Should I do Mod 6 History w/ a Sensitive 4th grader?

What about skipping Modern Times for this rotation and replacing with a geography year (different countries or 50 states or landforms/bodies of water/physical geography), or a state history year for your state, or a government year (who leads a country vs. a state vs. a town, who makes laws, who enforces them, etc). Or choose just a few specific events or people to cover for modern times that are not going to bother her. For example I might do pioneers, flight (Wright Brothers), a president (use Childhood of Famous Americans books for this), a scientist, an invention, and something from local history (what state are you in??).

When one of my daughters was in 4th grade I just had her read all of the Childhood of Famous Americans books that I could find. There are over 50 of them. That year she got a perfect score on her achievement tests in Reading and Social Studies. There are lots of other great books to read that would work as well too.

Looks like you’ve gotten some great ideas! (I love this forum!) Please don’t think I’m trying to discourage you from modifying Mod. 6 or history for your daughter – you know her best. But here’s a couple of thoughts for the future or whenever you need them… (speaking from my own expierence and expierence with family members) It’s quite likely you already know what I’m about to say, if that is the case, then count this post as an affirmation!

Sometimes it’s helpful to remind myself of the flip side of the coin, particularly when dealing with a sensitive child and great wailing over baby birds fallen out of a nest or squished worms or any other calamity/issure. Most of the time people who are “sensitive” are also compassionate and it is easy for them to be empathatic and “put themselves in another person’s shoes” or imagine what another person must be feeling like. Compassion is a gift! I think it is harder to teach a child compassion and understanding than it is to teach them other things like how to be friendly or polite for example. Reminding myself this has helped me have more patience and sympathy with my own children.

Often another point of view or perspective looking at a horrible event that is less instense makes it easier to digest. (Maybe the SCM book about the dog/WWI would work when you get to WWI?) Then filter, filter, filter, and filter some more. And edit out details as needed (imaginations can quickly fill in details wether you want them to or not), until she can handle them without anguish. I wish I would have had more filtering and editing when I was growing up! But my mother couldn’t go to school with me! I know she did all she could and gradually exposed me to history facts as I grew older. Thank God for my mother’s understanding of me as an individual. We are odd ducks in our extended family because our children don’t watch some of the same movies as their cousins. I finally got sick of other parents questioning my decisions and asked if they’d like to get up all night long for children with nightmares. That stopped the questioning. Also, try hard to always be available to talk out an issue, which is not always convienent, but the knowledge that mom is available is reassuring. My mother spent many evenings talking through my high school literature class one semester. Had she not done this for me, not only would I have remained upset it would have shaken up my faith as well. And be ready to correct any misconceptions. Sometimes the information that is causing the problem is wrong. 

Which bring me to the last point of my long winded post. Build up your daughter’s faith. It will be her stronghold, the knowledge of the goodness of God, the forgivness of sins, the power of the cross and the KING OF KINGS who has already won the battle and one day will put the enemy completely under! (I really don’t know how anyone can live in this world without Jesus, it would be bleak and hopeless!). Remind her of the good ending that is yet to come. (Much to my sister’s chagrin, I often read the endings of books first, to make sure it ends well! Many times I can tolerate tradgety if only it comes out okay in the end) A strong faith is also helpful when wrestling with those heavy questions, like “why do bad things happen to good people?” and “why would any child be hurt? Doesn’t Jesus love all children? Can’t He stop it?” and so on. Answering those questions is hard. But the same compassionate person who asks them is often the same person who does something about it. Think of all the people in the future your daughter may minister too! Knowing what you believe and why you believe it makes it much easier and more likely that you act on it.

Since we are not in Heaven yet and your daughter will need to live here on this sin ridden planet, and still need to ackowledge reality,  I would do everything you can to help her learn how to filter things for herself and skip those that are too much (I’ll never watch the Lord of the Rings movies again. Ever. No matter how wonderful they are. It was too much for me. And I saw them as an adult. I’ll read the books but not watch the movie. For me, usually things that are visual bother me more, or an idea that gets me sometimes too.) Help her to find her own “too much”. Not that she pretend evil doesn’t exist and play ostrich, or look at the world thru rose colored glasses. One needs to be capable of “facing the facts” as an adult but can be harder for a sensitive person, I think, and done with less pain by gradually helping them grow into this abiltity. Equip her so she is able to omit what she needs to. It’s not practical to ignore the horrific, an understanding of tyranny is why America has freedom, and to forget the Holcost would be a grave mistake. But she might be just as capable to stand up for beauty, goodness, and truth without causing herself anguish by watching, seeing, hearing or reading something that is “too much” for her personally. A person can know enough without knowing everything. Then teach her how to handle the horrible if she bumps into it and didn’t want to, often not knowing how to handle the event, idea etc. makes it worse. (Which is another reason I’d be miserable without Jesus). In short, think of counterbalancing her sensitivity, so she is able to be compassionate, understanding and love much without being distraught or hindered in any way from living her life fully. I hope something here was encouraging to you. On your daughter’s behalf – thank you – thank you for knowing her well enough to change what needed to be changed for the time being. And thank you for caring enough to do it. Good job Mom!