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Genesis through Deuteronomy and Ancient Egypt question w/ another curriculum?
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Hi,
I am wanting to do AE study w/ my 13 and 14 year old daughters but really want to start w/ Old Testament Study…does anyone know, I have a tendancy to complicate things a bit, could I use the Genesis through Deuteronomy and Ancient Egypt w/ another curriculum. I am wanting to do Sonlight 6 & 7 to give me a Teachers Guide and try and do it in a CM way but…really want to incorporate Biblical History and OT History. Could I use the SCM guide to do this or would that be too much?
Thanks!
Kim (Wife to Clayton for 18 years, mother to dd14, dd13, ds10, dd7, dd4, ds2 and baby 3 months)
Hi, Kim –
Let’s see if I can give you a few more details that will help you make the decision. The Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt study is set up in three Terms’ worth of work like this:
- Genesis
- Ancient Egypt and map drill of Africa
- Exodus through Deuteronomy and map drill of Africa
It is also set up for only four days per week, so you might be able to pair it with another curriculum. I guess the question is Do you need to? Only you can answer that question, dear. 🙂
Have you downloaded the sample pages of Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt? Those should give you a good idea of what all is in the handbook.
Another possibility that comes to mind: I’m not familiar with Sonlight 6 & 7, but if that is an Ancient Egypt emphasis, you might be able to pair that with the book from Greenleaf Press, Guide to Old Testament History. It contains passages of Scripture and discussion questions that might give you the structure you’re looking for but not quite so much as a complete other curriculum book.
Hope this helps!
Hi Kim,
Just thought I’d fill you in on my thoughts on this since we’ve used Sonlight in the past. I personally think it would be too much to try to do both – especially since you seem to have your hands wonderfully full. The Sonlight IG’s alone can be overwhelming with so many things to read and do. I think if you are going to continue with Sonlight, Sonyas suggestion to use Greenleaf Press-Guide to OT History would be great to supplement Bible. Also, another suggestion would be to use the handbook for Genesis through Deut as your guide and just add in some of the suggested books from the Sonlight cores. Just a thought. Either way, I’m sure that God will lead you and your family ~ as you trust in Him with all your heart. 😉
Blessings,
heather
Thank you both…I really feel like crying..ha! I don’t know what I am doing. I love this website, really love it. I have looked at the samples of everything. I bought Year 1 from Living Books Curriculum but…well..I am NOT sure why I keep wanting to go back to Sonlight, I have never been able to make it work and I have MORE children now. I am really starting to feel like my 13 and 14 year old daughters have really missed out, they have not seen the 4 year history cycle, I want them to do History and Geography..to fill them in on what they missed out on. BUT..I know me also and if I have to search here and there for books or try and figure out how to schedule all of my children together..well..it doesn’t get done.
I love the Genesis guide offered here because I love Ruth Beechick books, I have the Childs Story Bible by Voss. I am just not sure how to make everything work w/out a guid and I like, since I am not familiar w/ a lot of these books, that I can just buy something that says “read this book today” even if I don’t strictly follow the guide…I thought about taking several years, maybe 3 or 4 to do Sonlight and use more CM methods.
I thought about using Beautiful Feet Guides and book packages.
I think I am making this too hard but don’t know which direction to take! I am a black/white person, have a hard time finding middle ground so…I just really want them to love learning about History and Geography. HOW DO I DO THIS W/ ALL MY CHILDREN? Maybe I am afraid of the simplicity of CM also…but…it is better than not doing anything.
I would really appreciate suggestions. LBC does not have anything for 7th and 8th grade or I would try to use it as it schedules everything in one week. Although I am not sure if the picture study is CM.
Okay..done whining for now..ha! Thanks again, in advance!!! Oh..I have looked at AO and not sure I could swing it, they really don’t start w/ AE study or Old Test. Am I making chronology too important?
Kim
Ah, homeschooling, there’s nothing like it to make you second guess every decision you make! For history we are using Truthquest History. It is Christian based and her wonderful commentaries give you a good idea of how history ties in with God’s plans, and not the other way around! It is a literature guide with suggested readings for K-12 on each topic. The web address is truthquesthistory.com.
Kim ~ I can relate with you so very well. I too am a black and white person and have a hard time finding the middle ground. Since finding this website, however, and beginning to implement CM methods, I truly feel like I’m finding it after 6 years of homeschooling. My poor ds (almost 13) has suffered through my many curriculum switches, wanderings here and there and grumblings with my attitude in homeschooling. Hopefully by the time by baby ( 8 months now) gets to be school aged I will finally figure all this out. 🙂 Anyway, I just have to say that I too was a bit frightened by the simplicity of CM but let me tell you, it has truly been a breath of fresh air.
