Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: American History, beautiful feet, d'aulaire, History

This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 2 months ago by caycecronk.

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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March 20, 2013 at 2:31 pm
caycecronk
Member
I have scoped out beautiful feet books before but never tried any of them! I am really wanting to add in some Early American history next year to go along with our module 2 for world and biblical history. I want to of course use living books, or good literature for most of it. I checked out there list of books for elementary aged kids for early American history and it looks pretty goood. I thought I might get there lesson plans book and try to find most of the books listed at the library or elsewhere since Beautiful Feet seems to be really high price wise. Anyone use there books for American history or there lessons plans? How did you like them? Would this be too much for a second grader?
March 20, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Wings2fly
Participant
We used them for grades K – 3. It is not too much for a 2nd grader. We LOVE the D’Aulaire books, which are also used in SCM history guides. The BF guides tell you which pages to read and which b & w illustration from the D’Aulaire book to copy for the kids to color and put in their history notebook. Then they have a copywork sentence to write that goes with the picture. Occasionally there are Bible verses and character qualities to discuss. Many of the lessons we doubled up on, but that was our only history and copywork for the day. If you do one lesson per day, it is short enough to add in with SCM module 2, which is mostly Bible. We skipped some of the Thanksgiving books since we cover that topic yearly with the holiday and they spent a lot of time on that already. If you start in August, you should be at pilgrims & Squanto in November. Their lesson plans were updated recently, maybe a year ago. So if you buy used, it would likely be the older version. Alternatively, you could do your own thing and read the D’Auliare books in historical order at your own pace and do your own narrations without the BF guide. Many of the books are at the library or buy at Amazon, CBD, RR, Ebay, & homeschoolclassifieds.com
March 20, 2013 at 4:46 pm
Shannon
Participant
Thanks for sharing a bit what the curriulum is like. I had meant to get the guide book for this school year but I haven’t yet. We have read one of the D’Aulaire books and really enjoyed it. I was wondering how much the guide adds. I have the Character through Literature guide and while I love the books they recommend, I don’t use it as a curriulum or use it in any way other than a book list. This is why I didn’t know how much I’d like the American History guide, what it would offer to me rather than a book list. Granted, it isn’t expensive, but it sounds like maybe with this, too, I’d just use the books and not so much the guide. Does anyone have other thoughts on my assessment of the guide books? Does anyone have a list of the books in order that the guide uses?
Best,
Shannon
March 20, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Amanda
Participant
We just recently started using these for my dd(8) who is currently in AO Year 2. I felt that she needed more American History in her schooling so I thought I’d give it a try (we are still doing her other scheduled history readings as well). So far its been great! I really only use the guide as a reference and we often double up on lessons but I like the break down of what to read when. The guide does add to the experience but we pick and choose what we’d like to add to our notebooks. My next to oldest dd(5) found the notebooks so appealing that she requested to make one as well. Some of it is busy work like coloring a picture to add to your notebook but if they enjoy it and want to do it, I really don’t mind. Hope that helps!

Also, I’m wondering if anyone here has some insight about studying two different periods of history at once with emementary aged children…
March 20, 2013 at 6:42 pm
suzukimom
Participant
From the AO FAQ…
Can children follow two consecutive threads of history at the same time?
Children studying two different streams of history concurrently typically do not experience difficulty keeping the events and eras straight in their minds. Keeping a timeline (either on a wall or in a century book – see links below for descriptions) provides a visual experience with the progression of history that helps immensely in this regard. We recommend that the student should also mark events on maps. Merely showing a child a timeline or map is passive; Charlotte Mason wanted the child to be an active participant by placing events and people on a timeline and map himself. Children should start keeping their own timeline from about ten years of age.
March 21, 2013 at 3:49 am
caycecronk
Member
I think I will get the lesson plans and then try to find most of the bookstand the library or amazon used. The book choices look great! Thanks guys!
March 21, 2013 at 3:52 am
caycecronk
Member
Shannon, I intend to mostly use the guide as a book lst to start off with! Who knows ….we may lie it well enough to do some of the lessons as well.
March 21, 2013 at 3:55 am
caycecronk
Member
Thanks guys for sharing your experience with me! It does help simplify things a bit for me.