The WTM always comforts me and freaks me out at the same time -- I feel like it's such a wealth of information and also that I am utterly failing to bestow it all on my children 😬
I second your comments about Black Ships Before Troy -- the chapter book does. not. compare. to the illustrated version.
I put together a list of Ancients reading a few years ago, some culled from WTM, too. Here is what I would add:
The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War by Emily Little
Alexander the Great by Demi
Cleopatra by Diane Stanley
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky (Eratosthenes)
Romulus and Remus by Anne Rockwell
Tutankhamen's Gift by Robert Sabuda
Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia by D. Anne Love
Also, the Jim Weiss audiobooks -- Greek Myths; She and He: Adventures in Mythology; Heroes in Mythology: Theseus, Prometheus, and Odin; Julius Caesar and the Story of Rome -- are incredibly well done.
I agree, WTM is equal parts inspiring and terrifying. A few kind fellow homeschoolers have pointed me in the direction of SWB being a bit more ‘real’ about home education, and it’s much more encouraging. I wish the book had a little more sense of humour about it. But, I think it sets a very high bar and overall that’s a good thing, even if virtually nobody is actually hitting the bar. Shoot for the stars, and all that.
Would you share a link to your Ancients list? I can’t find it in your archive but I did LOVE finding some of your other lists - owls! Worms! Maple sugaring! My credit card is twitching as I type.
I should have been clearer -- my Ancients list is just a private thing I created for my own purposes when I was homeschooling my eldest for one year, for kindergarten, in 2020-21. I made an enormous, all-encompassing 1st-4th grade history cycle and reading plan (why? who knows, other than I wanted to get a better handle on all the resources I was pulling from at that time, namely Ambleside Online, WTM, and Heritage Mom). I'm happy to email you a PDF if you'd like; just let me know.
I never thought of doing an issue on Ancients for my newsletter. I am always extremely reticent about recommending books I haven't used directly with my own children -- owls, worms, maple sugaring, and all the rest are all things we've dived deep into, in our own family and home, but since we don't homeschool (nor do I consider my one wonky year of muddling through with a 6yo and 4yo to be any kind of example of homeschooling), I worry about misrepresenting my expertise in those more formal areas.
I sympathise with the feeling of homeschooling as a wonky year of muddling through—even though I’ve found myself doing it more long-term that’s still often what it feels like! I’d love to see your PDF, I always like seeing other people’s plans and lists.
The WTM always comforts me and freaks me out at the same time -- I feel like it's such a wealth of information and also that I am utterly failing to bestow it all on my children 😬
I second your comments about Black Ships Before Troy -- the chapter book does. not. compare. to the illustrated version.
I put together a list of Ancients reading a few years ago, some culled from WTM, too. Here is what I would add:
The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War by Emily Little
Alexander the Great by Demi
Cleopatra by Diane Stanley
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky (Eratosthenes)
Romulus and Remus by Anne Rockwell
Tutankhamen's Gift by Robert Sabuda
Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia by D. Anne Love
Also, the Jim Weiss audiobooks -- Greek Myths; She and He: Adventures in Mythology; Heroes in Mythology: Theseus, Prometheus, and Odin; Julius Caesar and the Story of Rome -- are incredibly well done.
I agree, WTM is equal parts inspiring and terrifying. A few kind fellow homeschoolers have pointed me in the direction of SWB being a bit more ‘real’ about home education, and it’s much more encouraging. I wish the book had a little more sense of humour about it. But, I think it sets a very high bar and overall that’s a good thing, even if virtually nobody is actually hitting the bar. Shoot for the stars, and all that.
Would you share a link to your Ancients list? I can’t find it in your archive but I did LOVE finding some of your other lists - owls! Worms! Maple sugaring! My credit card is twitching as I type.
I should have been clearer -- my Ancients list is just a private thing I created for my own purposes when I was homeschooling my eldest for one year, for kindergarten, in 2020-21. I made an enormous, all-encompassing 1st-4th grade history cycle and reading plan (why? who knows, other than I wanted to get a better handle on all the resources I was pulling from at that time, namely Ambleside Online, WTM, and Heritage Mom). I'm happy to email you a PDF if you'd like; just let me know.
I never thought of doing an issue on Ancients for my newsletter. I am always extremely reticent about recommending books I haven't used directly with my own children -- owls, worms, maple sugaring, and all the rest are all things we've dived deep into, in our own family and home, but since we don't homeschool (nor do I consider my one wonky year of muddling through with a 6yo and 4yo to be any kind of example of homeschooling), I worry about misrepresenting my expertise in those more formal areas.
I sympathise with the feeling of homeschooling as a wonky year of muddling through—even though I’ve found myself doing it more long-term that’s still often what it feels like! I’d love to see your PDF, I always like seeing other people’s plans and lists.
That's a great selection. I wish I had it for my kids, when they were younger.
This list is really helpful! Thank you so much!
You’re very welcome, I’m so glad it’s useful!
This. Is. AWESOME. Exactly what I’ve been looking for . Thank you !
Great list!! I love book lists, as all homeschoolers do, thank you so much!!
Me too! I’m always browsing other people’s shelves! Glad you liked it 😊
This is awesome! Thanks so much for this breakdown, you rock!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it! (And I don’t get told that I rock very often so this is pretty exciting!)
That's a great selection. I wish I had it for my kids, when they were younger.