Have you heard Sonyas message yet – Reaching your childs heart? I highly recommend it! Even if we don’t ever get this “curriculum” thing right, if we can reach their hearts, then we’ve won! I’m sure you will get many more suggestions…
Praying the Lords blessing on you and your family – May His face shine upon you!
Heather
Heather,
Thank you for your post! Wow..sounds very familiar. My oldest is 14, my next is 13, my youngest is 3 months, and 4 inbetween. My oldest two were taken out of school, in the middle of 1st grade for my 13 year old and after 2nd grade for my 14 year old. I have bounced around a lot. My son, who is 10, and struggled w/ reading has been through way too many phonics programs.
I am starting to worry about how to “count” history credits for my 14 year old because she is now HS age. I really feel like I “need” Sonlight but love the looks of the guides on this sight.
I have the Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament Study…but….I like more books scheduled w/ it.
I don’t know…Sonlight also schedules in Bible reading, memory verses, which I like. I am not good in geography and they schedule in map work.
Oh…how confusing all of this is. I am way too stressed out.
By the way…I am a “thermometer”!!! For anyone who has read Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life
Kim
You are blessed, Kim- 7 childen- how wonderful!
You made me laugh-Hee-Hee! 🙂 May the Lord turn us into thermostats instead.
How we need His grace – good thing that He’s willing to give it!
Under His mercy,
Heather
(Helpmeet to Tim for 15 years and Mama to ds’s ages 12,7 and 8 months)
I am new to homeschooling with 2 girls ages 12 & 7. They have always attended public school so this will be a huge adjustment. I am overwhelmed by the curriculum choices but have loved the SCM site and am VERY interested in this method. I completely relate to these posts–i too am a black and white person (accountant by trade) and the simplicity of CM is frightening. My husband and I keep coming to the same question of “how do you know they are getting anything”. This is where I have to trust God as I know in my soul He has led us to this path…..
Anyway, I say all this to ask this—csmamma, I noticed your children’s age gap is the same as mine. Do you instruct them together or individually? I would love to combine as much as possible but not sure how to go about it..any help/insight from anyone with 5 year age span b/t children would be much appreciated.
Thanks!!!
I have been a perpetual tweeker and curriculum junkie. We did 2 Sonlight cores, and while I loved the books, there were just too many to properly digest in a CM way. The curriculum guide here doesn’t have as many books, but the books here are remembered better. That is one of the unique things about CM with narrating. When done right, kids remember far more than through traditional methods. Fewer/shorter books = more learning through CM. Narrating orally seems really simple and appears to be ineffective compared to the paper trail of traditional methods. Appearances can be deceiving! I would recommend the All Day Seminar to get the complete picture along with the original writings or a paraphrase. I had no idea how hard narrating was until I started doing it with my kids. Yikes, I can see why it is effective.
I am hoping to use the SCM guides as is for high school and just add the courses (lab science, foreign language, math, etc) needed to get the bases covered.
Thank you for your advice and I plan on ordering the all day seminar. I also hope to find a CM support group in Southern California as we are relocating to that area in the next few months.
i am so very exited to start the homeschool journey that i cannot quit thinking/praying about it…largely due to the posts in this forum.
Thanks again. I am sure I will have many more questions to come in the near future.
KimB
I was one of those afraid of the simplicity of CM. Sonyas guides have helped me a lot but I still felt weighed down with the pressure of all the books on my shelf and the realization that we were never going to read them ALL! But, after graduating three who were all homeschooled all the way through, and by a really freewheeling mamma:) I know that the Lord has it all in hand. I am SO excited to be doing Ancient Egypt with Sonyas guide this year with my two youngest. Because of their wide age gap I am actually thrilled with this guide. I can give my 14yods something to work on and have time to help my 9yodd with her work. The biggest helps I got with managing my overactive ambition and the reality of how CM could be was Sonyas all day seminar and her CM planner and DVD. I had thought I wouldn’t need the planner since I am a ‘vet’, lol, of so many years Hschooling. This planner changed my life this year. With a concrete look at how many books we could read in a year, and a lot of prayer we are set to begin in 2 weeks:) PTL and thank you Sonya.
Don’t be scared by the gentle method, instead use it to refresh and renew your purpose and your joy of learning. And you will be surprised how many books actually get finished!
Heidi
Wow, Heidi! I really needed this today, thank you. I have climbed up a tree over the past few days and I need help getting down. I’m a little overwhelmed right now. I ordered Sonya’s DVDs (All Day seminar and Planning your CM education); so I think I’m going to breathe, camp out, watch them, then hopefully be able climb down. I have been so afraid I’m not doing the right “curriculum” for my girls; and I need to just step back and read to them, enjoy them and once I plan everything, then I can dive in. Okay, trying to breathe….
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