Okay ladies we just began week 2 year 3 here at home and already I found something I bought I don't like. That doesn't happen really often to me. Actually so far I have bought only one thing each year that didn't work for us. However last year and this year it is history. I don't like MOH, already tried it last year and ended up selling it. So what I need to from you all is a recommendation on a good history spine for this year. We are studying the time period of the Middle Ages 800 - 1400. Things like Joan or Arc, King Arthur, Ivanhoe, etc. But I need a good solid, not to dry but not watered down history spine. Anybody anywhere have anything to recommend?
Nothing here we are doing America the Land I love from Abeka this year and loving it... I throw in some movies. DH one time tape a series on the history channel about John Adams he easer that, isn't he a turkey. Men. Any way I am going to go hunting for that series on the web today and hope to find it. It's is really good, went over alot of thinks back then...
Since you didn't like MOH, I'm not sure what to tell you. There is "Famous Men of the Middle Ages", which is put out my Greenleaf Press. Though I'm not sure you could actually use it as a spine.... It is a good book, though. There are 21 different people listed, dating from 394-1115. So it finishes earler than what you want, too.
No ,sorry. I piece together my own. You could put together something from the library and online. Sort of like a timeline as a guide, thats what I do. We are notebooking American History this year , its been fun designing it myself. I use this website, you can also search for people/events: http://www.timelineindex.com/content/home/forced This website lists some good books you could use maybe: http://www.abookintime.com/timelines.html
That hands of a child web site has a good looking Middle ages book, we are using Story of the World, and so far it seems like a story book , and some activities, so we are using it as the spine. I plan to check out books and videos on the time period as well. This is planned out to be a FUN history year for us and we like how the STOW has it set up. Not sure if that is the one you were going to use or not, but we are doing Book 2 the blue one. So far we have done one lesson with reading and ds wanted to do the color pages So we are coloring while I read, he can't wait to do the history tomorrow because it is the craft project, then Thursday we will do Library books detailing the time period we are studying, teh Fall of Rome.. as it is begining there.
Well it looks as if I will be once again piecing my own history together. Funny thing is I have done this every year so far. Our first year I put together my own Texas history program and it was awesome. We really enjoyed it and I saved all the books to use for Grace later. Last year we began with MOH, used it for one month, hated it and sold it. Then I pieced together my own unit studies, six weeks at a time and we covered the American Revolution through the civil war by the end of the year. We used American Girl for historical fiction. This whole year we are supposed to be doing Middle Ages and I love all the other choices I made for historical fiction and biographies. I guess I am going to need to hit the library this week and see what I can put together.
Veritas Press has great history programs, but you can also just visit their site to get a good idea of books/projects that you can do to put one together via your library: http://veritaspress.com/products.asp?dept=1038 Click on the page numbers to go to subsequent books and projects related to the theme. I'm using them for our 2nd grade history this year on Egypt. It's very thorough but has a lot of fun project ideas as well.
I am another that using SOTW (although right now we're putting that aside to do an election study from weekly reader). What does MOH stand for again???
MOH ~ Mystery Of History. MonkeyMama, do you mind telling what you didn't like about MOH? I ended up with SOTW because a friend had used curriculum but MOH was my first choice. I know Ambleside, Sonlight, & Veritas all have excellent book lists for your time period but can't recommend a spine. There is a very readable British timeline on~line that I stumble across occassionaly but I don't have a link. I guess you've tried googling to see what comes up?
Putting together your own is good, check out that hands of a chiild site, it has the notebooks that have lesson and stuff right there , that would be helpful in a spiney sort of way?
We are using History Odessey. It uses ACHOW, SOTW, and Usborne internet linked encyclopedia as spines. It is the first thing that I have been able to use with both girls. We really love the usborne encyclopedia and it would make an excellent spine. The websites it suggests are great.
I second putting your own history together. This year we are using A Beka Old World History but I am finding myself using it as more of a spine than anything else. We are using a lot of other books along with it.
I put it together myself. Trying to not deal just on the "what" but the "how" and "why" too. I try to keep it exciting and interesting. As an example we made popsicle stick catapults (shoots 30 feet!!!!) Next week we're making a model of a typical fief. Personally, I get in the important parts but try to flow with their interest. (They're more interested in the social aspects of the Middle Ages than the political.)
How did you make these? It sounds like something we would definately want to make-- also how old/grade?
I didn't like MOH because to me it was too broad. I like to spend more time on one topic than a week. Usually we spend at least 6 weeks really delving in to all aspects of what we are studying. I use Ambleside Year 7 for Samantha. The history book recommended is I am sure a very good book. We are on Chapter 2 and it is tying in nicely with the rest of our studies. Probelm is it is too dry for Samantha. She looses interest and it takes us way longer to read the selection because of that. I may still use it only modify it some.
Teachermom - I found it online. I can't post websites yet, but The site is called "stormthecastle" It takes 32 sticks, tape, rubber band and paper. Finished it's no bigger than a foot all around. Youngest is 4th grade, but she was able to do it fine. I just helped reinforce the joints with a bit more tape.
cool thanks Square peg! I just found some great notebooking pages and even just writing pages with knights and castles on it if anyone is interested its in the free resouces section of Notebooking.com I am going to "Storm the Castle" right nowhehe! so that would be stormthecastle.com ?
