How does this look, and can you recommend a history for us?

[dessertbloom]

In the fall, we will have a second grader, a first grader, a PreK/K'er, a toddler, and a baby.  :willy_nilly:  The oldest 2 are in private school this year, but we did K and PreK at home before that. I'm planning to keep our choices super simple so we can get in the groove of homeschooling again and work on building routine, chores, behavior, etc. Here's what we have planned so far:

 

Bible: the stories with the Millers series, memory work, a family collection of hymns (and maybe Leading Little Ones to God, we'll see)  (keeping this simple, read a story, memorize a verse, sing a hymn, done) 

 

LA: LOE Foundations (right now we're finishing level A after school, will move into B this summer, I think I can keep both girls together in this, but my PreK/K'er (Dec. bday) is chomping at the bit and has gotten to lesson 15 in A) 

 

Math: MM Grades 2, 1; MEP Reception (and maybe Miquon since we have it already)

 

Science: Apologia Astronomy (they've been begging to do this for over a year now), and a bunch of Usborne books on various nature topics 

 

Lit: lots of books from FIAR, Sonlight, MFW K, etc. 

 

Art: Home Art Studio, a handful of drawing books, and maybe a SCM composer study or two or A Child's First Look

 

Music: piano lessons, and maybe SQUILT 

 

 

We have no state requirements to fill and I really want to leave time in our week for park days, cooking together, play dates, random handicrafts, etc.,   My oldest really wants to do history, too. I'm planning to do US history the following year and I already have the curriculum for this. We really need to focus on the basics this coming year and history just seems unnecessary to me at these ages. I don't want to start with Ancients and then follow on to US history the next year. If we had a simple read aloud, fun non-text-booky type overview of world history that was appropriate for these ages, I'd be willing to read it if we find the time. We live overseas and don't have access to a good library. 

 

Experienced moms of many, how does this plan look to you? I have a tendency to overextend and I really want to avoid that next year. I think that will be key to our success. Any suggestions, recommendations? Thanks in advance! 

[Kiara.I]

You could read through all the Story of the World books... Just read through them, for an overview. Or there might be a more condensed option that would work better for a one-year overview. Or you could do just SOTW 2 in order to lead in to local history next year.

 

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[2_girls_mommy]

Or listen to them on CD. Our library carries them, and we check them out and listen in the car as a refresher.

[ktgrok]

A Child's History of the World?

[rebbyribs]

I read your post and was thinking, "So many little ones!  It's going to be tough to even get through the basics."  And then I realized that I was there 3.5 years ago - I'd just pulled my oldest out of school after 1st grade, my twins were 4, and I had a toddler and a newborn.  I did Ancient History with my oldest that year with the twins often listening in.  We used http://bringinguplearners.com/mosaic-myths-maps-and-marvels/  which is based on Story of the World, but rearranges things so you focus on one civilization at a time.  There's also a bit of an overview of world geography and timelines at the beginning.  

 

Another thought would be to do an around-the-world year and focus on one continent at a time with stories, maps, recipes, wildlife, etc.  Build Your Library and BookShark both have this as their Kindergarten theme for social studies, and even if you didn't want to buy a whole program, their book lists could be a good starting point.

[Peaceseeker]

I would do geography for social studies instead of history at those ages. It can be as simple or as crafty as you want to make it. Go around the world using maps, dvds, books, cooking, crafts, anything you want to do. You could get them little pretend passports that you stamp as you learn about a country. We enjoyed this so much I extended it to two years instead of one. I though a sense of place would be helpful before we got into a sense of time.

Edited April 11, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming

[beka87]

The book "A Little History of the World" and classics like 50 Famous Stories Retold would both work well for those ages.