4 Year Cycle…why can\'t I let it go?

Howdee, As a teacher to our children, 8th grade boy, 3rd grade girl and 1st grade boy, we have found for the last 2 years that I really get bored if I stick to a system or strategy too long. So, for example we try hard to stick to the literature/history and Bible readings that support the history for the year, but often we love a book so much we want to see other books by the same author or living books in the same time period which leads us to favorites again by the authors. So by the time this perpetual circle ends with the year, we have read our planned reading( 25% of books)and other reading based on interests outside the scope and sequence (75% of books). I sometimes do and other times don’t put the books into chronological history. If I do the books read are in our Book of Centuries. 2014-2015 school year, we read including read-alouds without audiobooks in excess of 400 books!(mostly from our library system). I am most content doing this and yet others say, she’s crazy!

Our going into 8th grade boy reads and comprehends on an 11th grade reading level,( just tested him because I had no idea???!) and he loves to read. I am here to tell you that with God’s grace and mercy, he has led us to this system that we so thrive in. God gets all the Glory and Praise for the successes in our homeschool!
I feel my job is to INSPIRE ( be cheerful and excited and Godly), ENCOURAGE ( I will start reading aloud a novel he has rejected initially by simply looking at the cover and he often times goes to lay in his home-made hammock to finish it off)he has taken the bait! and MOTIVATE ( ask for feedback, get excited about reading his written and oral narrations and search for other books, strategy listed above). We are called to these positions, and we are very serous to this calling! Keep up the good work!

So this long drawn out explanation is meant to explain that ever family works differently. Don’t fight the differentness and uniqueness of your family and ask God to be the One that gives you guidance and then be content!
Martha

I haven’t read all the replies so I’m sorry if my 2 cents are the same as someone else’s.  I have 2 things for you to consider with the 4 year cycle.  First, it’s been my experience with most homeschool plans that the first cycle is more of a social studies type program instead of true history.  When children are that young, they aren’t ready for that type of material.  For example, I can’t imagine a young child learning about the carnality (sp?) and  excess that went on in the ancient times or the horrors that went on during WW2.  So instead there is a focus on the clothing, games, house types etc.  Second, getting through the span of history in 4 years is super quick.  We will have to leave out some of the content or go through history more superficially.  Also, because we have to go so quickly, the children will not have the time for their minds to “chew” and “digest.”  CM’s writings tell us over and over how this time is very important.  So to sum it up, the 4 year rotations could be seen as good, but not best.