Thanks for the advice about SOTW4

[Kalah]

Last summer a couple people here recommended that I reserve SOTW4 for Huck until he's a bit older. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Here's what happened to enforce that I definitely made the right decision.
I've been loosely following the time line but instead of studying specific events per se, we're just spending time reading lots of biographies and talking about the basics of some of the major happenings.
So, last week we reached WWI. I checked out some books from the library and chose the blandest one to read out loud with Huck. He's typically not super sensitive regarding history (unlike everything else-go figure:)). He cried. A lot. He understood the casualty numbers I glossed over and was really affected by them. I felt aweful for him. I stopped reading straight away.
So, for WWII I found a great activity book about growing up in America and what kids did to make a difference. No numbers, no photos, no sad stuff. Whew....I know to tread very, very lightly now.
I feel like I have a group of people looking out for me and the boys here.
Thanks again!

[KAR1200]

Last summer a couple people here recommended that I reserve SOTW4 for Huck until he's a bit older. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Here's what happened to enforce that I definitely made the right decision.
I've been loosely following the time line but instead of studying specific events per se, we're just spending time reading lots of biographies and talking about the basics of some of the major happenings.
So, last week we reached WWI. I checked out some books from the library and chose the blandest one to read out loud with Huck. He's typically not super sensitive regarding history (unlike everything else-go figure:)). He cried. A lot. He understood the casualty numbers I glossed over and was really affected by them. I felt aweful for him. I stopped reading straight away.
So, for WWII I found a great activity book about growing up in America and what kids did to make a difference. No numbers, no photos, no sad stuff. Whew....I know to tread very, very lightly now.
I feel like I have a group of people looking out for me and the boys here.
Thanks again!
I think this is exactly what would happen with DS, which is why I've not hurried to get past the American Revolution (as tired as I am of it! LOL) -- I do think we'll be stuck in the 1700s for another year!

I'm not sure how we'll approach modern tragedy when we get there... Maybe he'll be old enough by then that it won't be too bad but then again it still affects ME and I'm 35... and really it's not that I want him to be dulled to it either... *sigh*

One thought I had was that it might be an interesting take on it all to approach some of it through satire. There's a whole bunch of British humor that addresses the two world wars in a really angry, sarcastic, but also hysterically funny way. I know for me at least it's a way to face the real horror of it all without completely breaking down. I don't think you can avoid the serious history forever of course, but it could be one way of dipping your toes in without drowning.

[Kalah]

Very true. I never thought of satire as a possible beginning. I wasn't going to even touch on the atrocities, particularly the holocust. But I really didn't think Huck would be affected as deeply as he was. I should have stuck in the 1700's too! Better yet, the middle ages, where I'm really comfortable!
Should you be interested, the book we're using right now for WWII is part of a series called American Kids in History. Also available in the series are Revolutionary War Days, Victorian Days, Civil War Days, Colonial Days and Wild West Days. I haven't seen the others but I'm very happy with the positive, proactive tone of the WWII book. We did one of the projects from it today and the kids loved it.
Cheers.