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I'm still semi-new to homeschooling. Can someone explain what a "bundle" is? Is it PDF documents like I would purchase via Teachers Pay Teachers? Or is it entire curriculum? I'm confused! ;)

A Bundle is several different PDFs made of curriculum, supplements, and teacher's/mother's aids. I've always built my own because I've only wanted curriculum. Check out Ellen McHenry and Barefoot Meanderings websites for curriculum that will be available at BYOB. Most of what's available at BYOB is something I would not bother with.

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I'm still semi-new to homeschooling. Can someone explain what a "bundle" is? Is it PDF documents like I would purchase via Teachers Pay Teachers? Or is it entire curriculum? I'm confused! ;)

 

It's something you shouldn't waste your money on if you're a secular homeschooler. The offerings every year are overwhelmingly Christian, with a few craptastic secular options.

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It's something you shouldn't waste your money on if you're a secular homeschooler. The offerings every year are overwhelmingly Christian, with a few craptastic secular options.

We are secular, so thank you for the heads up! I'll probably browse the the sale when it opens to see if anything looks interesting.

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I got some Ellen McHenry stuff in the last sale. I wanted to get more of her stuff and I am hoping they have the options I wanted but I am not sure if there will be enough for me to get a bundle this time because yes it does seem to be heavily religious materials. I might just get the print books anyway rather then using this bundle sale because I prefer that to printing.

Edited by MistyMountain
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It's something you shouldn't waste your money on if you're a secular homeschooler. The offerings every year are overwhelmingly Christian, with a few craptastic secular options.

 

Although this year they have Ellen McHenry as a bundle - looks like 8 of her units for $30 and she is well thought of by science people and at as far as I have seen secular or at least not overtly Christian.  Other than that there are a few things that it may be easier to buy as you want them.

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FYI, in the 50% off classes and memberships, they have a membership to SchoolHouseTeachers.com for 89.50 for a year. With the $5 off coupon that was emailed that is $85 for the whole year, including the high school if anyone has been looking at joining it lately. I think I am going to do that. I have been looking to do it for the Mr.D's math for next year, and my middle schooler can do art and other things from it.

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Anyone willing to buy the mystery bundle and tell what's included?

If I remember correctly last year's sucked.

  

I was actually excited about this sale... I have quite a few ebooks on my list from those publishers.

 

But, I am past the days of buying things and not using them.  

 

I can't find anything I need or want..

I found stuff I want, but not for 3 or 4 years. I can get 2 Ellen McHenry sciences, Excavating English, Mapping The World With Art and Love The Journey by TOG for $20. I just fear it will be a waste of $20 come 3 or 4 years.
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I always get super-excited for this sale and then never find anything I want.  This year I am actually really tempted to get the Ellen McHenry bundle, not because we need anything for science, but because everyone here talks about it so much, I feel like I need to find out what all the fuss is about.  :)  I am just really not sure I want to print all those files...

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Although this year they have Ellen McHenry as a bundle - looks like 8 of her units for $30 and she is well thought of by science people and at as far as I have seen secular or at least not overtly Christian.  Other than that there are a few things that it may be easier to buy as you want them.

 

From what I've read, she's neutral, not secular, so her science stuff will still have references to organisms being "designed" to do things, etc. I haven't done extensive research on her stuff so I don't know more than that, but anyone who cares about science being actually secular and not just neutral might want to do that before buying the bundle.

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If anyone buys a bundle....did they send you a coupon code for another bundle purchase like last year?  I typically buy a couple of bundles but never want the right stuff for the buy-2-get-1 deals, so if they offer a coupon after one purchase it'd be nice to know before I buy something.

 

I've spent too much on this the last couple of years considering how much (or how little) of the stuff I've used.  Some things we started to use and didn't like for whatever reason, but that can happen with printed curriculum too.  Two of the things I bought last year and the year before are on our schedule for next year and some of the others will likely be used in the future, so hopefully it will be worth what I spent in the end.  Hopefully I can make better choices this year and only buy things I am sure we will use in the next year or two.  

 

ETA: One thing that always bugs me about this sale...there's always a few items that are mis-priced (as in, priced differently than on the publisher's website).  And the errors are always higher than the publisher's website, which usually places them in the premium category if you're building your own bundle, whereas the correct price would put them in the lower priced category.  So if you just want this one product which should be, say, $15 and is listed at $25, and everything else you want is under $20, you're forced to buy the higher-priced bundle to get it (this has happened to me each year).  I emailed them about it this year...I hope they correct the errors I pointed out.

Edited by caedmyn
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From what I've read, she's neutral, not secular, so her science stuff will still have references to organisms being "designed" to do things, etc. I haven't done extensive research on her stuff so I don't know more than that, but anyone who cares about science being actually secular and not just neutral might want to do that before buying the bundle.

