Sweetpea3829- You are so inventive! That's a very creative way to be frugal. I think my boys need to be challenged, so thanks for that point of view. EndofOrdinary- Thanks for the comparison! Have you used both then? Stellalarella- Thanks! I love the term "zippy at math" :) They definitely do catch on fast. Which I find amazing because I am not math-minded. I was a secondary English teacher in another life :p My husband is super "zippy at math" so that is where they get it from. RKWAcademy- The scope and sequence of MUS concerns me a bit, too. What do you see as the differences between MM and SM? I find it interesting that they are allegedly so similar but your kids had very different feelings towards them. Gil- Thanks for the thorough response! I think I will print out sample pages of all the ones we are considering and let the kids at them. See which one they like. Thanks for that suggestion! 3 ladybugs- thanks for that suggestion :) I will look into it!

OhElizabeth- Thanks for the bump and the link :) I will check it out! 4blessingmom- Hmm...I am not sure I understand how teaching character alongside Bible stories would be misuse unless it was somehow out of context. Is that what you mean? If I was teaching Genesis 1, our "character trait focus of the week" (or whatever I decided to call it) might be orderliness or creativity. Would you see that as a bad thing? (It is hard to convey tone through this kind of communication, so I want you to know, my tone is curious since I would never have thought of that point of view.)

We have been doing BJU for K5 this year. My kids love it but we got it for free and the prep can be overwhelming. I think MUS or MM would be a good fit. Horizon and Singapore are my other thoughts, but I have heard that SM and MM are very similar. MM is reproducible and less expensive. Pros and cons of MUS and MM for 1st grade? Has anyone switched from one to the other? My kids enjoy math and catch on very quickly, so I am looking for something that will continue to challenge them. BJU is very colorful and engaging and uses constant hands-on activities. Which might be part of our success with it. But, I feel like maybe my oldest would sacrifice that for being done with the lesson sooner.

We were gifted with almost a full BJU K5 curriculum for free from friends who only used it for a couple weeks. We started off the year doing everything because I didn't know any better. After a month of misery, we stopped doing Phonics and Beginnings entirely until I could rethink it. What I ended up doing is using the suggested order from the Beginnings/Phonics TM to teach word families and service words each week, then my son would read the book to me on Fridays. We haven't touched the Reader TM. I found it way too scripted and unnatural. I test my kids' reading comprehension in other areas, in ways that are more organic, and use BJU strictly for the phonics outline and only because we got it for free.

Anyone know of a character trait unit that addresses character traits as they appear in the Bible? I am thinking of doing Bible Road Trip with my kids this year, but it doesn't really have a character trait portion. I am not great at winging it, and I am afraid that if I don't intentionally plan on addressing specific character traits along with the stories we are reading and the verses we are memorizing that I will forget to bring it up. Thanks!

Jess- Thanks for sharing your thoughts! We love the JSB, too! SilverMoon- The extra books looks great! I have been pricing them used, too :) As far as character traits go, I am not great at winging it. If I don't have something in front of me, I get distracted. I need visual cues or boxes to check off.

Thanks for continuing to think about my question, Jennifer! I will look into it :)

Chelli- I'm going to have to go on the website and look at the PDFs. I do so much planning on my phone anymore. Thanks!

Silvermoon- I have been looking at Bible Road Trip and it is awesome! It is almost exactly what I am looking for and it is free, which is such a blessing. The only thing it doesn't include is the "character building" type of component, but we do love We Choose Virtues, and can continue to use that. Thanks for the suggestion!

If I offended you, I'm sorry! I am assuming that is why you quoted me without a comment. I know that exposure is important and didn't mean to make it sound like I don't think it is. My kids have memorized Scripture and can recite Bible stories. I want to challenge them a bit more next fall. Good luck in your homeschooling!

Sweetpeasmom- I will look into them! Thanks! Jennifer- you are more confident than I am! I like some guidance. I might not follow the curriculum exactly, which is partly why I don't want something expensive, but I want some guidance for how best to make connections with them and draw out the truths of a passage in the best way for their ages. I will look into Leading Little Ones to God. Thanks! SilverMoon- Someone else posted the repeat comment. I definitely feel heard and helped :) I will look into the resources you mentioned. Thanks! Both my older sons know the major Bible stories as well. I want to challenge them a little bit next year. Chelli- I have been looking at this one. My SIL used it and loved it. I wish it was reproducible within a family. That's really my biggest concern. eternallytired- Thanks for your thoughts!

