Classical moms what are you using??

[zonapellucida]

for curricullum? Afer the WTM thread I am thinking maybe some "programs" need to show up under my tree rather than all the crap my kids usually get that gets used once or twice and then thrown in a closet. BUT I am not sure where to start. I ahve or4dered tons of catalogs but what has worked for you and why?? I am especially interested in 2 grade and above. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[caitlinsmom]

As I havent yet started maybe I shouldn't post. But when we start I think I will get a few of TWTM suggestions. Also on the other classical thread a few moms stated what worked for them and what they liked. Mostly on the 1st page so I wouls check it out.

None of that helped I'm sure.

[Linda104]

We have used Calvert for K and 1st. It works for us but it is expensive and some people don't like certain components.

[muttix2]

We're in 9th grade using a loosely based WTM approach. I ordered books from the library and what they didn't have I supplemented w/other titles that I picked out. My sister is weak in English so she has extra English books to help her out. I haven't bought books yet, I just use stuff from the library. I usually just order them beforehand so they'll be there when I go in. It takes a lot of work to make your own curriculum, I am constantly updating it, but its worth it imo in the money saved.

[NoHiddenFees]

Have you checked out the WTM message boards? There's lots of curriculum talk there.

[eilonwy]

I did WTM with my niece last year (second grade) and my son is just starting this year (K/1).

With my niece, we did Saxon math-- it's great if niether you nor your child is at all comfortable with math, and if you like lots of manipulatives. If your child isn't the sort who needs a ton of drill and repetition, she'll probably be bored out of her skull unless you do several lessons at once (which is what my niece did). Even then, the drill can be overkill. BeanBean is doing Singapore, which is much more visual than Saxon was and moves much more quickly and, in my opinion, more logically (there's a progression from one thing to the next which makes *sense*). I think that it's a better fit for his attention span and his learning style than Saxon.

I really liked First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind; it's fun for kids and adults alike, but it moves too slowly for some. ChibiChibi was seven and she moved very quickly through the lessons. BeanBean is moving less quickly through the same lessons than his cousin did, but I think he's moving along right in sync with the book. He really enjoys it, and we make games out of the memorization assignments.

I've addressed Story of the World pretty thoroughly (as have several others) in the past month or two in this forum; perhaps someone who can open more than one window at a time could make a link?

We haven't started a formal science program yet. The books suggested in TWTM are totally inadequate; science is definately their weak point. I've been making up random biology things for my son because he absolutely *adores* them. Sometimes they are based on his questions and experiences in real life, other times I bring a book home from the library and we read it together and discuss. Now that it's cold, we're doing less outdoor stuff. He's very interested in birth and reproduction (questions from real life) and we're doing a bit of a unit study on mammals. We've done a few experiments, which I've cobbled together from ideas in my college biology lab notebook. (I'm totally serious-- it's almost scary, how easily the ideas for labs can be adapted for much younger children! ) We haven't done any formal science memorization because quite frankly, I don't believe in it (the very first thing that we were told in my first college chemistry course was, "There's no need to try to memorize the periodic table; if you do it deliberately, you're more likely to make mistakes and if you work with it long enough, you'll memorize the important points anyway.") but that doesn't change the fact that BeanBean has memorized all sorts of fun things, like lists of mammals and how they differ from other animals.

ChibiChibi loved MCP Phonics and Spelling Workout, especially when she got into the third-grade level books (level c) and they introduced cursive handwriting. The assignments helped her to make sense of a few things which she hadn't learned (in her whole-language first grade classroom or understood before, and she made rapid progress not only through the books but in her reading (application of learned principles). It was very cool to watch.

I started teaching my niece piano with Schaum's Pre-A book. I enjoyed it, and had fun. Personally, I prefer Thompson's, but I didn't think that it would be appropriate for Chibi. I haven't been able to teach BeanBean, though, because I don't have my piano at my house. (It's at my mom's, where my niece lives.) If, by some miracle, I am able to get my piano moved here, I will *definately* start BeanBean on lessons, probably with "Teaching Little Fingers to Play," because his fine motor skills are probably about average for his age.

And, of course, lots and lots and lots of library books... Books on disc, too; audiobooks are very cool. I also borrowed lots of fun music from the library.

Art... well, I'm not an artsy sort of person. I considered it a success when the kids played with play-dough that I made.

[zonapellucida]

Thanks ladies. We just made Biospheres today and learned colors in Latin,LOL. I will definitely check out the message board and continue trying to find time to read. (MAYBE if I weren;t on the computer so much....)