Do you know where you heard that? I have used one of her things (the elements) and it was secular. My kids all really liked it a lot. I heard she is religious but the curriculum was secular and it seemed that way to me. Some topics do not get discussed but it is not comprehension subjects like biology but rather a short course on different topics. I prefer to use secular curriculum.

Edited by MistyMountain
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No, I don't, I'm sorry. And I don't think her stuff is blatantly religious or anything, I think it's supposedly pretty subtle. There used to be a website that listed all the science curricula and whether they're secular, neutral, or religious, but of course now that I look for it I can't find it anywhere. I'm pretty picky, so stuff like curriculum authors using "designed" rather than "evolved" or leaving out evolution completely is a deal-breaker for me, but I know most people are a lot more willing to work around that kind of thing.

 

I'll keep looking for where I read that, and if I find it I'll add the link.

 

ETA: Oops, forgot to quote- that was to MistyMountain.

Edited by Mergath
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Well for me I think the Ellen McHenry bundle is looking good and possibly the Charlotte Mason one. I need some new handwriting books and I think with than and a couple of other resources that will justify the value for me.

 

Does anyone have experience with the "in the hands of the child" stuff? I don't mind Christian worldview but we aren't mainstream Christians so if it's excessively Christian it won't work for us.

 

The grades bundles seem to have a lot for early elementary and high school and not much for the later elementary students.

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I have looked at this sale every year and always decide against buying anything but this year there are some interesting offerings. I'm actually contemplating purchasing the upper grades bundle #1 and #2 and possibly the elementary #4 bundle.

 

Last year's sale really sucked so it's great to see that they finally have better options.

 

However! I'm really torn because I find it hard to actually USE digital curriculum. It's not the same looking at it on my tablet or desktop when I can just quickly thumb through the pages in a physical book. ::sigh:: Plus if I decide that its not right for us I can't just sell a digital copy. What to do, what to do.

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I have looked at this sale every year and always decide against buying anything but this year there are some interesting offerings. I'm actually contemplating purchasing the upper grades bundle #1 and #2 and possibly the elementary #4 bundle.

 

Last year's sale really sucked so it's great to see that they finally have better options.

 

However! I'm really torn because I find it hard to actually USE digital curriculum. It's not the same looking at it on my tablet or desktop when I can just quickly thumb through the pages in a physical book. ::sigh:: Plus if I decide that its not right for us I can't just sell a digital copy. What to do, what to do.

Speaking as as a seasoned expert of exactly 1 kindergartener ;) I think the type of curriculum makes a big difference. I print out Miquon and it's cheaper than buying the books, especially after the first child. With Reading Lessons Through Literature I move from one spelling test to the next after putting the spelling rules and phonograms into my memory app. A curriculum I'd have to flip through? No. Not happening.
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Speaking as as a seasoned expert of exactly 1 kindergartener ;) I think the type of curriculum makes a big difference. I print out Miquon and it's cheaper than buying the books, especially after the first child. With Reading Lessons Through Literature I move from one spelling test to the next after putting the spelling rules and phonograms into my memory app. A curriculum I'd have to flip through? No. Not happening.

Totally agree! Anything with a lot of reproducible material needs to be digital. My printer is as slow as Christmas when it comes to making scanned copies. It's so agonizingly painful that if I already have the physical copy I would go ahead and buy the digital too for easy printing. So yes, sometimes it is better to have digital copies of curriculum. Thanks for the reminder. That gives me something else to think about.

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Does anyone have experience with the "in the hands of the child" stuff? I don't mind Christian worldview but we aren't mainstream Christians so if it's excessively Christian it won't work for us.

 

Same here.  I LOVE In the Hands of a Child lapbooks.  Unfortunately I like them more than my kids do lol  We've used several including a couple in the bundle.  I actually like A Journey Through Learning better (and I've used several in that bundle as well).  I don't remember anything from either of those companies being overtly religious (other than Bible ones of course) and I've had totally non-religious friends who have used lapbooks from both places without issue.

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Most of what is offered is not really interesting to me, but the Charlotte Mason bundle... wow! All three terms of Wayfarers Medieval, Quark Anatomy, and Mystery of History is a big deal. Then to compliment it, nature study notebook, composers, copywork books. I am just finishing up the year of Wayfarers Medieval, and I own Quark, and it was an amazing year of study. I would definitely recommend that one to someone interested in Wayfarers' Charlotte Mason/Classical hybrid education. I am also excited about all the Ellen McHenry offerings. Fell in love her curriculum this year. 

