| Author | |
~Rachel~
Forum All-Star
Joined: March 29 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 677
|
| Posted: Dec 14 2005 at 10:09am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I saw this mentioned elsewhere, History Links and wondered if you had tried it, and if so, what did you think?
__________________
~Rachel~
Wife to William
Mum to James 13, Lenore 8
Lighting a Fire
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 25 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2291
|
| Posted: Dec 14 2005 at 11:59am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I purchased the medievil history links and was not very impressed. I was hoping for something a bit more like a Catholic Story of the World, so that may be why it didn't work for me. What I wouldn't give for a Catholic SotW!
What is there is nice, but it is a LOT of teacher prep/research time, imo. Which I just don't have to spare. Everything is more like ideas to research or make for various ages as you cover whatever time period you purchased - like a spring board rather than a complete program, kwim?
I will say that it is certainly Catholic in content.
Also, if it makes a difference... it doesn't seem to resell well. I posted it to Cathswap for $15 inc. postage and haven't had a single nibble.
__________________
Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: Dec 14 2005 at 3:07pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My reaction is the same as Martha's - we bought it looking for a Catholic living history but found it way too much for mom of many to get into. I still have it sitting around and no one has touched it yet.
For younger folks, we did enjoy the ABCs of Christian Culture, but it doesn't have enough meat in it beyond younger elementary.
By default, we are back to History textbooks (going slowly and reading real books to flesh them out).
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
BrendaPeter
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 28 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 981
|
| Posted: Dec 14 2005 at 6:16pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
The information on the History Links is more than I could ever have wanted! They did such a thorough job of researching but it is alot for mom as others mentioned. For Ancient Egyptian, I'm very pleased with (you're not going to believe this one!) Evan-Moors History Pockets!! I wish they had them for Medieval History.
btw - we have the cds for the 1st two books of SOTW but since I'm leary on the 3rd one, I've ordered some of Anne Carroll's tapes from Seton School. Hope that helps!
__________________
Blessings,
Brenda (mom to 6)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TracyQ
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: New York
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1323
|
| Posted: Dec 14 2005 at 6:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We used the General one and the Creation. I think it's very well done, IF you want a unit study! That's what it was written for. It's a definite unit study, not a literature based study, or an ongoing story.
We really learned a lot from both of them. 
__________________
Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Kelly
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 21 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1211
|
| Posted: Dec 14 2005 at 11:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I guess I'll be the Fly in the Ointment here  . I *really* like History Links, especially their General Intro...I harken to this volume in all our history studies as it teaches HOW to study history. This is a unit I think that could be repeated every so often as a sort of History Handbook, something you'd learn more from every time! That being said, HL is not at all like SOTW---definitely an apples and oranges thing there---HL being every bit a bonafide Unit Study approach. I wonder if it puts people off because it looks so darn scholarly and has SO much information. It really is dense! But it's sort of like a James Michener novel---you just have to skip great bunches of it to enjoy it! When we did the Egyptian volume when my big children were little, I got bogged down trying to do EVERYTHING in the book. Seems like we spent about three(hundred) years on Ancient Egypt, it just went on and on and on. If I ever see another Nilometer I think I'll scream! Actually, we only spent about a year on Ancient Egypt (tho it seemed like forever), but we really went into 'way TOO much depth and would have been better off doing many fewer projects in a leisurely, enjoyable fashion, and reading more living books alongside of the activities. However, for older students, I still think HL is a great little resource. I guess this is just a long-winded way of saying not to throw out the baby with the bath water, because HL really can provide some wonderful, rich historical "meat" for your studies!
Kelly in FL
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ALmom
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3299
|
| Posted: Dec 15 2005 at 1:06am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Kelly,
Thanks for your reminder. History Links was a unit study - and I think that is why I didn't like it.
(So if you like unit studies in general, you might really like History Links). There certainly was tons of information and ideas. I had the unit on Ancient Egypt. (I do not know why I ordered that particular one - I think it was the only one complete back when I ordered it). Anyways - that too was part of my difficulty with it, now that you jogged my memory - I had younger dc and wasn't really wanting to do a lot of ancient/pagan civilizations at that point.  So why did I even order it? I think I had heard so much about KONUS and unit studies and here was a Catholic one getting started - I knew I didn't want to do the dry memorize names and dates from a textbook for history so I thought I'd give it a peek and see. None of the units I wanted were ready yet but I decided that I could look at this one to get an idea.
They had a timeline and used symbols beside suggested activities to indicate what category of learning you might classify the activity. There was certainly a lot of background information on Egypt included and best of all, a connection/ comparison and contrast to Catholicism.
However, there were activities like - "Make your own water clock. Use plastic containers. Experiment using different size holes ..." It all sounded marvelous - if only I knew how in the heck to make that water clock. In our household, we would all have attempted something and been at the height of stress when every attempt was a failure - and we wouldn't even be sure if we did finally get a respectable clock. By the end of it, I'd be so stressed that my voice would rise - and the kids would think I was yelling and be in tears, etc.
