So I'm strongly considering homeschooling this year for my daughters who will be 3rd and 1st grade, but I'd love curriculum advice!
Background: Older one did a year of public afternoon K4, then K and 1st at a public German immersion school, and now 2nd at an actual German school with lots of creative independent work and about 5 recesses a day. Younger also did K4 and then a year of German kindergarten, which is all play and no academics. So neither has done any school in English, and the younger hasn't done schoolwork at all. For this age, I think that's a great trade-off for fluency in a foreign language. But now here we are, wondering how to do next year in the USA again.
Both are bright, self-taught readers. The older one thrives in school environments - workbooks, and group projects, and writing and performing plays (hence some reluctance to bring her home). She also resists my instruction, so independent work is important. The younger one is only just showing signs of readiness for deskwork, and really could use basic handwriting instruction, so writing-intensive programs would be a challenge. We also have a high energy 3yo who sabotages everything I do.
I was myself homeschooled but I doubt my ability to stick with a plan, so a boxed curriculum (with tweaks?) for the first year sounds attractive.
I admire the rigor of Memoria Press, but wonder if the appropriate grade levels (1 and 3) would be a rude shock for my kids with no warm up. Maybe a slow pace at first?
Sonlight/Bookshark is perhaps my preferred style, as we're a heavily read-aloud family, but in reality we've struggled to read together since the 3yo tornado was born (she's only getting older right???). And is it actually impractical to do two grade levels and a preschooler? That's a lot of books to coax them through (combining grade levels in general would not work)
MBTP has good reviews, but I have ex-homeschooler baggage about self-published or unprofessional-looking materials, so you'd have to really convince me.
I have more questions/thoughts but I'll stop there for now. 😉 Thanks!