aprilsblessings Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 I have 4 boys and 1 girl. My daughter is definitely my daughter, worksheets, paper crafts, etc... now my boys I am needing help with. I know I shouldn't have curriculum that has a lot of writing or a large sit down time commitment.(especially until they are older) I was wondering what you all have found to be favorite curricula for your boys. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Read the Well Trained Mind. SWB has 3 boys and a girl, so a lot of her stuff is very boy friendly. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Well, I only have boys if that matters. For years 1-4 I use (or used) SOTW, FLL, WWS, HWT, SM, RSO science, Lively Latin and Song School Latin, Spelling Workout or R&S Spelling. I have been very, very happy with all of these. Goodness, what a lot of abbreviations! Looks like alphabet soup :laugh: Let me know if you need anything "un-abbreviated," or logic stage ideas for older boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilsblessings Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Read the Well Trained Mind. SWB has 3 boys and a girl, so a lot of her stuff is very boy friendly. ;) Thanks I do have the book and reference it. I was hoping to find out some other personal experiences with curriculum. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 We used a lot of the Veritas Press suggestions for history found in their catalog (haven't seen a catalog in several years though). For grammar I wish we had been able to use Michael Clay Thompson but it wasn't around back then. We did use it in junior/senior high. For math we loved Singapore and I'd love to have had access to something like Beast Academy for several of my boys. I would suggest beginning typing instruction with your oldest now. None of my boys enjoyed the physical activity of handwriting. They learned it, but they preferred typing. Eventually, once they were in junior high, everything formal was typewritten. For science we just watched a lot of videos, got lots of library books, did lots of fun experiments found on the internet or other books like Janice VanCleave. I would caution you against finding that perfect curriculum right now for all your boys because you will experience a lot of change as you start down this road. What you like with the first one might not be right for the next one. And with the ages of your younger boys, you have a lot of time before deciding on formal curriculum. Also, what you think you see in a curriculum may be totally different from your experience in using it. I purchased several items early on that looked fantastic. But when I tried to implement them, it was just about impossible! It was certainly not compatible with my teaching style or learning styles of the boys. You're at the beginning of the journey...there are lots of options out there. Enjoy the ride :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth rose Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 My son loved loved loved Winterpromise Animals and Their worlds. He would do it every year if he could. We did it his kindergarten year alongside his sister in 2nd grade. they both loved it, but he is the one who is big into animals. It was a lot of fun. Lots of getting out in nature, taking hikes, studying animals, my daughter loved the habitat dioramas. You study all the different habitats and build a shoebox model of it. Best year ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 These are boy friendly from my experience. I generally use almost all boy friendly curricula since the recent trend of feminizing school materials gets under my skin. IEW SWI-A (DVD writing lectures with Andrew Pudewa) R&S English Handwriting without tears cursive Horizons math For reading, I try to choose books with boy characters or at least an equal number of boy characters as girl characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilsblessings Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 I would caution you against finding that perfect curriculum right now for all your boys because you will experience a lot of change as you start down this road. What you like with the first one might not be right for the next one. This is exactly what I am already thinking. My almost 4 year old is definitely a lot different than my 7 year old. And with the ages of your younger boys, you have a lot of time before deciding on formal curriculum. Also, what you think you see in a curriculum may be totally different from your experience in using it. I purchased several items early on that looked fantastic. But when I tried to implement them, it was just about impossible! It was certainly not compatible with my teaching style or learning styles of the boys. You're at the beginning of the journey...there are lots of options out there. Enjoy the ride :) So I'm not the only one this has happened to! I have so many things that I would LOVE to use but once I try them the wonderful picture in my head of how it will work for everyone and the reality when I actually add children to the mix are not even close. