My friend Esty likens the homeschool curriculum options to drinking from a firehose.
I don't read homeschool blogs. I've tried. They. Scare. Me. (No offense if you write one!)
My reality just does not involve being able to design Montessori-style activities for Ellie to do while I do super duper creative crafts and projects with the boys and I still run our household.
Nope.
So I'm sticking with what I know, which is reading. In my former life (i.e. before all these kids took over!) I was a teacher and then a Reading Specialist. I worked with struggling readers in a public Jr. High and it was a wonderful and rewarding job.
That being my background, here are my truths about school and learning in the early years -
- instilling a love of learning and reading is our most important academic goal for now. Whatever curriculum we choose for kindergarten needs to be full of real, living books that my kids can love. This is one thing we adore about Sonlight. Even in the preschool curriculum, the books are fantastic. Seriously, my boys insist on walking in a straight line behind me and quacking in public after reading Make Way for Ducklings.
- phonics is secondary to that. Cade learned his letter sounds in preschool, so we aren't having to teach those, but we will need to select some kind of phonics program. I plan to keep our phonics work a brief part of our day where we do a quick and fun practice of skills. I do not want phonics to be our primary focus. Because phonemes bore me, so I bet they bore my kids too. I love Zoo Phonics for teaching sounds (I plan to use that with Amby next fall.)
- worksheets make me want to poke my eyes out. I know, I know, they're kind of a necessary evil. But as much as possible, I want to use other avenues for practicing skills. A huge part of our reason for keeping the kids home is to truly explore learning. I like to think of using worksheets as brief practice opportunities to supplement learning.
- I need something grab and go. Yes, I know I just gave my schpiel on worksheets, which somewhat contradicts this. I just like the idea of having my hand held with highly structured lesson plans. Even though I was a teacher..
Now for all my questions -
Classical conversations. What the what? A friend of mine showed me her materials from being involved in it in another city and it was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. Yet, I was intrigued by it, too. Please, someone explain this to me. Why do I need to get my 5 year old to memorize facts about the Byzantine Empire? I like the name Classical Conversations. We like classical books, and conversations are always good. Help a mama out, this one isn't making sense to me!
What curriculum do you use and why? Our top picks for kinder right now are -
Sonlight (so expensive though!)
My Father's World
Winter Promise.
I've heard Abeka phonics is good, but it sounds like there are no great works of literature involved there and that's a deal breaker.
What about math? We are considering -
Math U See
Saxon
Singapore
Okay, ready, set, SHARE!
I've got a 2nd grader and Kindergartner. We'll have a 6 and almost 2 year old coming home soon. I feel like what we're doing right now is pretty relaxed and will allow flexibility for when our other kiddos get here. I LOVE Math U See. We're using First Language Lessons. It starts in 1st grade. I love it because it's short and to the point, there are no worksheets (which I've never seen for a lang. curr.), and my son looks forward to it.
ReplyDeleteHandwriting - Handwriting without tears.
I started using Story of the World for history and Apologia for Science...I love both of them,but, it was overwhelming so we're saving that for in a couple of years. :)
This year we started using Five In A Row. I really like it. It incorporates reading, science, art and history all into one. We've really been able to run with it. I'm looking at Sonlight and My Father's World for in the next couple of years. But, while our kids are so little I just wanted to be able to go with what they are interested in and make sure learn to enjoy learning. :)
We've used Sonlight for 11 years and love it! Our oldest is almost 17 and doing dual credit work right now working on a degree in English (she loves to read and write!). We have read so many, many good books which have in turn led to so many great conversations!! For math, we use Singapore and then Teaching Textbooks. For LA, I've used a combo of Sonlight's LA and Bravewriter ideas (excellent!)---try to listen to some of Julie Bogart's talks.
ReplyDeleteI heard both Carol Joy Seid and Mary Hood early on in my homeschooling journey and both said that is you surround your children with quality literature the grammar, etc. will come naturally. I can say that is the case in our home. We didn't do endless worksheets---our kids know what is "right" because they have read so many great works that it comes naturally.
Sonlight's forums are excellent too---great source of ideas and tips.
I'm using a "boxed curriculum" (and all the other homeschooling mothers just gasped in horror), from ACE/School of Tomorrow. I was raised in a Christian school that used this curriculum, and after much stressing and gnashing of teeth and trying to do it like everyone else (eclectic), we realized this made sense for us. We do use Math-U-See instead of ACE/School of Tomorrow's math program. And we love it. This homeschooling gig isn't for the faint of heart. God bless all your efforts to sort this out for your family.
