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I have a question about the history in Bigger Hearts. My son will be on the younger side of the suggested ages for children in this program. He is six now and will turn seven in May. He is very mature and not at all sensitive. This year, he has been sitting in on his older brother's Sonlight Core, Core 2 - the 2nd part of World History. He loves for me to read out loud and always begs me to read more. This year, we have spent a good deal of time on castles, knights and the Crusades. He has loved all of that. He has probably been exposed to too much seriousness, to be honest. But, he really enjoys it and I balance it all out with silly, fun books. I'm mindful of not overwhelming him.

I have everything for Bigger Hearts and though I haven't had the time yet to pre-read everything (for history), I have skimmed the books a good bit. I really them. But, I am wondering how children on the younger side of Bigger Hearts relate to the history? There's just so much war and fighting. I have to admit; I'm not at all looking forward to discussing the Vietnam War! I know there is more to it than that but it just seems kind of "heavy". I know that overall the program will not seem that way. It looks like alot of fun and I think we are going to love it. But, I'd love to hear from others who have used Bigger Hearts with younger children. How do your children like it?

As I said, he is not at all sensitive. And, he loves to hear long chapter books. I'd consider him a mature listener. I'm just hoping he will enjoy the history and that it won't be too heavy for him. I've considered backing him up to Beyond but I really think he's ready for Bigger Hearts academically speaking plus I'll be using this with my fifth grader, so I think Bigger Hearts is where we need to be.

Thanks for any feedback!
Blessings.

Hi there. Rest easy! You won't have to cover the Vietnam war in Bigger. The main spine, A First Book in American History, only goes up through the Civil War. Which book were you looking at?

Patience wrote:Hi there. Rest easy! You won't have to cover the Vietnam war in Bigger. The main spine, A First Book in American History, only goes up through the Civil War. Which book were you looking at?

Really? Hmmm... I'm not sure. I thought it was one of the main spine books. I'll have to go upstairs and dig it out and look at it again! I was just looking at it yesterday. I thought I saw it in the TM, also. Anyways, I knew it would be very brief if at all... guess I'm just wanting to hear how other 7 year olds relate to the war/fighting. I know Carrie is really careful about intro. too much violence.

We did Bigger Hearts last year when my ds was 7 turning 8. He also is a mature listener and not very sensitive. He LOVED it! In fact, the "little red books" were his favorites (as he called them), and he often begged me to read ahead. We found a nice balance between heroic praiseworthy endeavors and war-type drama. The way that Eggleston explains history is nothing short of excellent storytelling. My ds is not sensitive, but he does have a fair sense of justice - and if violence seems totally senseless and unjustified in any way he struggles with that. Eggelston doesn't write that way. It makes sense how history happened, and God is woven in and out of it all. He ended the Bigger Hearts year with a love for America and a deep sense of pride for the men and women who worked to make our country a free and good place to live. He still talks about some of the people and retells stories of them fondly as some of them come up in the 1 year sweep in PHFHG. I think your ds will thoroughly enjoy Bigger Hearts - no worries!

In Christ,
Julie

We are finishing up Bigger.
I do have a more sensitive [gentle/thoughtful] 8 y.o. He had handled the books in Bigger comfortably.

I have a seven year old in Bigger Hearts. He is also a more sensitive child. He loves it.
No worries!
Rebecca

Thanks everyone. I feel better about it now. I did go back and look at the TM to see where I saw the Vietnam War mentioned. Looks like maybe it's just a brief mention... I believe it was unit 34, somewhere towards the end of the year. Regardless, as I said, I'm feeling good about it now. I am so looking forward to it.

I didn't realize that Bigger only went to the Vietnam war. Hmmm...my older son is just itching to read about Desert Storm and the world trade center. Sounds like we will need to do that on our own. That will be a good summer bridge on to the next HOD guide. Of course, my son is almost 10, so the sensitivity is not really an issue for him right now. He does get upset if he reads about a King abusing his son or a child that is treated badly. We have read about a few of those in CHOW this year and they really left an impression on him. He didn't cry, but he sure does remember.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize Bigger went that far in American History! But I'm glad you are feeling better about the war stuff!

Tree House Academy wrote:I didn't realize that Bigger only went to the Vietnam war. Hmmm...my older son is just itching to read about Desert Storm and the world trade center. Sounds like we will need to do that on our own. That will be a good summer bridge on to the next HOD guide. Of course, my son is almost 10, so the sensitivity is not really an issue for him right now. He does get upset if he reads about a King abusing his son or a child that is treated badly. We have read about a few of those in CHOW this year and they really left an impression on him. He didn't cry, but he sure does remember.

Hi, Rebecca!

If your older son uses A Child's Story of American he will go beyond the Vietnam War. That book goes all the way up to the present day, I believe.

My concern was more for my little guy since we've decided to combine in Biggers.

I just wanted to chime in that I used Bigger Hearts last year with my very sensitive second son, and he wasn't bothered by any of the readings. Eggleston has a tasteful way of telling the stories, which relates well to a varied audience. My oldest son is the polar opposite of my sensitive second-born son, and both of my boys loved Eggleston's retellings.

Blessings,
Carrie