How much do your really expect your dc to retain from SOTW 1?

[A home for their hearts]

There is just so much info that it's hard for even me to keep up let alone expect my dc to! I know right now we are just planting pegs for them to pull from when they get older so why am I so worried that they aren't retaining anything at all! I don't know if my expections are too high or if we just aren't doing enough, which history is really hit or miss right now anyway. Maybe once we start doing it more consistently I will see a difference?

[Peela]

I always wondered if 6 year olds, the targeted age, would really absorb much- I dont know though because my kids were around 8 and 9 when we started SOTW1. They certainly didnt remember much detail, except things that took their interest, but they definintely got a good overall feel for it and i do think the exposure was well worth while.

Yes, probably being more consistent would probably help. We did SOTW weekly for 4 years and it was our favourite part of school. Adding in the extra books- particularly historical fiction in our case- really helped.

[Melissa in Australia]

I am always surprised about how much they remember. We are just about to start history over again. We have just completer our first 4 years .

[ummtafari]

What old are your children? I have noticed that my 6 yo seems a little lost sometimes as well as my 8 yo old. On the other hand, my 9 yo definitely gets it.

 

Regardless, the younger ones love to listen to the lessons and complete the activities along with the coloring pages! They beg me to let them do a lesson everyday, but we aren't able to do that.

 

Debra in VA

Edited January 1, 2009 by Debra Strebel

[lmrich]

About every two weeks we review her (she is 7) narrations (that we have added picture to) and talk about some of our favorite stories. I have seen that she has retained the map skills and can apply them. We have the King Tut exhibit in town and I know that will reinforce our Egyptian unit.

 

Happy New Year!

[Chris in VA]

I think keeping a notebook that they can flip back thru from time to time really helps in the retention. My dd remembers the fun times we had making things, more than the actual stories.

[HappyGrace]

6 1/2 doing SOTW 1, and her retention was so much better on the passages she narrated compared to the ones she didn't! She still (two yrs later) remembers some of it!

[Strawberry Queen]

The thing I like about doing it when they're young is that it gives a reference point. I know we've talked about the Egyptians, so I can refer back to them and they have an inkling about what I'm talking about. They would retain more if I reviewed but I just don't put a priority on reviewing history. I have a hard enough time doing review with math, and other memory tasks.;)

[JABarney]

I had the same questions. I am pleasantly surprised that my dc who were only 5 when we started, can retain so much. I have found that they are retaining it because they LOVE it. In the beginning this was not the case. It was new and the schedule was strange. Things have changed! They have recently begun asking to read ahead, and they even incorporate the content into their play. I would have never imagined this when starting out with this program. So yes, consistent, no-pressure work has paid off here!

 

 

Here is roughly what we do:

We listen to the CD chapter, like a preview of the week to come us, usually on the weekend in the car. Then we break it down into four/five SHORT lessons for the week.

Monday: I read from the book, ask the review questions from the activity guide, and finally have them tell me what was the most interesting thing they learned (narration - which I am writing for now) Then I have them cut out the review card (from the activity guide) and glue it onto a 3x5 note card. (saving them all to make a year end book)

Tuesday: We go to the wall map and then the globe and locate the area we are studying. (pretending to fly from our state) We do the map exercise from the activity guide and the coloring page.

Wednesday: We read any extra books and encyclopedia entries.

Thursday: Craft project

Friday: sometimes review or finish up things that did not get done earlier in the week, or photograph the craft project for the notebook. I was using the tests from the test book, (review only) but have dropped it and plan to use it as a review over the summer.

 

Occasionally, I will sneak in review at dinner time with dh. Dh pretends he does not know anything about the said topic and the dc "teach" him. They feel very smart.

 

HTH!

[inashoe]

I wouldn't worry at all about retaining - they are going to go over history another two times.

 

Through SOTW they get an overall feel for the different countries, cultures and periods in history.

They are captivated by the stories and develop an interest in history.

I do want them to be familiar with where the countries are - and even that they are not going to

remember every one. Mapwork serves this purpose.

I would be careful about how you do review. You want to cultivate a fascination with history, not

bombard the child with memorizing facts.

 

When they go through the cycle again in Logic Stage it all comes back to them, they retain a

little more, and now they start making their outline notes which also helps to retain a bit.

 

I have a problem with ds10 in that he gets bored if we are doing something that he already "knows". The

less he has remembered the more interested he is in reading it again. If he remembers it well and

there is nothing new in the text then he has trouble concentrating.

 

Part of our problem with Logic Stage is that the Kingfisher HE doesn't add enough new content

to what was learnt in SOTW.

 

Really don't worry about retaining info, that is going to be the least of your problems.

[JWSJ]

We did SOTW 1 last year and my ds7.5 speaks up when he recognizes a reference from everyday life. We hear of Ancient Greece and Rome almost everyday.

 

SOTW 2 is great too. We're already finished it and he wants SOTW 3 and 4 now. He asked for them for Christmas, but gifts were already purchased...

 

We get a sense that another piece of the puzzle gets added to his internal concept of the world when he references SOTW.

[Mommy22alyns]

I am honestly not too worried about how much Becca retains from this year. What I want is to spark an interest in history so when she comes back around she'll be excited about it.

 

That said, I think she retains her history better than she retains her math. :glare: It really is surprising. We do narrations and I try to do as many activities as possible.

[southmetromom]

... and would add that it really varies from child to child. My ds practically has memorized SOTW I,II and III. He is a history buff. My dd (7) doesn't remember much -- she is not into history at all! She does enjoy the fairy tales and myths most of all.

 

But I think the exposure to these lovely stories and fun projects is the thing. If they latch onto something and remember it or want to read more about it -- victory! If not, then nothing is lost. They'll be exposed to these topics over and over before they leave our nest.

 

Sandy in CO

southmetromom

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but I remember reading somewhere -- on a forum, or a book, or from a speaker at a convention -- that you want your logic stage students to say "Oh, yea! I kinda remember that!" when you recycle through history again.

 

However, I am amazed at some of the things that my 9 yo will recall. Wouldn't you know, tidbits of information that I was sure he'd remember for the rest of his life, he doesn't, but he'll recall some obscure fact about Egypt or Rome or an explorer or something....something I wouldn't have thought about if he didn't bring it up!