Torn between 2 curriculum choices

I’m always tempted by those “in a box” curriculums too, but I’ve found that for our family they aren’t worth the money, because I always get off track in some subject and that seems to frustrate me mentally so that I just feel like giving up on everything (that sounds so pathetic on paper).  We bought a Pre-school curriculum that had everything planned out and intertwined and I did everything as planned for about 6 weeks before throwing the whole thing out the window and just sticking to memory verses, phonics and math.  That was two years ago.  This year with dd6 and dd5 we planned our school year with SCM and it is SO much better.  If I get behind in one subject it doesn’t paralyze me in any other subject – (we use the organizer) AND I’m able to go back and pull out some of those super fun preschool books from our previous program to use with my DD2 and just flip open to ANY page and do it.  I have FREEDOM!!!!  I’m not worried about teaching things in a sequential order as much… maybe that’s not the right word… I’m not worried about having EVERYTHING overlap and be tied together as much.  I’m confident that if I just teach each subject in a fun way – well done, then THEY will get it and make the connections on their own.  So I don’t have to do a cow craft, read a cow story, do a cow poem and sing a cow song in order to teach my two year old the sound that “c” makes.  Instead my 2 year old is “taught” the sound for whatever letter I’m working on my older two girls with in penmanship – we don’t have to start with A!  Revolutionary, I know.  (By the way I don’t recommend that any other mother needs to be stressing about teaching their 2 year old sounds – it just happens that mine prefers to be included in school as opposed to playing and it’s easier for me to make her feel included by teaching her something than it is to shoo her away. and for the point of example – this is a very easy way for me to demonstrate that I used to be stuck on “themes” and now I am FREE!) 

So, with SCM – my girls learn scripture memory – choose a verse that goes with what you’re studying or choose ANY verse you want, or let them choose!  FREEDOM!!!  They learn “Bible” through SCM’s History, Geography and Bible study guide.  They learn about God’s greatness and creativity through SCM’s 106 days of creation studies.  For our Hymn study, we’re using Hymns for a Kids’ heart – so they are learning about the hymn writers faith as young children but ALL hymn study teaches children doctrine and scripture because it’s so interttwined in the hymns.  In the character study we use “A Child’s Book of Character Building” which relates a Bible story each week, along with scripture to encourage your child in developing biblical virtues.  We read an Aesop’s fable each day and often times the moral of these tales is like taking a verse right out of Proverbs… in fact if you had lots of time on your hands you could probably do just that, reading a proverb to go with each one, but I find it easy enough to just insert a Biblical concept or morality after reading each.  Even in our artist and composer studies there is generally lots of opportunity for me to discuss the God given talent of our subject – even though the subject themselves may not have realized where their talent came from – it’s a wonderful opportunity to talk about using our gifts to glorify God and not ourselves and to examine the lives of these sometimes troubled people and how they could be so talented, yet so sad – because despite their talent and even success they did not understand their true purpose on earth.

I hope that’s helpful to you in making your decision.  I would also say that the cost of implementing SCM is probably only a quarter of the cost of most “in a box” curriculums – granted it can take a bit more time initially in pulling your books together, but for me, in the long run, the stress is less in being able to separate each subject and not having them all tied together in the event that we lag behind in one.  And they do an excelent job in the study guides of warning you several lessons in advance when you will be needing a new book.

Blessings,

Rebekah

While I don’t mean to hijack this post from Heather; art and Rebekah, I really appreciate your posts and the link.  I thought my kids would have more fun with a packaged “box” and it would be easier for me.  It hasn’t turned out that way.  There are still some wonderful resources I use for ideas for crafts, art and nature studies; but I’m using good, living books now as our main curricula and it’s been so freeing!

I especially liked the observation of, while the boxes might be well done, they don’t know my children and I do.  (I also like the pilot instructor example).

Thank you!