My son is a hands-on kinda guy so having a few things that are not notebooking, reading, or narrating is essential. I add in timelines, cooking/baking, art projects, building stuff, and hopefully-a few trips to places that resonate with the era we are studying.
Helpful Tips and Ideas:
*START with catalogs, websites/blogs and Pinterest. Depending on what it is you are going to cover-you should find oodles of ideas and links.
*Look at those teacher guides...(most sites allow you to see what their scope and sequence is) it should list what is covered and when. This is a general baseline to follow (after all, you may have already covered some of that material), it is not a "must do" for you. It should help you corral the main areas into a manageable 'to cover' list so you can keep from becoming overwhelmed.
*Jot down some notes on what your goal is for this study. Refer to this a lot. History (esp) is a whopper to tackle. You cannot do it all, or cover every bit of it. Just pare it down to fit your schedule. Once you know what truly interests your child(ren) then you can always revisit that time frame with a more in-depth look into those particular areas.
*Utilize your LIBRARY! I cannot stress this enough. I usually go to Amazon first, to search the title so I know for sure what it is I am looking for, then click over to the library catalog to hunt them down. Usually, you should be able to get many of the books you are interested in. Request them now. Once they arrive, go through them. You'd be surprised at how many of them won't meet your needs or simply won't fit your study (schedule/child's age/etc.) -so check them off the list and look for more. This way you can eliminate and whittle the list down to only those books that should work for you.
*Write down every book you do want to use and the author. Note if your library owns it or if you need to pre-request it before your target date for that lesson. Now you'll have a master list to refer to as you pull together your study.
*I must point out-there are many good programs are out there that have done this for you. BUT-I have been at this for ages-so I can attest to the fact that even those guides will fail at some point. Not every kid will be engaged in the books/projects that are listed. Many will be boring...seriously. Others will just be too young/old for your child(ren)'s current skills/level or just plain stupid. I say that because we follow Charlotte Mason's method of choosing living books that are written by people who love and know the subject. Not those written by uniformed, or silly authors who are required to fill some quota or the shelves. Does this mean we never read a 'fun' book-oh of course not. But be selective folks.
I personally love to supplement a bunch of reference material and additional books to really jazz up what we are studying. It's a bit of work but always pays off in the end. That includes finding art projects, kits, songs, movies, and so forth that will enhance and solidify the point of your study. Knowing your child's learning style is a must here. This is where you find those items that will engage and keep them interested from beginning to end.
OH, and here is a soapbox moment from a seasoned (or is that battered? LOL) mother. Kids will have to learn to 'just deal' with some things they deem boring or useless. It's a fact of life-and a valuable lesson-not everything we will do is a picnic or an amazing amusement park vacation type of event. Let's face it, most of what we do is mundane and necessary but not always a whoop it up good time. Push them through those rough moments and continue on. Bail only if it sinks faster than a lead filled sub. But don't dump it until you have given it sufficient time. I have found allowing my son to do something else whilst I read helps a lot with this problem. When he was younger he could play quietly with Legos, Play-Doh or small toys but was required to listen. In fact, he learns best this way-boring book or not! All too often Junior will 'think' it will stink, only to find that those very books/activities were what they say they enjoyed the most. Go figure. Remember-you are the parent/teacher with foresight and life knowledge-right? So press on dear mother-press on.
OH, and here is a soapbox moment from a seasoned (or is that battered? LOL) mother. Kids will have to learn to 'just deal' with some things they deem boring or useless. It's a fact of life-and a valuable lesson-not everything we will do is a picnic or an amazing amusement park vacation type of event. Let's face it, most of what we do is mundane and necessary but not always a whoop it up good time. Push them through those rough moments and continue on. Bail only if it sinks faster than a lead filled sub. But don't dump it until you have given it sufficient time. I have found allowing my son to do something else whilst I read helps a lot with this problem. When he was younger he could play quietly with Legos, Play-Doh or small toys but was required to listen. In fact, he learns best this way-boring book or not! All too often Junior will 'think' it will stink, only to find that those very books/activities were what they say they enjoyed the most. Go figure. Remember-you are the parent/teacher with foresight and life knowledge-right? So press on dear mother-press on.
*Depending on what type of a planner you are (big time all fancy like, or just a simple outline kinda gal)-sketch it out and type up your schedule with potential dates, books needed by and other must haves (be prepared) so that when the time comes you can start with (hopefully) little or no glitches. Also, if possible-print up any notebook pages, coloring sheets, and any other needed items way before the study is to begin. It will save you tons of frustration and time later on. I place all the books I own onto our current year bookshelf so they are within my grasp and I put the projects/kits and any other pre-gather items I can into a tub to pull out when needed.
*Know your state/college requirements for documenting this stuff. Esp. for Jr/Sr high. Keep your records and if need be-a few good projects/papers/etc. that you can put into your portfolio or 'save' tub for reference. Our state doesn't require anything really, but I do keep records for my ability to create a transcript (only for high school) otherwise, I would just save a few cute projects to tuck away for "Mom's Cry and Remember When" keepsake box.
