How much time does this take each day/each week?

Q. How much time does this take each day/each week?

A. That depends on how you decide to use the program. Will you be reading all of the books or just a few? Will you be doing lots of hands-on projects, only one, or just stick to reading and writing assignments? Will you be following the daily lesson plans or using the syllabus to create your own schedule?

Most families study their skills subjects, such a math, phonics, spelling, and grammar, in the mornings. After a break for snack or lunch they move on to the content subjects of science and history. These can be done consecutively on a daily basis or rotated, for instance, Monday, Wednesday, Friday for history and Tuesdays and Thursdays for science. If you're following the Daily Lesson Plans you'll be doing history four afternoons a week.

Breaking down the history lessons each day we suggest that you begin as a group. Gather around the school table or on the floor or couch to do the family activities. That might be the family read-aloud, working on a group project, or discussing what you've been studying together. After this, you can have each child work on that day's reading assignment(s) from the core and base books or on any independent projects they might be working on. You will be doing this together with the Beginner level children while older students will be able to work independently. Generally, plan to spend about an hour.

There are a lot of independent and read-aloud books suggested for each unit. These do not need to be read during "school" hours. They are the sort of books that children love to curl up and read on the couch or in bed for fun and personal enjoyment. They don't have to feel like assignments. If your family has an evening read-aloud time, use your history book selection for that unit.

We encourage families to do plenty of informal discussion of what they are learning in history. This doesn't need to be in the form of quizzes. It's much more enjoyable to ask a child about what they learned today in their studies or tell you about the book they're reading as a starting point for good dinner conversation or during a ride in the car. That way Dad can get in on the fun too! History becomes a way of life, not just another subject to get through.