Need advice, to change things up...(history/science mostly)

[Debbie]

I think we are in a rut already. So I'm looking for ideas or advice, anything is welcome!

I plan curriculum on my own, they are in 5th and 6th grades, but more like a late 4th grader and early 7th grader. I do the major subjects every day, then history/science each twice a week, art/music each once a week.  We are first year homeschoolers so we started this year with Ancients for history and are somewhat following the SWB method with the notebooks.

I think I want to do math/spelling every morning, then they read independently each night...then I want to spend the days doing more in depth science, history, art, and music.

We started doing cake decorating with our neighbors and the mom sent me some links she found when the girl had issues with a cupcake recipe, so I think this week we will do some looking at the science behind baking and do some actual baking from scratch (I'm quick to grab a box of cake mix and call it a day..). They are also in an engineering class for co op, so I think I would like to build off of that and go more in depth on the topics they are doing there (electricity this month).

We've been doing Story of the World vol 1, but I want to get past the ancients and move on, they are really kind of bored with it and I'm not sure they are retaining much...but at the same time I want to stick to doing it in some kind of order. AND I am not a history person at all, so I really don't know any more than they do and I'm learning right along with them.

Also, I work outside the home part time, so I can do stuff with them, but then I leave so I'd like to have something independent for them especially on the days I leave earlier.

Any ideas? Especially for history.  Any ways to move a bit quicker and then go more in depth the second time through (in high school)?

[kwg]

Can they listen to it on cd? We did that in the car but we leave the house a lot.   And then maybe assign reading based on the chapter?

[ErinE]

For the science of baking, I recommend the cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen (also known as Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country). The company tests recipes then explains the whys and hows of what does and doesn't work. I own and enjoy Baking Illustrated. It's important to read the entire recipe discussion to understand the process. Having read and used the cookbook for years, I've become better at reading recipes online and tweaking before I begin baking.

 

Rose Beranbaum's The Cake Bible is a bit more technical, a good choice should your kids decide to tackle larger, more elaborate cakes. The cake pictures are dated, but the recipes are still good.

 

For science of food, Harold McGee's On Food is a good choice. It's a very readable book.

[My3girls]

Dd12 is using Kingfisher's Encyclopedia of World History and Oxford University Press's The World in Ancient Times supplemented by living history books such as Epic of Gligmesh, Biography of Alexander the Great, Ships Before Troy, etc... Maybe, the SoTW is too young for them?  My dd7 & 8 are using SoTW.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I was thinking the same thing, that maybe SOTW 1 was too young for them.  It's very episodic, which is ok for youngers but can be frustrating for older kids who are trying to make connections.  My 6th grader reads from SOTW 4, but not in order, I assign her specific chapters that go with the topics we're studying.  My 2nd grader is using SOTW1, and I would find it too young for 5th & 6th grades.

 

 The Human Odyssey is a 3 volume set covering ancient-modern history for middle schoolers.  These might be much more interesting for your kids, and would move you through it a little more quickly.   There is also Joy Hakim's Story of Science.  The first one, Aristotle leads the way, talks about history of science in the Ancient & Medieval periods and would be compatible with what you are doing in history.  It's not real heavy on science, but it ties together science & history which might make it more interesting to your kids.  There is a Quest guide that you can get to go with it, I would think they could do most of the activities in the Quest guide on their own.

 

 

[FriedClams]

We LOVED the Veritas Press self paced online history courses for elementary. LOVED them. They'd be light for your 6/7th grader, but perfect for the younger. My kids did them together and they're totally independent so they could do it when you're gone. We added in all the assigned reading with the VP readers. The online lesson is 30 minutes a day, plus any reading you do. I think it's a fabulous overview, an easy add to your schedule, and not a huge deal for a 6th grader (even a bright one) to do as "history".

[TarynB]

I agree with recommending K12's Human Odyssey series for history, for your kids' ages. It is a thorough overview that gives more detail than an encyclopedia like Kingfisher or DK, yet is not as detailed (and overwhelming, for MY DS11) as the books by Oxford University Press, for example.

 

For the whys behind cooking/baking methods & techniques, we enjoy watching the Good Eats shows by Alton Brown. I can't link right now, but I've seen them available on streaming from either Amazon or Netflix. Mr. Brown's shows are both entertaining & educational. I myself learn a lot from them.

[Pen]

I think SOTW is very readable, but also that it would be young for them.  I'd also suggest the CD's or just reading it start to finish all 4 volumes, no stopping for projects and so on.  I'd not worry about retention, but rather use it to get an overview sense of history.  Besides it is fun to be asked what are you studying, and answer that one has studied/is studying world history from the earliest nomads to the fall of the Soviet Union. That came out by accident when my son was asked by a relative who was against homeschool and it pretty much ended criticism when it became clear that my son had a better basic overview sense of history than the adult relative did.  When done with all 4 SOTW books, I'd go on to other things more at their stage/age level--or call it good for history for the year and focus on something else.

 

 

The science of cooking and baking sounds interesting to me, and I may borrow the ideas for that especially as we get into holiday and winter cooking time.  I work in that sort of thing without calling it "school" usually.

 

My son likes to start the day with reading to work into things gently, so usually he will do history reading first (he is currently reading a Howard Zinn book), and then get to math, after that using today as an example, he did art, then spelling, PE aka playtime, and then is supposed to finish schoolwork, which for him is writing, in the evening.  Writing is one of his daily subjects and it is sometimes nice to do in the quiet time of evening--we used to do it by candlelight, but cannot due to a young wild dog now--as he is now playing with a friend. They are doing some language as they play but as one is speaking in whatever Japanese phrases have been learned and the other in German phrases, I am not sure how effective it is--and I will not give credit for required school time for it.  But it is very funny.

 

Anyway, adding PE/play time into the day, and also writing and a language if not part of what you are already doing could be something to work toward.  You can also let some of the school time be elective choice by them once the basics are done.

[redsquirrel]

Yeah, I agree with everyone that SOTW 1 is quite young for them. I used that with my kids in first grade. I absolutely think it could have something to offer the 5th/4th grader, but the 6/7th grader might find it boring.  Plus, if you are following SWB's suggestions for logic stage history and notebooks, then you might find it helpful to know that she specifically says that SOTW 1 is not great for outlining. It is too narrative for outlining. 

 

For the middle schooler you might find the Oxford History of the Ancient World series in your local library. I found most of them on Amazon for reasonable prices. I never paid much. There are a mess of them so you don't need to get all of them. I know I used the Primary Source volume, Early Human World, Egypt, Greece, Rome and maybe Near East? They are great for reading, outlining, narrating etc.

 

For science via baking, then I highly recommend Mr Q's science http://www.eequalsmcq.com/

His 'Advanced Chemistry' is all about baking! It is a whole year of chemistry using baking as the homework. He calls it high school, but I have found Mr Q to be very accessible. I don't mean it is easy, but he has a way of explaining things that is appealing to kids. You might consider it for your older child, with the younger tagging along. He also has a free elementary stage biology curriculum available. Your younger child could do that. It has student and teacher pages. I believe the hands on part is in the teacher pages, so be sure to look at both.