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessicamcc Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My oldest was 11/12 years old last year. We did Winter Promise Adventures in the Sea and Sky. http://www.winterpromise.com/sea_sky.html It takes you thru time with the inventions for sea and sky and the history involved. It also includes the science (astronomy, meteorology, ocean animals, etc.) He LOVED it! And he is very picky. We could easily have done it a year younger. His brother was 4 and tagged along and learned a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilsblessings Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 My oldest was 11/12 years old last year. We did Winter Promise Adventures in the Sea and Sky. http://www.winterpro...om/sea_sky.html It takes you thru time with the inventions for sea and sky and the history involved. It also includes the science (astronomy, meteorology, ocean animals, etc.) He LOVED it! And he is very picky. We could easily have done it a year younger. His brother was 4 and tagged along and learned a lot. My son loved loved loved Winterpromise Animals and Their worlds. He would do it every year if he could. We did it his kindergarten year alongside his sister in 2nd grade. they both loved it, but he is the one who is big into animals. It was a lot of fun. Lots of getting out in nature, taking hikes, studying animals, my daughter loved the habitat dioramas. You study all the different habitats and build a shoebox model of it. Best year ever. Ok, definitely going to look into WP! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I can tell you some things my boy has pretty much loathed! Does that help? Pathway Readers Mennonite Readers/CLE Readers Mott Media -anything by Mott Media McGuffey Readers Anything about Nice children on Farms Farm animal themed anything Most black and white things (not all!) Saxon Math (loathing is nearing hatred on this one) Old Fashioned books about grammar (such as Prmary Language Lessons, etc.) Extreme repetitiveness (The worst educational item I ever bought in his mind was that book from Mott media with hundreds of lists of words.) I'll have to look that up. Lifepacs (full tears there.) Dorky crafts Coloring CLP building spelling skills He has enjoyed: Bob Books ETC Anything with robots Anything about Science Anything about computers Usborne Books Good stories/novels/ even many many classics especially if they were about boys! SOTW Easy Grammar Any hands on science kits Any good historical fiction Sequential Spelling Calvert online Spelling Calvert's art lessons Art in general Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My both likes Singapore Math and I think he'd also like Math Mammoth All About Spelling Anything Non-fiction, whether science, history or whatever, to read. Fiction books on audio, especially things that involve history, geography, etc Anything on the computer or on Netflix Crafts must be hands on like woodworking. Anything with a hammer and nails is good. I'm still testing Writing Strands. So far, so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My soon to be 8 yo loves anything short, quick and not vintage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I can tell you some things my boy has pretty much loathed! Does that help? Pathway Readers Mennonite Readers/CLE Readers Mott Media -anything by Mott Media McGuffey Readers Anything about Nice children on Farms Farm animal themed anything Most black and white things (not all!) Saxon Math (loathing is nearing hatred on this one) Old Fashioned books about grammar (such as Prmary Language Lessons, etc.) Extreme repetitiveness (The worst educational item I ever bought in his mind was that book from Mott media with hundreds of lists of words.) I'll have to look that up. Lifepacs (full tears there.) Dorky crafts Coloring CLP building spelling skills This made me laugh out loud. My boys loved almost everything on this list. They also really enjoy: VP self-paced history TOG history My Father's World Exploring Countries & Cultures BJU Science CLE Language Arts Rod & Staff's Art With A Purpose books They have hated with a white-hot firey passion: Shurley Grammar IEW anything Sequential Spelling They were not impressed, but still worked through: FLL Horizons Math SRA Phonics books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 An important thing in teaching boys is not so much what to teach them, but when. Boys tend to mature more slowly than girls in the areas of language and fine motor skills. I pushed my firstborn into reading and writing in the preschool age. This time around I am watching for developmental readiness. I am doing phonics with my 5yo, but at a much more relaxed pace. He just isn't ready to move beyond CVC words yet, and that is fine. I'm not even going to attempt handwriting until first grade. Until then, I have him coloring to practice fine motor skills. We do lots of reading aloud and he has learned to love books while his vocabulary and attention span are growing and growing. I also am not planning on doing a formal math curriculum for the first couple years, and maybe longer. We will focus on oral math, with occasional concrete lessons, using M&Ms or C-rods. For more info, google the names Benezet, Bluedorn, or Ruth Beechick along with "math." I tried several of the popular programs with 1st DS (Math Mammoth, CLE, and Singapore) and we both felt very "eh" about them all. :) I found that my DS liked to know what was expected of him (perhaps a schedule posted for him to mark off) and then git 'er done. A full, multifaceted curriculum frustrated him with too much gear-shifting throughout the schoolday. Keep your subject load simple, at least for K-8. Boys tend to favor hands-on. Mine often enjoy just helping me in the kitchen. Lots of learning opportunity there, and no expensive or overwhelming curricula to make it happen! They also need physical activity throughout the day. I often have mine run around the house three times between subjects. One mom said she had her boys run a mile every day before starting school (they were older) and it made a huge difference in their focus and attention. Back to your original question. I have only taught one boy through the early grades so far, but here are some things he really enjoyed: Magic School Bus books for science Times Tales for multiplication tables The Sentence Family for grammar La Clase Divertida for Spanish Diana Waring's audios for history Mark Kistler's online drawing lessons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Seconding the physical activity. Also, I am noticing that my two boys are very different from each other. Sigh. BotBot may require a whole different strategy than his older brother ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My boys are enjoying Ambleside Online. And I think this thread just shows that all boys are different. (But I agree about not pushing them before they are ready, especially with writing.