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AdventuresinHomeschooling

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Everything posted by AdventuresinHomeschooling

  1. Third grade is when language arts is just grammar/composition and not phonics. It starts with types of sentences. I would definitely start by fourth grade as they go through comprehensively with language A, B, C in 4th, 5th and 6th, respectively. We started with the third grade book this year after a different phonics program. It has been a smooth transition. We also do WWE.
  2. I am going to present a different perspective. I think the wild popularity of curriculum options, online classes, co-op communities, homeschool resources and programs such as charter schools, CC and WTM would not be there if the homeschool community was largely practicing neglect. The fact that there is such a growing market is evidence that most homeschoolers want a robust education for their children. I would posit that there are some people in this community who may use homeschooling as a cover for neglect, but I would also posit that this percentage is not significantly greater than those in the system who abuse and neglect. Statistics would be hard to measure, but this is my best theory. I don't believe there's any significant correlation between homeschooling and neglect, and I certainly don't believe that there is any causation. I think this is the crux of the argument. As we determine what oversight should or should be not on homeschoolers to ensure the safety of children, I think it's important to remember the cost of freedom for that safety net. Why punish the majority for the minority? This comes down to a fundamental belief that can be seen in many current national arguments. Personally, I follow the Benjamin Franklin quote on the matter: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither." Homeschooling and its freedoms are not the enemy here, and they shouldn't be targeted as potential monsters just because it was one factor in one couple who were monsters to their children.
  3. We use MCT and CAP. They both have writing, but in different areas. My next child is doing abeka grammar because I did want diagramming. CAP has a WOL grammar program that includes diagramming and complements their writing. There is a diagramming book I got for my son who does MCT to supplement diagramming. https://www.amazon.com/Diagraming-Sentences-Deborah-White-Broadwater/dp/1580372821/ref=sr_1_14/147-1423809-5495430?ie=UTF8&qid=1519504456&sr=8-14&keywords=diagramming+sentences+book
  4. It sounds like they are more natural spellers. My oldest was like this and found many lists to be unchallenging. We switched to Building Spelling Skills from CLP bc they had more challenging words on their lists. Another approach we successfully tried was holding Spelling bees out of the McGuffey speller. The first ten words missed became his list. However, my son hated getting any wrong, and they had some obscure farming words included. So BSS was a better fit and less time consuming.
  5. We love CAP writing and rhetoric. I like the look of WOL, but I haven't tried it yet. With CAP, your success will depend on the maturity of the child. We switched halfway through third grade from WWE with my oldest. My next child is a little younger in third and still developing some other skills. We will start Fable in fourth for him. If your son can write sentences well and dictate a longer passage, he should be fine. It's a great transition from WWE and includes dictation and copywork. The way they start with playing with sentences is excellent. He will be writing four sentence summaries and then doing amplification. It ends with writing their own fable at the end.
  6. I started trying to implement them, but I never intended to put everything in them. So this is the way I see them working to combat some of the issues mentioned: Have a weekly checklist included that would list the curriculum that wouldn't be in the folders. This could also be in a binder. I think of them as a place to collect everything that needs to be printed ahead of time so I am not scrambling around printing things and can enjoy my weekend. I wouldn't tear everything out of books, etc. I don't see it as a literal week. It could be a Monday in November, and we could be on week 5, day three. I see it as the amount of work needed to complete the year. Problems: Flexibility rearranging different subjects. You might be on week five in one subject and week8 in another. Curriculum changes Rabbit trails when interesting opportunities strike
  7. I started Abeka with my third grader. It's easy for us to implement with the workbook and thorough. We will use CAP for writing as I have with my oldest. I wanted diagramming too. One other one I keep looking at is the new CAP grammar series. They start with classifying in the first book and then move to diagramming in level 2 more. But it may be more text heavy than you like. I haven't used it, but they have generous samples.
  8. We used WWE before CAP and found it a wonderful age-appropriate foundation as CAP also included dictation, narration and copywork.
  9. I have not used it, and it doesn't fit my more eclectic leanings, but you might find Memoria Press a good fit for you. It's all encompassing.
  10. If funds and availability allow, maybe you might look into outsourcing some of the older kids into a co-op setting. I think getting kids to school and participating in all their activities and fundraisers and projects and homework can be as stressful as homeschooling sometimes, so I'd weigh things carefully to think about how that would look. In terms of focusing, consider what makes you happiest about your day, and what causes you most stress. Then think about what you can outsource or reprioritize.
