I am still providing some activities for what we will be doing next, but because it is a program of depth in a few topics rather than TONS of information, it is so much easier for me to do. Just personal preference, I guess, but the curriculum we are starting meets so many of my other concerns with Sonlight that I am feeling much more peaceful!

I think you would still need to do some workbook- type activities for practice and maybe diagramming. Grammar Recitation looks pretty fantastic, though. I think simply reading through the book would provide a parent with an excellent background. We are starting MP's complete curriculum in January, so I can try to remember to post about grammar after we have used it a bit.

Our new year starts soon and I am seeking guidance. I was all ready to use Memoria Press complete curriculum, until I went over our various options with dh today. His vote is for Heart of Dakota because it is all planned out and it appears the children will be doing a variety of activities throughout their days and the year. It looks like a great program, but I am so hesitant as I wonder if the program will be a challenge to adapt. Here are my questions: 1. Is providential history a main theme throughout the various levels? If yes, would it be possible to avoid that content? 2. If the science component were not used in the upper grades, would the guide still be worth using for other subjects? 3. Is the science in lower grades relatively easy to adapt to an old- earth view? 4. Would it be crazy to do three levels to start? 5. My 4th grader would be in Preparing, according to the placement charts. However, she has already done the spine and many books for that level and has never had American history. Would the 7-9 be ok? This child needs to be challenged. Looking forward to any responses. I am so desperate for something I can open and do each day. I don't even have to love it at this point, I just want us all to get to the end of the day and think it wasn't so bad! : )

Yes, it can be what the teacher makes it. Definitely. We have used SL for years, too. (ok, just four!) And this teacher is tired of making it be what it is not. I am tired of planning, coordinating, scheduling, and researching. I am tired of adding in books to an already extensive and expensive book list- and I love books! That's just where we are. As I posted on the SL forum, I am having some odd homeschool- mom grief over realizing it is not going to be our long- term program. : )

Oh I like that idea! I can't remember if it was here or on the SL forum that someone also said they had their kids write 1 sentence per grade # for each history reading they did. So, grade 3 would be three sentences. That seemed really doable, too. I had a few other ideas to get us through the rest of Core C. I looked over History Scribe per someone's suggestion. I think I will wait until the end of the week and have them do all the timeline figures and do a history scribe page. Also, my understanding is that Drawn into the Heart of Reading from Heart of Dakota is a literature study type guide that can work with any book and for numerous grade levels. I thought I could use that with the readers or read- alouds for a bit more depth.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I understand your feelings! I've realized I have to just plan something and stick with it and not even look at anything else. For me, I think it is both an issue of discipline and ADD brain! But, I think it may be something else as well (for me at least). I have been thinking recently about homeschool curriculum in general. The question I have been pondering is whether there are, now, too many choices, and whether that gets (some of) us in trouble. I also wonder if some of the things we usually believe as homeschoolers contribute to that choice dilemma. These are general statements, of course, but beliefs such as 'if something doesn't work for you, change what you are using' and, 'find which curriculum fits your child' and 'as homeschoolers, we can decide what and how we teach'. Those are lofty guidelines! I realized this when I was thinking about planning high school. High school was seeming so much easier, but only because I have less freedom to choose what the kids study and there are some things that have to be completed at a certain time, in the prescribed amount, and in the appropriate way. I wonder if there is also an unconscious belief that if we find just the right curriculum, our homeschools will be awesome always. Or at least better. : ) Those beliefs are all potentially great things, but they also might sometimes not be. I wonder if those beliefs and the plethora of options have raised the bar past the sky in terms of what we expect out of our various curricular choices. It seems like so many people- myself included- spend hours and hours and hours researching curricula, use it, find it doesn't match whatever conscious or unconscious expectations we had, and start looking all over again. I've also wondered if much of some of our difficulty comes from not really knowing what, when, or how we are supposed to teach. That's probably not going to be a popular statement, but I have wondered that as I've listened to various people who have said they could use anything to teach phonics (or whatever) because they understood the material so well themselves. Well, I have rambled on and on and didn't even help, most likely. I guess I would suggest either picking a program you can use in its entirety or using the lesson plans from a program to provide a guide about how much and what kind of work to schedule each day. And then not changing what you are doing unless it becomes a crisis. I also would suggest planning way, way less than what you think you want to. That is so hard for me to do, but less is truly always more for us!

