History questions (for multiple kids)

[Erin K. D.]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post, so I hope it's in the right place. I have a 1st and a 3rd grader. I've been reading The Well-trained Mind book, and am trying to use some of the ideas.

1. If you have multiple kids, do you have them all on the same history period at once, or each going through their own history cycle (like Ancient 1st grade, Medieval 2nd, etc). Or some combination? I have a friend who just goes through the cycle, and the kids start with whatever period they are on when they start school. I wonder if it would be more straightforward this way, instead of keeping track of "his history" and "her history". Or at least doing that until a certain grade? (I like the idea of starting at the beginning and going in sequence, but for the early elementary years, does it matter very strongly where they start?)

2. Do you do history notebooks with your kids? What ages? How? Binders so you can insert anything you want, or an actual (marble or spiral) notebook?

2.a. Does anyone make a "book of centuries" (I think it's a Charlotte Mason thing. I found the idea intriguing but haven't tried it.)

Edited September 16, 2022 by Erin K. D.
additional question

[barnwife]

We have 5 kids, currently 12, 10, 9, 5, and 2. History is done together. At some point, I will add some independent history work for our oldest. Right now, I choose a spine. We read and discuss it. We do the same for science. It's read as part of our morning time. So, no, we don't do notebooks, nor do we do a book of centuries. We do have various timelines (not made by us).

Keeping track of individual work for language and maths is enough for me with 4 kids schooling and a toddler in the mix. I am not adding to that unless I have too. I am sure there are families that do so, but I have no desire.

I might feel differently if we had a smaller number of children or if ours didn't seem engaged or to be retaining stuff. However, I am constantly surprised by what our kids know, so things are getting through. 

[ScoutTN]

Together! Even with only 2 kids. I chose a spine, added library picture books and usually a literature read aloud. We did some hands-on element or project about every other month. As my kids got older, I added some writing each week. I did have a binder for each kid for each grade and those had a history section.

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by ScoutTN

[Erin K. D.]

12 hours ago, barnwife said:

We have 5 kids, currently 12, 10, 9, 5, and 2. History is done together. At some point, I will add some independent history work for our oldest. Right now, I choose a spine. We read and discuss it. We do the same for science. It's read as part of our morning time. So, no, we don't do notebooks, nor do we do a book of centuries. We do have various timelines (not made by us).

Keeping track of individual work for language and maths is enough for me with 4 kids schooling and a toddler in the mix. I am not adding to that unless I have too. I am sure there are families that do so, but I have no desire.

I might feel differently if we had a smaller number of children or if ours didn't seem engaged or to be retaining stuff. However, I am constantly surprised by what our kids know, so things are getting through. 

Thanks. Yeah, it also occurred to me to think ahead to when the next (and next etc) kids start schooling. All together I have 4, #5 on the way, it's just the older 2 who are schooling right now. So 3rd grader is on medieval this year (did ancient last year, and u.s. in 1st because I thought I had to). 1st grader we just decided to start on ancient. But I'm second guessing that now.

It helps you also mentioned science. I had intended to probably do them together, but introducing a variety of sciences, rather than picking just field for the year. Now they are learning about animals and earth science concurrently (that just happened lol)

[Erin K. D.]

4 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

Together! Even with only 2 kids. I chose a spine, added library picture books and usually a literature read aloud. We did some hands-on element or project about every other month. As my kids got older, I added some writing each week. I did have a binder for each kid for each grade and those had a history section.

 

Thanks. What kinds of things did you have them put in their history section in the elementary grades/grammar stage? 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Erin K. D.
Typo

[ScoutTN]

1 hour ago, Erin K. D. said:

Thanks. What kinds of things did you have them put in their history section in the elementary grades/grammar stage? 

Maps, coloring pages and narrations. Photos of any projects. Brochures or photos from any field trips. 
We did 1 narration per week for history up through about 4th grade. 2x/wk for middle school. (I highly recommend SWB's talk on teaching writing! download for just a few dollars.) 

We did SOTW the first time through and K-12's Human Odyssey the second. 

We did a huge, homemade timeline on the wall, on 3' high bulletin board paper. Color coded for political leaders, wars/battles, documents/books, religious leaders/events, scientific advances/inventions, the arts etc. 

 

[keirin]

We just folded my younger son into the history my twins were doing in first grade. They happened to be on American history. This year they are all doing ancient history. I expect I will add my 4 year old in when she is first grade as well.

[LauraClark]

We do our history and science together (1st, 4th, 6th here). This year we are doing medieval and 1st grade will do fine with it-I don't think they really get the timeline concept this early anyway, and once he understands linear history he won't have trouble understanding fitting things in. Next year my oldest with do his own science (but also still probably listen in with the younger science). Oldest does extra reading for history and periodic projects or papers for science and history. 4th grader does lapbooks (there's a free one to go along with SOTW online somewhere) and occasional coloring pages (because he likes them). 1st does occasional coloring pages.  We have a timeline-not sure if that's similar to a book of centuries?

[ScoutTN]

Yes, science works well together too!

I almost unschooled science in the early years. I chose some areas to study and kids chose some. We read zillions of library books, watched WildKratts and documentaries, and did lots of hands-on and field trips. Zoo, farms, science center, nature center, planetarium etc. I read them bios of inventors and scientists. I did have a few elementary science texts to use as a guide and for experiment/demo ideas, but we never actually used curriculum before 8th grade. 

[desertflower]

Hi!  Welcome aboard!

History for all three of my kids together worked well.  We did Story of the World when they were younger. 

However, science did not work out well.  I supposed my oldest grasped science concepts easier than my middle child and that was the problem.  He knew all the answers all the time.  So, she naturally did not like it.  😆

I guess I wish I knew sooner. 

 

[2_girls_mommy]

1. Together- one year my oldest was a senior and my youngest was a kindergartener, and we were still in the same cycle. (We did the WTM cycles all the way through!) They weren't studying together, obviously. Everyone had their own resources, but our house was in an ancient year. 

2. Yes, we start a binder a year in 1st grade with SOTW1 with oldest, then whenever next kid is in 1st, they get their binder for wherever we are. 

3. I started a timeline in 4th grade with the picture review cards from SOTW.  In 5th I got each child a blank timeline book and they wrote into it over the next few years through each time period.