ReplyDeleteWe are on Year 2 of homeschooling...I started the first year with Sonlight but did not like it (that's just me!) so I switched to My Father's World and I really love that. We continued with it again this year and added on a new student (I am teaching 2nd and K this year.) I will also tell you that we are seriously considering Classical Conversations for next year. I don't totally understand it either, but from what I understand it covers your history and science, and you still do your own math and language arts/reading at home. I like that once a week they get a "classroom experience" and do hands-on science experiments and art classes each week (both things I rarely do at home.) Plus I like the social aspect of getting together with the same families each week and having a little community (for me and the kids.) We use Math-U-See and I love it! The guy teaches the kids on a DVD and then you practice with worksheets throughout the week.
ReplyDeleteI know it all gets SO confusing....find something you like and just stick with it, knowing you can always change if it doesn't work for you. Welcome to the Adventures of Homeschooling =)
This is my first year to homeschool a 1st and a 2nd grader. Both were in public school last year. I have a great mentor so she helped tremendously with decisions.
ReplyDeleteWe use abeka for LA which has been great. I have an advanced reader and an on target reader and it's been great for both and actually has increased reading ability for the on target reader. Lots of phonics, just a couple of worksheets a day but the kids don't seem to mind them. We do Saxon for math and LOVE it. It's super easy and fun. And everything is spelled out for you. Seriously, Saxon, love it! I have a friend who uses Abeka for math and says she likes it but it's very advanced. When you get ready for Science, I recommend Apologia.
I have an 11 month old baby and of course not ready to start schooling him, yet, but I did find some sonlight books for 3/4/5 preschool sold in a lot with some classics for like $45 for 30 books!
Have fun!
We use Alpha and Omega Curriculum. http://www.aophomeschooling.com/ I adore the math curriculum. ADORE!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't home school, I know lots that do. I have no clue what they use LOL. I do have a blog I read that has some great info, I don't think she would be considered a "homeschool blog" http://www.preparingthesoil.com/
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to pass on a possible resource!
I've homeschooled for 8 years now and tried many different things. Like you, reading and living books make total sense to me and completely works with my 5 children (well, 4 in school....) and an 8 year age span. I've done my own thing for a few years now, combining book lists from Sonlight, My Father's World, Beautiful Feet, & Veritas Press. I cycle through history segments. This year we are doing ancient cultures and focusing mostly on Egypt, Greece & Rome - working through the Bible and looking at timelines to compare all of these. Next year will most likely be Middle Ages through Renaissance. I get easy books, hard books, fiction, non-fiction - so all ages are covered. I love Horizons math for littles and Teaching Textbooks for older children. Queen's Homeschool has great lang arts books. My 2 oldest are doing free typing online and Rosetta Stone Latin. All do either Handwriting without Tears or Queen's for handwriting. "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" is great for phonics. I've taught 3 to read so far with this! Just a sampling of what we do but I hope it helps. Good luck! God bless.
ReplyDeleteA couple more things: As mentioned above, grammar & spelling come naturally (to many children) if they are read to, surrounded by books and reading. My oldest child (age 13) has had almost no formal training in spelling or grammer, etc. and she does it all incredibly well - it just comes naturally through her reading and exposure to good lit. I'm having to teach it a bit more to a younger child but again, it's coming together as she grows. I would seriously wait and wait and wait some more on formal grammar training (actually on reading/phonics too - so so much easier when they are a bit older and ready for it, they almost teach themselves). Focus on other things first and this will come in time. A great book on this type of philosophy is "Better late than early." Truly amazing book that flies in the face of social pressure to have our 3 year olds learning the computer, reading, etc so that "they'll be ahead in life."
ReplyDeleteI use Winter's Promise and I like it because it is very "grab & go" and it is very flexible. Lots of reading, games, hands on activities. With workbooks for phonics & math. With a lot of freedom to choose which you want to do and which you don't. They have a schedule laid out for you but I adjusted it to fit my style better. Animals & their habitats is a fun one!
ReplyDeleteI am SOOOOO hoping to do Classical Conversations this fall! We have the same situation as you, 2 the same age, one bio one adopted and our bio son is WAY ahead of our adopted son, simpily because of enviroment. CC folks claim it'd be NO problem and our son who's a little behind will catch right up. Hmmm. We may wait a year, anyway tho. As far as getting curriculem for math and language/reading/phonics... I've taught CLE- it's a mennonnite program and it's Learning To Read part of the program is FANTASTIC! I may do Saxon math... not sure. Oh, and LeapFrog videos for the behinder ones... awesome! Super helpful in our situation! :)
ReplyDeleteHave fun!!!
This is my fourth year homeschooling and we've switch around our curriculum a couple different times and this is the first year that we've found the perfect fit. So don't be afraid to make some changes if something doesn't work out..that's the fun of homeschooling..you CAN make changes! We are using a lot of Heart of Dakota's curriculum - I didn't buy their teacher guide but I've used a lot of their suggested books. I have a friend who uses their preschool program and loves it! We made the switch to Saxon math this year and also really like it. Because my kids are close in age we do science (Apologia), history (Mystery of History), and geography (Galloping the Globe) together all three of those programs are great for mixing ages together. Good Luck on your homeschooling journey!!!