I guess I did learn that unit studies just weren't for us - at least not run by me. I have trouble doing science experiments following step by step directions (they still don't do what they are supposed to and we are all standing around frustrated). Heck, to this day, I will not sew because I managed to put and take out a zipper 5 + times (all of them new ways to do it wrong). I need a mentor for the confidence - something we know will work. If we have to make angel wings for a costume - dh cuts out the wings.
I do not know if the detail of the instruction (or lack thereof) is typical of unit studies. There are a lot of general type ideas like the water clock one without precise step by step how to. Perhaps that is just unit study and someone might like the more open ended type things. That aspect just drove us all nuts! For instance - "Discuss the physics of a shaduf. What simple machines does it incorporate?" I don't know or remember enough physics to discuss the physics of things I'm familiar with, yet alone, something I would have to research. I'd have to dig out books to find what simple machines are and examples of them. I just am not that smart to have it easily in my head or at my fingertips and I don't have the time to look it all up, all the time, in everything.
Anyways, hope this helps give more background into the reasons it didn't work for us - so folks considering it can make a more informed choice, realizing more the limitations of our family that colored our opinion.
Janet
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen E.
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 27 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1161
|
| Posted: Dec 15 2005 at 8:49am | IP Logged
|
|
|
After hearing about HL from Kelly in FL, we did some History Links last year. We really liked the general intro unit and had a lot of fun with it. We also did Creation, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. We spent far less time on them than we could have (Kelly, if I'd spent an entire year on Ancient Egypt my kids would have been calling for my mummification.)
As Kelly said, there are loads of ideas to choose from, and you really do have to choose or you'll go insane trying to do it all. As a unit study, it is full of great ideas, but yes, can be intensive in terms of outside research and prep. But, I have only three kids and it worked well for us last year. We were ready to do something different this year, though I do believe I'll go back to the general unit again in a year or two. I agree with Kelly that its approach (how to study history) is a valuable one to learn and review. I'm sure I'll use some of the other units again, too.
__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Kelly
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 21 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1211
|
| Posted: Dec 15 2005 at 4:42pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Karen E. wrote:
| We really liked the general intro unit and had a lot of fun with it. We also did Creation, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. We spent far less time on them than we could have (Kelly, if I'd spent an entire year on Ancient Egypt my kids would have been calling for my mummification) |
|
|
I know, a year was definitely TOO long for us, too. It really threw us off schedule, so that we're still behind where we should be. On the other hand, it was a learning curve, not only in terms of what we learned about Egypt, but what we learned about using Unit Studies!
The bottom line is that history should be fun, and each of us has to find out what works best with our personalities and schedules. And if Momma ain't havin' fun, ain't NO ONE havin' fun!
Kelly in FL
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Lisa R
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 29 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 789
|
| Posted: Dec 16 2005 at 9:52am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Does anyone know if they are planning to write more History Links? ie. American History?
__________________
God Bless!
Lisa, married to my best friend, Ray and loving my blessings Joshua (17)and Jacob(15), Hannah(7) and Rachel (5)!Holy Family Academy
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Kelly
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 21 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1211
|
| Posted: Dec 20 2005 at 7:37pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Seems like I heard they were cranking along chronologically. If so, American Rev will probably be a long time coming, alas!
Kelly in FL (who would love to see an Am. Rev HL!)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cathhomeschool
Board Moderator
Texas Bluebonnets
Joined: Jan 26 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7303
|
| Posted: Dec 27 2005 at 4:50pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We used the General Unit, Creation and Mesopotamia units and I'm glad we did. As others have said, they were very thorough and contained much more than we could use. I especially liked these three units because it's harder to find units and library books on Creation and Mesopotamia. I didn't get the others because I thought I could wing it with Egypt/etc. There's so much available out there for the later periods in history! History Links gives a lot of ideas for hands-on projects -- labor and prep-intensive for mom at times, but very memorable for the kids. I wouldn't use it unless I really wanted to spend the time on it. We'll definitely use it again with my littles when they're older.
__________________
Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Cindy
Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 01 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 235
|
| Posted: Dec 28 2005 at 8:06am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I used History Links when leading a co-op history class with a small group of kids ages 8-12. It worked well for giving me ideas to springboard from.
HTH!
Cindy in Tx
__________________
Cindy in Texas
It Is About The Journey
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Schoolrmacres
Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 09 2005
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 153
|
| Posted: Jan 07 2006 at 4:59pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
How much of HL do you feel you could use with a bright 6 1/2 yr old.(She is iiin 2nd grade)? I did the General Studies unit but that is all I have looked into.
Thanks
__________________
Darlene, wife to Shawn and mamma to Haleigh Elizabeth, our Gift from God through adoption.
Peace be with you
http://achampionfamily.blogspot.com/
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: History Links