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Most of what is offered is not really interesting to me, but the Charlotte Mason bundle... wow! All three terms of Wayfarers Medieval, Quark Anatomy, and Mystery of History is a big deal. Then to compliment it, nature study notebook, composers, copywork books. I am just finishing up the year of Wayfarers Medieval, and I own Quark, and it was an amazing year of study. I would definitely recommend that one to someone interested in Wayfarers' Charlotte Mason/Classical hybrid education. I am also excited about all the Ellen McHenry offerings. Fell in love her curriculum this year.

My thoughts exactly! I rarely use digital but it was too good of a deal to pass up. I ended up building my own but it included many of these. We are doing medieval next year so it was curriculum I didn't have to buy then since we were already planning on using alot of this stuff. I also loved the coupon bundle they give after the purchase too. I feel like I hit the jackpot today :)

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@Nixpix5... what is the the coupon bundle you got after purchase? if you don't mind.... I'm debating on a few bundles!

It is a downloadable packet of coupons for various things. 25% ELTL was the one that caught my eye, 30% of math mamoth, 20% off well ordered language, 50% of beautiful feet study guides, 20% off grapevine bible studies, 30% off easy grammar, 10% off biblioplan, those were the ones I noticed but there were others....oh yeah...How great thou art 15% plus free Shipping and some other free downloadable picture studies, a botany unit study, 4 weeks free of classically based memory work video access...stuff like that :)

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Well for me I think the Ellen McHenry bundle is looking good and possibly the Charlotte Mason one. I need some new handwriting books and I think with than and a couple of other resources that will justify the value for me.

 

Does anyone have experience with the "in the hands of the child" stuff? I don't mind Christian worldview but we aren't mainstream Christians so if it's excessively Christian it won't work for us.

 

The grades bundles seem to have a lot for early elementary and high school and not much for the later elementary students.

We've used in the hands of a child and we're secular. Every once in a while there will be a random verse in a cute bubble off to the side on the reading pages. Many don't even have that. I haven't seen anything religious within the content, though. 

 

Same here.  I LOVE In the Hands of a Child lapbooks.  Unfortunately I like them more than my kids do lol  We've used several including a couple in the bundle.  I actually like A Journey Through Learning better (and I've used several in that bundle as well).  I don't remember anything from either of those companies being overtly religious (other than Bible ones of course) and I've had totally non-religious friends who have used lapbooks from both places without issue.

I'd never seen A Journey Through Learning before and was wondering if it was religious.

 

 

Is Quark Chronicles secular?

 

I'm thinking of getting the Ellen McHenry bundle. I was undecided on the Journey Through Learning, but then that qualifies you for a third bundle but I don't think there's anything else I want or need. It would feel like a waste to buy a second and not get the third though!

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Mystery Bundle Contents:

World Maps Notebooking Pages

US presidents study access info

Writing and Publishing Bundle

Cooking up History with the Founding Presidents

Zany Zoo Adventures in Writing

Handy English Encoder Decoder

High School Math mega bundle of word problems

Hands on math activities

First grade spelling workbook

Five little Peppers and how they grew audio book

Teaching astronomy through art

HIS story of the 20th Century

 

I had a free bundle to use and didn't want anything else specifically so for free I thought why not. I haven't opened up the files yet...this is what the downloads are listed as. I will know more about them once I get home. I am happy with the Five Little Peppers...we will be doing that one this year. Some of the other stuff sounds interesting so I am looking forward to checking it out :)

Edited by nixpix5
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Are the items in the mystery bundle available to put in custom bundles? I can't seem to find them.

They aren't available for any other bundle. They are mostly meh...just got done looking through them. Glad they were free :)

 

I really like "Teaching Astronomy Through Art" and I feel like it will be a nice supplement to our Apologia Astronomy study.

 

The high school math bundle of word problems is awesome. My kids won't be there for a while but I will hang on to that one.

 

The Zany Zoo writing curriculum is a nice supplement that I think will be perfect for my 1st grade son next year. It isn't fancy but I like it.

 

The Handy English Encoder Decoder seems really useful to have on hand. I am going to print that one out and put it in a binder for sure.

 

I haven't created my account yet for the president study. I will wait until closer to fall but I am hoping it has interesting stuff to go with our American History study.

 

I added Grammar Galaxy to my build your own bundle and oh my goodness I love it! I had never heard of this curriculum before. It is so neat! My boys are going to love it!

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They aren't available for any other bundle. They are mostly meh...just got done looking through them. Glad they were free :)

 

I really like "Teaching Astronomy Through Art" and I feel like it will be a nice supplement to our Apologia Astronomy study.

 

The high school math bundle of word problems is awesome. My kids won't be there for a while but I will hang on to that one.

 

The Zany Zoo writing curriculum is a nice supplement that I think will be perfect for my 1st grade son next year. It isn't fancy but I like it.

