So, I am still wavering on history. I am concurrently planning 2 years of world history and 2 years of US history. Why??? Because I still can not for the life of me pick just one to do. Though I know I need to narrow it down to one before we start.... or do I? I just sent hubby a text, I don't often ask him for help with planning school, but I am feeling so stuck. I wrote "Help, I can not decided if I want to do 2 years of US history or 2 years of world history starting this coming year." He wrote back "Both " Can I do both? I dont want to confuse them. Would it help if we made a timeline... I do have a "Book of Centuries" that I printed a long time ago but decided that just confused them more at the time (they were like K and 1st), so I put it away figuring we would use it around 4th/5th grade onward. What if I did something like 3 days a week we focus on like US history, putting most of our efforts into this. The other 2 days a week we read something like CHOW, look up what we are reading in the Usborne Book of World History, maybe make a craft here and there if we have time on one of those 2 days.. but we would do regular crafts/projects based on our US history studies. Then when it comes to the end of those 2 years we flip it around... or even not. Maybe do 2 years where we only focus on world, then 2 where we only focus on US. Actually if we did this, I would put a year between these where we focused on presidents, government, geography. It would look maybe something like this over time: grade: topics 2/3 : US focus with world exposure 3/4 : US focus with world exposure 4/5 : Presidents, government, geography (this is an election year so this fits great) 5/6 : World 6/7 : World 7/8 : US 8/9 : US 9/10: World or Geography 10/11: World or Geography 11/12: Civics & Government 12th for Reagan... an extra year of US Thoughts?
It sounds like you are trying to pack in a lot of structured history/civics and I know that my family would be overwhelmed. Also, maybe you are just more amazing than I am but there is no way I could plan what we're going to do for the next 10+ years. I do love the idea of using the election year as a time to focus on U.S. govt/civics/presidency ect.
I an a big "I have to know what's next" person. I also live in a highly regulated state that says we must cover certain things in certain spans of years. I need to have a general idea of how we are going to fit in the graduation requirements so I can have an idea of what we can/will/should cover now.
I don't think I would mind doing both. M W F for US and T TH for world. Honestly, we haven't done much history because I'm constantly'slidding it to the back burner. I had decided on US the next 2 years then I thought of the fun things we could do with world and changed to that direction. Really there is lots of fun we could do with both. I did decide they need a general understanding of US before our election year government focused year. I have a schedule to use A Little History of the world and Usborne Book of World history in 29 weeks or 145 days. It is just reading those 2, no crafts or videos included. 2 days a week for 2 years is 144. About right. I think I would add a few crafts maybe to do on weekends? Also some videos, my kids are big on videos. US I had already planned out to be 3 days a week.
Sounds good! I've pretty much done no US history so far and spent 4 years slowly studying prehistory through ancient Rome
We have talked a tiny bit about this and a tiny bit about that... bounced around while I played hot potato with what I was using or wanted to use... too much time at that other board and reading what all the great ones are using :lol: I need to get out of the realm of roaming aimlessly.
sounds wonderful.. I think you can do it.. throw some games and field trips in and it will be fun.. can I join in
I have to admit...I've never heard of this book. Sometimes I wonder if I'm living in a cave somewhere :lol:. I looked at the sample at Amazon and it looks really good. Did you buy yours on Amazon? I couldn't find it at Rainbow Resource. I have the Usborne Book of World History. Would you be willing to share your schedule of how you plan to use the two books in 29 weeks? I might want to do the same (and why reinvent the wheel if somebody else already did the planning.... ).
Well, I think I heard about the book from someone who frequents that other board..lol BUT I think I heard about it from her on secularhomeschool.com's forums. I have since seen her mention it on that other board. I really really enjoy it, yes I got it from Amazon. I do not have the newest illustrated version... which she says is fabulous. So I may buy that version before too long. I just wanted to read it. I have heard the audio of it and it is wonderful!!!! About the schedule, it's not my own. I found a thread from some time back on that other board and messaged a poster and she was awesome enough to share.
