Thinking of dropping LHFHG & BHFHG for the year....what can I do instead for history & science

[melissamomof5]

A little background - I have a 3 year-old and am pregnant in addition to the 3 doing school right now.

 

To make things a bit easier for me right now, I am thinking of dropping HOD's Little Hearts for my 1st grader and Bigger for my 3rd grader and combining their history, Bible, & science for the rest of the year.

 

My 5th grader is doing Preparing and I LOVE it. My 3rd grader will be doing it next year for 4th.

 

So, what are some alternatives? I get SO overwhelmed looking around at the various websites.

 

We use CLE math, Rod & Staff English, and R&S Spelling already and love them.

 

THANKS!

[lorisuewho]

If you like Rod and Staff, you may really like their science.  We did the 2nd grade one last year and it was good.

If you want a very simple and thorough science, I would go for Evan Moor Daily Science.

I would suggest reading books, but that might add more stress going to the library if you are already overwhelmed.  I really really like just reading books with my kiddos and talking about stuff.

 

As for history, you could just read story of the World.  Another option would be to do the timeline activity book that Veritas Press just came out with for first grade.  it is called Bede's timeline or something like that.  It is meant to be done once a week and surveys American history.  We did Beautiful Feet Early American History last year and that was very enjoyable.  Mostly we just read the books to be honest though.

[abrightmom]

For Bible I'd consider reading through Leading Little Ones to God. If the 3rd grader is a good reader then I'd assign daily Bible reading.

 

Do you HAVE to do formal history or science? ;)

 

Other ideas that come to mind:

 

Read through good books for a set time each day. Book lists abound. Start with something that sounds lovely (Brambly Hedge? Beatrix Potter? Winnie the Pooh? A fairy tale or picture book anthology?) and carry on. 

Christian Liberty Nature readers are GREAT for science and narrations. You could assign small portions from the appropriate grade level reader and ask for a narration as often as you think it's necessary. You could also ask the 3rd grader to write out a line or two of copywork right from the reader and include an illustration (possibly copying right out of the reader). 

I'd want the 3rd grader doing regular work with drawing and writing, including cursive, in order to be ready for Preparing. Buy a pre-made copybook or make your own (Memoria Press' copybooks have gone well here). Drawing can be addressed through Draw Write Now books, Ed Emberley books, etc. Rod & Staff has Artpacs which provide fun motor skills art activities requiring simple supplies. Letter writing is also a GREAT way to practice writing and drawing skills. Assign one letter each week. Teach the form and lay out expectations. Ask the child to include an illustration with the letter (possibly using something from a drawing book in the illustration). 

Can their Dad take them to the library every 2 weeks and fill up a HUGE box/basket with gobs of books? Man, that works like a charm here and the kids read and read. We also grab a few documentaries. Magic School Bus, Wild Kratts, and Liberty's Kids have been loved by all here.

 

I've been trying to think of things that you could get going and then the kids can work on somewhat independently so you can rest. It's also nice if you can just do what you can each day without feeling like you've "failed" by not checking off boxes. 

 

Will you feel good about their next HOD guides if you skip the ones for this year? I don't think it will be a concern AT ALL as long as you keep up with the 3 R's. Personally, I find the early years with HOD to be "optional" as long as you're laying a good skills foundation along the way. Preparing is where it begins to be more important to stay the course from year to year if HOD is your path. ;)

 

 

[Chris in VA]

Do you want to do bible AND history AND science? 

 

I, too, love Leading Little Ones to God. We did it twice thru, actually. We used it as a devotional first thing in the mornings. You could do that, and just read thru a child's bible of your choice, maybe with a coloring picture. If you wanted bible as your history, you could use a child's bible as a spine (like you would use SOTW), and take a narration once a week or so, and copy a verse for copywork. You could pick an activity to do every two weeks or so (or more often) from a few sources-- I would probably pick something like Old Testament Days and Classical Kids (has wonderful Greek and Roman activities) so they could get the cultural flavor of the times. 

 

For science, I agree you might like Christian Liberty's nature readers, or Rod and Staff. I'd add a nature walk every couple of weeks--give your kids a nature bag with colored pencils, a small journal (I actually like a small photo album with sleeves you can tuck in some paper--that way you can paste in feathers and photos), and maybe a Tasco microscope (they are like fancy magnifying glasses but have a light and feel much more special!). 

 

If you wanted to do non-bible, more American history, maybe reading thru the Betsy Maestro series (very pretty picture books with meaty text but simple) and adding in a few read alouds would be nice. It'd be pretty easy to just do the bulk of history twice a week (ask for a narration/notebook page and find places on a map), keeping a read aloud going for 10 minutes a day. You could do a couple of Holling C Holling books and gently learn of the Great Lakes region and the West. Pagoo would teach about life in a tidepool--so science a little, too. 

 

YOu don't really need a program, just a couple of hours to pull something easy together and schedule it for yourself. Go easy! 

 

If your older was not doing American, I'd say just go with SOTW Ancients and read the bible alongside it, plus nature walks and some nice picture books for science.