Thank you everyone for answering! You have given me a lot to look into and I appreciate you taking the time! Slanche- I am loving the 1st grade Positive Action curriculum! Thanks for bringing it to my attention! I especially love that they have a shorter version laid out for homeschoolers that still includes everything I mentioned wanting. And even though it looks like the workbook is consumable, a) it is inexpensive and b) it is not necessary to understand the lesson. I haven't looked at the other two resources you mentioned yet. lorisuewho- I have heard about that one before from 1+1+1=1. They seem to really like it. Thanks for the suggestion! Cmama- I will look into them! Thanks for all your thoughts! ScoutTN- We have been using the JSB for a couple years now. Love it! I looked at the curriculum and it is aimed at older kids, I think, but I am keeping it in mind. Thanks for the advice! pitterpatter- Always love to chat :) Thanks for your suggestions! Need to do some research now :) joyoustxmama- We love "We Choose Virtues" and "Songs for Saplings" too! Thanks :) KrissiK- That's pretty much what we have been doing as well. My kids memorize really quickly, so I am ready to add a little bit more comprehension or challenge for them.

Jennifer- thanks for responding! Do you feel like they get some application from the curriculum you choose? I feel like I want something a little deeper than just exposure to the stories for my oldest.

This year, with my 3yo and 5yo, I chose a story a week for 36 weeks. We read it in a children's Bible each day at breakfast. When I get organized, we have The Bible in Felt (that we got on super clearance, but uncut, hence the organization part. It's a lot to cut!) to go along with the story each day. Fridays, my 5yo does a Bible journal page illustrating the story. We do copy work based on a 1 sentence caption he dictates. Then he dictates a summary to me that I write. My 3yo does a coloring page I find online and then dictates a summary. I am thinking that next year we will read the same stories but from the actual Bible instead of a children's Bible. I love the journaling aspect and plan on keeping it, but would like at least 1 more step along the way to help with comprehension that is low-prep but engaging. My boys are not big worksheet fans. Any suggestions? How many Bible stories do you do a week? Do you feel like your child retains it if you do more than 1? Some curriculums I have looked at seem to do 1 a day. How do you incorporate memory work and character education into your Bible curriculum? This year we have been doing Raising Lil Rock Stars for memory work. One verse a week, with breaks for review. My kids are great memorizers, but I feel like the point is not sinking in. We have been doing We Choose Virtues for a couple years now and love it. Is there any program that combines a Bible story, comprehension, memory verse, application, and character building in an engaging way? And preferably non-consumable, if there are printables involved. Thanks!

Displace- that makes sense. I feel like a lesson would be one and done, a unit would be more than one lesson in the same topic, and a unit study would be a few weeks of connected studies across subjects?

Susie- thanks, I will check it out! I am open to any and all suggestions :) Displace- thanks for the ideas! Ellie- hmmm...I'm not sure! Thanks for teaching me the difference! I think I would be incorporating science and language (fiction and nonfiction books, copy work) into a unit but not sure if I was planning on going beyond that.

After a couple posts here, and conversations with my husband and homeschooling friends, I am leaning towards doing units for science for my 1st grader and preK next year. Not sure yet if I am going to do interest-based, or stick with the WTM cycle and do biology-based. How do you plan units? Any resources or tips to pass on? I want to keep things simple and low-prep for me, but with some kind of short varied output for the kiddos. Thanks!

