MFW ECC vs Higher Up and Further In Year 5?

[Evergreen Academy]

I am trying to plan a "different" year history and geography wise for my dc next year, having completed the history cycle and wanting to take a year off before my ds13 starts again for high school. (They will be in grades 3, 5 and 8.) Years ago we did Sonlight Core 5 with dd, and while I loved the books, I didn't like the structure of the year. MFW ECC looks like the same sort of idea - nonwestern cultures and civilizations, missionary stories, etc, but it looks - well - light; I can't imagine it being enough for the ds who will be in 8th grade next year. Now I've stumbled across a schedule listed on the Higher Up and Further In blog, for a year 5 that seems to incorporate many elements of all three curriculums.

http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2006/12/year-5-program-and-booklist.html

 

I am intrigued, but not sure how it would all come together with a weekly, rather than daily schedule, and how I'd know when to do which mapwork, etc.

 

I would love to hear anyone's experience with MFW ECC or the Higher Up curriculum, as I try to sort out what will be best for the kids next year. I understand I'll have to adjust for both the oldest and the youngest, but I am hoping for a core we can all sort of study together.

 

Thanks for any input!

Blessings,

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 7-20;

Some homegrown, some from Korea, all born in my heart

Schooling grades 2, 4, 4 and 7

[MelissaMinNC]

I'm probably not qualified to answer this, but I'll tell you what I know. I don't have an 8th grader - I've just started ECC with a 4th grader. There is a lot of stuff we are not doing. Or - maybe not a lot - but doing the program to her age/ability there is still a lot of room to beef up, it seems.

 

Also, ECC comes with a 7th/8th grade supplement - so your 8th grader would do everything on the main grid. The science on that main grid would become part of his regular geography work. Then he would do his own separate science that comes in the 8th grade supplement.

 

That's about all I know. I hope one of the more experienced MFWers chimes in here, but if they don't you can ask this on the MFW forums. Also, if you poke around the archives there, you can find threads addressing the MFW is "light" concern, and also comparing MFW with other approaches - SL and others.

 

HTH a little,

Melissa

[Evergreen Academy]

Thank you, Melissa, that does help. We have done one year of MFW as part of our rotation (ex-1850) so I do understand that while MFW can look light, it can be a pretty rich curriculum. It's just hard for me to tell from looking at the ECC page, what that might encompass. My 8th grader will have read some of the ECC supplement materials already, so I would need to substitute, I suppose. I have read so many times that people found ECC their "best year ever," and am so curious as to what they love. At first glance, it is missing the rich books we loved so much from Sonlight (maybe some are in the book basket?), but I know there must be good stuff in there.

 

The Higher Up schedule is intriguing because it seems to incorporate some of each...thanks for chiming in, I appreciate it.

 

Blessings,

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 7-20;

Some homegrown, some from Korea, all born in my heart

Schooling grades 2, 4, 4 and 7

[Evergreen Academy]

:lurk5:

I'd love to hear any thoughts on MFW ECC, even if folks haven't checked out Higher Up's curriculum.

 

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 7-20;

Some homegrown, some from Korea, all born in my heart

Schooling grades 2, 4, 4 and 7