CC was great community for us for 2 years with our group in WA but now that we've moved and I've got 3 kids going in this year I'm starting to agree with all the things you just said. I would add that the history sentences are not in an easily recognizable order which is very confusing to kids and parents. But I'm still tempted to do CC this year for the community, to hopefully meet other like minded, classical homeschoolers locally, even though a lot of CCers aren't actually classical homeschoolers.

I think these and 4H are really good ideas. Thank you!

I love this idea. I'd really love to find someone to do it with like this. I'm in the middle of the same decision. We've done CC for 2 years and now we've moved to KY and I've got to decide whether we join a new group. And I'm a little tired of having to do everything the CC way with no flexibility. I mean, I homeschool so I can do it MY way and now I'm going to pay $1400 to do it YOUR way? I'm just not sure. What's really getting me is the presentation portion. Most people are as afraid of public speaking as they are of death! I love that my kids have started early and I don't have another way of doing that this year. Sorry, I'm not much help.

I have not been overly concerned about handwriting. We've been using Getty-Dubay Italic but as long as we were working toward legibility I wasn't going to spend much time or money on it. Then I read a NY Times article that links handwriting to brain development.... which I can't seem to link to. So now I'm looking for input and curriculum/system suggestions...

Even though you still have to tailor something like TOG, or CC like we use, I still like that all the kids are studying the same thing in a couple subjects. Even that little bit of simplifying helps me.

We've been using AAS for DS1 for 1st this year but now I'm wondering if I can find something else that might be cheaper and still fit what I'm looking for. I use OPGTR & FLL so I just want a basic spelling program since I already have my other language arts taken care of. I want it to use phonograms and I prefer programs that I can easily reuse with multiple children. Is there anything that fits all of that? Has anyone used Learning to Spell Through Copywork or used copywork to teach spelling?

I alternate days, some days we do Singapore and others we do Saxon, I don't usually have him do both the same day. We don't actually spend that much time on math each day, maybe 1/2 hour, but DS can usually do 4-6 pages in that time, depending on whether he has mastered the topic yet. Some days we only do 1 or 2 pages. We'll do 2 or 3 programs all the way through high school, by doing math (and reading) all year round, 6 days a week, there isn't the pressure to finish in a certain amount of time. We'll just work through our 2 main programs during the regular school year and fill in the summer gap with a lighter program like LOF, again with no pressure to finish it in a certain time frame. Even though all year round, 6 days a week, sounds intense, since I only expect 1/2 hour each day it really isn't any harder to fit in than music practice or straightening a bedroom. Part of the reason I do this is because I know that even though I'm not mathy, I could have been stronger in math if I had done this system. I'm even looking forward to studying math with my kids so I can refresh my own math skills. Next year I'll have a K'er, a 1st, and a 2nd, all of our school takes less than 2 hours a day during the school year, 30min of math and whatever reading they want in the summer (which is usually 30-60 min). I'm not worried about them meeting any standards right now, just starting to see math as part of every day life, just like reading. The more comfortable they get with it now, the easier time they will have with complex math and science courses in high school.

We use Saxon & Singapore. I chose them BECAUSE they are completely opposite in their approaches. I talked to lots of mathy people and most of them gave me the advice to choose 2 (sometimes they said 3) programs that were different approaches so that the kids are comfortable with more than one way of doing math. DH really wants me to make sure the kids are strong in STEM so he's willing to pay for 2 or 3 programs a year. This year I've been going back and forth between the two but only because DS seems to prefer that way rather than finishing one program before moving onto the next, not for any more intellectual reason. We make him do math 6 days a week, year round, except for sick days but I don't want him to love math, not hate it. And so far he does enjoy it. I'm want to use LOF as our summer program but I haven't started that yet, we got a little behind with all our school thanks to a cross country move in the middle of the school year.

:iagree: I'd say reading out loud to them before they can read is just as important as teaching them their letters! OPGTR is so easy that you can easily figure out where he is. Even if you started at the beginning of the book and ran through the first alphabet lessons with him in one day or week and then ran through the 3 letter word lessons the next day or week and just start to slow down when it gets harder for him. I love Bob Books to supplement with, the kids love that the can read a book all on their own at the beginning stages. I haven't found many other early readers that I actually like but thankfully it's a quick stage to get through!

I think some of it has to do with what kind of learner a person is. Some people just aren't going to get some things unless they can touch them. I do better with things I read, I remember more of the books that I read in school than the endless projects my mom made me do (she loved KONOS). DH on the other hand, when he was studying philosophy at USC, struggled with the reading because he's an auditory learner. He got the best grades when I read his philosophy books out loud to him (what I would have paid for audio books of those texts!!!)

And why, oh why, must we have Bible verses in a math program??? :lol: I'd go in a heart beat!

