2nd, 4th, 6th grades - What do you combine?

[scbusf]

I have 3 kids - 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades. My plan is to combine history (Brimwood Press's Study of Western Civ.), the younger 2 for Science, and Bible for everyone. Everyone has their own thing for everything else.

 

I just feel very disjointed. Like we are all over the place. But I don't really know what to do to fix that. We tried Biblioplan last year, and there were just too many books.

 

I personally lean towards a Charlotte Mason style, but my DD9 is VERY workbook-y (due to her anxiety and OCD). And my DD7 is very into anything that she doesn't have to sit still for! So we have lots of different style preferences going on, which definitely complicates things.

 

I'm not even really sure what I'm asking. What else can I combine? Maybe I could add in some things like music and art and make a Morning Time?

Edited June 14, 2017 by scbusf

[MyLife]

What about grammar and vocabulary?

[scbusf]

What about grammar and vocabulary?

 

My older 2 have their own grammar curriculum, but this gives me an idea ... I have The Sentence Family. I could probably do that one with all 3 of the kids together.

[Verity]

A Morning Basket time could be just the thing, for instance, a music/hymn study, nature/art/poetry, also geography. Reading Children Like Me or Material World along with other resources to study the people of wherever you are reading in your history or social studies. 

 

Monday - Poem of the week (you could have youngers color a simple picture to go with it), study a type of plant that grows in your area (could be pictures or a walk in the neighborhood)

Tuesday - Aesop's fable (coloring for younger), listen to a pc of classical music (pick a composer and study several of his pieces) I used SQUILT for this and liked it.

Wednesday - review the poem of the week, read from Geography (I also like the Ann Voskamp style -Child's Geography of the World -for short readings that I like to corelate to my history study), Material World or something the kids can relate to 

Thursday - review classical composer/composer study, listen to music

Friday - Poetry review, drawing with children (maybe draw the plant you studied or something that ties in)

 

You set up your morning basket with things like this plus any extras that you want in your family such as morning devotionals, read alouds from other school work, Charlotte Mason hymn studies, whatever you like!

 

Then combine all the kids for read alouds, history (older children would be expected to produce more in narrations or w/e) and can even combine in science just expecting deeper understanding or produced work from older students. 

[blondeviolin]

Eh... Next year we will have first, third, fourth, and sixth.  It's nearly impossible to combine anything skillwork (math, spelling, grammar, writing) for my kids.  We combine science with my oldest doing extra summaries, projects, and/or definitions.  We do the same history time period, but my oldest goes further and deeper.  We do keep up with the same read alouds and memory work.  I think that helps things feel a bit more unified.  And because we're in the same time period and same science study, it makes memory work pertinent to everyone's studies.

[Verity]

When my kids were a little younger I tried Wayfarers by Barefoot Meandering and loved it! Wayfarers is a mix of Charlotte Mason and Classical.

I've tried alot of the different curricula out there and this was my favorite by far. You can combine any ages but it's understood that there are things that can't be combined..you can keep everyone on the same topics in history, science, bible, nutrition, poetry, music and art they break apart for their own math, english/grammar, personal reading, and language study.

She has free samples to view on her website that show the full lists of book selections (I love that there are choices and options but nothing is required!). Full disclosure - I am selling Ancient History on the for sale board. :P

 

 

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

I have rising 7th, 6th, and 3rd. For all, I combine all content subjects..history, geography, science, art, music, etc. For skill subjects I combine the older 2 for LA because it is where they both are, math they have their own.

[ByGrace3]

Next year I will have 2nd, 5th, and 7th.

 

Together we will do 

 

Morning basket: memory work (Bible verses, Bible drills, poems, hymns, etc) 

Bible: Study of the Gospels 

Read Aloud 

History: Biblioplan (I will read Remember the Day aloud to everyone, older two will do cool histories for middles and maps together) All 3 will listen to SOTW 3 on audio or read (their choice) younger dd will do cool histories for littles, maps, and coloring. We will do a project/craft together (one per unit). Two olders read one of the readers on their own, I read one of the readers to my 

             youngest.

Literature: Read aloud is together and all kids will do a Brave Writer inspired project at their level to go along with the book we read                          (one per month)

Writing: is based off of BW and WWE/WWS...I teach them separately, but it all ties into our history, science, and literature so things                  feel a bit more cohesive.

Science: all together using God's Design for Heaven and Earth. We read the text aloud and everyone does some kind of

              narration/notebooking/outlining on their level, and day 3 is for worksheet and experiments.

 

 

Math, grammar, and Spanish are on their own. As are phonics and handwriting for those that need it. 

 

This past year we did almost everything separate and it was disjointed and we missed each other. My kids asked to go back to the way we used to do history (Biblioplan) .... so while it is more work for me, it is a better experience all around.