ReplyDeleteWe will have to supplement math and phonics, but for basic method and books we are doing Charlotte Mason style education. My daughter is still Pre-K, so right now we just do a bunch of letter, number, and word card fun, and she's working on learning to write her whole first name. In the fall, we'll begin following the book list and schedule that's at http://amblesideonline.org. It's FREE! We've also heard very good things about the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, so I've ordered that. I'm not sure what to do about math, though, so I'm no help on that.
ReplyDeleteI have a 6 and 3 year old and we have been using Living Books, which is based on Charlotte Mason method. We love that it is a very gentle, natural way of learning and all based on "Living books". along with the literature, we do picture study, nature study, narration and composer study. We uses Singapore for math and Handwriting Without Tears..which we also love and feel like they flow right along with the Living Books core curriculum. If you aren't very familiar with Charlotte Mason, Charlotte Mason Companion,, by Karen Andreola is wonderful. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteAs far as math goes, I've used Saxon and really didn't like it. I prefer to stay on one topic for a week, and it skips all over the place. Obviously I review throughout the year, but it was confusing for the kids to change topics each day and never get to build on what is being learned that week. That's my two cents.
ReplyDeleteBless you as you decide on curriculum - I know it can feel overwhelming!
ReplyDeleteWe're in our 4th year of official homeschooling. I have 5 children (all adopted - 4 from China (8, 7,7,5 y.o.), and one domestically adopted - 4 wk old). We have used Sonlight for 3 years and liked it (about the sticker shock - just don't get their Newcomer pkg, it is crazy expensive, only pick what you actually need and will use - for example, I just wasn't going to do art appreciation with my kindergarteners!). However, we're getting ready to switch to My Father's World because it will work even better for our family in terms of combining my 4 oldest children together for the "core" subjects (Bible, history, geography, science). I love and "get" the Charlotte Mason style of learning and love MFW's approach. All my friends who use MFW (many) LOVE IT!
We used Singapore at first and then (when I started pulling my hair out!) switched to Math-U-See. LOVE it!
BTW, MFW has phonics incorporated into its Kindergarten curriculum, no need for a separate phonics program.
Also, I don't have my children (especially NOT my boys) do a separate handwriting curriculum (that would be torture for most boys!). They get their practice in with their copywork.
Lara,
ReplyDeleteWe homeschool our 8, 6, 4, and 4 year olds. Our 9-year-old has to go to public school because of state foster care, and baby is baby :) We use Tapestry of Grace. There is some sticker shock. But, with younger ages STORY OF WOLRLD is HANDS DOWN incredible!!! I've heard Father's World is similar. We even get the Cd's and just listen to them around town or during semi-quiet time. We love the purpose, calling and overall vision of TOG. When you look at it at first, you can feel you've lost your marbles, but, this is my 8th year teaching it to various levels, and it's not that hard. We use Horizons for math and spelling, Explode the Code for phonics. I just had to have some workbooks because we do have an insane life and schedule with court dates, visits, etc. I'm addicted to sinning, repenting, rejoicing, and walking in faith with my children day in and day out. That's why I love homeschooling. Also, we love God's World News for fun extra! Love you! Catie
This is our first year "officially" homeschooling. My oldest is 5 and technically kindergarten age. I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old. We use My Father's World Kindergarten but only for the Bible and science topics. The reading and math didn't apply to him- he is already reading and doing math beyond what they had. The Bible and science topics worked great for him and my 4 year old. I would definitely recommend it. Better price than Sonlight (which I like in theory!) ... and planned enough that it doesn't require too much outside work. You do have to get to the library quite a bit. I don't mind that though- my kids are getting something out of that anyway and I can request the necessary things online at home and let them pick out the extras when we go.
ReplyDeleteWe use Singapore math and LOVE it! I personally HATE math- and if you don't like worksheets or just memorizing math facts than this is a good pick for you! It is colorful and focuses on learning big concepts surrounding the "why" and "how" of math. It keeps my son's attention well. I will continue this as long as we can with all three kids!
I use two different phonics workbooks.
For handwriting- he copies the My Father's world phrase of the week or a Bible verse that applies to what we are studying or key words that he is learning during that week.
He reads out loud to me and I read to all three all of the time!
We cook together weekly.
One thing I love about homeschooling is the learning through life experience so we try not to get bogged down with sitting and working at a table. Especially at this age. MFW encourages spending time together in nature and experiencing creation. And learning from everyday life.
It is a great journey! Excited for you as you begin!
