Remembering dates…

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • November 13, 2009 at 12:44 am
    Tanya
    Participant

    I’m not completely sure how to pose my question, so please pardon me if I ramble…

    My older kids enjoy our history readings and we try to get the info onto a timeline once a week.  But over time, they don’t remember things (let’s face it, there’s a lot to know and I don’t always remember everyone either!).  My kids are 8 and newly 7.  How concerned should I be about this?  And, if this is a problem, how do I help them remember – both the people and the dates?

    The reason I’m bringing this up is because I ran into another homeschooling mom who uses Veritas Press and she loves it because every day there are review questions to help cement the info – she said that her son gets asked every day for a week what year King Tut lived and so now he’s got it.  (Aaahhh, nothing like another homeschooling family to make us double-guess ourselves and add some pressure)

    I’ve never been one to believe in random rote memorization, but when we’ve spent some time reading the chapter from Child’s History of the World and some related living books from the libary, it can be discouraging when they don’t seem to recall that info once some time has passed.  And, how much of it should they remember?  There are a lot of people and dates in history – they obviously can’t remember them all.  So, how should I determine what is worth remembering, and what can fall by the wayside? 

    I’ve always thought the kids would gradually learn more and more and then one day it would click because they have been adding info on “hooks” in their brains for awhile.  Is this faulty thinking?  Should I be more concerned about memorization?  Should I be doing more than just reading and oral narration to get the information to “stick”?

    Again, sorry for the long post – I hope my ramblings made sense.

    Thank you in advance for your help,

    Tanya

    November 13, 2009 at 3:18 am
    missceegee
    Participant

    Tanya,

    My dd is 8 and we’ve used CM style methods for 3 years now. We did a wall timeline for 1.5 years and have just started a family BOC (more my job than hers). She doesn’t know any dates at all and few names, but she does remember stories. She narrates very well orally after a reading and can recall stories with small prompts, but it usually requires a prompt.

    I, personally, am just going to keep on keeping on – reading, narrating, adding to our BOC. I’m not too worried about the memorization as I am more concerned that she love the learning and form relationships with some of what we read. I’ve finally come to accept that we all have gaps and can keep filling them in as we grow.

    HTH in some way,

    Christie

    November 13, 2009 at 10:57 pm
    Tanya
    Participant

    Thanks Christie,

    I think deep down I know this.  I want the same thing: “love the learning and form relationships with some of what we read.”  I know that I shouldn’t worry, and I know that the kids learn way more than I realize just by living life.  I think that there are times when we allow ourselves to be thrown off-balance by what another homeschooling family is doing and then we wonder if we measure up.  It’s such an annoying trap!  Thanks for the encouragement.

    -Tanya

    November 13, 2009 at 11:41 pm
    missingtheshire
    Member

    I would not be unduly worried, the meat is worth more than the date – it is no good knowing that the Battle of Hastings took place in 1066, if you have no clue what the Battle of Hastings is.  As the years go by, with good narrating and reading, some of the important dates will stick and at the end of the day that is what matters.  A book of the centuries really helps as well.  Just enjoy the learning and don’t fret too much.

    November 14, 2009 at 3:22 am
    missceegee
    Participant

    I completely understand being thrown off balance by what other families do! It has been a fairly recent development for me to be able to say, “I don’t care. The Lord has given me a direction and as long as we are following, I’ll just keep on.” It is still a struggle at times, but is becoming less so. I still try to glean and learn from other families (esp. on this site), but I don’t feel paralyzed by not doing it all anymore.

     

    Blessings,

    Christie

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • The topic ‘Remembering dates…’ is closed to new replies.