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boxed curriculum for first time HS'ler w/multi-children
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Since I’ve never used a boxed curriculum, I don’t know the answer to this, just a couple.
I have a friend who will begin HS’ling this next year w/3 children, ages 11 and 12. I’m trying to suggest things w/ a lesson plan, etc., that will combine them as much as possible (w/things like math separate-you know what I mean.
She thinks she should start w/a more structured curriculum this first year. The only ones I can think of is Heart of Dakota and My Father’s World.
Any suggestions?
I have used Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ with my 11 and 14 year olds, but I have adapted it to make it a bit more Charlotte Mason friendly. If you do choose to use a boxed curriculum, please remember the schedule is a guide, not a master, and you get to choose what’s best for your kids and family. We used our own LA and math, and I didn’t have them do the watercolor lessons that went with the poetry, or some of the science writing assignments. We also changed up a few of the books – because they fit better, and because we could. So while a package can be really helpful while you’re getting started and can help you gain confidence and get comfortable homeschooling, if it begins to feel frustrating or overbearing, keep in mind that you can switch it up to fit your family best. We didn’t find that as easy to do with MFW.
The free curriculum guide posted at this site is also fantastic if you want to try putting it together yourself, and we’ve gotten many suggestions there through the years for different subjects. The history modules are said to be fantastic too (they look great).
Blessings,
Aimee
I just realized this advice wasn’t for you but for a friend, sorry! There’s also Living Books curriculum which is more CM, isn’t it?
Yes, it’s for a friend who’s bring her three home. She doesn’t want to , recreate “school at home”, but she also wants to be sensible about her first year. So I thought some of these literature style curriculums would be a good place to start for her. I’ve never done anything like that and can’t stand others’ lesson plans; however, it may be a helping hand for her next year.
Yes, LBC is more CM.
What about Sonlight?
Have her look at Trail Guide to Learning from GeoMatters. It’s all inclusive, other than math of course. It is not cheap, but looks well worth the money. She would probably need to get the middle school supplement to go with it. It is History-based, but it seems to cover all the other subjects very thoroughly. I have yet to see a bad review of it. http://www.home-school-curriculum.com/learning_series/
http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/2012/02/review-and-giveaway-trail-guide-to/
If I were new at homeschooling and just needed it all planned out for me, I would order this in an instant. I am anxiously awaiting the World History release next year. We will be starting over at ancients then, so I am hoping to be able to use this Trail Guide series.
We love the Sonlight books and used it as written for a few years, many years back. My daughter, now 19, used it for 5th and 6th grade and loved the books – was a voracious reader. But at the end of that time, she confessed that it went way too fast, there were too many books and she couldn’t remember any of it. We used some of the younger cores with my other kids and I ended up really taking them apart, using some of the books for summer reading and skipping others to slow the breakneck speed and make it more CM. I once read that Sonlight was designed to be enough for a family serving missions in a third world country with no TV, lessons, clubs, co-op, etc. I think it could be a bit overwhelming for a new homeschooler who doesn’t yet have a feel for what works best for her family and who wouldn’t feel comfortable tweaking. It does, however, have a great booklist!
Not sure, but I think I’ve seen a Sonlight guide and they scare me, and I’ve been hsing quite awhile. I know the booklists are great, but then SCM’s are, too.
We ended up switching to Sonlight. It surprised me bc I didn’t think I would like someone else’s plan either – but I really do. It has saved me a TON of time and kept us moving along. I have to say that I rather like the pace myself, though sometimes we dropped a book just to keep moving. Ususally my son ended up reading it on his own without being asked or told to. And I like the booklist – for us it’s been a good combo of old/classic and newer.
The LA comes with the instructor guides now (btw, they’ve re-done the IG’s and they are awesome) and I rather like it. I think it’s a mostly CM-style program, which made me happy. This will be our first year using their Bible as written (which is included in the IG/Core), so we’ll see. After typing out the memory verses, I think it will be pretty good.
Finally, we decided to go with their science program as well, and it has been really great. Kids love the DVD w/experiments, and while there is a workbook included, there are only a couple of questions per day/lesson, and sometimes we just do them orally. I even had ds narrating the Usborne books – which really helped.
I never thought I would be that into a boxed curriculum – but it’s just worked so well for our family. The kiddos were finally interested and engaged, and I wasn’t spending hours tracking down books from various libraries or via amazon and figuring out our whole plan. The lessons are still short and we have time for all the “extras”. The downside is, of course, the cost. BUT, it is well-done and you get TONS of books that my kiddo is already re-reading (he loves the Greek Myths one, go figure). Books are expensive, just a fact.
So bottom-line, if cost isn’t a major issue, I give two thumbs up for Sonlight. 🙂
Becky
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