Why wait for SOTW 3 and 4?

[Sarah0000]

I've seen warnings on this board to folks who start SOTW before 1st that SOTW 3 and especially 4 will be too difficult for younger kids. Is that based on the comprehension level of SOTW specifically or is that because modern history tends to be too mature for younger kids regardless of curricula, perhaps because there are more details known and it's more personal to us than ancient and medieval history? Is it perhaps just the SOTW 3 and 4 activity books that are too difficult? 

Just trying to gauge whether my upcoming second grader should chug along with SOTW audio or if he should pause for a year and do something else.

[Farrar]

I did not find the material in SOTW3 to be too much/mature compared to previous volumes. SOTW4 though... the narrative feels more disjointed (which is saying something because it's not a story that flows for me personally) which could make it harder. It's a bit longer, which could also add some difficulty. But above all else, it's just one horrible event after another. I do think you can do a "light and inspiring" 20th century, but SOTW4 is not that. And you can't do a light and happy 20th century history that covers the most important events. You'd have to leave stuff out. So I think that's the primary reason - you don't want to cover that stuff with, say, an 8 yo.

[desertflower]

I heard the same thing. It is not because the activity guide is too hard. It's because the material/information is too vulgar. Not saying because of presentation just info like what Farrar said.

[hollyhock2]

There are a lot of wars and gloomy events, but also the tone is definitely not as story-like and obviously geared for a slightly older audience. However, we are using SOTW 4 this year and my K'er never misses it. Not sure why she likes it, but she does! So it can definitely work for a younger audience. It depends on the kid.

[2_girls_mommy]

I never waited. I did my kids together, staring odd in first, ydd tagging along at age 4 for SOTW1. That put them in fourth and second grades for vol. 4. The work in vol. 4 AG changes, adding in outlines which can be skipped for younger ages, using them with older students. But my fourth grader did fine with them. We started her on outlining and a timeline book that year, different from just the color sheets and little narrations before that. There is more map work too. I just didn't require as much from the ydd as the older. We had history coloring books for her and lots of library books and read alouds going that covered history with a more living books approach, using SOTW as just one resource. 

We read through the series again as one resource for the second history rotation, so she got a chance to to hear again when older too. 

[purpleowl]

I am using SOTW 4 with my 4th grader and 1st grader. We are in chapter 28 this week (Pearl Harbor & the Holocaust). Both of my girls are handling the information fine at this point, but I can tell you that the older one would NOT have been able to handle it if we'd done it when SHE was 6/7. We would have been dealing with lots of nightmares. Right now they both have questions, some of them hard questions, but those are only happening during history time for the most part, not occupying their thoughts all day and interfering with their sleep at night. So I think it partly depends on the sensitivity level of the child.

In terms of the activity guide - I have noticed that the map work seems more involved with this one than with previous levels. Also, level 4 has outlining, which is not in the others, but we don't actually use that (I have them practice outlining in other subject areas). I've never really used many of the actual "activities," so I'm no help in comparing those with the earlier levels.

Edited February 7, 2019 by purpleowl