Curriculum advice for overwhelmed, stressed out mom

[Meadowlark]

Can you give me your favorite curriculum choices for 5th/4th/3rd grade that would be fairly independent work? Online or paper, does not matter. Any subject except math. I'm going for quality, but low teacher intensive and independent. thx!

[mamamoose]

How independent are the kids? That's the biggest factor, imo.

[displace]

Eiw for writing (watch video, do worksheet).

Phonetic zoo for spelling. (I have not used)

Mysteryscience.com for science (watch videos and do experiments).

Audiobook to listen to SOTW for history.

[Guest]

What are they doing right now?

[shinyhappypeople]

CLE would work.  Also, Lifepac, Switched On Schoolhouse, or Ace Paces -- I haven't used these, but I've been through seasons where I've thought about it.  

Edited December 1, 2016 by shinyhappypeople

[frugalmamatx]

Lifepac. Hands down Lifepac. Is it a great education a la WTM? NO. But it gets the basics done. On a good day you can add to it, on a bad day it's entirely independent as long as their reading skills are good. Have the kids write their answers in notebooks instead of in the book, and it's even non-consumable / resaleable. 

 

I switched to lifepac this year for History. It's been a huge godsend and really helped turn around our homeschool. So much so that I'm tempted to do all lifepac except for math next year if I can swing it financially & get dd properly placed in each subject. I was dealing with severe burnout as a homeschooling mom as well as several other life stressors. Putting dd in public school wasn't an option for her. Lifepac kept us homeschooling and cut down on the stress. 

[Meadowlark]

What are they doing right now?

CLE for math, Mystery Science. I  guess it's history and writing that is so time consuming.

[freesia]

One of my friends used this when her dh was ill: http://www.evan-moor.com/p/2019/daily-6-trait-writing-grade-3

 

For history, I would suggest SOTW on CD with no activities for a while or Liberty Kids https://www.amazon.com/Libertys-Kids-Complete-Walter-Cronkite/dp/B00CMDPTTA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480608018&sr=8-1&keywords=liberty+kids

 

CLE language arts is another one my friend used.

 

Take care of yourself, Mama--lots of sleep, enough water and some time out with friends, ok?

[Guest]

CLE for math, Mystery Science. I  guess it's history and writing that is so time consuming.

 

What are they doing for history and writing? And in what way is it overly time-consuming? ...they have to work too hard to get it, they dawdle, it's too much at once, what?

[8filltheheart]

Honestly, with the ages of your kids, I don't see how independent would work. Why not cut back to the basics? Handwriting, phonics, and math for the younger 2.

 

add reading and copywork for the older 2. Use copywork to teach mechanics, grammar, and paragraph construction. You don't need indepth history or science for those ages.

[Pen]

I'd go for Story of the World audio for history, and just let them listen. Maybe add some history videos from library or elsewhere so that there are pictures of visits to sites in Greece or Rome etc. if they are in Ancient or similar for times of history.  By modern there are newsreel footages to see, but none of yours are probably old enough for that yet.  

 

For writing, I'd farm it out (assuming you mean composition and not handwriting skills for which I'd let them use a workbook).  Composition really takes getting feedback.  We liked Brave Writer class, but it still took my help.  If you went with that, I'd put it off till summer and do just writing as a block subject as  Kidswrite Basic --both older kids registered for it at same time, with the 6yo maybe tagging along.  They could do a workbook right now for grammar if you feel they need that.

[Guest]

I would agree with dropping everything but the basics: math and language arts. Watch dvds for science. Listen to SOTW, if your kids like those books, (mine did not.) or do nothing. 

 

What are you using for writing? We are finding WriteShop to be easy to do each day because it is short lessons, tiny bites at a time. You could even combine all the kids into 2 levels.

 

CLE LA is great for combining all your LA but reading. The 2nd edititons do include basic writing instruction, too!

 

 

Edited because I can't think about spelling and grammar when I'm feeding my baby while I'm typing. :)

Edited December 2, 2016 by Paradox5

[Pen]

For science, I'd let the older ones read books--can be their choice from library or store based on their own interests --  and use experiment kits that they can play around with themselves and not need you for.  Snap Circuits, say.  Maybe let them look at the Happy Scientist website if it still exists. Watch nature films, Cosmos, etc..

 

And I'd also get the whole group out to garden and be in nature.   If a book is on rocks and minerals, maybe look for rocks while walking together and see if they can identify them, talk about leaves and leaf shapes while taking a walk together. That sort of thing.

[SamanthaCarter]

I've become a big fan of CLE Language arts. 

 

We're doing Behold and See science for 2nd and 5th this year and I am really liking it. It's fairly experiment/demonstration light, and in the 5th grade, most of it can be done without much help other than providing the materials/setting (i.e. bird feeder for tracking birds - charts and graphs can be done independently.) It's very interesting and touches on lots of topics/disciplines per year. I can't say anything about 3rd or 4th because I haven't tried it. Behold and See is religious, but not young earth (Catholic). 

[Angie in VA]

For science, I'd let the older ones read books--can be their choice from library or store based on their own interests --  and use experiment kits that they can play around with themselves and not need you for.  Snap Circuits, say.  Maybe let them look at the Happy Scientist website if it still exists. Watch nature films, Cosmos, etc..