  11. If you really like the CC curriculum, why can't you purchase it? They have it at Mardel and Christianbook. Also, you can easily buy it used. We have a homeschooling consignment store here, but I often see it online. Their cd's have all the memory work. Otherwise, what you are looking for is memory work. I found it was easy to locate that. Veritas Press has similar cards to CC that they use for a history timeline. The rest of their memory is really just lists on pretty flashcards. I put together my own lists of things I wanted them to memorize into a notebook each year, and we focus on a couple pieces at a time. Lyrical Life science has science facts to memorize on a cd. FLL and Shurley both have grammar memory. Elemental science includes memory in their science as do many other curricula...it's just not as rapid paced as CC. Also, I'd like to point out that CC has a lot of braggy demonstrations of what the child memorized, but they often memorize it out of context. It is not the only way. This is one large reason I decided not to do CC. I prefer my memory work to be coupled with understanding of what they are learning. And for some children, less really is more. As for classical curricula, there are many options such as WTM, CAP (some of my faves), Veritas, Memoria, IEW, TOG, MFW (with a little Charlotte Mason), Logos Press, and others. Look at several curriculum reviews and samples and see what will be the best tool for how YOU want to teach and free yourself from the cult of CC telling you how to teach. Take what you like from it and customize your educational approach for what works best for you and your child. We're not educating our children just to show off their recitations to our friends. We are educating their hearts, their minds, and their souls and helping them discover curiosity and wonder in their quest to learn more.
  12. Our favorite one that gets done is RS4K. However, I am switching it up this year to do a science semester during the summer so there is less pressure on me throughout the year. Then I can outsource a fun science class and supplement science kits throughout the year. These get done because I don't have to gather too many supplies. Magic School Bus kits are huge hit with my kids. Then I would only have one semester of lessons from RS4K (ten weeks) to struggle with getting science done throughout the year. I'm hoping to do a science week here and there or a lesson on Fridays and not have to try to juggle that into my day to day as much.
  13. So far, I've avoided really large curriculum purchases that didn't get done because I second guess myself a lot before it gets done. The one thing that has never really gotten done is every Spanish curriculum I have purchased. There's just not enough hours. SSS worked for a bit, but then I had a baby and got busy. The only thing that helped Spanish get done was Duolingo...and it was a free app my son started doing! Also science curricula with tons of experiments. I want to be a hands on science experiment person, but it's just a timing thing.
  14. I would look at Summit Ministries. They are excellent in discussing the Biblical worldview and how one fits into it and shapes their perspective accordingly. The What we Believe is excellent for homeschooling, but you might consider the Building on the Rock series for a co-op setting. Gods Great Covenant is also excellent. Dives into the historical setting of the Bible and goes very deep in Biblical study. It is from a Reformed perspective, but it does not emphasize the concept of the elect, which seems to be the largest argument regarding Calvinism. It does emphasize God's sovereignty and the covenants of the Bible. I am not Calvinist, and I have not yet encountered any theological disagreements.
  15. Abeka math k-4 Beast Academy Abeka grammar Caesar's English and MCT programs Sing spell read write CAP writing and rhetoric CAP reasoning reading SOTW history when I stick with it and don't try to overdo integrating my own units RS4K science WWE
  16. I'd track separately, but make their sick days a reading day and get some educational dvds from the library so you can count it as a school day.
  17. Most of the history narrative books are older and don't include the most modern times. A Child's First Book of American History went through the 1950's. But I am not aware of many narrative, modern history books other than SOTW. If you notice, the literature based history curricula such as Bookshark/Sonlight, TOG, MFW, etc. all use SOTW or encyclopedias or anthologies. If your child is a very advanced reader, you might consider Paul Johnson's Modern Times. However, it is very dense. I read it in college, and it was a little meaty even then. It has a more conservative approach as well. The best thing might be to use an encyclopedia for a timeline and read narrative books on each period. Sonlight, BF Books and TOG would all have good ideas.
  18. I would get Story of the World and their activity guide. You won't be able to supplement with library visits, but you could look at Sonlight, TOG and MFW suggestions in advance and add some good books on the subjects to your order to supplement, if you wish. I'd get a good history encyclopedia too. They have all sorts of games, coloring pages, crafts and enrichment ideas in the activity book. It's all contained, and it lets you go at your own pace. Another suggestion might be BF books if you agree with their ideology of providential history. MFW is all contained, but you would have to skip their book basket suggestions. For language arts when they get older, you might like MCT. He has digital resources available that are beautiful. It's a little different, but going through it, you see how rich it is.
  19. I'd look at MCT Essay Voyage. It goes through the parts of the essay in humorous chapters, and then it has writing exercises that are not very step by step but more of a discussion and model approach.