The only reason we did any Latin in 1st was because we were doing CC and it's included in the memorization. If we weren't doing CC, I would not have done Latin. I wish we had a bilingual family member to talk to the kids constantly, I'm very jealous of those that have it "in house" :drool5:

IEW and I'm on the outs with most of my CC friends because of this one but I do not like it, Sam I am! Any science with experiments, I need a co-op, and have no problem paying for one, to have someone else do that! Sonlight - used it as a homeschooler myself in high school, didn't hate it or anything but I'd rather piece my own stuff together. BJU/A Beka - also used as a homeschooler and did hate, very very much. Will never subject my kids to.

I've pretty much given up on series all together, except for Timothy Zahn and J K Rowling. CS Lewis', George MacDonald, Tolkien, and Madeleine L'Engle all wrote great series but besides Zahn & Rowling I haven't found any series in the last 30 years that I really loved all the books. If we're getting away from series, but I still stick to pre-1970's, I do like most of Agatha Christie's and Patricia Wentworth's even if they aren't very intellectual. I've been thinking about trying DUNE and Game of Thrones, because I have so much spare time...NOT, but now I'm thinking I'd be better off sticking to the books my kids are going to be reading in high school so I can have reread all of them by the time they get there!

Do you like the Lyrical Life Science songs? I just found them but have found any reviews.

We don't stop reading or math for anything except sickness in the family. We even take them on vacation. They are just part of life. Period. No room for argument. Though in the summer reading is fun books and I'm hoping to get LOF for summer math. For history, depending on what co-op we'll be in next year, since I'm still waiting to decide on that, we'll stop what we're doing for this year and start with whatever cycle that co-op is doing. So we are on SOTW Year 1 this year, one choice is doing Year 2 so it would be an easy transition, the other is CC so they would be cramming Years 3 & 4 together, I think :glare: For all our language arts, besides reading, we'll just stop where we are and start back in the fall, with some review. Same with science.

I don't get it. All that was asked for was YOUR opinion of what a good list of classical curriculum would be, by subject. It doesn't have to fit OP's opinion, it doesn't have to fit any specific definition except yours. She's looking for everyone else to define THEIR classical curriculum. Why is that too much to ask? Why is it assumed she doesn't know how to define the different classical education theories and pick one? And why does someone have to do that before asking a question?

Please be polite. The reason most people come to these forums is to ask questions. Just because some of us haven't been doing it as long as you doesn't mean our questions are stupid and that we can't be part of the conversation.

I think she's just looking for everyone to spit out "their" idea of the best curriculum that fit the classical mold, whether everyone would agree or not, more like a game than trying to look for advice. Since I like a lot of memorization for grammar stage mine would include Classical Conversations song CDs. Mine would include WWE/WWS, FLL, OPGTR for Language Arts. And though I love BW I wouldn't include it as a classical program, I think it's more Charlotte Mason. I'd have SOTW for History & Geography. I'd have no idea for science since I do more Charlotte Mason for science. All of these are for the grammar stage since that's all I've done so far.

I'm going to bump this and see if I can get more replies on a Monday :)

I was homeschooled using Saxon Math from 5/4 to Pre-Cal. I'm using it with my kids now and plan on using it the whole way through high school. But, I also use Singapore Math. I wanted one of our math programs to be spiral and, having done it, I knew I could teach Saxon. I also wanted a program that was the complete opposite so that the kids could be comfortable with different styles and Singapore seemed the most popular mastery program. My kids do math (and reading) 6 days a week, all year round, so we get through Saxon and Singapore with time left over to do Life of Fred in the summer, for fun. DH prefers a STEM focus and I am an English major so I insisted on the reading and DH insisted on the math. Strangely, our kids hardly ever complain about doing either, even on Saturdays.

I agree with you that CC is worth the cost when you add it up by week but up front the cost is still a lot. Could you talk to your friend/director about paying in payments? Last year my director let me pay in 3 payments and as a tutor this allowed me to save up that money each time I got paid to make the payment. You said in a different topic that a TOG co-op was starting near you, is that more affordable? I think I've decided to go with TOG, partly for the cost factor. Since they don't pay their tutors the cost is only for supplies but moms are expected to tutor or volunteer, which seems a fair trade off to me.

Yes, it's frustrating to me to but I think it's because she does her own publishing. So Jot It Down is a pdf for you to print off and put in your own binder. Even when you buy the hard copy of the TWJ it's a binder with printed off pages, they are just done professionally and have nice tabs. I'd much rather a hard copy than a digital copy of curriculum but I like BW products enough to put up with it.

BW has lots of options but if you are strapped financially or aren't sure if you're ready to buy it, you can find everything from TWJ on her website, FB page, blog, and email newsletters for free. And you can get most BW products for much, much cheaper at Homeschool Buyers Co-op, even half off.

Moving from a smaller city to a bigger one has certainly helped my options! There are hordes of CC groups in my area now, whereas where we moved from there was one and enough people interested for 3. But I love that TOG is now an option too for those who like classical homeschooling but can't afford CC. I'm ready to call the CC director and cancel our registration for next year and sign up for the TOG co-op but since I've only been thinking about it for a day, I'm making myself wait for a week :toetap05: