If you had children 5.5 years apart...

[Medieval Mom]

... would you consider using a six-year history rotation, or keep to a 4 year rotation?

[PeterPan]

Just so you know, it may not even matter. When they're that far apart, you might find your older doing something more independently or interest-driven and your younger needing something more parent-directed or simple, say just a spine reading. I mean you're essentially asking whether you would need to combine a K5er and a 5th grader, which you wouldn't. That's the age my dd is (well next year), and I wouldn't dream of trying to combine her with a K5er. She has her own groove for history, and the K5er would get his own thing.

[EKS]

My kids are exactly 5.5 years apart. They are doing separate history. I thought and thought about how I could make it work and decided that their needs were so different anyway that it wouldn't matter if the time periods lined up.

[Rhondabee]

:iagree:

 

Well said!

[Quad Shot Academy]

I have one in 3rd who is very advanced and mostly independent and a typical 1st grader. I too, thought and thought and considered how to have them both on the same rotation. For History it would have been "okay" for the first grader to start in year 3, but when I got to science, I just realized there was no way to make it work. I felt she would be very shortchanged if I started her with chemistry! At some point, I might get all the kids on the same year, but not this year or next year!

[anissarobert]

My first two are 6 years apart, and I did a six year rotation at first (It was not planned that way, but I stayed too long on the ancients.) Now I am doing a 4 year, so my ds is studying the same time period as my high school aged daughter. (For my sanity.) My ds will finish this cycle in 6th, so I will probably do something different with both of the younger two for two years, and start a 4 year cycle again when he is in high school.

 

The truth is, it is hard to plan ahead, because children are different. I have a general plan, but I don't worry about it too much. As long as they are ready for Great Books by 9th grade, that is all that really matters to me.

[Bee]

We do the 4 year history cycle but will change it next year when oldest is in 8th grade.She will do SOTW vol. 3 and 4 and youngest will just do Vol 3. and some American history.Oldest dd isn't terribly interested in history so I may not have her do the 4 year cycle for high school and instead follow our state requirements instead.At this point, oldest dd is reading all her history books independently anyway.

[mcconnellboys]

For what it's worth, I didn't try to combine mine, either. My older son was doing early modern the year my younger came home and began doing ancients with me.

[Rhonda in WA]

Mine are just at 5 years apart. So we will be using the 4 yr rotation.

[siloam]

... would you consider using a six-year history rotation, or keep to a 4 year rotation?

 

I do combine mine, but I also have two in the middle. What I end up doing with history is reading aloud something on the 5yo's level (to everyone) then having the older two do additional reading on the topic.

 

As it happends we will be spending about 6 years on this rotation, but that is driven by the fact that I prefer to go deeper.

 

Heather

[Medieval Mom]

Thanks, everyone, for your responses and ideas! :hurray:

 

I like the idea of keeping us together, just so that I, too, as their teacher can be studying the same time period (and be a better teacher for it!). ;) Yet, I also can understand the comments of those who choose to separate the history for each child. After all, I'll certainly be doing every other subject separately! I guess it will work out either way in the end. Since my oldest will be in first next year, I'll start with the ancients regardless. I have plenty of time to decide whether to keep to the 4 year cycle or stretch it out to five six, and whether or not to co-ordinate their history schedule, for dc#2 is not even born yet (but due any day now)!

 

Thanks again!:):)

Edited November 20, 2008 by Medieval Mom