The sample on Amazon I looked at was for the newest, 2011 hardcover ($21.21 right now. Paperback coming out in November for $15.85), but I saw an older version on eBay cheaper (2008 paperback for $7.90). I thought maybe the only difference would be the covers. Hmmm...now I'll have to rethink which one is better to get. Do you know anything more about the differences?
The 2011 is the illustrated. Really if you have the Book of World History you don't need the illustrations right? I am trying to decide if I want to take the time to line up the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia with it too... the kids really like the net links. It's not hard to find things really like for the first chapter I found a few archaeological dig websites that have interactives... but why reinvent the wheel if the work has been done for me to find fun things for the kids?
Oh, I see...the older one doesn't have any illustrations. Actually, I realize now that the Usborne world history book that I have is the internet linked one. But, I think looking at that schedule you sent me...it wouldn't be too hard to find similar pages that would line up with the UBWH pages.
The linked is much better, esp for older kids. The pictures in the other one are a bit more cartoonish, but still a pretty neat book. It is used in Sonlight for cores B and C. It really shouldn't be hard to line them up. I'm curious to see what the pictures are, but don't have the money to buy a book just because someone else says the pics are cute right now. I got mine on amazon used for really cheap. It's the 05 copywrite date.
GAH... Dang it! So give me a few days, I am sitting here with both Usborne books open and am getting ready to start writing. I couldn't decide if I wanted to save the Internet Linked Encyclopedia for when we get to middle school, but hey I have the Kingfisher I can save for middle school. (Did I ever mention I have a problem?)
LOL!!! :lol: I have to get my hands on those internet linked books for our history curriculum. Looking forward to it!
I am almost through the ancients, I must say that for younger kids... including probably 2nd and 3rd grade, the older, simpler, not internet linked Book of World History is probably better. The pictures are layed out in a more "lead the eye to the next one" kind of way, the print is larger, and it's worded nicer for younger kids.
Boy... ancients were CAKE compared to lining up the middle ages! The IL encyclopedia has WAY more than the old book has. My head is spinning...lol
Ok, I am done! I have both books lined up on paper, tomorrow I will type it up. Now I do have some thoughts after pouring through both books with a fine tooth comb. I do think The Book of World History (my copy is older than this.. but I can't find it on amazon) is much better suited if you are using it with younger kids. It's a bit more vague on the "dark" topics of history, and focuses on the happier things more often. It has some craft ideas here and there... I don't have the book here by me right now, but I remember seeing one on making a Chinese wall hanging. It's much easier to navigate the pages. Pictures are usually numbered, and the caption is usually right under it. The Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History I feel is much better suited to like 4th or 5th grade and up. Actually, I am thinking middle school. Yes, the links are fun, and my kids enjoy them, but the book is more ummmm hard to read? Most pages you look at you wonder what you should read next... so often you are reading and have to reorganize what you read in your mind to put it in order. The type is also much smaller. There is also more focus on some of the darker parts of history. I don't believe in making the world seem all rosey for my kids, but I do think they don't need all the gory details at a young age. I'm currently trying to decide if I want to read through CHOW with the kids and use the Book of World History this year... it is more gentle also compared to some of the blunt gory details that are touched upon in the Little History of the World. Don't get me wrong, I do not think LHotW will traumatize a kid or anything, but it also doesn't seem to sugar coat things. I need to line CHOW up with the books too.... maybe that will be my next goal, if I decide that is what we are going to read...lol
It's hard to know what to do when there are so many choices. I already have CHOW also....we used just bits & pieces when we tried to use HO. I'd like to just read CHOW cover to cover together....and I'm thinking this age/grade (4th this next school year) would be a good year to do that. Buuuutttt.....then we are getting BF Early American History. Now I have to decide if we read CHOW the same year....or wait until the next (I don't really have it figured out yet what BF set I'll want to use in 5th). Oh btw, the Usborne Internet-linked Encyclopedia of World History that I have is this one. Why are there so many different ones.....it makes it confusing.
