So far so good. Clearly MFW fits us really well over all the years. Ready for a long answer?Linda in Mo wrote: How are you liking 1850 to Modern Times Crystal?
Thanks again,
Linda
Last week we finished week 8 in 1850-MOD and this week we’re off because we just need a break after 8 weeks. And it was a good time to break because we just finished Civil War and week 9 goes into World history at the time.
Things we like: adding in Outlining and other activities from SOTW activity book. I had my learning curve with it and so has my oldest. Got easier to blend it after a few tries. I had to stop treating each part of SOTW AB as a separate subject. Seems obvious now... but....
I really like how the first few weeks you get to spend a lot of time learning the 50 states and capitals and state abbreviations. And the simple games with helping to learn all of that --- my girls are learning about what state borders which state in each direction ( N S E W), so it’s more than just learn all the names of the states.
History wise we’re getting to where we almost have to learn about everything else going on in the world or the stuff in the US doesn’t make as much sense.
And the food projects – they are a lot of fun on the weekends to do together. That’s from a book called The US History Cookbook as well as some occasional ideas from SOTW activity book. So those are fun to do together. We don’t even really call it school.
Bible in 1850-MOD --- how to start describing this so far. Well, we’re liking the hymns this year. I don’t really play music so I’ve been relying on youtube to find a nice vocal presentation. And we have been just blessed by that. I keep finding these you tube links with the hymns and sometimes the hymns are being sung by Christians in other parts of the world, sometimes even in their heart language and then sung again in English. None of that has been in the TM, but just one little way that our family is enjoying it.
Then the Bible studies and hymns and scriptures and everything just ties in. You think that you taught so much to your kids about who God is and how He sees us --- then it just gets bigger. Nothing surprising there. God is awesome. I’m just saying that the Bible study so far has blessed me along the way of showing me more about the Lord. Then there is the Thursday prayer guide. We’re actually using those prayer times at supper time. It’s nice to “dish out” the prayer time together instead of just a routine meal time prayer. We’re not what you call a poster family for Christian homeschoolers, but there is just something the Bible section in year 5 that helps you to be better and to get trying.
Science – my kids are having fun with the experiments. And then when it is not enough experiments, we just link over to the Usborne quick link that is given in the experiment book and do something from over there. The readings are very rich. Sometimes I think --- does my 6th grader really need all of this information? No, of course not, but she’s the first born so she’s going to hear it anyway. <g>
Hard stuff that’s got me still thinking of ways to adjust: Dealing with Read Alouds this year. It’s been weird. We’re not having trouble with the 2nd/3rd supplement read alouds, but man o man --- Across Five Aprils has really long chapters. Now Marie Hazell does give “permission” to take longer than one day to read those chapters and spread it out. So that’s good. But hubby and I are taking turns getting through the chapter. Good thing is – oldest grabbed the book and starting to read ahead. So she just listens in to the other out loud reading. So it all works out, but I had to give up that silly thought process that “I have to be supermom/super teacher who can read it all!”
Book basket this year --- you would think that as much as I write on this board “you don’t have to get every book or even read each book all the way through” that I would get that in my head. Well… we want to read them all, so I have to make myself get less and less each time. The book basket list is huge and includes a lot more longer chapter books for the oldest of students in 1850-MOD, as well as younger books too. No one gets left out here. I’m just struggling with the feeling of “it’s ok to not have to read this novel and that novel and this one….” Well, let’s just say you will have lots of books in year 5. Ok… so we have the week off from school and we’re reading a lot of books from the last 2 weeks of book basket. <g> but you don’t have to do that with book basket. Y’all are going to laugh every time I post that from now on, aren’t you?
That’s how it’s going this year.
-crystal
