History: with all the programs available...

[StaceyL in Canada]

...how do *you* choose?

We're in our 14th year of hs'ing here, so I suppose I'm a "veteran of the trenches" :) Next year, my youngest will be 10/ gr 5, and I'm thinking of reviving the former co-op I taught when my older boys were his age. Way back in them good ol' days, there wasn't nearly as much selection to wade through for history programs--Sonlight, a WTM approach, History Odyssey from Pandia Press (based on the classical 4 -yr rotation)... Now it seems there's been an explosion of new prepared programs out there and I'm wondering if I'll be missing something "ideal" for my youngest when we begin ancient history next year (so far, I've focused on word geography and Canadian history with him while getting my older sons through world history cycles). When I covered ancients a few years back in co-op with a gr 5-8 group, I used The Pageant of World History as a common "spine", then had the kids all use any reference books at hand to work on assignments which they wrote up on Book of the Century pages from Ambleside online. Another teacher covered related historical fiction with them. It worked very well and we had a great year, but I made up all the assignments myself....

Now I'm once again looking for something that would also potentially work well in a co-op setting. Although we are Christians, I am not keen on aggressively Evangelical approaches, especially those with a strong YE slant. Any thoughts on what might be adapted for us? Given the profusion of programs out there, how do you choose whether to use MFW or HoD or Sonlight or WTM or....? Thanks for your thoughts.

[OhElizabeth]

Well we've done VP for most of our time, with some short forays into this or that (SL, WP, etc.). I finally had this epiphany this year, maybe thanks to pregnancy hormones (lots of testosterone from the boy?), that all I had to do was look at them all and pick one I could actually see myself DOING. They all build up your dreams about this experience you *think* you'll have or how much you think you'll learn or how romantic the whole process will be. When I looked at WP AC a month ago, I saw in the schedule something that I could actually see myself doing at that very moment, using those very components. It could have just as easily been MFW or HO, and maybe another year it will be! The key was that it was using the things I want to use in the way I want to use them.

Most of the curricular explosion going on right now is moms writing down how they're doing things. They're not field-tested to fit a variety of situations or kids or learning styles, and it's not surprising that it would fit some people better than others.

[Laurel-in-CA]

Stacey, we used HO Ancients last year with dd-then 10-11. It was just right...but dry, and some of the independent stuff wasn't scheduled out very well. This year we're in HO Medieval and it's definitely more work and a faster pace...meanwhile we added in Famous Men of the Middle Ages reading (and the comprehension workbook), which has meant we've ended up skipping Asia & Americas & leaving that for summer reading, as dd is definitely a slower worker. That said, it's good to have a straightforward outline with all the timeline & maps done & scheduled for me. I'll probably use HO Early Modern next year, along with Famous Men.

Sonlight doesn't spend enough time on the medieval period to really effectively cover it. I've not had the $$ to invest in trying other programs, but I have lots of book lists if you're interested. Not sure if I still have the "master mesher" anywhere, tho'!

[Mommyfaithe]

Hi Stacey...I am in my 14th year and a long time veteran too...but I still feel inundated with choices...and worst of all...the choices for my little guys because this is it!! The LAST TIME I will be doing this k-12 thing and **** IT...I want to do it right this time!!! LOL!!!!

Anyway, What is it that makes history get done?? I like to read books...lots of books. I like my kids to keep a notebook and put this and that in there. I have tried all kinds of scheduled out things...none has worked because I always want to slip a book in here and one I want to toss there and I end up re-inventing the wheel and kicking myself...so with that said, I started buying resources...books that we read, ,maps, short units on specific topics and using them to fill in where I get stuck. A good spine (SOTW, Streams of Civilization maybe? Stories of the Greeks, Romans,...Ambleside suggestions? What looks good to you??) and then flesh it out where you want to.

