How do you fold you gets siblings into history & science?

[ExcitedMama]

I’ve read threads and WTM which make adding a younger sibling a lot easier than I’m finding it in practice. In the fall DD will be in 1st and DS in 4th. At her age DS had a lot more patience and interest in dryer read alouds, like science and history. Obviously some of that could of been the first born thing. He was my guinea pig and willing to sit through a lot of school stuff. As the youngest DD has been free to come and go with limited required school time. For history we do SOTW and I read a lot of extra books on the topics aloud. Some DD stays for but most of the time she gets bored and leaves. I try to find picture books that will interest her but obviously that’s not always possible. She loved Cleopatra and listening to the Mary Pope version of the Odyssey and the Iliad in ancients but it’s definitely harder for Middle Ages to hold her interest. It’s easier to find picture books that correspond to DS’ science and she loves those. She’s not really writing yet. Mostly just ETC and some spelling dictation in FSR. Next year I don’t see her interest in listening changing dramatically and she’ll just be starting copywork. How much of an effort do you make for younger ones to be included in history and science? Is there something you’d recommend adding in for her? Should I require some sort of writing? Or just continue on and expect more of her when she’s older and ready?

[HomeAgain]

Bear in mind that when I was folding in a second, he was about 3 years old.  I only invited him in to the activity portion or gave each kid a separate activity while I read.  Kinetic sand and wonders of the world molds, finger puppets, art work...I didn't expect him to get a whole lot out of it and more focus was on the older kid.  I put on audiobooks in the car, we looked at Find It type art books with art from the middle ages.

How much are you using the activity book?  I think I would require her to be able to retell the chapter at the end of the week after you go through it and do an activity or two, the map, and maybe have her copy a sentence from her narration.  That's a maybe on the last.  It depends on how much she's writing at that point.

FWIW, we found a really great plague game that was a nice supplement to that chapter and the plague wheel.  There are a lot of things that we found online for the middle ages that helped immensely.

[hollyhock2]

I find that adding a younger sibling really only works if she's interested. If she's just not interested in what older brother is doing, I'm not sure I would try very hard to have her join. I would do something like just random picture books about history and science topics and do them just with her (doesn't even have to be part of school - you could read aloud in the afternoons or something). IMO, in K and 1st, history and science aren't super important, so I wouldn't worry about it much. I don't really require formal science and history until about 3rd grade.

[barnwife]

In our house, science and history are...not very structured yet. Our oldest will be nine this summer. We also have a 7 yo, almost 6 yo, and 2 yo. Science and history are mostly done as RA. They are free to sit and listen, or not. Heck, I don't even require output from the oldest in science and history yet. I mean, we do discuss things we are reading. But there's not writing or lapbooks or whatever, unless it's initiated by them. (FWIW, 2 of them around pretending to be lemurs, based on a Wild Kratts episode. And, oh boy, do they get mad if someone misremembers something about lemurs!) I just don't think output is all the important at their ages.

Sometimes they are drawing while I RA, sometimes it's building with Legos, or playing with the dollhouse. Whatever. If even one is willing to listen, I'll RA.

[Lori D.]

Agreeing with previous posters -- a 3-grade stretch between kids is pretty big, esp. in the early elementary years, and esp. if the younger one isn't really interested or isn't ready to sit/listen/engage in the way the older sibling is.

Actually, it sounds like you're doing the perfect thing for DD already -- finding picture books on the similar topics just for her, and letting her listen in with big brother when she's interested. The only thing you might add is letting her tag along with big brother for any hands-on activities or field trips. Perhaps look for some science or history sticker books, a small science kit for her, or print a few "learning/coloring pages" for her to do -- but not so much as to kill enjoyment of history and science. I personally would NOT have a child under grade 3-4 doing any *writing* for history or science (unless it happened to be the day's copywork sentence). I can't think of a faster way to kill a love of discovery than tiring out those little hand muscles that are just starting to learn how to function with writing. JMO!

Keep up the good work and the love of learning, and enjoy your homeschooling journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

[Storygirl]

My three younger children are very close in age, but my oldest is three years ahead of them academically. She always had her own plan for history and science, and I did something separate for the younger ones. She enjoyed listening in on their lessons, so there were times when we were doing those subjects together, but it was at the lower level.

So, for example, she would listen while I read to them and would want to color the same sheet (or whatever activity I had planned for them). But then she would do her own history lesson at her level, as well.

Sometimes the gap is too big to combine and expect both students to be able gain anything from it.

We were always able to do readalouds as a group. There are fun chapter books that can span those age groups.