[neveryoumindthere]

Hi everyone..
i'm a sahm to a 4 yr old dd, I LOVE The idea of unschooling but dd WANTS worksheets and wants to sit and do activities with me supervising etc..I mean i guess it is 'unschooling' in teh sense i'm looking into what she wants..

so i'm looking at a curriculum that uses Calvert for the standard subjects and am wondering about ppl's opinions on it or where I can read reviews.

I havnet decided yet if I'll be getting the Pre-K or KG yet..(she knows MOST of the stuff in the Pre-K already but I also dont want to push her too much..even though she likes challenges.lol)

thx in advance.

 

[rsps]

I haven't used Calvert, but if you like the idea of unschooling and your daughter likes structure I'd try to go with something a little less expensive in case it doesn't work out.
Like worksheet activites books you can get at target or barnes and noble. Some of them are pretty nice. My boys like the "Leapfrog" and "Reader rabbit" ones. Scholastic also has good ones for math and reading at each grade level. Or get one of the "comprehensive curriuclm" series workbooks -- it's a whole years worth of stuff in all subjects.
Then when/if she wants to do other stuff you can put the workbooks away for awhile and not worry about the cost of the program you aren't using (and if she countines to want them -- that's great too.)

Another one I liked for ds at age 4 is "brighter vision learning adventures" Each month they will send you a package with a book, workbook, craft/science activity all on a theme. The first one is free, and you can cancel anytime, so it's worth checking out. http://www.brightervision.com/

have fun
rebecca

 

[MistiMama]

I don't have any experience with Calvert (although I've heard good things) - but you might ask about it over at thehomeschoollibrary.com (a discussion forum) They have curriculum reviews there, as well as a really awesome group of homeschoolers who are always willing to help out and answer questions. Not that you don't get that here

I'm just saying that you could ask at that forum also. That forum tends to be more "curriculum-y" and less "unschool-y", in my opinion, than this one.

Hope that helps!

Misti

 

[MistiMama]

I posted before I read rsps' response. She had some really awesome suggestions for you. I totally agree with her. I'm an unschooler at heart, but my daughter is a workbook freak, so eventually I ended up buying actual curriculum for a few subjects, but when she was younger I just bought the cheap ones at B&N or Target or wherever.

Misti

 

[Linda on the move]

I've never used Calvert but there is a site with tons of homeschool reviews. I've link the page where the reviews of Calvert start:
http://homeschoolreviews.com/reviews...ews.aspx?id=53

 

[ShaggyDaddy]

I was homeschooled with Calvert and I hated every minute of it.

It was 100% busy work and 0% learning for me. I am sorry I don't have anything really concrete, but I will just say I hated Calvert and leave it to that.

 

[imani]

Ditto
I was homeschooled/unschooled. I had the 5th grade "box" BORING....I agree with the pp buy her some workbooks if you are an unschooler at heart.
Oh and I must add im almost 30, so calvert may have changed since I was using it!!

 

[annethcz]

I agree with the PPs. I have kids who enjoy workbooks, but I wouldn't go out and buy a workbook oriented curriculum. When my kids were that age, I just bought lots of workbooks from Target (the SchoolZone brand) and from www.rainbowresource.com.

 

[Linda on the move]

I think that some workbooks are better than others. A nice series for learning basic phonics is Get Ready for the Code, Get Set for the Code, Go for the Code. These are like $5 each, available from most homeschool supply companies, and better than the little alphebet books at Target.

Singapore does nice math workbooks for little kids. They are inexpensive and a lot more interesting than the stuff at Target.

(both my kids liked workbooks when they were little)

 

[Lovenest]

Well we have used Preschool Calvert for my son since Oct 2006 and we have enjoyed it.

We dont do it everyday or sometimes even weekly-weeks sometimes, but it is there for us to use when he does want to sit down and learn instead of his normal running around like a crazy person.

I really like how its set up and I dont see it as our only form of learning, we mostly like to relax and just live and learn but it is nice as some mornings we pull it out and pick from the lessons and eveything is right there (no brain power from mom or dad). Before Calvert I would be racking my brain for "new" learning idea. If you are looking for something like that I would say go for it. But, I could see how day after day it would get boring as like with anything it just gets old. But, the activities and ideas are great and alot of fun!

If you have any more questions feel free to PM me!

 

[unicoi]

I have used Calvert on and off for years. It definetly covers all subjects, but there is tons of busy work. My 11 ds said"Do they think I am stupid?" when asked very simple questions about a reading assignment.