 and hopefully knows how to read by then.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

I'm starting it with my five year old this September. He reads, but not fluently enough for consistent comprehension. That could change by then but I highly doubt he'd be up to reading SOTW by himself. We are treating it as a read aloud, with picture book supplements, and a few of the simplest projects thrown in. We are going for exposure more than real understanding or memorization of facts.

 

I would personally wait until first grade as well (that's what WTM suggests) but he loves history, it's his favorite subject by far, and I am NOT a good interest-led teacher. Feeling off-the-cuff makes my skin crawl. I could continue to do what we are doing- let him bring home stacks of history books from the library to read together. But I think having some organization to it will be nice.

 

As for intensity and information load, like you said, all kids are different. Mine cut their teeth on Whinnie the Poo and quickly move on to classic fairy tales and books. They are used to much more advanced read alouds than SOTW, and like I mentioned, I'm not looking for them to remember a ton of facts, just get a feel for civilizations.

 

 

Edited to add: of course this is a PLAN , so we may crash and burn. Just thought the question was about why you would want to start at 4-5 as well as if it worked, which I obviously can't answer yet :) :)

[Maela]

I started SotW 1 with Dd in November (kindergarten - age 5). We got halfway through the book this year, and we'll take all of first grade to finish the second half. I read to her while she drew a picture to go with what I was reading. I had her label her pictures. We did the mapwork and glued all of the review cards to a timeline hung on the wall.

 

We won't start SotW2 until second grade. DS can listen in, but I won't require anything. He'll have just missed the cut off for kindy that year. Even now he listens often and even answers some of the questions correctly that I ask Dd.

[Tanikit]

I started my Ker in SOTW1 just before she turned 5 (she was reading a first grade level at that stage) - she has enjoyed it. She is a very hands on child though and the things she has enjoyed have been all the hands on activities. I skipped the narration and map colouring and just pointed out the areas on the map. She does not remember most of the things we have done, but she has enjoyed history and certainly remembers many of the projects we did. My goal is exposure - we have added many library books and I have found her adding history stories into her imaginative play. Even my 2 year old has taken part in some of the activities at her own level (but then she loves colouring and sticking).

 

With my 5 year old I only read short sections to her at a time and if I thought it was over her head then I would rephrase it in a way she would understand. I know that now at 5.5 she is taking in a LOT more as she does narrate sometimes now and is doing a good job with the narrations. I suspect that if she were older she would take in more, but then she could be taking in something else at the older age which she equally would take in better if older - I can't keep waiting til she is older to start - I will of course keep doing it as she ages though in more depth.

[kiwik]

I tried last year when my eldest was five but none of us enjoyed it much. He does remember stuff from what we did read. I only started because I afterschool and I wanted to hold a place for history.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We started SOTW1 when DS was 5.5- technically K, but I'd say at 1st grade in most areas. He was a hesitant reader at the beginning of the year. We used the audio CDs plus the coloring pages. At the beginning of the year, my observations were that his oral narrations (i.e. Tell me what you remember from the chapter) were terrible. He could not come up with one thing to say. But later in the week, I would see him incorporating elements of the stories into his make-believe play, either construcing a Ziggaurat, mummifying a stuffed animal... what have you. I dropped the narrations for a while.

 

After Christmas, we started up the narrations again (DS just turned 6 at that point) and WOW. He can practically recite the chapter by heart. :-) Slight exaggeration, but not much. He is REALLY taking in the information now.

 

This summer, I plan on going back through the CDs, one chapter a day to refresh his memory on the old chapters. He loves listening to the CDs anyway, so this should be painless.

 

In terms of too much information- I did not find any sections to be "too violent" or "too graphic" and I'm usually extremely picky about that stuff. But if that sort of thing concerns you, it would be pretty easy to pre-read and edit if necessary.

[JenniferLynn]

DD was 5.5 and 1/2 way through K when we started SOTW 1. We listened to the audio (repeatedly) and did the questions and map work. I was amazed at what she retained, and the connections she would make to other stories, shows, or conversations. With SOTW2 we also listen to the audio but she reads the chapter too. I am glad we started younger. Ironically, it is harder to plan for my incoming K twins. They have tagged along for over a year now, but it is becoming a habit and I am not sure when to start SOTW formally and independently for them.

[LEK]

I started SOTW when my eldest started 1st grade (3 months before she turned 6), the 4yo pre-ker tags along too. Both my girls are OBSESSED with history and literally beg me every day to do history. It is great for them, they enjoy the story and it is at a good level for both the 4yo and 6yo to enjoy and understand the story. I will not be redoing SOTW for the current 4yo as she is already doing it all and has amazing retention but I have a 1yo and will re-start the series again for her when she is in 1st, my middle child will then be able to join in with sotw again while working at a higher level (she will be in 4th when the baby is in 1st).

[MtnMama]

We started when my son was 5. He loved SOTW1 then and now, at 6, he loves SOTW2. I read each chapter aloud, and we find the area being discussed on the globe. Once I've finished reading, he usually runs off to draw a picture or build a Lego model of whatever we were reading about. He's a huge history buff though, so YMMV.

[boscopup]

I started my oldest with it at 6.5, halfway through 1st grade (when I pulled him out of school). It was a perfect fit for him at that age. I think if I had tried it a year earlier, it would have gone over his head. He wasn't good at listening to a story at age 5. That will vary from kid to kid though. He loves history, and he would read the SOTW books himself after I had read them aloud. He still goes through the whole series periodically when it strikes his fancy. :)

 

We've taken a 2-year break to do US history (mostly because he has read SOTW3 and 4 on his own several times), but we'll start Ancients again when the kids are 5th, 2nd, and K. I plan to use TOG, so oldest will have his own stuff (SOTW won't be enough for him for 5th grade), but the younger two will get to hear SOTW, since it's scheduled as an alternate Upper Grammar resource. I have no real goals for the K'er that year, history-wise. If he isn't interested, he can walk out of the room. I don't care. If he does want to listen and join in answering questions, that's great too. Since I don't really do "history" in K, it ends up being an optional tag-along subject. Even first grade is ending up an optional tag-along subject for my middle son.

 

As far as being able to read goes... That shouldn't matter. SOTW is meant to be read aloud to your child. It's good listening skills practice. We also got a lot of picture books from the library and my oldest read the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History on his own (I tried reading that aloud, but hated doing it). We did the questions in the AG and gave an oral narration. We started out doing one project in the AG per chapter, but after the chicken mummy, we kind of let it go by the wayside. I still have my chicken sitting in salt on the top of my fridge 2 years later. Maybe that can be our project 2 years from now - wrap up the very-dry-by-then chicken. :lol: Oh, and we did history 3 days per week - one section of SOTW each day (most chapters have 2-3 sections).

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

We started it at old 5-new 6yr age and it was a flop here. Not sure if it was the book, the age, or the fact it was World History. The book never engaged her and it was only the extensive library book list that created any spark in learning the information. I plan on trying them (have the whole set of books and AG) year after next. Instead we did a yr of American History figures and symbols with state introductions, year of World geography and cultures and now working on a 2 yr study of American History. Along the way we have been reading books from the history section of the library so she is not completely ignorant of the Ancient Egypt, Greece and so on.