Opinion Poll: Storytime for the new book (after Preparing)

[Carrie]

Ladies,

I need your opinions on this one! We will be doing Creation to Christ's resurrection in our new book which comes after Preparing (yet to be titled). In Beyond and Bigger, the storytime set contained excellent reading material unrelated to the history cycle, instead focusing on one title from each genre. This allowed for greater freedom in book choices and also allowed each of you to customize the program to your needs (and use the library if needed). In Preparing, the Storytime books matched the history by general historical time period. This provides a wonderful backdrop to the history period, but it also requires the use of particular books and requires a certain amount of pages to be read aloud daily.

Now, in our newest guide, we are discovering that the ancient time periods are very difficult to find excellent reading material which does not glorify other gods or pagan cultures. The books for this time period are also often quite graphic. So, we are leaning toward once again having Storytime books that are unrelated to the history study. What is your opinion of this? I'd love to have as many of you that have an opinion weigh in!

Blessings,
Carrie

[momof2n2]

Carrie,
I have only done one year, so weigh my opinion properly.
As a mom charged with guiding and protecting the eyes and ears of my kids I commend you for so thoroughly screening the literature you include. I have found your storytime suggestions excellent for my boys. Having to chose lesser quality literature just to make it match the historical time period sound lundesirable to me. I would prefer better literature, myself, even knowing it wasn't going to synthesize with the history.
That is this mom's position, anyway.
Thank you for asking.
Stacy

[Tiffini]

Carrie, I appreciate you seeking the opinions of your users. I love to have read alouds that follow what we are doing in history. However, if there are not enough quality books to do that, I can also see the benefit of read alouds that are unrelated. Sometimes, it is nice to take a break from what you are immersed in as your core study and it is a relief to the mind to learn about something else. If there are plenty of good books that we are reading as our core study, then I do not see a problem with Storytime being of different topics. The other bonus I see is that it gives more time for reading aloud more of the really good titles that I want to get to while they are still here. There is only so much time for reading, you know, so this gives another opportunity to get to those important books.

Can I just say again how much I appreciate you and all that you are doing. I pray for you and your family regularly. My sister has decided to use HOD after we talked for a long while about it this past week and it has made me so thankful again for this program. She has always pulled her own things together and spent hours planning every week. I am so excited to see how well her year will go with HOD as she enjoys the benefit of all the work you have done in our behalf. And we get to do Bigger together this year!!

[bookworm]

I think kids at that age can handle a little more "challenging content" in their reading, however, I totally understand what you are saying as well.
As a parent I would prefer the books be related to the history period, however, if there simply was not one available for a certain section I think another "genre" book would be fine.

Have you checked the All Through the Ages book list or I know there is a website with an extensive list of books by historical periods that is popular among homeschoolers-I'll search for it.

[netpea]

Carrie,
I trust your judgement. As the other posters have said I would prefer books reflecting the history being taught, however, if the content is questionable then I would prefer genre based quality literature.

[Rebecca]

Carrie,
I think I would rather have Storytime unrelated to history.

I personally prefer lots of variety with our reading. I also love and have been drawn to this curriculum due to the careful content selections.
I so appreciate it...

Running into content issues in Ancient Egypt is what led us away from what we were using before...

Hope this helps,
Rebecca

[inHistiming]

Carrie,

I would definitely like to have books that are unrelated to our history, but that are good quality, rather than books that are related but glorify other gods and pagan practices. This is one reason we are putting my oldest into Bigger... next year too. I want a curriculum for all my kids that has a God's worldview (not gods) and that's what you've given us. It would be nice to have them related to the history readings, but quality and glorifying God is definitely priority there!

Thanks for all the hard work you continue to put into your programs. I'm getting excited about this next, unnamed, guide and we haven't even begun Bigger...yet! We appreciate you and your family.

[joyfulheart]

storytime unrelated to history.

Mainly because I know my kids. And I know that if you give them too much of X subject, make it too much a "theme", then they glaze over and are in LA LA land. If I can throw in some funny stories, or something interesting to them that's different, they will be much happier.

[AmyB]

I think I have to agree with Joyful Heart on this one. My daughter loves to read, but if you read too much on one subject you hear the same stuff over and over again with a little variation. She likes to choose the books off the book list a lot. It's helpful to have everything revolve around the same subject matter, but the storytime is a great way to add a bit of pizazz to the school day, or bedtime for us. My daughters are really loving school.

[BlessedMommy]

Hi. I have only been using HOD for a few days. So, weigh my opinion as such.

I like the idea of having the historical fiction that goes along with the time period, but I am very careful (some might say over protective) about what my children read. I am of the mind set... Garbage in Garbage out. Carrie, I trust what you put out there. I have seen the integrity of your work. If you can't find the historical fiction that sticks with your standards.... Then please go the other route.

You could always add to the appendix a book list with the warning lable saying: Please use these books only after previewing for your own family.

Okay, There is my two cents.
Blessings
Adrienne Kleeman

[naturegirl]

storytime unrelated to history.

Mainly because I know my kids. And I know that if you give them too much of X subject, make it too much a "theme", then they glaze over and are in LA LA land. If I can throw in some funny stories, or something interesting to them that's different, they will be much happier.

Hi Carrie!
This would be my experience with my younger son as well. Also programs containing books dealing with much violence or suffering have been the primary reason that I struggled to find an appropriate history curriculum match for my very sensitive son before discovering HOD. I so appreciate your sensitivity to this issue and think that adding fun and unrelated storybooks to the next HOD program would be great. Either way, I am confident that your choices will suit our needs just fine. Kimber

[Carrie]

Ladies,

Thanks for all the wonderful responses, and keep them coming! I should clarify that lack of excellent reading material is not the only consideration when choosing how the Storytime box of the guide should be designed. There are many fascinating books on the various historical time periods, but fascinating doesn't mean God-honoring. I also continue to wonder whether "too much" history related content can be limiting and whether the richness of a program comes from variety too. So, I'm pondering that in the mix as well. Drawn into the Heart does cover the genres and add a buffet of reading (as Charlotte Mason would put it) but I'm one who also enjoys variety in my read-alouds as well. Now, my older sister very much prefers read-alouds to coordinate with the history. So how about the rest of you?

On a sidenote, we will have an Extension Pack in our new guide, which will contain history related literature for students in 6th grade on up, but it's the 4th-5th graders' listening content I'm concerned about. The study of the ancients, spine-wise, is already going to have some heavier content even though it is coming from a Biblical standpoint. The Bible stories can be fairly graphic in their retellings at times too. But, in the context of God's word, I know it is there for a purpose and is intended by God for us to read and learn. So, I'm weighing this all. What do you think?

Blessings,
Carrie

[stellar]

books to be well screened for content. I generally err on the side of being too careful.

Kari

[my2guys]

Since we're just starting out, I can only tell what I think at this point, not having actually done any of the older programs. But I would have to agree with the other ladies that I would tend to want to err on the side of caution as to what my boys were being exposed to. Also, I think that probably I would like to have more variety in the read-alouds. Like others have said, it might be nice to add in a mixture of different topics. And if you're going to have the historical books in the extension package, that would allow parents to pick and choose some of them to add in if they wanted too where they see fit for their child. Again, I'm just thinking ahead to how I think I would feel about it, so weigh my opinion accordingly.

[MamaMary]

Hi Carrie,

I would rather have UNrelated! If we desire to use books for history we can always find some and use it with DITHOR. Thank you for your tender heart and for allowing us to have a voice.