A Gentle Feast?

I have veered away to all in ones before- Sonlight and My Father’s World- which are very nice companies and curiculums.  However, they are not truly CM style.

I always come back to SCM and AO.  My husband grounds me each year by reminding me that I always end up tweaking too much of a boxed curriculm and that while the planning it takes by using AO and SCM is more extensive, we like the flexibility and the ownership of it much better. And, despite my complaining, I really like researching and planning for myself.  SCM and AO give me a huge leg up on that, but I can customize more easily than with a boxed curriculum.

Of course, I tweak AO and SCM as well.  I don’t always do the same 3 artisits and composers set for that year of AO . I sometimes eliminate readings or carry some over to the next year. I prefer Apologia’s sciences for the early years better than AO’s usual recommendations.

The work is worth it when I am able to customize and find good deals on books on my own.  Also, now that we have been doing this for 14 years, I have many of the books and can reuse.  So while it seems an investment of time and money early on, if you are in it for the long haul, it does get easier and more affordable on the planning and buying side.