Sweetpea3829- That seems to be what everyone is saying! Keep it fun and simple, and outside as much as possible. I think I would be like you and need to do something guided-interest-led. jlhonegger- That *IS* how I want my boys to feel, especially because it is how they feel now and I don't want them to lose that. When we went to the library this week, they actually had no interest in the fiction books and went straight to the non-fiction section because my oldest is obsessed with rain forests and how to save them. Today we watched the Magic School Bus episode about rain forests. The read aloud he wants to start today is Jungle Book. Notice a trend? :P Holly- Thanks for the information about God's Design and 106 Days! I think I am currently leaning towards a Classical/Charlotte Mason blend in how we are going to do 1st grade and pre-K next year. For science, I think that might look like nature studies and interest-led units (maybe specifically geared towards things that we can then explore outside in our nature walks- bugs, plants, trees, weather, rocks, birds, native wildlife, etc) that we choose together ahead of time so I can feel prepared.

Ugh! I wrote a response and then my computer ate it. This response is not going to be as awesome, haha. Sweetpea3829- The short answer is that I'm scared of doing my own thing and doing it "wrong" somehow. But I do think interest-led units could be the answer. Saddlemomma- I just read about The Nature Connection today and it looks really interesting! It sounds like you're the 2nd vote for interest-led :) jlhonegger- Have you used God's Design? If it was 1 volume instead of 3 for biology, I would probably have already checked off science. I just saw a Magic School Bus based curriculum on this blog that looks very well thought out. My kids love MSB, so I was thinking about trying that. Thank you all for your suggestions and thoughts! I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me and help me think this through.

cbollin- I might have to call around at Christian bookstores to see if they carry the specific books you linked to. classicmommy- I think my main concern with God's Design is that instead of teaching biology in 1 books, it's 3, and I wonder if that is overwhelming? How do you feel about it? Did you just do one for the year or all 3 in the series? Thanks for your responses!

In the fall, my DSs will be 6, 4, and 2. This past year, we have done Bible, Language Arts (phonics/reading and writing) and Math at the K level, with my middle son tagging along with his brother, and keeping up really well. Next year, I want to add science and history. I like the outline for science in WTM, but wish there were suggestions offered for Bible-based living texts with a biology focus. My first question is do you have suggestions for a multi-level Bible-based biology curriculum for 1st grade that is low-prep and aligns with the WTM outline? My next question is have you used a religion-neutral science curriculum and supplemented? If so, how? And which curriculum? Third, for Christian parents with kids in the grammar stage, do you think it is necessary to supplement a good neutral science curriculum with some kind of Biblical focus if you are already using a history curriculum like SOTW and a Bible curriculum? Last, do you think it is best to stick with the WTM model and teach biology at the first grade level, or is a general overview more useful? I love the reasoning given in WTM about why to focus on one area at a time, and I think it makes sense, but I have also seen programs like 106 Days of Creation that look wonderful and orderly, but are much more broad. I feel like if The Sassafrass Science Adventures was a Bible-based, one volume (it's 3- zoology, anatomy, and botany) biology program then that would be perfect for my boys next year. Trying to find something close to that imaginary curriculum. Thanks for your thoughts!

cbollin- Thanks for the link! On my phone, I didn't see a "look inside" option, but I am hoping I can find a sample to see if that is what I am looking for. I think maybe part of the problem is I don't know what exactly I want. Stacey- Thanks for the suggestion! I had never heard of those. I will watch and see if that helps. i think maybe I have some more questions that would be better off in another thread about focusing on 1 topic a year and the pros and cons of using a Bible-based curriculum. Thanks again!

I love how simply WTM outlines science for 1st grade. It is a perfect fit for my DS5 and DS3. The only thing it is missing is some sort of Biblical tie-in. I know that I can incorporate our faith into my read aloud times with the boys ("Isn't it amazing that God chose to make X animal this way?"), but I would love something more substantial. I do not think a whole Bible-based science curriculum is necessary for our family at this age. Studying animals and anatomy with the colorful encyclopedias and living books, and plants with Green Thumbs and other resources seems like it will be engaging, educational and thorough enough for our first year really committing to science. But I would love to use some Biblical living books as supplements or find a list of Scripture that people have used to supplement their study of biology. I am willing to pull this together on my own, but don't have a pressing need to reinvent the wheel if someone else has already done something like this. If we were to go the box curriculum route, I do like what I have read about the Elemental Science and Sassafrass series, but those run into the same issue of not being from a Christian POV. If I were to buy a Christian science curriculum, I think God's Design for Life is what I am leaning towards. Any thoughts on those? Thanks!