Help me figure out a plan for history for my little boys

[happypamama]

Next year my smallboys will be 4th, 2nd, and K.  This year, my 3rd grader is not a strong enough reader to do independent history, and I have the 1st grader, so I'm doing American history with all of them this year, reading aloud using the US parts of SOTW 2, 3, and 4 plus supplemental books.  We did middle ages last year and ancients the year before that, so I don't really want to do them again quite yet.

 

I'm thinking about using the world parts (non US parts) of SOTW 3 and 4 next year with all three of them.  I'm not really sure that will appeal to the Ker and maybe not to the 2nd grader.  How much do I care about that?  I mean, I don't think they'll be freaked out about all the wars, because they're not really like that, but maybe they'll be bored?  If they're bored, they'll probably just wander away.  I'm not required to do anything with K and 2nd here, so it's not like I need output for them.  Maybe they just want to listen along when they want to, like to supplemental novels and picture books if they want, and I don't worry too much about the rest.  I don't need significant output for the 4th grader either, but I could have him write or dictate narrations or use some of the writing/notetaking/outlining from History Odyssey (which I own and used with my second child, but I forget exactly what it looks like).

 

I haven't had kids I can really combine for much because my first and second and then second and third children are very far apart in age and skill.  And my second child is a very independent learner who far prefers to read things himself than to have them read aloud.  But as my three smallboys get older, I am sort of rethinking how to make the most of my time because I really don't want to be doing three history programs with them, know what I mean?  So maybe early modern/modern next year, minus the US, and then ancients the year after that?  Thoughts, especially if you've had a lot of elementary children at once?

[EKS]

I would not combine them.  I would do SOTW 3+4 with your oldest child, and SOTW 1 with the younger two.

[coastalfam]

I have 4th, 1st, and an intellectually disabled son who is doing K-1st-ish work, but is 11, but also can't comprehend read-aloud material, so more like a K-er curriculum-style wise for history... in other words, similar to your situation next year. ;) So what is working for us is a chapter per week of SOTW. 4th grader and 1st grader do the comprehension questions and mapping exercises with me from the SOTW Activity Guide. My oldest does the coloring page while I read, so he will stick around and try to listen, but I am okay with him not catching on to a lot... it is still nice to be together for SOTW time. I add in read-aloud books from Wayfarers lists, but you could just as well choose them from the lists in the SOTW Activity guide. I choose chapter books of varying levels to read aloud to the 1st and 4th grader, and I have them do a bit of narration each time. For my oldest who needs K-level material, I do not require him to sit in on the read-alouds as he does not like it, nor gets much out of it at this point, so I just choose quality story books with pictures aimed for younger children for him that are set in the right time period, or sometimes non-fiction children's picture books, like Insiders or Usborne. All three boys will happily crowd around to listen in to those. Anyway, it sounds like you already have most of the material to do that for next year if you already own SOTW, and could just to the world history parts next year. All you need is the Activity Guide, and a library. :)

[happypamama]

I would not combine them.  I would do SOTW 3+4 with your oldest child, and SOTW 1 with the younger two.

This would probably be optimal.  Except that one, I really don't want to do SOTW 1 again yet, as I've already been through it twice and fairly recently for the last time.  And two, time is a huge issue.  I really, really, really don't see me finding time to do two history programs, not with my older two also (and very possibly a super high risk pregnancy/infant).  So I think combining is going to NEED to happen.  Unless my current 3rd grader really improves his reading abilities in a year.

[wendyroo]

What about Prehistory? 

 

I think if I were you I would do a really cool prehistory study with all the boys, and I would have the 4th grader read some historical fiction and some of the Who Was... biography books to touch on some of the most important people and events in the early modern and modern eras.

 

Then, the next year the boys will be primed to start again with ancients.  I know you said you did the ancients two years ago, but by then it will have been four years and the boys will be in 5th (a very common grade to restart the history cycle), 3rd and 1st (also a very common age to start the history cycle).

 

My boys are the same ages as yours, and then I also have a toddler who will be joining us for history in coming years. 

This is my plan:

Three years ago, with K and preschool: Prehistory

Two years ago, with 1st and Pre-K: Ancients

Last year, with 2nd, K and preschool: Middle Ages

This year, with 3rd and 1st: Part of SOTW 3 + some extra American history

Next year, with 4th and 2nd: The rest of SOTW 3, part of SOTW 4 + some extra American history

       The Ker and preschooler may join us for some of the American history.

