So, how many have started "deciding" on curriculum for next year?

HA!  This is so timely.  Remember the discussion we had last year about “the grass is always greener, why can’t I ever be totally content with my choices?”  Hee hee.  

The bug has bit me again, so I will be praying through God’s leading for curriculum.  But with my son’s ADHD and my two littles (next year 4 & 5 yo) joining in, I will need to have them up, moving, and hand-on again.  But what I feel the beauty is, I have learned SOOOO much from the CM style and you ladies.  If I was educating myself and oldest daughter solely, I’d just be hardcore CM all the way.  But we had three really successful memorable years doing KONOS unit studies.  Right now, I feel God leading me to use CM style resources and techniques (living books, narration, short lessons, handicrafts, habit training, etc) in conjunction with the hands-on approach of either KONOS or the Weaver curricula.  Because I have done so much already out of the three KONOS volumes, I am leaning toward Weaver.  It also seems that they have excellent support/planning materials, and it seems that the activities and projects are a little bit less involved than our KONOS ones were.  But really I am a KONOS girl at heart, and I already own the volumes, so I am not yet sure.  PLus, frankly, I like the change, though my husband is concerned that it will negatively impact the kids.  He’s a little annoyed that I want to try something else.  So I am trying to be really thoughtful, prayerful, and prudent. Thoughts?

This year we have enjoyed the ease of the SCM Modules 1 & 2, though some of the resources have been tough to get through – my son hates Golden Fleece, and no one enjoys the Voskamp Geography book that much. We’re on the fence about Letters From Egypt.  But we all like the Oxford Ancient History Book, and Famous Men of Greece. I love the simplicity and ease of working through the family handbook.  I am using Hymns in Prose for my 7yo DD, and she’s doing great with it, though the format is feeling a bit repetitive, because she can read most of the words in there.  But I am having her pay close attention to spelling the bigger more difficult words b/c her spelling has not really even started to catch up to her amazing reading ability.  Everyone has sort of given up on the Centuries Notebook.  sigh.  I just got tired of fighting that battle, though I might try that again next year, with just a different format.  My oldest was doing so much work (since we’re doing Mods 1 & 2) that I have let her personal work in Wisdom bible study slide a bit.  Literature is going well, just slow.  My son read Rascal and really loved it; he did illustrated, oral, and lego narrations for it.  He’s now working on Just So Stories and finds them amusing and creative.  My oldest has almost finished reading Anne of Greene Gables for the first time and has loved it.  She’s writing a character analysis/narration on it now.  She also read Stepping Heavenward for Character Development, and she’s presently outlining a 5-paragraph essay on it.  My oldest is doing Spelling Wisdom and it really works well for her. I LOVE Latin For Children and Song School Latin.  My kids might not think it’s the best, but too bad.  I love what they are learning; though we are going rather slow in it.  My oldest is doing Apologia, and she doesn’t really like it, but she is not a huge Science fan anyway, so I think it’s hard to make a clear assessment from her reaction.  I think the program is solid, and it will provide her with what she needs.

As for next year with my oldest, she will be starting High School!!! I am a bit nervous about preparing her for college and providing her with what she needs – in addition, I am not the most organized of people, so I am a little nervous about proper documentation.  I have ordered some books about homeschooling high school in order to learn how to do transcripts and keep track of credits, etc.  I think for her I will use either The Weaver 7-12 Supplement, OR Konos History of the World. I am most impressed with HOW and its amazing scope of literature based education.  It teaches an amazing amount of stuff, all based on literature and good writing.  It looks rigorous, and I think it will really help my daughter learn to think and analyze.  She’s the kind of kid who just wants to know how to do it so she can do it get it done spit it back on a test with the right answer – type thing.  She’s your typical golden student in public school.  She has a hard time thinking critically for herself.  She just wants the right answer, lol!  I think this will really help.  Has anyone here hear anything about Konos HOW or used it?  I’d love feedback!

Anyway, blessings and love to you all!  

Amy

Tara, the website is http://www.apologia.com/bookextras and then the password denotes which info you get (ie each book’s password is different).  You’ll find the password in the introduction section of each book.  For example, the anatomy one has 39 different pages in PDF format.  HTH’s.

I am encouraged by many of you planning for next school year….since I’ll be a newbie starting year1 with a 6yo next August.  Also, I’ll be doing a very relaxed preschool plan with then 4yo (AO year0 and SCM early years books along with lots of playing, coloring, learning letter sounds, counting).   I thought I was obsessing to try to get my year 1 curriculum down sooner vs. later, but glad to know it’s normal to look ahead several months in advance.  After 2 months of researching curriculum  (being brand new to the homeschool world),  I went through with dh the possible options for our year1…..AO, SCM, and MFW….and was very pleased that he liked what I came up with (which is a mesh of suggestions from those curriculum choices).  Now just to purchase a few things, keep my eye out for good living books at used bookstores, and patiently wait till late summer!

I started planning for next year about two months into this school year, when I determined that RightStart Math was not a good fit for us.

For first grade:

Bible: God’s Names (from Children Desiring God) by Sally Michael

Reading: Hymns in Prose and Pathway Readers

Math: CLE Math, Sonrise Edition, 1st grade

Science: Outdoor Secrets and its companion books, along with nature walks, observing the same area at our local nature center a few times during each season, observing the life cycle of a caterpillar/butterfly, and keeping a nature journal.

Artist study: 1 per term, Monet and Cezanne — her two favorites from the Katie books.

Composer study: 1 per term, Tschaikovsky and ???

Character study: Beautiful Feet — Teaching Character through Literature

French: still looking for a curriculum. Have a few ideas, but nothing definite yet.

Read-alouds from simplycharlottemason’s list for 1st grade, and some of the 5-year old list. (The Little House series, Mr. Popper’s Penguin, Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, etc.)

I am holding off on history until 2nd or 3rd grade, when we’ll start Truthquest and use SCM recommedations as some of our “must-reads”.

I’m sure there’s more we should do, but I’m going to be attending college part-time, working outside the home part-time, and DH is going to have to do some of the schooling. Therefore, we’ll be schooling 4 days a week, and alternate nature study and composer (on the same 2 days a week) with artist study and character study (together on the other 2 days of the week).

If anyone sees any major flaw in this, from their own experience, please feel free to let me know. 😉

April

I have already started to collect some of our items for next year.  I already have the MUS items needed for dds#3 & 4.  I just need to pick up dd#3’s MUS.  We are using SCM’s modules again next year as well.  I actually have everything for that because I intended to do a combined year this year of mod 2 & 3.  However, after talking some things over with dd #2 who had requested the combo approach, that changed after a couple of months at it, and we will be doing mod 3 this coming year. 

I don’t know what science dd #3 & #4 will do.  They are doing the Biology 101 program this year and really enjoying it.  DD #2 may do a physics program, unless we just can not find one to suit her fancy.  She has already fulfilled her science credits and then some – she will have 4 upon completion of her adv. bio this year.

I’m working on the other areas – still not sure about which Shakespearean play, poet, composers, or artists.  Still open to suggestions on that.