I am not a homeschooling parent who changes curriculum every year. I chose A Beka because I was familiar with their program and I have, for the most part, stuck with their curriculum. I think their Language, Spelling, and Math cannot compare to some of the other programs available. It is hard, it is advanced and sometimes we cry.
One thing I did different this year was history. I love history, "Big I" loves history, but we get tired of reading about the same historical events from year to year in the same tiresome format, thus I decided we needed a change. I was not really thrilled with any of my options. How many ways can one teach history? Plus, I questioned, how important is it for a sixth grader to remember all the dates, facts, and time lines at this point in the education process? "What do you remember from your sixth grade history class?" I asked myself. "Nothing," was my answer.
Anyway, I was somewhat familiar with Susan Wise Bauer and her form of classical education from her best selling book The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. While I am not crazy about the classical teaching method, I do like The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child published by Peace Hill Press. I was delighted to find it was available in audio book format. I purchased Volume 1: Ancient Times, From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor, and let me just say it is WONDERFUL! We listen to chapters rather than read them which is a nice change. It not only teaches history but helps with listening skills. We have truly loved Volume 1 and I will soon be purchasing Volume 2. If "Big I" were smaller, I could easily see us listening to the stories before bedtime. The reader, Jim Weiss, has a voice that flows like honey. You do not have to homeschool to enjoy these audios. Children will not even know they are listening to a history lesson, they will just love the storytelling aspect. "It may be used along with the print book, as a supplement to a traditional history curriculum or independently," so says the box. You simply cannot use it wrong.
This has really worked well for me! Check out more Works for Me Wednesday ideas at Rocks In My Dryer.
Thanks for reading, Rosie.
4 comments:
We love Story of the World. We're doing Volume 2 this year.
I agree with your post! :-)
Thanks Abbie. We love it too!
Thanks for the suggestions on history. This is our first year homeschooling, and history is one of the areas I am afraid that we are lacking in. We are clearly still trying to work out bugs in our program and schedule daily. Not having supplies and bookstores accessible does hamper it abit, but hopefully we will get the swing of it soon!
Thanks for the tip! I'll have to check this out. It's good seeing the other positive comments, too. :)
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