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Thinking about changing curriculum at the beginning of next year. I'd love some recommendations.

post #1 of 11
10/28/11 at 2:09pm
Thread Starter 

Right now, we are using Rod and Staff.  I really like it, though sometimes all the workbook and rote stuff can be tedious.  My DD1 is thriving with it, though sometimes I think she'd appreciate a little more excitement too.  

 

The reasons I am thinking of changing:

  • to spice our day up a bit... get some color into it.
  • DD2 seems to be one that will be a more hands-on learner and I'm not sure she'll enjoy Rod and Staff modes of teaching at all.
  • there will most likely be a time when it will be best for us to change to another curriculum for spiritual reasons, though right now there are no real issues there.

 

Here's what I love about Rod and Staff:

  • at this point it is spiritual (with Christian teachings) (and while we identify as Christian I am not opposed to my DDs learning about other religions, and reading their spiritual texts or having a spiritual but non-religious aspect to the curriculum though I don't want to lose a healthy spiritual component) but not too doctrinal so I can make it applicable to our family beliefs
  • it is domestic, abundant with nature, and familiar to our life (we live on a farm in the woods of the Appalachian Mts.)
  • it begins with the basics and doesn't branch out into other subjects until those basics are mastered (phonics are taught, and math is one step at a time)
  • They provide extensive teaching manuals with lesson plans that you can adjust to meet your needs and daily schedule along with scripts  that give ideas to help you explain topics that you might not quite have the words for.
  • it is very inexpensive and high quality materials

 

 So, we have a Waldorf background.  If we had remained in the city, it is likely my DDs would have went to the Waldorf school there if we could have afforded it.  I love Waldorf, but I am not the best person to teach the Waldorf approach.  I'm not into crafts all that much.  The planning to pull off a Waldorf day overwhelms me.  While my home is in many ways a Waldorf home, there are many ways in which it is not.  I've ordered the Oak Meadow catalog and never considered it beyond that because I was afraid of the extra expensive of crafting supplies and afraid of my inability to keep up with it.  I'm a very bookish person and I like our school day to be relatively simple to carry out.

I'm not interested in ABEKA, ACE, or Bob Jones curricula.  I'm not interested in a strictly Classical approach either, but might consider a more structured Charlotte Mason than sifting through the info on Ambleside and trying to apply it.  Just not sure where to look next.  I know there's something perfect for us out there.  I'd love some suggestions.

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post #2 of 11
10/28/11 at 3:14pm

Have you looked at sonlight?  I'm just doing K, but we're enjoying it.  You would still need to choose your math/science, but they have options for that as well.

 

Tjej

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post #3 of 11
10/29/11 at 2:11pm
Thread Starter 

I have but didn't feel a connection to it.  I don't feel very connected to most of the "Christian" homeschool curricula that's available right now, but Rod and Staff.  Just needing things to liven up a bit.

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post #4 of 11
10/29/11 at 4:02pm

Of what I've looked at, Sonlight is the most non-specific Christian material widely available.  But I get not feeling the love for something - if it isn't for you, it isn't.

 

Enki has always intrigued me, but it is quite expensive.

 

Tjej

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post #5 of 11
10/30/11 at 8:48am
Thread Starter 

Thanks.  I just found Live Ed last night.  It looks pretty cool.  What I am anxious about is the amount of teacher prep that is involved.  With Rod and Staff right now, there isn't much I have to do other than get out our books and manipulatives and have school.  But, Live Ed doesn't seem to be that overwhelming.  I think I'll call and talk with them. :)

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post #6 of 11
10/30/11 at 8:56pm

Have you looked at My Father's World?  We are using it for the first time this year for Kindergarten, and while I do not use the math and phonics portion of it (due to ds, not the curriculum), I absolutely love the topical part of the curriculum.  The theory behind it is they combine Classical, Charlotte Mason, and unit study. So there is lots of focus on nature.  It is not heavy on crafts, but there is an opportunity to have an art/craft project at least once per week. 

 

It looks like my ds is about the same age as your dd, so you might have a look at the website to see what the first grade curriculum looks like.  Depending on what your dd has learned already, they say that their 2nd grade package would be suitable for "advanced first graders."

 

If you have any more specific questions about it, I would be happy to help! 

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post #7 of 11
10/31/11 at 10:20am

If you're willing to overlook the Christian aspects of it Christopherus sounds like a very good option for you. Christopherus is Waldorf, I'm finding it to be almost open and go prep wise except for a little planning at the beginning of each block, pretty much all inclusive, not bad pricing imo. From what I've heard about LE! it sounds like a very good Waldorf curriculum but I have heard that there is a lot of planning involved, and for the amount their asking I'm not sure if it's worth it imo. You may want to look into A Little Garden Flower as well.

 

http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/home.html

 

http://www.waldorfjourney.typepad.com/

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post #8 of 11
10/31/11 at 12:37pm

A good and easy Christian curriculum is Heart of Dakota.  I'm planning on switching to that at some point down the road.  It gets excellent reviews, has easy hands-on crafts, and is a Charlotte Mason-inspired approach.

 

I'd also suggest taking another look at Christopherus.  Live Ed is a LOT of work--I bought it and sent it back.  ALGF is cheap but isn't as thorough as Christopherus.

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post #9 of 11
11/2/11 at 8:02am

We have Heart of Dakota for preschool and My Fathers World for Kindergarten.  The cost is reasonable and it requires very very little prep on my part.  We have fun and the units are long enough to learn it and short enough we don't get bored.  Sonlight looked good- but so expensive!  

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post #10 of 11
11/2/11 at 9:52am

We used Christopherus for 1st grade and enjoyed it. But we now use Enki and LOVE it. There is just so much more to it. Seasonal music, stories, nature stories, games...my boys love the games, the movement. The recorder songs. Painting stories. It's a whole resource library. Math stories are really good. The practice work is so well thought out. 

 

With a waldorf background and interest you may find it works very well for your homeschool.

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post #11 of 11
11/10/11 at 10:11am

Have you thought about Konos? It is very hands-on which your daughter might really like. It can be used with all kids in the home, even with different age levels. We use Time4Learning because it is interactive and holds my DD's attention. They do the record keeping for me, and she has access to 3 grade levels within each subject. We supplement with Teaching Textbooks, Spelling City, Heritage History and whatever she is interested in learning about. It works for us. 

 

Joyfully,

Jackie

My Blog

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Mothering › Forums › Education › Learning at Home and Beyond › Thinking about changing curriculum at the beginning of next year. I'd love some recommendations.