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie Jean Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 This thread is hilarious and so interesting. Definitely puts perspective on boys! I have 2 myself, as well as 2 girls. It is intriguing how different each of them are. I know it's sad when we want a certain curriculum or style but the kids think ball and chain and dungeon like thoughts about it. I have one son who would do SOTW all day every day, and the other despises the very sound of Jim Weiss' voice. Phonetic Zoo-they snicker and howl at the "jingles" that I thought would be so helpful. Short and to the point is what works best for us-although they will read for hours on subject matter of their choice which is Lord of the Rings trilogy and Christopher Paolini series at the moment. As far as things they really like, we enjoy the nature study units by Sandy Queen, "My Side of the Mountain" was a big hit. They also enjoy anything hands on. Some areas I just can't please them, so we just tell them "Sometimes life isn't all peaches and roses guys!" Btw what is WWS? I'm assuming its a writing course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Whiteboard or magnetic letters for writing. I scribe for my son for math and history, but my daughter didn't like to write all that much, either, I scribed for her a bit, too. Especially for math. For spelling, he usually works orally or on the white board or with magnetic letters or scrabble tiles. Just starting this year, he will occasionally write on paper instead. With my group classes, all my students enjoy my phonics concentration game, but the boys especially enjoy both it and a relay game race with magnetic letters. 2 groups of children run back and forth to a tupperware full of 5 sets of magnetic letters and bring them to a table a handful at a time. Then, the teams race each other to see who can make the most words in 5 or 10 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My oldest two are boys and they have been pretty different in what they liked. One has loved: Diana Waring CDs, Ambleside Online, tons of historical fiction (including, but not limited to: Hentys, Living History Library, and Landmarks). The other one has also enjoyed Diana Waring and a few AO selections, but at a much older age, and abhors all historical fiction. As far as skill subjects go, I almost think it's more important that the curriculum fit *me* as teacher than them. A number of things have worked just fine for either one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My boys are all different. One loves reading, reading, reading and doesn't need any projects (he LIKES projects, but he doesn't learn anything from them - he learns way more by reading). That child doesn't care for classic fiction much of the time (Charlotte's Web :tongue_smilie:), but he's starting to at least like more fiction than he used to. He loves history and science and math. He was an early reader (self-taught), but writing took a while. It was only 3rd grade when writing really started to click and become easier. My middle son is only K, so hard to tell what he's like yet... He's slower to learn to read, but still quick with math (loves it). He's tackling handwriting pretty well and doesn't mind writing. His attention span is short, so we spend about 10 minutes on a subject most of the time. He enjoys science topics and he learns from projects. Of course, he can't read yet, so I can't compare to him reading. He does learn a lot from picture books - he remembers the details of the pictures. My third boy is too young to tell anything, but so far he likes workbooks and working independently. That may change, of course. He is an early reader and likes to write (with either hand, but he'll end up a lefty). He enjoys being read to with books that are interesting to a 3 year old. The reason why I suggested reading the WTM was because SWB recommends curriculum that are typically boy-friendly, and her own curriculum is especially boy-friendly. WWE is wonderful for boys who don't like to write. I highly recommend listening to her lecture on teaching writing in the elementary years. She talks about boys specifically, as many boys are pencil phobic. Yes, there are girls that are pencil phobic and boys that love to write, but most of the time, it's the opposite. ;) My boys are all different, but like Another Lynn mentions, I pick curriculum that *I* like to teach. Really, it hasn't been hard to fit my boys. If there is too much writing, I'll reduce the amount of writing to what they can handle. That's usually the main change I might need to make for a boy. My very different boys use the same curricula... Both the school age boys are doing very well in Singapore, even though one kid doesn't like/need manipulatives and the other one thrives on them. They think very differently, but the same curriculum works for both. I'm using Pentime for handwriting for both of them - one kid is pencil phobic and the other loves to draw. They're both using Sonlight this year (different cores). I plan to use WWE, FLL1/2, R&S English 3+, and R&S Spelling with kid #2 as I've used them with #1. I don't foresee any problems with that plan. There is certainly nothing anti-boy about any of those. I will also use SOTW with my younger two year after next when we're back to Ancients, as DS1 loved it, and it's very boy friendly. Oh, and IEW is very boy friendly as well. You might enjoy listening to Pudewa's lecture on "Teaching Boys and Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day" (or if you go to a convention this year, he often gives this talk at those). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I am homeschooling two boys, 4th and Kinder---what has worked for us is in my sig. I honestly never tried to pick materials based on the fact they were boys, but tried to look at each individual child's strengths and weaknesses and learning styles. I have a 2 year old dd and I don't think I'll change anything because she's a girl? I don't understand this thread really. "Teaching Boys and Other Children"??? "Other" as in---girls? Why not title that lecture "Teaching Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day"??? (Ah whatever--I digress.) My oldst ds loves art and writing. Actually some things that are typical "boy stuff" is not a hit with him. Reading My Side of the Mountain for example. I actually loved the book and wish I could run away to the woods. I would have loved that when I was a little girl. My Kinder loves typical boy stuff, but then again he wants me to read Disney fairy books too. And they both love art and crafts and listening to music. They're very creative. My dd is only 2 and she is already in love with all things science and messy. In fact she's the only kid in this house that plays heavily with the Legos. Honestly for the OP I would just try to pick something based on the merits of the curriculum and what your kids are into and leave the boy/girl thing out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansmama Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My boys are enjoying Ambleside Online. And I think this thread just shows that all boys are different. (But I agree about not pushing them before they are ready, especially with writing.) We use a Waldorf-inspired program for our boys in the younger years. Now that my oldest is in 3rd we are using more CM methods. Waldorf incorporates a lot of movement (great for boys, especially for my K'er) and teaches writing and reading in a therapeutic, developmentally appropriate way. CM incorporates learning through quality literature, and what I love about this is that I can choose books that I know will appeal to my boys (usually including lots of adventure, animals, survival skills, etc). It has been a perfect blend for us so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessedmom3 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I can tell you some things my boy has pretty much loathed! Does that help? Pathway Readers Mennonite Readers/CLE Readers Mott Media -anything by Mott Media McGuffey Readers Anything about Nice children on Farms Farm animal themed anything Most black and white things (not all!) Saxon Math (loathing is nearing hatred on this one) Old Fashioned books about grammar (such as Prmary Language Lessons, etc.) Extreme repetitiveness (The worst educational item I ever bought in his mind was that book from Mott media with hundreds of lists of words.) I'll have to look that up. Lifepacs (full tears there.) Dorky crafts Coloring CLP building spelling skills My twp boys have enjoyed almost everything on this list,except coloring and lifepacs,which I've never tried. In addition, they love HOD , IEW and Singapore math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 My boys enjoy clear and concise directions, less creative writing and more directed writing programs, etc. There are many curriculums out there that fit this bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I don't understand this thread really. "Teaching Boys and Other Children"??? "Other" as in---girls? Why not title that lecture "Teaching Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day"??? (Ah whatever--I digress.) I think it was mean to be funny, based on having heard many Andrew Pudewa lectures live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilsblessings Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 Thank you all for the great lists of curriculum that your boys have liked/disliked. Now I have a great excuse for my curriculum addiction - I have to find out what will fit each of my children. :D Maybe my children are different than the norm but if just my daughter is around I sometimes would think no one else is here (it is actually quiet for 5 minutes). My boys on the other hand don't necessarily have volume control... we are still working on that. :p So in our house boys vs girl (or girls if you want to include me) there is a difference but I did not mean that certain curriculum must be for boys and others must be for girls. :blush: My first plan of action is of course to meet each of my children where they are at. As I can see the lists go both ways for some kiddos who love them and others who loathe them. I personally have really appreciated the help for a jumping off point for curriculum ideas for my boys (and my daughter) based on some of your families - so thank you!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I have four sons, ages 8-16. I've homeschooled all the way. I like Charlotte Mason's methods, WTM methods and materials, Sonlight, traditional math or Math Mammoth, and hands-on science. Teaching in an all-boy one-room schoolhouse for all these years has taught me that it's not about the curriculum. It's about watching the boys and responding to how they are learning or not learning in any given moment, and adjusting or stopping before the fire goes out. I protect that bright, interested love of learning, no matter what. I like math and language arts that I can use anytime and anywhere, and that we can choose to stand up, sit down, walk, talk, or swing while going through it. I use blackboards, white boards, sandboxes, pans full of rice, crayons, construction paper, markers, brown paper sacks--anything that the boy wants to write "on" or "with" is fine with me, at least in the early