 

The Handy English Encoder Decoder seems really useful to have on hand. I am going to print that one out and put it in a binder for sure.

 

I haven't created my account yet for the president study. I will wait until closer to fall but I am hoping it has interesting stuff to go with our American History study.

 

I added Grammar Galaxy to my build your own bundle and oh my goodness I love it! I had never heard of this curriculum before. It is so neat! My boys are going to love it!

Thanks for the thoughts! What do you like about the galaxy grammar? What age is the Astronomy for?
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Thanks for the thoughts! What do you like about the galaxy grammar? What age is the Astronomy for?

The Astronomy I think will work for my 1st and 2nd graders. It looks like it is geared toward the k-3 crowd.

 

The grammar I only perused quickly but it seems to be story based. Something like a "living book" with grammar vocabulary and activities mixed in. I will look through it some more tonight after the kids go to sleep to get a better feel. I instantly liked it though since I have been worried about how my boys will receive FLL. Quite honestly, I just went through it with my daughter this year and I can barely stand the thought of doing it again so soon. I am almost giddy at the thought of not having too :)

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If anyone buys a bundle....did they send you a coupon code for another bundle purchase like last year?  I typically buy a couple of bundles but never want the right stuff for the buy-2-get-1 deals, so if they offer a coupon after one purchase it'd be nice to know before I buy something.

 

I've spent too much on this the last couple of years considering how much (or how little) of the stuff I've used.  Some things we started to use and didn't like for whatever reason, but that can happen with printed curriculum too.  Two of the things I bought last year and the year before are on our schedule for next year and some of the others will likely be used in the future, so hopefully it will be worth what I spent in the end.  Hopefully I can make better choices this year and only buy things I am sure we will use in the next year or two.  

 

ETA: One thing that always bugs me about this sale...there's always a few items that are mis-priced (as in, priced differently than on the publisher's website).  And the errors are always higher than the publisher's website, which usually places them in the premium category if you're building your own bundle, whereas the correct price would put them in the lower priced category.  So if you just want this one product which should be, say, $15 and is listed at $25, and everything else you want is under $20, you're forced to buy the higher-priced bundle to get it (this has happened to me each year).  I emailed them about it this year...I hope they correct the errors I pointed out.

 

I don't see a lot of things priced higher than on the publisher's website. I do see a lot of publishers having sales that correspond with the time of the sale (And when people are going over to their websites to learn more about the curriculum) So something that is normally $20, and thus is valued that way on the Build Your Bundle sale, may be actually for sale for $13 currently because it is on sale. -- but the value is still the retail price. Not the "Right now price"

Edited by vonfirmath
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I don't see a lot of things priced higher than on the publisher's website. I do see a lot of publishers having sales that correspond with the time of the sale (And when people are going over to their websites to learn more about the curriculum) So something that is normally $20, and thus is valued that way on the Build Your Bundle sale, may be actually for sale for $13 currently because it is on sale. -- but the value is still the retail price. Not the "Right now price"

 

No, that's not what I mean.  And it's not a lot, but there shouldn't be any.  It's not that hard to double check that.  There were 50ish items that I researched out of this years' bundle offerings, and 2 were mis-priced.  There were at least 2 or 3 last year out of about the same number of items that I looked at.  In one case they listed the price for the print book + a CD-ROM instead of the e-book (Star Spangled States e-book, at $14.95 vs. the $25.95 they list it as), and in the other they listed the price for the ebook + art supplies that they mail to you instead of just the e-book (Beginning Watercolor 101...ebook only on Currclick for 9.99 vs. the 21.95 listed price).  Just kind of unethical IMO since it forces you to buy a more expensive build-your-own if you want one of those, especially if someone informs you that it's incorrect and you don't bother correcting it (and in the past they've responded super fast when I had technical issues, so it seems unlikely that they didn't get the message...they just aren't going to fix it).

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Can anyone confirm or deny whether they send you a coupon for another bundle purchase when you purchase something?

I didn't receive one to my knowledge. Just the bundle of coupons. How did you receive it last year? At checkout after payment with downloads or via email?

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Darn. I was hoping the Mapping Astronomy through art was an upper grades program. :( Think I am going to skip the mystery bundle after all.

Rainbow resource has it listed as grades 3-12. I might be way off. I was basing it on my very superficial once through and thinking of my own kiddos and how they would like it. If you go to RR they have a few sample pages.

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Anyone know if there have been many changes to the newer editions of The Elements and Carbon Chemistry? Our version of Elements, that we bought around 7 years ago, has a few errors (which I've mostly corrected myself) and some of the links are dead now. Has anything else changed? I wouldn't necessarily purchase updated versions individually, but as part of a bundle, maybe...

 

(I like the look of Excavating English and an updated version to our free tester copy of Cells would be nice, but, worth it?)

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