BBG580
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I loved Core Knowledge when I first read about it and I'm not sure why I didn't pursue it?! I really like your idea of using CK for science and adding my own books and activities for the early years. Thanks for this comment, it is so appreciated. I also appreciated the Kolbe recommendation. I've never heard of it before this thread and it is seriously appealing to me. I will be looking into it more for potential use later on. Thanks everyone for replying. We are fine with what we are currently using and very happy (my kids are little so it is hard to go wrong at this point, I think!) but I appreciate the opinions.
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Title is supposed to be WHY DID YOU QUIT? No idea how to edit the title of the post?! I'm using PR1 with my 5 year old and liking it very much. I'm curious about the folks who have tried this program and it didn't work? Was it the DVDs? Was it something else? We are not very far into PR1 and I am just curious as to the "negatives" of the program that would make a family stop using it. Thanks!
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I heard the choirs of heaven's angels when I looked at this! Wow!
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I'm a very ardent and adherent Catholic Christian but I choose mostly secular homeschooling materials because: 1) I do not want to deal with tweaking and, 2) I think faith in Christianity is better modeled than instructed constantly. With that said, I am also finding a serious lack in the science homeschool materials available. Most are religious and seem to have that as the focus which is particularly not what I am looking for especially if it is Young Earth based curriculum. I do have BFSU and it looks good for my little kids but I really wonder about grades 3+ because I would not use Apologia and that is what seems to be largely recommended here at WTM forums.
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Thank you!
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My kids are upset...should I be too?
BBG580 replied to 4wildberrys's topic in General Education Discussion Board
My parish is largely run by volunteers in the special interest areas (Adoration chapel, youth groups, homeschool co-op and so on) and those volunteer hours are really appreciated and valuable. Even the most dedicated volunteers can only be expected to solicit the participation of those who they believe will actually be interested in the ongoing groups and things that are available at our parish. I guess I just thought it rather presumptuous to assume that very sporadic Mass attendance would garner the invitation to extra activities via the parish when a lot of that is handled by people who are busy with their own families and are helping out generously. I don't begrudge the OP the opportunity to participate I just found it odd that she would assume that they would get an invite when by her own admission her family had not been actively participating in the parish in the most basic way (Mass attendance). -
I see, sorry I dragged us off track. I suppose I would think a program with decent academic rigor would challenge the student both conceptually and in core content. If you were thinking of a math program it would allow the student to master basic algorithms while also helping the child meet and understand concepts that are advanced. I've only used Miquon for a very short while but I think that program fits the bill of a rigorous program but at the same time I'm not sure if I would have the confidence to use it independently! A good L/A program would require a child to write, read comprehensively, understand and successfully utilize standard grammar and learn new vocabulary. A good history program would introduce historical data factually but also relate it to larger human themes, how we as human beings relate to the world around us and why the choices that have effected human history were made (whether for greed, the good of a people, etc.). A rigorous science program would not only introduce children to the facts of the laws of science but also make them excited to explore the world around them. I've found that most science programs I've looked at disassociate the scientific theory from the excitement of our human lives and how it effects us. Biology seems to get it the most "right" but the areas of physics and chemistry can be too abstract and... boring... to create interest and long term learning connections. Am I making sense here? I also think the quote I posted from the other thread, upthread here, makes a good point. Are homeschool curricula companies marketing material at "down-level" simply to snag more customers? I understand that not all children will be on level 3 at 3rd grade but some universal standard benchmark of the average is helpful no matter what style and pace of learning a particular child takes. Thanks for replying!
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Frankly, I am not sure what I think about CSMP because I have such strong and dramatic emotional reactions to my experience with that math program, and almost none of it positive. No, I do not think I had teachers who were committed to teaching a program that was so different from what was largely being taught in the mid to late 80s. You have the benefit of *choosing* to use that program and being excited about it, a teacher who is not comfortable with the material would have a much harder time using it effectively. When I think of homeschoolers I generally think of parents who are committed to providing academic rigor in their homes, especially parents who are frequenting the WTM forums. Then again there are a multitude of styles and reasons to homeschool so that is a really naive view on my part. With that said, I believe if a curriculum is rigorous it will require some work on the part of the teacher and student. Then again, I'm new to homeschooling which is why I'm asking for advice!
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My kids are upset...should I be too?
BBG580 replied to 4wildberrys's topic in General Education Discussion Board
Seriously? Why in the world would the parish think they would be interested if they haven't participated voluntarily in quite awhile? -
And I suppose this is where I would step in and refute my own original question by stating emphatically that a curriculum is only as good as the instructor utilizing it. I was a CSMP failure, I was instructed via CSMP in a gifted program from 2nd-6th grade and higher math was a complete failure for me. My transition to higher math was horrible. I've looked at the program as an adult and I can see how valuable and interesting it is, but in my specific case it was nothing of the sort.
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I can see how this post could step on toes, as everyone will feel defensive about the particular curricula that they chose and why they chose it for their child(ren). I thought of this question when I read this in the other thread and I think it is worth addressing, which is why I posted this question here in the first place.
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As a spin-off from the Parent's General Board about public schools and their academic rigor, I am curious about what you feel are the most academically rigorous homeschool curricula on the market currently for the following subjects. This is not the curriculum you personally love to work with or that your child particularly responds well to, just that it requires hard work from an average student for the grade level it is intended. Math Science L/A History Geography Foreign Language
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Is Public school curricula so advanced nowdays?
BBG580 replied to blessedmom3's topic in General Education Discussion Board
I agree. Our elementary school tests very well in all grade levels. The children receive Mandarin language education from K forward. There are Smart Boards in every single classroom and the PTO and parent volunteer situation couldn't be better. The school is also seriously overcrowded. There are 7 classes of each grade all of which have at least 25 students. That means there are on average 175 kids in each grade in the school. What gives this school an edge? It's the parents. I live in an affluent area and the parents are involved. Their kids may be in school all day but those parents are working with their children at home. No matter how much money a school has access to and how many expensive amenities the school offers the single thing our local elementary school depends on is parental volunteering and donations and general parental involvement. I'm homeschooling because I think my children deserve more attention than any teacher could possibly provide with 25+ children in their class. I also think it is excessive to have my little children away from home 40+ hours a week beginning in Kindergarten. If I am going to have to shell out $ and volunteer I'd rather keep it "in house". :tongue_smilie: