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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 2:58pm | IP Logged
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I am considering starting Mater Amabilis's 3 year study of American History with my almost 7year old. However, it occurred to me that my almost 5 years old will be in first grade next Fall, and I wonder if I should do another sort of history study, and wait and start the formal 3 year US history with them both together.
They wouldn't necessarily be exactly on track together anyway for all that time (for instance, I expect a fifth grader would be doing more independent reading and written narrations than a second grader, down the road), but we could be reading the same read-alouds and such.
OR we could still be doing the same read alouds and such, but I just wouldn't make my Preschooler/kindergartner join in unless he wanted until first grade and jus figure he'll cover that early American stuff again later on with his brother to catch anything he misses.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:02pm | IP Logged
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you have enough boys far enough apart that you'll end up overlapping them to do combined things anyway.. so either way you want to start would work just fine. If you're enthusiastic now and want to get going.. that might be more important than waiting until you have two officially doing the work.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:02pm | IP Logged
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Sorry to double post, I hit post too soon 
So, anyway, I figure history is one of the easier subjects to combine at this point, but I suppose in doing so, as one has more school age children, there is never a perfect solution where it all comes out "right." I just wonder what others have or will do, especially when it comes to combining subjects for children close in age.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:04pm | IP Logged
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think cyclically.. some children will get the info younger, some older.. but all will meet up with it sooner or later if you just keep going around and around. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:05pm | IP Logged
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Thanks, Jodie. I cross posted with you for my follow-up. Yes, enthusiasm can be a factor. Also, it is there. I'd have to figure out something else to do now, otherwise, which could waste a lot of time (though, I'm sure it would be time well enjoyed).
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:18pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| I am considering starting Mater Amabilis's 3 year study of American History with my almost 7year old. However, it occurred to me that my almost 5 years old will be in first grade next Fall, and I wonder if I should do another sort of history study, and wait and start the formal 3 year US history with them both together. |
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If it were me, I'd probably just keep rolling with the 7 yo's plan and let the 5 yo tag along informally. The 5 yo will pick up in intensity in a few years in terms of history and you can consider anew when that point comes.
As an aside, my first two really paired up well together for so many years on a variety of subjects. We could find a common jumping off point for so many subjects. But this year it has become apparent as the children are maturing that my high schooler is really off digging into subjects on her own, quite independently, and that my 5th grader and 1st grader are now pairing their subjects more and more. Even with that age spread, the natural pairing of common starting points has always been natural to us, but the new dynamic does have me stepping back and considering things anew. It's just interesting how the dynamic changes and deepens as the years go by. It's neither here nor there, Lindsay, but I had just been considering it, and almost allowing myself to grieve a little that things had changed, and your question about pairing two of your children for history studies prompted a little mini-gush. Thanks for indulging me. 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:20pm | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
| think cyclically.. some children will get the info younger, some older.. but all will meet up with it sooner or later if you just keep going around and around. |
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Yes. This.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Grace&Chaos
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:28pm | IP Logged
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I had my girls do American History together this year.
1. I pretty much followed MA suggestion for a spine (From Sea to Shining Sea) for my older dd and then worked in things that she could read to younger sister or read together like the "If You Lived ..." series.
2. They both have lots of independent reading surrounding our subject study appropriate to their age/level.
3.There is also a day a week where I have scheduled craft/project for them to do together.
4. Scheduled in DVD's or computer games they could do together.
5. Our picture study & poetry study selections surround the era and the girls work together during these subjects.
6. The best is we discuss the same thing and they can both contribute at their own level.
I love how this has all worked out for this first year of combining. I'm planning on doing the same thing next year with Ancients. We are adding my ds who will be first grade. So the pair will really become my third and first grader in terms of readings. My sixth grader will still be part of the extras but her reading will really be her own next year.
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Jenny
Mom to dds(00,03) and dss(05,06,08,09)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:31pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| I just wonder what others have or will do, especially when it comes to combining subjects for children close in age. |
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We did exactly what you're considering doing this year. My 5th grader is studying across the Middle Ages - knights, chivalry, castles, explorers, etc. So, my 1st grader tags along and enjoys himself immensely (it's much more informal for him...I'd say my 5th grader *studies* while my 1st grader is *immersed* and *exposed*). He's immersed in the Middle Ages as much as my older son, and as part of his year, we've done a good bit of reading aloud from picture books that are more appropriately geared to his age level on pertinent history topics while my older son reads independently from books like The Red Keep and King Arthur and His Knights.
There is an interesting development that takes place though when children work together on a common study - that of relationship building. I suppose I couldn't make a blanket statement that it works generally or overall since that might be too far-reaching, but I can say that in my home, spending time together studying a period of history, or any other subject that begins with a common starting point, provides a context for the children's relationship that exists outside of simply studying a subject, and that is quite valuable to me. Boys especially *live* history out in their play. That same sort of relationship building/anchoring took place between my daughter and son over our earlier years, and I'm grateful for it.
Anyway...that's my take on the value of combining subjects. I know it doesn't work for everyone.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Erin
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 3:43pm | IP Logged
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I've combined for years. Saves on the dollars, so much easier at planning time, and hugely beneficial at implementation.
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Erin
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Angel
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 4:45pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| I just wonder what others have or will do, especially when it comes to combining subjects for children close in age. |
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I absolutely combine for kids close in age. Sometimes I combine for everyone. Sometimes *they* combine without any prompting from me at all. A couple of years ago my dd, who had just turned 10, was studying ecosystems. She explained ecosystems to her younger brothers (ages 6, 3, and 3 at the time), *all* of the kids set up an ecosystem game (including my at the time 12 yo), and would you believe my now 5 yo twins still play "Ecosystem"?
Anyway, this is just to say -- don't worry too much about getting the rotation "right". Different kids will pick up different things from combined study, based on their ages, interests, and personalities, but it's almost always beneficial. And, especially as your family grows, it simplifies things enormously to know that *everybody* is going to be in the same period of history no matter their age or whether they're reading independently or listening to read alouds. I'll (hopefully) have everybody in the same period next year, but my older kids will probably do all their history reading independently, and the read alouds will be for the 8 and 5/6 year olds. My 3/4 yo will tag along as desired. (Incidentally, we'll be doing early American history, too -- if that helps!)
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Angela
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guitarnan
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| Posted: March 22 2011 at 5:28pm | IP Logged
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We combined (ancient, medieval and US) history successfully...even though my children are almost 6 years apart in age.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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vmalott
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 8:12pm | IP Logged
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Yep, I've been doing multi-level "teaching" for some time now when it comes to history and science topics. It just makes things so much easier for me to just have this...environment...where we're all on the same page, so to speak. That said, like Jen, I require very little of my younger ones, but follow their lead if they become interested in a topic. So, I make sure to get lots of picture books that go along w/the time period/topic that the older kids are studying.
I think the Simply Charlotte Mason website is helpful in providing age-appropriate history readings at the various levels. You can also look at the book lists for the Connecting With History program at the St. George Books website, for other time periods besides US History.
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
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AmandaV
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| Posted: April 06 2011 at 8:35am | IP Logged
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I'm in the same boat, I think, Lindsay, although we started year 1 of MA's US history with my almost 7 year old this year for 1B. My daughter just turned 5 and we are starting some informal kinder, more formal in the fall at her request for more to do and learn. She hasn't been tagging along this year, but we haven't gotten too far. I think I'll just add her into our core read aloud of Eggleston's First Book in American History, and add in some picture books that cover the topics at a little lower level including some sort of a brief picture book intro. If I were you, just starting the study, I'd definitely combine. MA recommends Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
for prep level if you following that at all, and you could just intersperse readings from that with This Country of Ours or Eggleston or your history spine, along with picture book read alouds. There are quite a few recommended on MA's History page, and I'm sure you/we can find a bunch at the library.
We are also going to do a study of Ancient History with the Old Testament as our spine per MA year 1A along with Knecht's Child's Bible History to supplement and I think I'll order the First Timeline by Mary Daly for my 7 year old and 5 year old to do together. This will twice a week, and we'll probably hit US history twice a week too. :)
Hope that helps. It helps me to think about it, because I tend to think about my first mainly, since he's the "formal" student so far, but I need to remember to figure out how to incorporate my daughter too. She is great playing with my twins, though, so they'll need more organized activities too. :)
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Amanda
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Waiting to combine
