Winterpromise Animals and their World's users

[Amanda_Jo]

I'm looking at this program for next year for my 1st grader. If you use this program do you add in a history/social studies component of somesort? I'm leaning toward this program because I will also have a 4 year old that may have a lot of fun working alongside us with this program.

[kindermommy]

I also debated about using AW as our main program starting this month (because of my initial indecisiveness, we couldn't commit to anything until now!) DD loves animals and I also felt like it would be a topic that would hold DS's attention too. But I felt like I wanted something more rounded (i.e. with some history/culture/people study) So we are doing this:

We are using SL P4/5 Bible, History and Science as our "main" program (we use WRTR for reading/hw/phonics and RS for Math). Then we are going to attempt to add WP AW as a supplement. Since it is not our "main" program, I am not sure whether we will use it in a "light" version, or use it fully but just stretch it out longer. It may end up too much for us and get shelved til next year. But it's likely it will just get tweaked.

I probably could have just got some animal books from the library and done some lapbooks and been fine, but AW has always appealed to me and I want/need organization and that little piece of paper that tells me what to read when and how :) :) I also like the additional literature/stories that it provided because DD is ready for chapter style books, but having SL P 4/5 was a bit lighter for DS's sake. I felt like having both programs would hopefully create a good balance of options for us.

Now, if I had decided to go with AW as our main program, I was going to add in some type of history/culture i.e. just the history program from SL, or Beautiful Feet Books Early American History, or HOD Beyond's history portion or a Moving Beyond the Page Culture or other SS type unit :) :)

Hopefully that wasn't confusing :)

[siloam]

I'm looking at this program for next year for my 1st grader. If you use this program do you add in a history/social studies component of somesort? I'm leaning toward this program because I will also have a 4 year old that may have a lot of fun working alongside us with this program.

AW is set up by habitats and while it doesn't exactly fit it does lend itself to a geography study. I have a schedule of how one person chose to line up a geography study with AW. If you would like to see it then just send me an e-mail.

Heather

[Amanda_Jo]

My daughter is really sensitive- I'm sure that Sonlight is not for us, at least not until she is older. She couldn't handle the topics in many of the books.
I thought we were going to use SoTW next year, but after previewing it at the bookstore I also think that her maturity level isn't there yet. I just don't see her retaining much. (She'll be a young 1st grader, not turning 6 until the beginning of October)
So these are my options- I want a mostly open and go program as I've found I haven't been on top of planning this year as I hoped and both GTG and science have fallen through the cracks way too often, and we'll have a new baby next year on top of it all:

#1 WP's Animal Worlds and fold in the prek dd too. Possibly try to add some kind of light history...but what. Or is it okay to not really have history/social studies in 1st grade??

#2 WP's American Story 1, then American Story 2 for second grade and start SoTW in 3rd grade when the younger daughter is in 1st grade.

#3 MFW Adventures then start SoTW in 2nd grade. This option really appeals to me as well since everything is included; history, science, etc. But my worries are her being too young for the information, and the dependence on the library with a newborn next year I'm not sure I want to be dependent on the library...

[Amanda_Jo]

AW is set up by habitats and while it doesn't exactly fit it does lend itself to a geography study. I have a schedule of how one person chose to line up a geography study with AW. If you would like to see it then just send me an e-mail.

Heather



I just emailed you, I'd love to see that. We've been using Galloping the Globe this year, but we've really only done about 6 countries so far. I've not done a good job keeping up with putting books on hold and getting to the library! Really my dd has been too young for GTG this year, other than learning about the culture a bit and reading picture books, so she's not actually learned my geography.

[siloam]

I just emailed you, I'd love to see that. We've been using Galloping the Globe this year, but we've really only done about 6 countries so far. I've not done a good job keeping up with putting books on hold and getting to the library! Really my dd has been too young for GTG this year, other than learning about the culture a bit and reading picture books, so she's not actually learned my geography.

To be honest, she has YEARS to learn geography. I don't even start working on mapping till 2nd or 3rd grade. I do really enjoy focusing on the cultural aspects of different countries. TOG actually gives me opportunities to do this a lot. :D My favorite series is the People, Land and culture series-because it has lots of pictures. It takes us about 5-6 days to read one book, so usually we only cover one and then the next time that countries comes up we cover a different one. We are in the slow and steady wins the race crowd.

Guess I would challenge you to down shift a little. Get one picture book on the country that is under 50 pages and call it good. :) Really that is much more than she would get in PS and in time she will be ready for more.

Heather

p.s. As I am sure you already have discovered, I e-mailed you the schedule. If you don't get it for some reason, let me know.

[SnowWhite]

Since you already have Galloping the Globe, I say GO FOR IT with Animals and Their Worlds. We did AW last year with a first grader and LOVED IT. I had every intention of using a public school "social studies" text, but once I got it out it was SO baby-ish I couldn't bring myself to use it. AW really *is* enough content to keep you busy, but if you have any concern at all about adding in some "people stuff" that would be very easy to do using GTG. We did some GTG this year alongside Amer Story 1. I would recommend saving Amer Story 1 for second grade as it's quite a lot for a first grader to grasp.

So you could just do a few GTG countries on the light fifth days for each AW unit.

For example:
African Savannah in AW, and then read the Children Just Like Me portions for the six countries of Africa.

Another approach would be to use the R&S Our Father's World social studies workbook to do each continent as it arises in AW.

Best of luck in choosing, and I hope you choose and love AW!

[Lovedtodeath]

I like the idea of using Heather's schedule. We have been studying Zoology and culture this year. DD turned 6 in July. She loves all of it. Don't plan on getting it all done. I know it is only happening 2/3 of the time here.

I also like option #3. Just do a litle planning and buy the books you need. Or... search all the libraries in your area and determine which one has the majority of what you need, get a card there, request that they hold them for you and make DH pick them up! Or, at least, if you pick them up you don't actually need to look for them. It is a lot easier to put them on hold.

You could do AW this year, Adventures next year, and start SOTW after that so that both girls are more likely to retain something from it.

We plan on starting SOTW in 6th grade with DS in MFW 1st.

[Lovedtodeath]

Another approach would be to use the R&S Our Father's World social studies workbook to do each continent as it arises in AW.

Good idea!

[Amanda_Jo]

Thank you everyone so much! I got your email Heather, very helpful! And thanks Jennifer for the GTG/Our Father's World idea. I didn't realize that Friday was a light day for WP, so adding in some social studies on that day sounds like a great idea. I don't think she "needs" a bunch of history/social studies, but it being non existant worried me- these options sound perfect!
Thanks again!

[Mandy in TN]

I an using WP AW with my 6yo K'er ds. We have an Usborne animal sticker atlas that adds a little geography. Ds is using the Brainquest 1st grade workbook and it has a social studies section. He completed that little section pretty quickly. Since about 9 weeks into the year we have also been reading the history and geography section of What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know. This has been very low key although we have added in an occasional library book, movie, or website. Over the next couple of weeks we will cover a few presidents and then we are done. I have ordered Moving Beyond the Page Age 5-7: Concept 3: Patterns to begin when we are finished. This isn't really social studies at all, but if ds likes it we will do Age 5-7: Concept 4: Change and that one does cover some social studies.

Just some totally unnecessary stuff we are doing-
Mandy