Decision for 5th grade Social Studies

I have been in a quandry over social studies for C next year. I ordered Abeka's Old World History/Geography. I have all the components for it sitting on the bookshelf. I wanted to look something up, so referred to this text. Nothing was in the book at all about this country. (Afghanistan) Puzzled, I randomly selected other middle eastern, and SW Asian countries in the index. Many were not mentioned, and of the ones that were, the mention was only a tiny blurb, lumping such-and-such a country in with other countries in that region.

I don't care whether you are Christian, Jewish, or secular; I haven't heard of one person that disagrees where civilization began, and it began in the middle eastern regions, and spread to northern Africa, and SW Asia. Out of curiousity I checked out all the maps in the book's atlas. Believe it or not I found at least 3 countries missing on these maps. Right smack-dab in the middle of one map was a big, green space, unlabeled...again...Afghanistan. I wonder if this changed after 9-11-01? Even so, I would think that would make this country even more important to learn about, as opposed to pretending it doesn't exist.

This---in a reputable private and homeschooling curriculum---a company among the tops in hundreds of companies producing schoolbooks! In a book specializing in a continent by continent study comparing Ancient History to Modern history of same regions. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that region pretty important both in the past, and currently?

I've read several fictional and nonfiction books that take place in this area. I have a fondness for biographies and "documentary-type" books. I feel, especially with the current world climate, that the middle east, and the SW Asian countries are important to learn about, and educate our children about.

I don't want to bad-mouth this company (as if this blog has so many readers I wcould single-handedly shut it down), but I just feel, after spending $100 on their History alone, that they don't do justice to the time period and areas this text was supposed to cover. (Just so anyone reading this knows...Abeka has the greatest science texts ever. Amazing, meaty, and very accurate.) But their history is another story. I spent much of this year supplementing American History. I realize you can't cover in detail every, single aspect of history in one elementary book, but I felt they could have added much more to the text this year, too. We didn't start U.S. History/Geography until a month after our school year began, and here it is March, and we are almost finished with it. This is WITH all my add-ons of assigned reading, read-alouds, and additional research online, and we still have the book almost finished in a total of less than 6 months. I had to add on extra reading, or my daughter wouldn't have much of an idea about U.S. History. She would have a very basic sketch, but nothing in-depth.

So...considering all of the above, I opted to find something else for 5th grade social studies. Check in at a later time to find out my solution. (Gotcha on the edge of your seats, now, haven't I?)

: )

Summer school update

Story of turtle below.

Less than a month before the other kids go back to ps. We have been schooling off and on through the summer. 2 or 3 days/week, 2 hours each day for dd9, and maybe an hour each day for dd5.

C and I had a goal of the first 20 Math lessons, plus the investigations and tests that accompany them. We met that goal last week, and now are on "Math break". When we return full time to school I need a compass for her lessons. Since when do 4th graders use compasses?!?

C and I also had a goal to finsish 2 chapters in her LA book. We are only about 2/3 of the way through that goal. Sentence structure and Capitalization is boring, so we both tend to spend most of our "school time" on Math or History/Geography.

History...well, we are both LOVING Ancient times. She asks for us to do that almost daily. I am learning as much as she is. I don't remember learning any of this in school. We are over halfway through the book, and we spend about an hour each day that we do it.

We have done no formal science, but I have found out LIFE is science. Things always seem to come up. An example: 2 days ago a large snapping turtle appears in our driveway. This led to observing the turtle, calling the Humane Society and having them come pick up the turtle (after interrogating them as to their intentions after getting the turtle), watching how they captured the angry, jumping, snapping, and hissing (yes, they hiss) creature, and then spending an hour or two researching snapping turtles online. Both girls drew their own snappping turtle, and C added a list of interesting facts on her page. E was able to just tell me the facts. Then E and I read 2 stories in Aesop's Fables that had to do with turtles. I have seen plenty of turtles in my life fishing and camping, but never one in our own driveway that needed to be removed to a safe location. And for any of you concerned about what happened to it, my husband was getting a load of gravel down at the pit, and actually spoke to the Humane Society guys while they released the turtle in the beautiful, wild area around the old gravel pits and lakes. So he is much better off.

Back to the update. E has finished 50 out of 100 lessons in Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. (cheesy name, not-too-bad book) She is about 1/3 through 1st grade phonics, almost halfway through her K math book, and is averaging a 100% in spelling. She is working on memorizing the Pledge of Allegiance. (unlike a certain presidential nominee...oh, wait! That's a different blog)

E loves "playing" with the globe, and can locate the equator, the continents, the Oceans, and Hawaii. She also knows the difference between the North and South poles, and knows by name the Pacific Ocean. She can tell me tons of information about Africa, it's people, it's animals, and it's major features, such as rainforests, deserts, and savannah's. She knows the Sahara is the largest desert in the world, and where it is. She knows the Nile is the longest river in the world, and can point it out, too.

I have a short unit study prepared for both girls featuring the Olympics, since it's almost time for them to begin. C and I are already studying ancient Greece, so it works out great, and I didn't even plan it that way.

Hope everyone is having a good summer.