Winter Promise CAW with little ones?

[Dudley]

I was thinking of doing Winter promise Children around the world with my 1st grader and a K friend who we do school with 3 days a week for about an hour.  So obviously we wont have time for everything. I am looking for something that I can do together with them that will downplay that they are at different levels (this is big issue), but still let them have fun and learn together.

 

 What resources would you use and what would you not use with this age set from CAW?

 

Thanks

Dudley

[historically accurate]

I think I'd do Build Your Library Kindergarten level with a 1st and K'er rather than a program that is for 2nd through 6th grade. BYL would consist of read alouds, notebook pages, and activities. I haven't done the K level, but I have done other levels.  http://buildyourlibrary.com/purchase-kindergarten-curriculum/  You could add in the "Bold Believers series from CAW if you wanted a religious component.

 

I've used Winter Promise in the past: Hideaways in History, Animals and a couple of the science programs. Honestly? I didn't find them really worth the huge price tag. The themed programs were choppy and had way too many pieces for me to keep track of when I had little ones (I needed more streamlined at the time), which is why I didn't continue with them. Well, that, and they had horrible customer service way back when - I don't know if that has changed...

 

Edit: Sorry, I know that wasn't the question you asked, but I can't speak as to the resources in CAW, but reading the description it's not something I would do with kids that young. I don't think I'd like their first run through the world to be one focused on poverty, scarcity, and homelessness.

Edited April 17, 2017 by beckyjo

[oneddmanybooks]

I tried to use WP CAW several years ago (dd was older than your kids). It was disorganized, choppy, age-inappropriate, etc. I really do not recommend it at all. I ended up throwing away some of it because I did not want anyone else to go through that.

[Meadowlark]

Sorry to say that WP was an epic fail for us this year. I did not use CAW though, so maybe that's better. But I'm not willing to chance it. It's really too bad because their program looks fantastic, but in reality, it's a mess.

[ebrindam]

We loved CATW this year but DD is in 3rd grade. I wouldn't recommend it for K and 1st.

[Dudley]

OK true confessions here, I am attracted by CAW's more polished presentation.  You are probably right its alittle too old for k & 1st. I have been struggling because everything I am finding for k or 1st is so based in teaching reading, that will bring out the fact they are at different levels, which creates oodles of issues revovling around their competive natures. so that is why I was looking at something more like geography. I could do science but that might be taken care of already...

 

Help me understand BYL.  I get the literature component, I do sonlight. I guess I'm hoping for more to DO than just talk about books. BeckyJo mentioned Notebook pages and activities.. I saw the art project book, that looks like fun DOING, where do the notebook pages originate from? Are they suggested in the daily schedule, is there something like student pages?

 

 I already have the travel diary and fun traditions files from CAW maybe I just add some of that into BYL instead of using CAW as jumping off point.....

[ebrindam]

Hideaways in History might be fun and they could build the 'hideaways' together out of cardboard boxes maybe. I am, however, a true lover of WP. In the last couple of years they have really improved their customer service and I think their products are really different and fun! 

[kolamum]

We used CAW & adored it. I wrote a very detailed post about how I combined it with some other things to make it a wonderful year for our family. However, my children were older than the ones you've mentioned. I agree with the above poster that Hideaways might be a better option.. The children will be doing world history, but they'd also get to build some pretty fun houses/forts to play in.