Two years from now, with 5th and 3rd: The rest of SOTW 4 + some extra American history

       The 1st grader and Pre-Ker will do a fun prehistory study together.

Three years from now, with 6th, 4th, 2nd, and K: Ancients...using SOTW and additional logic level resources for the older two.

And so on for one complete history cycle.  By the time we finish the modern era, the kids will be 10th, 8th, 6th, and 4th.  At that point, the older two will probably spend a year on American history and the younger two will will restart with ancients.

 

Wendy

Edited September 30, 2017 by wendyroo

[happypamama]

I have 4th, 1st, and an intellectually disabled son who is doing K-1st-ish work, but is 11, but also can't comprehend read-aloud material, so more like a K-er curriculum-style wise for history... in other words, similar to your situation next year. ;) So what is working for us is a chapter per week of SOTW. 4th grader and 1st grader do the comprehension questions and mapping exercises with me from the SOTW Activity Guide. My oldest does the coloring page while I read, so he will stick around and try to listen, but I am okay with him not catching on to a lot... it is still nice to be together for SOTW time. I add in read-aloud books from Wayfarers lists, but you could just as well choose them from the lists in the SOTW Activity guide. I choose chapter books of varying levels to read aloud to the 1st and 4th grader, and I have them do a bit of narration each time. For my oldest who needs K-level material, I do not require him to sit in on the read-alouds as he does not like it, nor gets much out of it at this point, so I just choose quality story books with pictures aimed for younger children for him that are set in the right time period, or sometimes non-fiction children's picture books, like Insiders or Usborne. All three boys will happily crowd around to listen in to those. Anyway, it sounds like you already have most of the material to do that for next year if you already own SOTW, and could just to the world history parts next year. All you need is the Activity Guide, and a library. :)

That does sound similar to me.  I do have a good library.  I don't have the AGs for those volumes, because I bought the History Odyssey programs for those volumes, but for using with the two little ones, I think the AGs would be a good plan.  Thanks!

[happypamama]

What about Prehistory? 

 

I think if I were you I would do a really cool prehistory study with all the boys, and I would have the 4th grader read some historical fiction and some of the Who Was... biography books to touch on some of the most important people and events in the early modern and modern eras.

 

Then, the next year the boys will be primed to start again with ancients.  I know you said you did the ancients two years ago, but by then it will have been four years and the boys will be in 5th (a very common grade to restart the history cycle), 3rd and 1st (also a very common age to start the history cycle).

 

My boys are the same ages as yours, and then I also have a toddler who will be joining us for history in coming years. 

This is my plan:

Three years ago, with K and preschool: Prehistory

Two years ago, with 1st and Pre-K: Ancients

Last year, with 2nd, K and preschool: Middle Ages

This year, with 3rd and 1st: Part of SOTW 3 + some extra American history

Next year, with 4th and 2nd: The rest of SOTW 3, part of SOTW 4 + some extra American history

       The Ker and preschooler may join us for some of the American history.

Two years from now, with 5th and 3rd: The rest of SOTW 4 + some extra American history

       The 1st grader and Pre-Ker will do a fun prehistory study together.

Three years from now, with 6th, 4th, 2nd, and K: Ancients...using SOTW and additional logic level resources for the older two.

And so on for one complete history cycle.  By the time we finish the modern era, the kids will be 10th, 8th, 6th, and 4th.  At that point, the older two will probably spend a year on American history and the younger two will will restart with ancients.

 

Wendy

That's an interesting idea, prehistory.  What sorts of resources would you use for that?

[Lori D.]

I do think SOTW 3 and esp. SOTW 4 step up big-time in topics and become less of a fit for young elementary ages. And often not a great fit for middle/upper elementary ages either.

 

I think you could easily set SOTW 3 aside for this year, and do just US History with the 4th and 2nd graders, and let the Kinder tag along as interested. Or, maybe do a very simple separate general Social Studies for the Kinder student that would only be 10-15 minutes a day. Just cover topics with library books on topics like:

- community helpers/types of jobs

- simple mapping skills

- continents and oceans

- different houses/food/customs around the world

- basic U.S. symbols/patriotism (learn the pledge, recognize the flag, bald eagle, statue of liberty...)