 

And I'd also get the whole group out to garden and be in nature.   If a book is on rocks and minerals, maybe look for rocks while walking together and see if they can identify them, talk about leaves and leaf shapes while taking a walk together. That sort of thing.

 

 

I will add that a bird feeder, quality bird seed and a good field guide or two can go a long way to bring nature to you. Keep a list of the kinds of birds you see, esp. w/ winter coming (assuming you're north of the equator). 

 

ITA w/ cutting down to the basics. You can add audios for history (SOTW) even once or twice a week, in the car if nothing else and nature and videos (occasionally) for science. 

 

Take care of you!

[SarahW]

Can you give me your favorite curriculum choices for 5th/4th/3rd grade that would be fairly independent work? Online or paper, does not matter. Any subject except math. I'm going for quality, but low teacher intensive and independent. thx!

 

If you also want the planning done for you, I suggest MP grade level packages. Include the DVD's. I think you can call them and they'll take out the math portion.

 

I drool over the MP catalog because it is exactly what my middle school homeschooled self would have geeked out over. My child, however, is very different, and it's not in the budget anyways. So I just use select parts of MP occasionally. But if you buy a grade level they have it all planned out. It makes me so envious. Sigh.

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Look at Writing and Rhetoric for writing.  There is a little teacher involvement in reading the lesson and the dictation, but they do a lot of the writing and exercises on their own.  You could combine your kids in the same level, and that would cut down on time tremendously.

[Mrs. Tharp]

Calvert Spelling, CLE language arts, SOTW on audio, CHOW, and Calvert's Child's Study of Famous Americans for history. New American Handwriting for cursive. For science, BrainPop and a booklist or series like Horrible Science. Maybe check out Guest Hollow's suggestions in her science curriculum or Bookshark's. 

[mamamoose]

We are using mostly Memoria Pressand really like it. The Latin is self taught if you get the packages, as is the writing. There are great discussion questions with answers for all the literature. You could cut back to even more basics and group some kids together in subjects.

[Meadowlark]

What are they doing for history and writing? And in what way is it overly time-consuming? ...they have to work too hard to get it, they dawdle, it's too much at once, what?

 

So this year we're doing Winterpromise American Story 2. It's a curriculum that I've always wanted to try, and finally took the plunge. Well, it was a disaster early on being totally disorganized.I practically had to rewrite the entire Civil War unit and I think I burned out because we shelved history and now are doing Mystery Science (love) pretty heavily. I want and need to throw some history in there, but every time I think about it, I get overwhelmed. And when I'm overwhelmed, I shut down and do nothing. So, although I have a whole history program here, it's just not getting done.

 

Writing...agh. I started off with WWE and after level 2, just hated it. So I happened to have a BJU 3 book handy and decided to just go back to traditional roots and do that. Problem is, it's not great either. I feel like my kids are severely below level in writing because we basically did WWE until this year. Oh, and we're also doing CLE language arts and AAS with my 3rd grader.

 

I feel like I have a lot of "get her done" stuff, and yet still struggling. I appreciate all of the suggestions. Just to give you an idea of what I love, here's what's worked well here and what I hope to stick with:

 

AAR

AAS (although wish I could find something just as good that is not quite so teacher intensive)

CLE math

CLE language arts (like it, but jury is still out for retention)

Mystery Science

Writing? Nothing

HIstory? Need ideas

 

I'd like to keep them all together if possible as they are so close in age (5 kids in 6.5 years). I just feel like I will be spending so much 1:1 time with the 3 younger ones that it will be so hard to get everything done.

 

 

[Meadowlark]

I would agree with dropping everything but the basics: math and language arts. Watch dvds for science. Listen to SOTW, if your kids like those books, (mine did not.) or do nothing. 

 

What are you using for writing? We are finding WriteShop to be easy to do each day because it is short lessons, tiny bites at a time. You could even combine all the kids into 2 levels.

 

CLE LA is great for combining all your LA but reading. The 2nd edititons do include basic writing instruction, too!

 

 

Edited because I can't think about spelling and grammar when I'm feeding my baby while I'm typing. :)

 

I liked the look of Writeshop early on, but have always passed it up because it looks so teacher intensive. Is it? Is there a lot of "fluff"? I need to streamline for sure.

[Guest]

It takes about 15-20 mins. I've only done Lesson 1 so far in both Primary A (some fluff) and Junior D. I don't think it is fluff but you can skip things, if you like. It gets done.

Edited December 3, 2016 by Paradox5

[Guest]

Ok so what I would do (because I do, do it :-) ) is read through a stack of history books (as in chapter books/novels/picture books and history curricula pdf read straight through like a book) and have everyone draw a picture and write or tell a narration about the scene they chose to draw. I read every day but do this picture and narration deal two or three times a week.

 

I only have two in school, but it doesn't get more simple.

 

When I feel behind, those What Your Grader Needs To Know books are a huge boon. I read those aloud straight through the poetry, history, and science sections, too.

 

CLE is very good. My current third grader is doing that along with Cottage Press primers this year. Both are *complete* but...I dunno, this is what we ended up with this year lol

 

Tbh I think that with the older ones doing CLE la already (correct?), You could start teaching and requiring an excellently-written paragraph twice or thrice a week and call it good for them. Assuming they are indeed retaining the cle stuff. Or maybe two separate paragraphs and a creative writing assignment of some sort of they are into that.

[lexi]

Veritas online history

My kids do it together and it's very independent. They remember quite a bit of it as well.