  20. My son struggles with some assigned topics in a different curriculum. Same age. He is definitely more of a creative writer. I do compromise on the topic sometimes as long as he doesn't spend all day in research. Lately, I have given him a choice between three topics I know closely mirror the assignment and have plenty of research. This way he has a choice, and I am still pleased in the final product. Sometimes, I modify the assignment to correlate with history or science. We also take a break on days it gets to be too much. I have also started letting him type his papers, which makes a HUGE difference in his tiring quickly and trying to write the shortest paper possible. Now he takes more pride in his work. You are right to say she has to finish something hard sometimes. You are right to require a high standard. However, I have learned to force those on the most important standards that I truly care about. They HAVE to learn expository writing for academic success. I choose some of my other battles more carefully. Alternating between expository and creative is a good compromise too. Evaluate what are the most important standards to require, and then you will know what you are comfortable modifying.
  21. I find do my own science frustrating of that reason. I tried Elemental Science too, and I like it, but I always get behind. I also found that I don't love reading from encyclopedias. However, I would consider using it again under certain circumstances. While I don't want a boring textbook, I came to the realization that I do want an explanation, and I want hands-on science, but I don't want to be overwhelmed by science with tons of messy experiments every week. RS4K met me here, and it has been the only curriculum that really fit me. There are experiments, but only ten per semester. So I buy it all in advance as much as I can and assemble our kit, and then I just suck it up and find the time. They love experiments, and I do too, but it's hard to balance our time with it sometimes. What I love is the text. It explains things in scientific terms clearly in an age appropriate way with pictures and graphics, etc. It is not overly chatty, as I find Apologia and others, and it is not dumbed down. It's concise and complete. I feel they learn by reading the text, and the science notebook is set up in such a way to guide them through the scientific process for these experiments. A couple were not as exciting as others (usually the first one), but the experiments are useful and not just busy work. Each Focus on unit is ten weeks long, and that gives me time for weeks when life happens. I can even do one during the summer. I supplement with self-contained ScienceWIz kits for my older and Magic School Bus kits for my younger and other fun kits, like solar robots, and I have time for them. The thing I like the most is that my older student can learn the same subject with his own age appropriate text and experiments that are meatier than the elementary, and I don't have to do a bunch of tweaks and supplemental reading. It's all included and more in depth for the middle school. Science is my biggest struggle because my kids love it, and I want to give them quality, hands-on science but struggle with time constraints. No curriculum is perfect, but this one is the best match suited to our family's needs.
  22. We are around the turn of the century in history, so we are planning to study the first modern Olympics and do some fun things for the ceremonies. We'll use it to kick off a country geography study weekly through the end of the year, learning flags, interesting tidbits, culture and food. We may do our own mock event at home too.
  23. I would not go through to the beginning of FLL. The first two years are oral, and have you repeating the definition of a noun over and over. I haven't used the other levels or Grammar for the Well Trained Mind. However, they have very generous samples on their website. If you feel he needs to backtrack a bit, you can look at FLL, but I would think starting at the beginning of the Grammar for the Well Trained Mind would be comprehensive if you feel he can keep up. For composition, you could start at WWS, but it is a bit advanced for some fifth graders. It would be fine to start in sixth. SWB recommends Kilgallon for writing good sentences in her book that you could use for a year. You might also consider a year of IEW for this year before WWS. SWB also recommends this without stressing their "dress-ups." Another option is CAP Writing and Rhetoric Fable (also SWB recommended). It includes narration and dictation as in WWE, but it also works on writing good summaries and amplifications. I personally switch to this after WWE 2 or 3 because it is a great transition. You could continue with the series if you like it or go into WWS in sixth grade after he has built up some of those summary skills. It would be good to have some summary skills (which are usually preceded by narration and dictation) before WWS, but they also have a very generous sample on their website if you want to review to see if he's ready.
  24. Hits: Beast Academy Abeka math for my third grader before he transitions into Beast Academy MCT Town level, especially Caesar's English CAP Writing Chreia Maps, Charts and Graphs CAP Reasoning and Reading...great topic sentence skills and other great skills. Good: AAS, waiting on the next level since we were told to race through from the beginning. Jury's out on whether it will shore up my third grader's skills. Fallacy Detective...now I need to convince my sixth grader that ordinary household conversations are not debates, and we don't always need to be so overly concerned with red herrings and straw man arguments. Misses: Good and Beautiful Science...not meaty enough for my oldest in sixth...very crafty oriented rather than doing good science experiments. Good and Beautiful Language arts for my third grader...using it just for some reading exercises now. It's ok, but not great. We do like some of the geography mixed in, and some of the assignments are creative, but the grammar is not as thorough as it could be and has a few errors or weird examples that frustrate me. Just ordered Abeka grammar 3 for him. If I'm using something else for grammar and spelling, than the all in one isn't really working for me. But it's free for using a few things. At least these weren't too expensive of misses.
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