grades. (On the other hand, one of my boys went directly from the magna-doodle to lined paper with perfect cursive at age 7. Whatever works.) A boy can learn his recitations and he will diagram sentences at a very young age, but nobody's ever been able to convince me that he must sit at a desk and write between the lines to do that. By waiting until they were developmentally ready, I avoided those famous school struggles. All of my boys were able to sit at a desk and write nicely by the end of third grade, which in my opinion is soon enough. They could all do stand-up-straight recitations by then, too, and were proud to do it well. For history, story-telling is king. SOTW is great, but for my boys Sonlight has been even better for preschool through fourth grade. I'm an animated reader so I can bring those wonderful stories to life. Thanks to Charlotte Mason's methods of copywork, dictation, and narration, the boys are able to respond to their reading in their own way instead of conforming to someone else's ideas on a tedious worksheet. Narration has been tremendously successful for my busy talkers. Written narrations came naturally to them, by third or fourth grade. For science--they all love science but if I want them to learn something specific, I have to love it more. I can't be boringly glued to the book or teacher's manual, reading it calmly, and expect them to pick up the concepts that way. Science means "on your feet and make a mess," with rules, concepts, and even formulas written on the whiteboard in the kitchen. I have to "overlearn" what I expect them to get out of it, so they can have my undivided attention. As they get older, the same is true for Latin, Religion, Literature, and History. I need to know it, so I can maintain that eye contact while they are learning. When I was in school, I appreciated a good teacher but I wanted to make my own connections with the books. A good teacher, to me, explained when I got stuck but otherwise left me alone! Of my four sons, only one is like that and he does fly the highest, academically. The other three could care less about the material. They want to connect with me, and if I'm interested, they will be interested. A controversial thing I've always done and will always do: I keep my boys out of classroom environments until age 12 unless I know that it's a boy-friendly environment. (Which has happened maybe twice in all these years!) I don't want them told to sit there, be quiet, raise their hands, etc. or be put down or receive too much attention for being curious and talkative. I am very serious about this. I've regretted every time I gave in, including Sunday school settings, because it's my opinion that many female teachers treat homeschooled boys like some kind of a disease or a curiosity and make too much fuss over them if they act smart. Whether it's positive (in their intent) or negative attention, I don't want my boys feeling like freaks for knowing the answers or asking their questions. By age 12, we can talk about reining oneself in when in a classroom setting, and how to blend in if it's your desire to do so. This has worked for three out of three boys so far. When they do join classrooms, it's not Sunday school or co-op, it's Civil Air Patrol (which is very boy-friendly). And then they're ready to learn and participate in a class that includes adults by age 14. Lastly, I've found that my boys need lots of physical activity between sit-down times, but they also need left-alone times to ponder things. I'm sure all children do; I know I did. But I mention it because it seems to me that in discussions about boys, people predict that they will either be asleep or bouncing around. They need quiet contemplative time to sort out their ideas. Climbing a tree and sitting there four an hour, sanding and sawing wood in the garage for projects that don't exist yet, going out on the front porch to play the same guitar tune over and over and over...I don't interrupt those moments. I know that's how they think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilsblessings Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 I have four sons, ages 8-16. I've homeschooled all the way. I like Charlotte Mason's methods, WTM methods and materials, Sonlight, traditional math or Math Mammoth, and hands-on science. Teaching in an all-boy one-room schoolhouse for all these years has taught me that it's not about the curriculum. It's about watching the boys and responding to how they are learning or not learning in any given moment, and adjusting or stopping before the fire goes out. I protect that bright, interested love of learning, no matter what. I like math and language arts that I can use anytime and anywhere, and that we can choose to stand up, sit down, walk, talk, or swing while going through it. I use blackboards, white boards, sandboxes, pans full of rice, crayons, construction paper, markers, brown paper sacks--anything that the boy wants to write "on" or "with" is fine with me, at least in the early grades. (On the other hand, one of my boys went directly from the magna-doodle to lined paper with perfect cursive at age 7. Whatever works.) A boy can learn his recitations and he will diagram sentences at a very young age, but nobody's ever been able to convince me that he must sit at a desk and write between the lines to do that. By waiting until they were developmentally ready, I avoided those famous school struggles. All of my boys were able to sit at a desk and write nicely by the end of third grade, which in my opinion is soon enough. They could all do stand-up-straight recitations by then, too, and were proud to do it well. For history, story-telling is king. SOTW is great, but for my boys Sonlight has been even better for preschool through fourth grade. I'm an animated reader so I can bring those wonderful stories to life. Thanks to