That is something I have noticed with my creative kiddo, too, but I thought I was crazy! She gets soooo frustrated if she can't understand the practical application or if she feels like the work is 'busywork'! And, yes, "hand over the glitter" is exactly how life with her is : )

For any of you who are using anything from Logic of English, how is it working in your family? Our learn to read program has resulted in numerous long- term problems, so I am leaning toward using this. I am intimidated to learn a new system and by the cost, though! Specifically, I am wondering if it relatively easy to use, what type of progress do you see in your children, and what your overall experience of the program has been. Thank you!

So do all of you think a reasonable combination would be LoF and MM topical workbooks where needed? We have used CLE from 1-3, but I knew we would switch after grade 3.

Thanks, Emily! We are going to finish Core C because we already own it, so I will do that for the rest of the year. Great idea, can't thank you enough. I totally agree they need to process and not just listen. Also, (and I can't remember who said this now that I am typing, sorry!) I definitely agree about 'dumping'. SL is just soooooo many books. I think I counted 27 readers for one core. Goodness!! It feels like tons of great information, but an inch deep and several miles wide.

How do you think the full curriculum would be for a creative child? We have been slowly transitioning toward Memoria Press, but I do worry that my very creative child will not do well. My husband thinks there is too much 'classical' focus and it is not well- rounded enough (for us). I do realize, though, that whether it feels that way when using the materials is probably dependent upon the implementation and frequency of the classical studies. I think we would also do our own faith, writing, and math. I just can't quite see the benefit in the classical composition series, but that is probably because I value creative writing. : )

I have not used it myself, but have heard that Jensen's Format Writing is an excellent choice. It has a dvd portion as well.

Oh that makes me laugh!! I am pretty sure it is the content by Amy in the IG's that I just cannot stand anymore. I understand the tone in the notes is conversational, but that does not mean sentence fragments are required!

I already have my oldest two combined, so that won't be a solution, and it wouldn't be appropriate to combine my youngest. What might you use past grade 8?

I am so relieved to hear someone else is experiencing this! Also, I see you are doing Core D, which is what would be next for us. On the SL forum, a poster referred me to an older thread about this topic. One of the comments was something along the lines of, "lacking higher- level thinking skills" When I read this, my reaction was, 'yes, exactly!' I have looked over samples all the way through core 300 and I just don't see a progression in what is demanded of the student aside from the volume of work to be read and written. I had an opportunity to look over a syllabus from Mother of Divine Grace for 10th grade Ancient History, Geography, and Literature. It really raised the bar for me. At the same time, I do not think that inherently means it is boring or discourages a love for learning. In fact, I suspect it would do exactly the opposite. What might you use instead? Would you keep me posted on your plans for next year? Thanks!

I have three children, ages 5, 8, and 9. My concern, which I've posted on the SL forums as well without much success, is that I wonder if Sonlight is too 'passive'. My daughter has said, "All we ever do is read. We never DO anything". Now, we absolutely love Sonlight's books, but I am starting to think my Sonlight cores are the best read- alouds ever but little else. That is not to say that the kids haven't learned from them- they certainly have. I just wonder if it is time to find something that facilitates more interaction with the material. I have tried doing this on my own with SL, and it seems that I end up changing, adding, and adapting so much that my planning time negates the planning SL has done. One suggestion on the SL forum was to have my daughter go up a core. This sounded like a great solution until I realized it would mean doing three cores, which I cannot do! So, I have looked over Mother of Divine Grace, Moving Beyond the Page, Oak Meadow, Memoria Press, and Seton. All of those options seem more challenging and/or interactive, but it is hard for me to tell without looking through an entire syllabus or program. I like the creativity that is allowed for in Sonlight's Language Arts, but it is based on Ruth Beechick's philosophy. I don't care for her philosophy, particularly in the older grades. We need something challenging but that allows for creativity, something that I can just stick with for future years if possible, and something that is catholic- friendly. It does not have to BE catholic, just not anti- catholic. Any thoughts, advice, or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

This is soooo important, IMO, if you are going to use WRTR! Another method that made more sense to me is Logic of English. It is based on Orton Gillingham, like WRTR, but has many significant differences in methodology. You can watch the videos for free (there is a link on the website) and can download the teacher manual file for $15. This is a pretty minor investment in comparison to the whole curriculum, Essentials, which runs from 90-173 at Rainbow.

Just saying 'hello'. We have three children, ages 9,8, and 5. I finally decided to join the forum since it is the place I always go to read about others' experiences and curriculum choices. We don't follow the Well Trained Mind- it did not resonate with me. We do seem to 'lean classical', though, and in general I can most identify with the members on this forum.