- holidays/traditions

- learn name, address, phone number; stranger danger, calling 9-1-1, and what to do if lost; etc.

 

Studies Weekly is a secular school-based Social Studies magazine by grade level that might be fun.

 

 

For the 2nd and 4th grader -- that's a great age for taking a side-step from world history for US history as there's a TON of great US History stuff out there for elementary ages. You can easily do it without any spine at all, if you're a seat-of-the-pants kind of homeschooler. Perhaps use the Guest Hollow American History outline which is designed for 2nd-6th graders, with 3rd grade being the target grade (and your students would be right on either side of that :) ).  Guest Hollow's history is laid out over two years, so you can condense by skipping topics, or skimming topics to go faster, if you just want to cover US History in one year:

 

year 1 = pre-1492 through 1869

year 2 = 1861 through 1990s

 

 

I see at the end of your initial post you're also considering skipping US History and focusing on World early Modern/Modern history next year. If you go that route, I really think SOTW 3 and 4 will be way too much for 2nd grader, and very possibly too much for the 4th grader as well. Again, you might look at Guest Hollow's World History timeline with resources for ideas of key people/events you would want to cover, and then go with books and activities that are appropriate and of interest to your elementary-aged students.

Edited October 1, 2017 by Lori D.

[wendyroo]

That's an interesting idea, prehistory.  What sorts of resources would you use for that?

 

When I studied prehistory with the kids, we focused on:

(Note, I have used many, but not all of these resources.)

 

Archaeology:

Archaeology (Eyewitness Guides)

Archaeologists Dig for Clues

The Magic School Bus Archaeology Episode (The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells)

The Bill Nye Archaeology Episode

 

The Big Bang:

Older than The Stars

Big Bang!: The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck That Became Spectacular

Stephen Hawking: Cosmologist Who Gets a Big Bang Out of the Universe

 

Prehistoric Eras and Animals:

When Fish Got Feet, Sharks Got Teeth, and Bugs Began to Swarm

When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth

When Dinos Dawned, Mammals Got Munched, and Pterosaurs Took Flight

First Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life 

Great Prehistoric Search

The Great Dinosaur Search

 

Early Man:

The Best Book of Early People

DK Eyewitness Books: Early Humans

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal

 

And then because we live in Michigan, I tried to introduce the kids a little to the Mound Builder Indians. 

There weren't many resources to work with:

Mounds of earth and shell

Some Youtube videos

This Mound Builder Lesson Plan

 

Just some ideas.

Wendy

[happypamama]

When I studied prehistory with the kids, we focused on:

(Note, I have used many, but not all of these resources.)

 

Archaeology:

Archaeology (Eyewitness Guides)

Archaeologists Dig for Clues

The Magic School Bus Archaeology Episode (The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells)

The Bill Nye Archaeology Episode

 

The Big Bang:

Older than The Stars

Big Bang!: The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck That Became Spectacular

Stephen Hawking: Cosmologist Who Gets a Big Bang Out of the Universe

 

Prehistoric Eras and Animals:

When Fish Got Feet, Sharks Got Teeth, and Bugs Began to Swarm

When Bugs Were Big, Plants Were Strange, and Tetrapods Stalked the Earth

When Dinos Dawned, Mammals Got Munched, and Pterosaurs Took Flight

First Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life 

Great Prehistoric Search

The Great Dinosaur Search

 

Early Man:

The Best Book of Early People

DK Eyewitness Books: Early Humans

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal

 

And then because we live in Michigan, I tried to introduce the kids a little to the Mound Builder Indians. 

There weren't many resources to work with:

Mounds of earth and shell

Some Youtube videos

This Mound Builder Lesson Plan

 

Just some ideas.

Wendy

Cool, thank you!

 

[Lori D.]

sigh... If only I could read carefully. Please ignore my post, as I now see you ARE doing US History THIS year, and are talking about what to do NEXT year. Slinking away now...  :ph34r:

[happypamama]

sigh... If only I could read carefully. Please ignore my post, as I now see you ARE doing US History THIS year, and are talking about what to do NEXT year. Slinking away now...  :ph34r:

Aw, but I *always* appreciate your words of wisdom!  You are always helpful!  I do have this year covered, because I'm working the readings in conjunction with the co-op class I'm teaching for my current 3rd grader, and that's working well.  (Which is part of why I'm thinking about next year already, because I want to have some suggestions if they want me to teach again next year, and I want to have them when people are thinking about next year.  But also because I am always thinking about the next year.  Haha.)