Amanda Borgelt
(started following your blog when we sensed God leading us to adoption!)
my kids use abeka at their private school. it is AMAZING! you are right, the books are not great works of literature. but, we do that part outside of the actual learning the basics stuff. they have PLENTY of great literature in their lives! abeka just makes so much sense and the girls learned how to read SO easily!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping me do my homeschool research! :o)
ReplyDeleteAlso check out A Reason for Writing and A Reason for Spelling. This might be beyond where your boys are for next year, but tuck it away for 1st grade!
And you are right....read, read, read! And then read some more! Research shows this is the #1 thing parents can do to help their child learn.
So thankful to be walking this journey together! Love. You, sister!
My son is in 1st grade and we are currently using Sonlight. In our state Kindergarten is not mandatory so I didn't do anything formal with him. I've taught him to read with "100 Easy Lessons." We started that when he was about 5 1/2 and he struggled. I waited about 6 months, brought it back out and he flew though it. Though I omited the writing aspect. For our main curriculum I chose Sonlight because of the literature aspect. I am an avid reader and wanted to establish that same love in my children. (I also have a 4 & 2 year old and a newborn) We have really enjoyed the books so far. Even my 4 year old sits and listens. However I will be changing for next year. Sonlight is great, my son and I are the problem. We need more structure. He loves doing math (Saxon) because when he's done he has a worksheet to show Daddy and something tangible to keep. With Sonlight there is none of that. So I think next year I'm going to use a more traditional curriculum and just continue with the book list from Sonlight. I finally had a "duh" moment when I realized I could use a traditional curriculum and still read and instil that love of reading in them.
ReplyDeleteSomething else we've done that isn't technically school related is we keep a globe as the centerpiece on our kitchen table. Not just on a shelf to use in school occasionally. It's not as pretty as flowers or candles but every single night at some point when we're having dinner the globe is examined and the world discussed. My 4 year old knows where several countries are and my 6 year old can identify about 15 countries. Plus then we talk about those countries. That's the awesome thing about homeschooling. It's not just the formal education but everyday interactions that they learn from.
I have been homeschooling for about 12 years and have tried a variety of things. You'll probably find that your needs will change from year to year, as will some of your curriculum of choice. Not everything will change- just you go through chapters as a family that cause you to look for what meets the current needs of your kiddos. I started with Sonlight and loved that because it was all laid out and planned. I wanted that my first year. But although I loved the books, I wanted more hands on fun as well as a Biblical approach- hence, My Father's World took precedence. I have gone back and forth somewhat between those two. Some years, my husband has tried to "release" me from the constant library trips that I made with MFW- so I'd return to Sonlight. But then I had a child with learning disabilities and I really had to use a curriculum that offered a list of books (MFW) rather than just one reader at a time because I needed her to be excited about/interested in the reader she was responsible for. Sometimes the book recommended by Sonlight just wasn't a fit for her.
ReplyDeleteI love Story of the World with the book lists and fun project options. I love Horizon math and Abeka Grammar does the job as well.
Have so much fun with science. Get messy and do experiments. Kits are the way to go when the children are young and just investigating.
Enjoy your time together. Read, learn, sing, serve, cook, clean, take fieldtrips...whatever. Live life together . What a gift.
I have six kiddos. My oldest is almost 15 and just started high school. After much prayer, we put him in the local Christian school this year. He was home with me for 14 years!!! I miss him. At lunch when I read, one of my little ducklings is gone. It was the right timing to the right place. He is thriving and I am so glad. But I miss him.
Enjoy.....
Have you looked at the Life of Fred math series? And how about Explode the Code? And finally Queen Publishing. If you want great works perhaps you'd like the Charlotte Mason approach and Ambleside Online?
ReplyDeleteSo many choices, it's hard not to get overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteWe have been SO happy with Five in a Row. It is children book based and does sooo much for instilling a love of learning.
A Beka for phonics has worked well for us, too. Not the most exciting, but it really does build necessary skills.
Also, Singapore is good solid math skills.
Best wishes as you make your decision!
Have a kinder this year and we are using singapore math and LOVE it. We tried a brand new this year curriculum for all things language arts (Primary Arts of Language) by IEW. It's cool. Definitely everything's there/little prep work, but I changed it after the first few weeks and now it really works for us :).
ReplyDeleteWe have been doing My Father's World and LOVE it- I love the simplicity, and the focus on nature, but more than anything I love the biblical concepts! I knew my kindergartner would need more in the way of reading and math so I chose to do a small country study on Africa with her since we will be there sometime this year by reading books about the country, and I have picked up Singapore for math. Best of luck to you- picking the curriculum was by far the scariest part! :)
ReplyDeleteI really like the Memoria Press Kinder program and it contains lots of literature to read! Wonderful phonics/learn to read program too.
ReplyDelete