What If?
*We get off schedule (pretty sure that will happen)?...well don't panic. Just pick up where you left off and keep going. Adjust or drop things on your list if you must stick to a strict time frame-otherwise, just delete what you can live without or don't do anything at all and just keep on keeping on til done.
*The child and/or I loathe the book/project choice? Well first off, figure out why you loathe it, maybe just finding a different version of it will fix the problem. If it is closer to the 'just don't wanna do it' or what have ya-then see if changing the attitude about it refreshes the zeal to carry on with it. IF it totally bombs, just drop it. Life is too short to fuss over a book or something 'others say' is an absolute must for your child. Bah humbug to that! Trust your gut. Just note what it was, find a different version or another way to cover it, then down the road, revisit it.
*I am not good at planning or researching? Well sistah, it's time to strap on your planner's cap and get to it. Research how others do it (Pinterest is great for this, blogs too!) and try out options til you find what works. Even if that simply means listing books, resources and noting your overall goal. That should be enough for most.
*I just dropped a pretty penny on an all-inclusive study guide/curriculum. Do I need to do all this? Well, yes and no. Your work will be less, but I still suggest you hunt down some other book options and additional activities/projects as a cushion. Esp. if you are uncertain how you child learns best. I always have a guide (usually Beautiful Feet Books or Sonlight for history) as my backbone. I tweak it to fit each student. I have taught three through high school graduation and am currently on number four.
For example: I have two girls and two boys. Each child was drawn to different book topics and styles and they all absorbed info differently. Due to their learning style I would change (when necessary) some of what was required for their reading. My son (14) loves the manly-man stuff, where my daughter (graduated in 2012) could have cared less. She truly enjoyed the clothing/life styles/cooking/art styles and general aspect of the different eras over the particular wars/battles/political events and all that related to it. So I added and deleted books that would appeal to each of them. The older two were closer in styles but still had enough variances to require some changes. Our oldest daughter really liked the political side of history and our oldest son was more about timelines/dates and events...so again-no guide will completely hit each child's interests. So be prepared and if you don't need for this particular year, perhaps you can pull that out down the road for another student.
For example: I have two girls and two boys. Each child was drawn to different book topics and styles and they all absorbed info differently. Due to their learning style I would change (when necessary) some of what was required for their reading. My son (14) loves the manly-man stuff, where my daughter (graduated in 2012) could have cared less. She truly enjoyed the clothing/life styles/cooking/art styles and general aspect of the different eras over the particular wars/battles/political events and all that related to it. So I added and deleted books that would appeal to each of them. The older two were closer in styles but still had enough variances to require some changes. Our oldest daughter really liked the political side of history and our oldest son was more about timelines/dates and events...so again-no guide will completely hit each child's interests. So be prepared and if you don't need for this particular year, perhaps you can pull that out down the road for another student.
*I cannot afford all those books!? Remember how I said to utilize your library? Well here is where you can save hundreds. Also, look for their book sales...I have found many good books for our history and science needs for just a few dollars per stack! Borrow from a friend, if you have the good fortune of having a pal who has already studied or has the particular book you need. Be sure to respect that privilege and return it in a timely manner and without damage...don't lose a friend over a book. :)
Also, look to used book sites such as Homeschool Classifieds, Vegsource's used curriculum boards, Ebay or Amazon.
I rarely buy the whole curriculum unless I know I have a lot of kids to go thru it. So I have not bought any big program for years now, but did way back when. I definitely got our money out of it and then some. But not every book worked (as I have said) so I had to adjust as needed. I usually only buy what I absolutely cannot find. That is where going through the book lists is a must. Go through your shelves and library catalog then jot down what is totally unavailable. Buy only those books. It always saves me lots of cash to put toward other things for our homeschool. Like those cool activity kits, games and so forth.
Now that should give you some tips to take that leap and pull together a nice unit. Don't forget to decide if you will make it a semester or year long study and what era you will delve into.
Need more help? Leave a comment and I will try to answer. :)
What Next?
At this point, I am not completely sure how it will all work together. What I will do is keep a log so I can refer to this when actually writing out the schedule. So I will:
*Count the number of pages each book has so I can assign a certain number per day to cover. Or go by chapters. That will give me a good guideline for planning
*Look at my backbone guide to check the order of how things are introduced. I can then add that info into my notes, listing all the extras or switch ups I will want to cover.
*Note if it is a reader for my son, a read-aloud or if it is simply a good reference book.
Then again, when compiling this into a plan I can simply add those selections in.
**Remember, if you are using an all inclusive/pre-designed/boxed curriculum, just take a few notes and mention where the extras need to be added so that when the time comes-you have that material ready to go. Since I need to tweak this study to fit my son's interests and skill levels, I have my work cut out for me. But I have done this enough times through the years that I am able to whip up something usable, and well, I kinda enjoy the challenge. I can always add or delete if I have to. Again-this is my backbone plus goodies guide...not a millstone about my neck.
Need more help? Leave a comment and I will try to answer. :)
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