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CMHelp or HUFI or Linda Fay
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I’ve been investigating the Higher Up and Further In curriculm as well and just found the post here while Googling. I’m still curious why you can’t have all students on the same history time period with this curriculum? I see it as the same as SCM in that you rotate the history time periods every 6 years. I have a 1st and 2nd grader and I was planning on stating them both next school year in Year 3 as far as World History. I am undecided as to whether or not I’d start them in Year 1 of the American History or just wait and cover it in natural progression in Years 4, 5, 6.
I’m not crazy about straight Ambleside, but I really like what I see so far with HUFI. Is there anyone else out there who’s used this?
Your book list looks great Christie! There’s also a Year 1-6 book list here http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2009/05/complete-elementary-curriculum-book.html I found this very helpful as it’s by year. I’m a very chronological type person.
Happy New Year to you all,
Melissa
Melissa,
HIFI is set up for each child to be in their own level. Now, you could possibly combine a couple of kids if they are close in age or ability, but combining a spread like mine (10, 7, 4, 2) would be impossible. HIFI’s book selections are geared to the ages represented. So, if you’re in year 6, then those books would not be easily read by a 7-8 year old. The difference with SCM is that there are selections appropriate to all ages for each module. You could put this together, but it would be a bit of work.
I keep my booklist as an excel spreadsheet so that it is searchable and sortable by year, author or whatever. I just posted it as a pdf for ease.
Blessings,
Christie
Melissa:
I was the original poster with the question. I have a 7 and 9 year old (1st and 3rd grade) and I feel like I have come to a good plan. I am doing Year 1 with my youngest as far as reading/writing/math and Year 3 with my oldest as far as the same (learning cursive, etc.). I decided that we would follow Years 1 – 4 for the next 4 years as far as history (covering all of American and World with a gentle overview). As far as the literature and nature and geography, I’ve kind of looked around and mixed them up into my own thing. I feel very good about this. I want my girls together at least for now. I can re-evaluate that when they are older. After 4 years, they will be (technically) 5th and 7th grades. There will be enough time at that point to either start the SCM rotation (adding in books from HUFI or AO if desired) and continue TOGETHER … OR … if we feel so inclined at that point, they can separate and do their own AO/HUFI years. I was wrapped up in making decisions for the long hual before and I finally realized that I needed to take it ONE.STEP.AT.A.TIME. I can make decisions for later LATER, lol. If you’re interested in how I’m laying it out, I’ve posted my plans for THIS year (1st and 3rd grades with FAMILY History, Lit, Science, Geography, Bible, Art, Comoser, etc.) on my blog.
I chose to do the Aesop and Fairy Tales and half of Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare this year and will do the other half of Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare and Little Pilgrim’s Progress next year. I chose to just do the CM Elementary Geography this year and then do the three Holling C Holling books in one year (one per term). We will do Tales from Shakespeare after we have done Beautiful Stories (the Nesbit one is supposed to be better for little ones and Lamb good for 10 and up). I’ll worry about Plutarch and the real Pilgrim’s Progress when we get there. As far as art and music, I’m just choosing three artists and three composers (one per term). Our literature read alouds are chosen from all sorts of places … I’ve skipped some of the Year 1 suggestions only because we’ve already read them (we already read Just So Stories and James Herriot’s and most of SCM’s 1st grade novels). As far as nature, we are finishing up our Outdoor Secrets and Companion and doing Burgess Bird this year and will maybe do Burgess Animals next … undecided. I do know that I like the idea of using Living Books and Nature Study for the first 6 years and waiting til 7th grade to start any science COURSES. Hmmm. What else? I thought we could do Old Testament this year and New Testament next year and then we’ll go from there. I like the Guerber books (Story of the Ancient World, Greeks and Romans), but we’ll use those the NEXT time around and stick with CHOW for now. You get the idea.
I have also added/substituted some of the book choices and have looked at the SCM books for the appropriate history topics as well. Meaning, if we are studying the 1700s in American History, I will look at both the recommendations from HUFI and the recommendations from SCM. Currently, we still do all reading as a read-aloud, though. Once my older is in 4th grade, I will begin to assign her readings from SCM’s 4th grade list for whatever topic it is in addition to whatever we read aloud as a family.
Let me know if you have more questions. I was very torn up about this at one time. I felt really REALLY drawn to HUFI, but I knew I wanted us together and that got me very mixed up. It took time and a lot of reading and writing and pondering and prayer, but I finally figured it out FOR US. And, I’m excited to get started in January!
Many blessings to you!
Melissa
Thanks again ladies for your feedback. Christie…you’ve clearly put much time and energy into the book list. It was great….thanks!
Melissa, not only do we share a name, it looks like we share many curriculum choices as well.
Your plan looks good. We’ve covered Old Testament and Ancient Civilizations last year with the Vos Story Bible and we continue to use it this year for New Testament and Ancient Rome. I also supplemented with Gerber’s Story of…. Series.
The CM Geography is a gem that we enjoyed. My daughters also love Queen Language Lessons. And, our son is using the Living Math you mentioned.
A few books on Mary Cassatt that the kids enjoyed were:
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists
Suzette and the Puppy by Joan Sweeney
A Child’s Book of Lullabies with Paintings from Mary Cassatt compiled by Shana McKellar
You can read more about what we’ve done here….http://reflectionsfromdrywoodcreek.blogspot.com/
Blessings to you all,
Melissa
I like the look of HUFI (mind you, I seem to like the looks of almost everything… lol) but with 4 kids (and counting?) I need to combine a larger range.
Just a suggestion but How about Take the youngest and super excellerate? Work harder doubling up lessons and going threw the summer with your youngest. Then with your oldest go at a constant pace. Working more on Math and spelling, ect… This way they will eventually catch up. I had to do this with my younger son. I now have a little one and I do things together with all of them but they are way ahead and she is a little seperate from the rest so we are working on her reading and math. She still sits and does history, Lit , ect… with us as a group in a lesser form but we try to include her and I was surprised at how much she actually picks up. Just a thought but maybe it would make things easier.
This is how I feel. I see so many things I like, but I can’t separate my children (other than skill-based items), it just seems to make our day not as joyful when they have their own read aloud, history, science, etc. I combine and condense the book lists from AO, SCM and glance at HUFI and Milestone Academy for other suggestions. I also use the Bookfinder when I’m at Half-Priced books to see if a bargin book is a good, living book. That’s probably why I’m so drawn here no matter when I stray to look for greener grass.
I like the look of HUFI (mind you, I seem to like the looks of almost everything… lol) but with 4 kids (and counting?) I need to combine a larger range.
Your plan looks good. 
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