The Story of the World , in a six-year cycle?

This is one of my hang-ups on the 6 year history cycle too. After taking our time to go thru ancients, I have no idea how I’ll cover the remaining material in the same manner in just three years – especially since there is SO much. I’m not trying to say the ancients aren’t important at all, I just haven’t a clue how to sort this one out for our family – so I’ll be following this post, and if I come up with any ideas I’ll pass them on! 

Laura –

I personally don’t see any problem with spending some extra time on something because you love it! The ancients are the period of history that I know the least, but it sure seems that it is a rich period to learn from. I should think there is more than one reason to linger there. 🙂

My husband and I both LOVE history – so we’ve figured that our kids’ schooling is likely going to be a bit more history heavy than say another family. But we’re ok with that, I don’t think it’s necessarily going to hurt our kids either. But I sure do want to have my overall approach to history (ie. rotation schedule) nailed down before we start. I’d rather hash it out now and tweak as we go than end up chucking an approach that isn’t best for us after we start. I have the time now to figure this out – I don’t know that I will later.

I’ve personally been back and forth between the 6 year rotation schedule and doing history separately for each child ( as some of my previous posts show) I keep coming back to the 6 year rotation schedule as it’s such a good idea in many ways, but I have yet to figure out how to adjust it to meet our family’s interests. I showed it to my husband and his reaction was “You mean everything from the Civil War to the present is in one year? You do know there’s two world wars in there!”

So yeah, we haven’t figured out our solution yet. I REALLY love the idea of lingering through periods of history, and I’m thrilled to teach the Bible in it’s historical context (I can’t wait to get to Roman times when Jesus came) and I like the idea of being on period together as a family. I also think the rotation will work exceptionally well with the overview of the time period for younger grades. (Especially since with my children at least, I doubt they’ll be mature enough to handle some of the mythology from the ancient period so young without spiritual confusion. We haven’t even done any fairy tales yet, partly for this reason.) It’s just when mine get to the older grades the last three modules seem really rushed. While module 4 (middle ages/ren/reformation) is a neat tidy little package as an overview, it’s is a squeeze for the older kids in my humble history-loving opinion. And I chafe at waiting to start American History (early American history/Colonial period being my favorite from the age of 12)

The only idea I’ve been able to come up with is to allot additional time for history in our schedule so we can cover what I’d like. Of course this means letting go of something else, which I haven’t figured out yet. Are you schooling year-round? If not you may be able to continue with history lightly through the summer. Or have summer history “themes” based on time periods. We’re planning to do school year-round, so maybe I’ll get a little extra time, I don’t know.

I sure appreicate someone to think this over with – thanks! I’ve gone round and round in circles with it. Probably would be ten times easier if I didn’t love history so much!

Wow! I printed off your notes to ponder over this weekend. Thanks for sharing! While I am familiar with most of the history resources you mentioned, it never occured to me to compare the approach and cycles of each. The rusty analytical side of my brain is in gear now 😉

Here is another…

Milestones Academy – http://www.milestonesacademy.com

Chronological: yes (mostly)
Cyclical: not sure?
American / World: side-by-side
Grade Blend: Yes for most of it

This site has a combination of a Family History Rotation (mostly world history) and individual history (mostly American)

I am not sure if the Family Rotation is just for years 1 to 6, or if for all years.  After Year 7, there is a LOT of history listed in the individual years.  Years 7-10 on this site is designed to be High School, and has information on how to earn an accredited diploma…  the site has some information on how to work on a Bacheleor’s degree for years 11-12…

Family Rotation has a “spine” (mostly the Synge books, except the 6th rotation), and lots of extra choices with a year level suggested.   There is an extra country to be done 1 day a week… not sure if history or more of a learning about the people…

Family Rotation (6year)

1 – Up to time of Christ.   Extra Country – Egypt

2 – 4ad to about 1500.  Extra Country – China

3 – 1520-1745.  Extra Country – India

4 – 1745-1815.  Extra County – Islam culture (not a country)

5 – 1815 – 1903.  Also some American History added.   Extra Country – Africa (continent of course)

6 – 1850-1994   Extra Country – Russia

And within the Years

Year 1 – add in 50 famous stories, Viking Tales,  Christopher Columbus and Child’s History of America – not sure the timeframe

Year 2 – George Washington and Child’s History of America (not sure the timeframe) 30 More famous Stories Retold,  50 famous people

Year 3 – Abraham Lincoln and Child’s History of America. Landing of the Pilgrims.  Leonardo DaVincie

Year 4 – Poor Richard, Abagail Adams

Year 5 – a few biographies. economics,

Year 6 – more biagraphies, economics, government

Considered High School now

Year 7 – History of the Ancient World, Mainstring of Human Progress, Roots of American Order – more economics and government stuff.

Year 8-10  – A couple of options on which way to go for history.  More economics and government

Years 11-12 – considered Univeristy level. 

Thanks, I love the Milestones Academy Site too.  I am mostly using it next year.  There is a Yahoo group for it as well  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/milestonesacademy  and the developer of it is there and is WONDERFUL.

I like a bunch of things on Simply Charlotte Mason – but I love how it is all setup for me with milestones…. her kids have graduated, and she mentors other kids on their homeschooling journey. 

Hey Des,

Right now we are finishing up Year 1 of mostly AO with a bit of MA (Milestones Academy) thrown in… but her Year 1 and AO’s Year 1 was VERY similar… there is more differences in later years. 

For Year 2, we are doing mostly MA.  I’m Canadian, so I’m going to take out the US history, and put in some Canadian History.  I will be doing her History Rotation – we did some of the 1st rotation, but not all of it.   I am using a different math program than she recommended (MA recommends Right Start, which is just too expensive for us, with a couple of other choices – we are doing MEP and loving it.)   MA recommends doing Violin, Voice, and Piano – right now we are just doing Violin and Piano. 

Her Grammar book is used from Year 3 on, I believe.  At this point I do plan to use it, but have no idea what it would be like compared to other SM grammar books.  There is stuff to memorize, stuff for copywork, stuff for dictation, as well as some grammar instruction.  One thing to be aware of is that at the moment there is only answer keys for books A and B…  She was working on the rest, but was ill for a while.  I’m not sure if she is still working on them, or has kind of moved on.  She started making an answer key for the books because a few people requested it.

She also has on her booklist (one in Year 2, one in Year 3, I think) a couple of books that she wrote herself.  I have gotten a copy of them, and although they probably won’t qualify as great literature and go down through the ages, they are delightful books that will be used.  (I used the Year 2 one with my son in Year 1, and he loved it.)  The books are about a couple of different homeschool families, showed great values, and are VERY worth it. 

You will find the Yahoo group very friendly, and the maker of MA answers questions.  She has even given suggestions for alternatives for people jumping into CM very late, for instance how to complete High School with a child who isn’t ready for the MA program but is that age, etc.  She is fantastic at handling us when we whine etc too!

Hope to see you on her Yahoo Group!

The books she wrote that I mentioned…

Levi’s Life – a bit from the life of homeschooled (CM style) Levi, from about age 6 or 7 to about age 8 or 9.

Story of the Three Baers (or something like that) – 3 girls being homeschooled (CM style) – 2 are twins, and then another girl as well.  They are very good on the violin, and actually do a short tour while homeschooling.  (hm, now I want to read it again!)

Anyway – see you at the MA Yahoo group, as we are now way off the topic we are posting on!