•1:36 PM
I am very pleased with the richness of Calvert's Fourth Grade curriculum. It has far exceeded my expectations. I already had great expectations about history because of the book, A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer, but I was in for a few more pleasant surprises.
First of all, although I went to a decent public school in New Jersey as a child, I certainly did not get the exposure to the classics (or writings derived from the classics) that Little Son is getting. This year, he is not only getting all the math and science, critical thinking, phonics, and computer lessons he needs, but he is getting a wonderful integration of world history, 
geography, and literature that enriches and supports the world history he is learning. I had no idea what rich reading material Calvert offered; in fact, I couldn't tell from the catalog what wonderful readers that Mighty Men by Eleanor Farjeon, Famous Legends by Emeline G. Crommelin, and Tales from Far and Near and Tales of Long Ago edited by Arthur Guy Terry, are. They are fantastic! 
When I was in elementary school, there was no way that I knew anything about such figures as Romulus and Remus, Alexander the Great, King Arthur, Alfred the Great, William Tell, Dick Whittington, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Hannibal's elephant army, Beowulf, Attila the Hun, Marcus Aurelius, Charlemagne, the Cid, and the list goes on. Most of them I never encountered until high school, if even then! But now at the age of nine, Little Son is installing those memory hooks in his mind to help organize his future knowledge of world history, so that he can place people and events where they belong. 
We also have a history timeline that is getting jam packed with events. All I can say is that I am just thrilled with the results of our efforts this year. It just keeps getting better and better, this parenting and home education journey!
First of all, although I went to a decent public school in New Jersey as a child, I certainly did not get the exposure to the classics (or writings derived from the classics) that Little Son is getting. This year, he is not only getting all the math and science, critical thinking, phonics, and computer lessons he needs, but he is getting a wonderful integration of world history, 
geography, and literature that enriches and supports the world history he is learning. I had no idea what rich reading material Calvert offered; in fact, I couldn't tell from the catalog what wonderful readers that Mighty Men by Eleanor Farjeon, Famous Legends by Emeline G. Crommelin, and Tales from Far and Near and Tales of Long Ago edited by Arthur Guy Terry, are. They are fantastic! 
When I was in elementary school, there was no way that I knew anything about such figures as Romulus and Remus, Alexander the Great, King Arthur, Alfred the Great, William Tell, Dick Whittington, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Hannibal's elephant army, Beowulf, Attila the Hun, Marcus Aurelius, Charlemagne, the Cid, and the list goes on. Most of them I never encountered until high school, if even then! But now at the age of nine, Little Son is installing those memory hooks in his mind to help organize his future knowledge of world history, so that he can place people and events where they belong. 
We also have a history timeline that is getting jam packed with events. All I can say is that I am just thrilled with the results of our efforts this year. It just keeps getting better and better, this parenting and home education journey!
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1 comments:
I, too, have found Calvert to be just incredible. I can't say how much their literature and history program have given to my boys; they know so very much! I have enjoyed every step of the way, and I'm glad you are loving it, too. My little guy chose to write about Napoleon for that assignment. He prefers to write fiction, but he's a good writer nonetheless. I thank Calvert for that, too!