CC: Tell me about KONOS...

[Dianne-TX]

I've looked at their site and have heard good things about it. I like the inclusion of character and God in all subjects and think this might help me do it better than I am doing now. I'm not sure I understand it completely, though. How do I know what to choose? How is it really implemented once I get it and start using it? I just need help with everything and input from experienced users. Thanks!

[5wolfcubs]

I used it with the thick orginial books (yellow, red, green) in a 4 family co-op setting for two years. It was a lot of work on my end...the kids enjoyed it...we all learned a lot. I definitely learned the most though! The co-op kept me going and accountable. Once the co-op ended, I gave the books away...and went with TOG and now MFW. I was ready & willing to pay to have all the planning done for me. I do remember our KONOS years fondly though. :)

[Dianne-TX]

I saw they have KONOS-in-a-box. It says that everything is done for you. Will that help? Is it still a lot of work?

[Dianne-TX]

:lurk5:

[thowell]

I would like to know also.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I have used the Konos in a box Obedience set. It comes with the curriculum manual, 7 or 8 books, and craft\science supplies. The lessons all make reference to the main theme of Obedience. This set covered properties of light, horses and kings and queens. The manual tells you exactly what to say and do for the lesson so you will just need to make sure you have everything ready to go for the day. Nothing puts a damper on things like stopping a lesson to get your supplies together. It comes with a lot of the things you need but there are some projects you will have to supply the materials for. For example when we did the kings and queens we made crowns, sceptors, royal orbs and costumes. We learned about how a coronation takes place and acted it out for family members then we had a medieval feast to follow. My dc performed Greensleeves during the dinner and answered questions about kings and queens from family members.

It was a lot of work but it was fantastic. They remember everything we learned and still talk about it. If you love doing projects you'll love this. You can of coarse pick and choose which projects you do but we took our time and did almost everything and it took us about 5 months to complete it all. Of coarse 3 weeks of that was preparing for the coronation but the dc learned some organization skills, cooking and sewing skills, and why we shouldn't use silver spray paint next to daddy's truck. :)

Keep in mind that this covers history, science and literature so I would not recommend using this if you already have a history, science and literature curriculum that you don't want to get behind on. This is very time consuming and not something I would want to start at 2 in the afternoon when all our other school is done. We actually used it last year right after I pulled my dc out of ps in February. I wanted to focus on math and grammar with them since the ps did such a poor job of it and didn't want to start a science, history curriculum half way through the year. It was perfect for beginning our hs'ing.

So, sorry for the long post...hope you can glean some useful info out of it.

Aime

 

I wanted to add that if you want to get the full benefit of this product do try to follow the manual as closely as possible. I had a friend use this 2 years ago and she complained that her dc didn't learn anything from it. When I asked how long she spent on it she said about 5 weeks. Enough said.

Edited October 21, 2009 by 5LittleMonkeys
Added

[5wolfcubs]

I haven't used the "in a box" but Aime's description sounds like what I've read -- still a lot of work, but lesson plans & supplies included! Search the board by the word KONOS I'll know you'll pull up some old threads with more comments. It really was a good season for us, although I think absence makes the heart grow fonder in my case. :)

 

One of the things I personally remember struggling with was my children's attitudes (oldest was 9 or 10 when we started) toward certain types of assignments (research/writing come to mind)...since I was the one picking and choosing, and they knew it. :glare:

[Ellie]

I used KONOS, Vol. 2, for two years. My only regret was that KONOS was written too late for me to use all three volumes. :-)

 

KONOS is infinitely flexible. It can be lots of work or not so much--your choice.

 

What worked best for me was to have two KONOS days (Tuesday and Thursday). We only did KONOS activities on those day. Some people do a few KONOS things each day, but I guess I'm a little OCD and I have to do all or nothing. :-)

 

This is what I did:

 

Some time in the spring, I'd read through the whole volume...yes, the whole thing, every page. I'd check off (in pencil) the activities that looked interesting.

 

Around July, I read through the whole thing again and check off the activities that I knew I would actually do, lol.

 

In August, I'd plan for September, knowing that I was going to do KONOS activities on Tuesday and Thursday, and how many months I was going to do the first character trait (one month or two). I'd check off only the activities that I could do in that amount of time, including deciding whether I'd have time to go to the library or acquire other/extra supplies. That means that not all of the activities would be done...and that's ok.

 

I'd pencil in the activities for Tuesdays and Thursdays. If we didn't finish an activity, I moved it to the next day. If we didn't finish it that day, I erased it, and moved on. I also kept an eye on the activities around the ones I had planned, so in case we were on a roll we could do more.

 

The last week of September, I'd plan October. Easy peasy.

[Dianne-TX]

Thanks for the great explanations! I really like how it incorporates everything AND teaches character along the way. I think that would be beneficial around here. :) Does it matter which one you choose? And, how do you know which one to choose?

[thowell]

:lurk5:

[Blueridge]

Dianne, I used it for many years, and have the warmest of happy memories from our Konos times. We've used a lot of curriculum through the years, and there is nothing quite like Konos. It does not teach things in a classical 'order' but keep a timeline to see the visual order of the flow of history. We began with only one dd, and I still have the memory of our very first homeschool day...sitting on a fake bear rug, beating an oatmeal can drum...and reading Indian stories. I would recommend you begin with the yellow Volume 1 if your kids are younger. Volume 2 is primarily American History, and Volume 3 has more upper-level topics. Attentiveness is the first trait taught with Indians, the senses, birds. A foundational skill that will then lead to obedience, etc. It can become a taskmaster if you let it, so be reasonable with your expectations. Look over the beginning unit, I always used the yellow planner pages to map out my week. I tried to purchase the family read alouds if I could. Find the level that your child/children fit into (younger, middle, older) and hit the library for your resource books. Decide on your activities for each day or use their plan as written. I wrote notes in my volume and I wrote my choices out on my planner. Shop for the supplies, and you are ready. There is a simple day schedule in the front of their new manuals so you can plan your day to include math, LA, etc. Try not to over plan and allow the kids to gather supplies you might already have around the house AND have them clean up afterwards. Their 'Balance' videos are tremendous! Have a wonderful time, and keep the camera handy. :)