There is nothing more I would like than to sit down with a lesson plan in frontr of me and have us go at it...unfortunately...homeschooling here is to living for that....
Sigh...
Faithe

[Annabel Lee]

:iagree: I'm only in my 3rd year and I've done enough curriculum-hopping in that time to completely agree with Mommyfaithe's comments. If you use one program for ancients, and another for medieval, etc., that's OK. Or, if you make it all up yourself (preferably somewhat ahead of time, lol) that's OK too. I'm using SOTW 1 w/ the AG this year. We have the red Kingfisher history encyc. and the Usborne internet-linked that we always do additional reading from. We do the coloring pages and mapwork from the AG. But, I find other library books sometimes not on the SOTW AG list that I think they'll enjoy more, so we do those instead. You can make SOTW as evangelical (or not) as you wish dep. on which additional books you read. It's pretty neutral so it can be fleshed out in many directions.

To get why SL doesn't place priority on chronological order of history or why they spend longer on some things, seemingly neglecting others, you have to read their philosophy on that. They say important content and events trump chronology. Also, Core 5 is very much set to instill a compassionate missionary's heart in the dc.

I haven't looked into programs other than the 2 I mentioned. I have quite a few good friends using WP and one using TOG. I'm almost afraid to look around too much. I suspect most 4-year cycle history programs cover the same basics, and we're only in the grammar stage here. Maybe I'll poke my head out and look around come logic stage. :D

[Cadam]

I went with what I felt in love with and what was the easiest for me to work with. It might not be "the best program ever" but I am happy with it.

[StaceyL in Canada]

...how do *you* choose?

We're in our 14th year of hs'ing here, so I suppose I'm a "veteran of the trenches" :) Next year, my youngest will be 10/ gr 5, and I'm thinking of reviving the former co-op I taught when my older boys were his age. Way back in them good ol' days, there wasn't nearly as much selection to wade through for history programs--Sonlight, a WTM approach, History Odyssey from Pandia Press (based on the classical 4 -yr rotation)... Now it seems there's been an explosion of new prepared programs out there and I'm wondering if I'll be missing something "ideal" for my youngest when we begin ancient history next year (so far, I've focused on word geography and Canadian history with him while getting my older sons through world history cycles). When I covered ancients a few years back in co-op with a gr 5-8 group, I used The Pageant of World History as a common "spine", then had the kids all use any reference books at hand to work on assignments which they wrote up on Book of the Century pages from Ambleside online. Another teacher covered related historical fiction with them. It worked very well and we had a great year, but I made up all the assignments myself....

Now I'm once again looking for something that would also potentially work well in a co-op setting. Although we are Christians, I am not keen on aggressively Evangelical approaches, especially those with a strong YE slant. Any thoughts on what might be adapted for us? Given the profusion of programs out there, how do you choose whether to use MFW or HoD or Sonlight or WTM or....? Thanks for your thoughts.

I do feel capable of managing ancient history one last time at this level--but as Momyfaithe said, this is my Last Big Chance to Do It Right! :001_smile: Actually, what I'm more interested in finding is something that would work in a once-a-week co-op setting, as I mentioned. Some programs, such as HO (which I own, but have never used) schedule work somewhat randomly so that one week does not necessarily look like another. What I'd pefer is a program where various elements--reading, mapwork, timeline, whatever--are scheduled very regularly week after week, which would make such a program easily translatable into a co-op setting.

I'm also interested in a spine appropriate for gr 4-7 which the children could read at home on their own so that everyone would be "on the same page" re basic info, then have the freedom to explore in other supplemental books for notebooking, projects, etc. As I mentioned, I had previously used The Pageant of World History--quite a good elementary-level history text, but out of print (I believe) so that we had to track down assorted used copies of the same edition. It would be helpful not to have to do that again.... So, any suggestions re a specific spine for the kids to read? I think SOTW might be a little on the young side, no?, given that it's geared for gr 1-4? What about MOH? Or anything else? Thanks for all the input!

[Julie in MN]

Most of the curricular explosion going on right now is moms writing down how they're doing things. They're not field-tested to fit a variety of situations or kids or learning styles, and it's not surprising that it would fit some people better than others.

Just wanted to clarify that MFW does pilot each program twice -- first with their own children and a few others who are on staff or have been testing with them for years, and then with a whole range of pilot families. It's one of the strengths of MFW.

But moms writing from their experience is good, too.