Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: History

This topic has 10 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 6 months ago by petitemom.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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October 11, 2013 at 8:10 am
petitemom
Participant
ok so we did volume 1 last year, finished the 1st quarter of volume 2.
I know I wrote a few positive comments on it.
I like the fact that it covers a lot in a short time.
But.. the more I am learning about Charlotte Mason (am reading when children love to learn right now) the more I am realizing that it is mostly dry facts.
My kids (and me too actually) are remembering more from the living books I implement then by reading the MOH book.
I like to read it but most the time the kids are bored, I am realizing it is just something we go through just to get it covered!
I am not sure I want to go w/SCM modules because my oldest is already in 7th grade, we are in the Middle ages and I would like to go through American History before he finishes High school!
Any suggestions on what to do next?
How is Hillyer’s “A child’s history of the world”?
Other recommendations of what to use as living book type spine?
October 11, 2013 at 12:22 pm
TailorMade
Participant
There are threads discussing utilizing the SCM modules in a different order. That may serve you well. Also, some families use only the American history portion of modules 5&6 to cover it in one year. Others combine the first two modules (or, the first three) for ancient history in one year.
October 11, 2013 at 3:13 pm
petitemom
Participant
So far I am planning on using all of Module 5 and 6,not just American history. I like the idea of combining w/what happened around the world at the same time.
I would just like to do the period before that in a shorter time.
I would not know how to go about it using the modules, we are just getting to the dark ages.
But I would really like to get opinions on a child’s history of the world as well!! Anybody?
October 11, 2013 at 3:15 pm
susie in ms
Participant
Even my ADD dh is captivated by Our Island Story (Britian), and we enjoy CHOW as well. Not sure how they compare to MOH as it has been too many years since we used it. I remember not being satisified with it, but my kids were older at the time. Right now my dd I am schooling is 8 yo. So make sure to consider this. OIS and CHOW are both overviews, but to us they are like listening to interesting stories.
October 11, 2013 at 3:18 pm
susie in ms
Participant
I should add that we are using OIS and CHOW as part of AO Y2 schedule which also includes Little Duke and Trial and Triumph for the history portion. All of these are living books and together make a very good combo. All in all we are very happy with it.
October 11, 2013 at 4:17 pm
petitemom
Participant
thanks! so basically you are saying for a 10 and 12 years old it might not be enough but is a good book? Can it be used as a spine or not?
I’ll look up the other titles. I do have a lot of living book scheduled for this year..
October 11, 2013 at 5:13 pm
susie in ms
Participant
I think it can make a good spine for most ages (maybe not highschool) because if you are going to add to it you would be digging in even more. HOD uses this book in their Preparing guide which is geared for ages 8-10 with extensions for older students. This would cover Ancients thru the treaty at Versailles. I have the older book, the newer ones cover a bit more. We will be using this book (along with others) stretching it out over a 2 or 3 years, so we don’t progress thru history too fast. But you don’t have to.
OIS can be found (read and downloaded if wished) at GoogleBooks so you can check that one out throroughly before making a decision. It is the history of Britian.
Trial and Triumph, I believe is mostly on Googlebooks for a very good overview. You can’t download it or view all of it, but you will know if you like it or not. This one covers chruch history from the year 69-2001. Obviously it will be used for years as we won’t move thru history all in one year.

Little Duke is also available free online. He was the great-grandfather of William the Conqueror.

Another consideration:
Story of Mankind. It goes from Ancients to WW1 I believe. Also free online.
Any of these books can be placed on Kindle, printed, or bought from places like Yesterday’s Classics. Well CHOW is not free online.
October 11, 2013 at 8:37 pm
petitemom
Participant
thank you, very helpful!
October 11, 2013 at 9:02 pm
ServingwithJoy
Participant
MOH is really good, but we had the same feeling about it that you ended up with. It was just too much info crammed into a short time period. I think it would work better as a spine that a Jr High student could work on independently and parallel the rest of the family’s time period. Just my 2 cents.
It was difficult for me at first switching to the SCM modules. I kept feeling like, ‘Really? Is this all there is to it?’. We do lots of co-ordinated independent reading and the books that the modules recommend (which were great). But at first it felt light to me.
Well, now that we have done the entire year, I can tell you that my kids have retained more history than they ever have. And their attentive listening skills have improved. They are not bored in the readings, as they were with MOH sometimes. Their narrations are much, much better as well.
So, if you do decide to do SCM modules, just know that it may feel strange to you at first – but don’t jump to the conclusion that your kids won’t learn because of the slower pace.
October 11, 2013 at 9:04 pm
ServingwithJoy
Participant
We did CHOW in 2-3rd grade, and I would say that is pretty accurate as far as the level of the writing. It is one of our much loved history books that I would never part with!
October 11, 2013 at 9:58 pm
petitemom
Participant
The SCM module for the Middles ages looks great but it looks like I would need to buy many books to go w/it. I already bought a few to go along w/MOH.
I think what I will do is continue w/MOH but choose the lessons I think most important and interesting. Sort of skim over. I’ll implement w/living books and I think I will get CHOW and use that as well. Maybe it will help fill the gaps also between what we are doing and module 5?
I won’t do the tests or quizzes so it will give me one more day to spread everything out.
How does that sound?