Charlotte Mason's methods of copywork, dictation, and narration, the boys are able to respond to their reading in their own way instead of conforming to someone else's ideas on a tedious worksheet. Narration has been tremendously successful for my busy talkers. Written narrations came naturally to them, by third or fourth grade. For science--they all love science but if I want them to learn something specific, I have to love it more. I can't be boringly glued to the book or teacher's manual, reading it calmly, and expect them to pick up the concepts that way. Science means "on your feet and make a mess," with rules, concepts, and even formulas written on the whiteboard in the kitchen. I have to "overlearn" what I expect them to get out of it, so they can have my undivided attention. As they get older, the same is true for Latin, Religion, Literature, and History. I need to know it, so I can maintain that eye contact while they are learning. When I was in school, I appreciated a good teacher but I wanted to make my own connections with the books. A good teacher, to me, explained when I got stuck but otherwise left me alone! Of my four sons, only one is like that and he does fly the highest, academically. The other three could care less about the material. They want to connect with me, and if I'm interested, they will be interested. A controversial thing I've always done and will always do: I keep my boys out of classroom environments until age 12 unless I know that it's a boy-friendly environment. (Which has happened maybe twice in all these years!) I don't want them told to sit there, be quiet, raise their hands, etc. or be put down or receive too much attention for being curious and talkative. I am very serious about this. I've regretted every time I gave in, including Sunday school settings, because it's my opinion that many female teachers treat homeschooled boys like some kind of a disease or a curiosity and make too much fuss over them if they act smart. Whether it's positive (in their intent) or negative attention, I don't want my boys feeling like freaks for knowing the answers or asking their questions. By age 12, we can talk about reining oneself in when in a classroom setting, and how to blend in if it's your desire to do so. This has worked for three out of three boys so far. When they do join classrooms, it's not Sunday school or co-op, it's Civil Air Patrol (which is very boy-friendly). And then they're ready to learn and participate in a class that includes adults by age 14. Lastly, I've found that my boys need lots of physical activity between sit-down times, but they also need left-alone times to ponder things. I'm sure all children do; I know I did. But I mention it because it seems to me that in discussions about boys, people predict that they will either be asleep or bouncing around. They need quiet contemplative time to sort out their ideas. Climbing a tree and sitting there four an hour, sanding and sawing wood in the garage for projects that don't exist yet, going out on the front porch to play the same guitar tune over and over and over...I don't interrupt those moments. I know that's how they think. LOVE this!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I second IEW's SWI-A. I don't know if the other levels are as funny, but ds really has enjoyed Mr. Pudewa's humor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neige Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 LOVE this!!! Me too!! Thanks so much for posting :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaOz Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 My one and only boy is pretty much enjoying Sonlight. SL can have as much written work (or not) as you want. He likes to draw pictures of what we read - in fact, we'll be part way through a reading and he'll pipe up and say, "Can I draw a picture of that?". Sometimes I'll have him write a few sentences or a caption as well. I'm pleased that it is working for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarinesWife Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Paths of Exploration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Two DSs here, who were *extremely* different learner types! However they did agree on some things in those early elementary years: Things they both hated: - coloring - arts/crafts type projects - Saxon math (for different reasons, though!) - writing and hand-writing Things they both really enjoyed: - read alouds - hands-on science experiments and kits - videos: science and how things work kinds of videos (Bill Nye for example) - using whiteboard and markers (math, grammar, spelling, writing, you name it!) - manipulatives, especially for math - educational board games and computer games - puzzle pages of all types - loads of stepped readers of all types from the library - some of the activities in Peggy Kaye's "Games for Writing", and, "Games for Learning" - spontaneous learning, like the time they build a cage and kept a caterpillar until it turned into a moth - field trips - one DS (the math-minded one) really loved Miquon - reading lots of SL books And while neither really liked school programs they didn't mind doing: - Explode the Code - English from the Roots Up (we did it like a game) - Wordsmith Apprentice - Miquon - one DS really liked Singapore - Complete Book of Maps and Geography - Beautiful Feet Geography guide and map pack to go with the 4 Holling C. Holling books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 My twp boys have enjoyed almost everything on this list,except coloring and lifepacs,which I've never tried. In addition, they love HOD , IEW and Singapore math. That's so funny! I guess every boy is different! My boy is of the robots/technology/science/computers kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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