 

Littlest brother would probably like having social studies time all to himself, so maybe I'll do that with him.  If I can find a way to get it all in, timewise, that is, which is a huge if.  

 

I think I need to look at the SOTW3/4 topics a little more and see what sorts of supplemental books are available for them.  If it turns out that my library has plenty of picture books and good novels, that's probably fine.  They do all love to listen to stories of any type.  Of course, they'd be happy if history was simply a gazillion Magic Treehouse books too, but I think they've listened to most of them, since I get them in audio book form for the smallboys to listen to while I do schoolwork with the big kids.  But that's not to say I couldn't flesh them out and make them into little unit studies with some supplemental picture books for each topic.

 

Of course, that also assumes we finish world geography this year.  We started it last year as a supplement, using a bunch of things I put together myself, including a study of world monuments (which the smallboys ADORE), and then when our lives blew up, and I wasn't around much, we set that aside for this year.  But I could also do that in place of history and have more time for it too.

[hollyhock]

If it were me, I would do your SOTW 3-4 plan and not worry too much about the younger ones. If they want to listen sometimes, good, but if not, oh well. I don't require history until 3rd grade, and it's easiest to combine (at least for me).

[Guest]

Well, I'm lazy, so I wouldn't do history with any of them at those ages. Lol - guess I'm no help.

[happypamama]

Well, I'm lazy, so I wouldn't do history with any of them at those ages. Lol - guess I'm no help.

But that in itself IS help! I know you understand the time challenges that come with having a bunch of children and also what having a lot of smallboys is like. I think you may be right, that I don’t need to stress about this. They LIKE being included, and if the littlest one is listening to books, that’s keeping his very busy little brain occupied. Plus I like the habit it’s installing. But I think I might be overthinking things too much. Maybe I’ll just gather them all around and read things, and at whatever point they get bored, the little ones can get off the bus, and some days that might be a short time and some days a longer one. :). Thank you!

[2_girls_mommy]

If it were me, I would do your SOTW 3-4 plan and not worry too much about the younger ones. If they want to listen sometimes, good, but if not, oh well. I don't require history until 3rd grade, and it's easiest to combine (at least for me).

I lean this way, except I do "do history" with the youngers, but in the form of picture books following the older. If you do SOTW3, have them follow along and color and look at maps and do projects. But make sure you pick up picture books on topics they can get. When doing slavery, pick up some biographical picture books on Harriet Tubman. Do lots of biographical picture books on the presidents. There are tons. When in China find beautiful picture books of their stories and culture. Do some fun projects from the AG with all of them. 

 

Then I for K, I always try to cover the seasons separately. So around Thanksgiving we would take a week to do Pilgrims or Native  Americans from different areas and things that they should be familiar with. Everyone can do some fun Turkey crafts. In February do a Valentine themed lesson one day, a groundhog day one day, etc. Those are little Ker social studies things that the olders will enjoy for the day too, then get back into your SOTW, just introducing your little ones to those cultures or important names to know while there, not focusing so much on the history narrative yet. 

[happypamama]

I lean this way, except I do "do history" with the youngers, but in the form of picture books following the older. If you do SOTW3, have them follow along and color and look at maps and do projects. But make sure you pick up picture books on topics they can get. When doing slavery, pick up some biographical picture books on Harriet Tubman. Do lots of biographical picture books on the presidents. There are tons. When in China find beautiful picture books of their stories and culture. Do some fun projects from the AG with all of them. 

 

Then I for K, I always try to cover the seasons separately. So around Thanksgiving we would take a week to do Pilgrims or Native  Americans from different areas and things that they should be familiar with. Everyone can do some fun Turkey crafts. In February do a Valentine themed lesson one day, a groundhog day one day, etc. Those are little Ker social studies things that the olders will enjoy for the day too, then get back into your SOTW, just introducing your little ones to those cultures or important names to know while there, not focusing so much on the history narrative yet. 

That's pretty much what I've always done.  I think I just needed the validation that I really don't need to stress -- thank you! :)

Edited October 1, 2017 by happypamama