Greta Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I'm a curriculum junkie. No two ways about it. The only thing that keeps me from buying and trying every latest and greatest new thing is that I don't have the money! :D Still, I have managed to waste more than a few dollars over the years, jumping into a new curriculum without giving the first a proper try. I think I even hurt my daughter's early reading efforts by doing this. Yesterday, I started to post on the K-8 Curriculum board to ask for recommendations for a new English curriculum. I listed what I liked about the one we are using and what I didn't like, so people could get a feel for what I am looking for. Then, I noticed that the list of what I did like was about a mile long, while the list of what I didn't like was only one thing, not terribly important, and probably better addressed when she is older anyway. I did *not* click the "submit new thread" button. It was a triumphant moment! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Good for you! I too am a junkie. All this talk about MCT has me curious. Ds will be in 3rd grade next year and we are having to make a change from what we've been doing. Have no idea how I will decide. What are you using that you like so much? ETA: just noticed that it's in your siggy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 . I think I even hurt my daughter's early reading efforts by doing this. I so relate to this! I think the same thing as I just put my 8yo back to Saxon Phonics 1. I thought I could try something a little less labor intensive. Why when she was doing fine with it in the beginning and my two older girls learned to read with it?? WHY? Congratulations on not switching curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 All this talk about MCT has me curious. Me too -- it's so hard for me not to start wondering if what everyone else is talking about would be better for us. I guess it's a case of "the grass is always greener" syndrome. If I'm understanding the way MCT works and all the components you have to buy, though, it does seem extremely expensive. So that's a good deterrent for me. I'm a curriculum junkie, but I guess I'm still a cheapskate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 I so relate to this! I think the same thing as I just put my 8yo back to Saxon Phonics 1. I thought I could try something a little less labor intensive. Why when she was doing fine with it in the beginning and my two older girls learned to read with it?? WHY? Congratulations on not switching curriculum. It's funny what a big accomplishment it is NOT to swtich, isn't it? The first thing I tried with my then 4yo dd was Phono-Graphix / Reading Reflex. *I* misunderstood how to use it, thought it wasn't working for us, and quickly switched to something else. Even though this program isn't widely known, I have heard such good things about it, and think it would have been a good fit for my dd if I had stuck it out and learned how to use it properly. It's one of my biggest homeschooling regrets, since she has always struggled with reading. How might things have been different if I'd given her a better start? :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I understand completely. BTDT a bit myself. FWIW, I read the WTM 4 years ago, thought it a bit too rigorous, went to a couple other things, and now, here I am back again. The WTM just makes good sense to me. My motto now is find something free that will do the trick, or work with what I have on hand (or use the library). I admit to being sorely tempted by those MCT threads, but it's just not gonna happen. I'd like to order the poetry book, but I think I've found something on the free grammar thread on the K-8 forum that will work. Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Lol, just take it one day, one lesson at a time :p I've only been hsing for a short time, but I struggle with this every time we have a bad day/week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) It's one of my biggest homeschooling regrets, since she has always struggled with reading. How might things have been different if I'd given her a better start? :crying: Don't go there with that. Pick up from today and move forward. You will be so surprised how much it works just to keep doing the next thing, then the next---to keep on keeping on. The view from that rear view mirror is always 20/20, isn't it? Edited to add: Set your sights on what is ahead, not behind you. Think of today as a new day. Thankfully we get one every 24 hours. Edited February 5, 2010 by Poke Salad Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 My motto now is find something free that will do the trick, or work with what I have on hand (or use the library). I admit to being sorely tempted by those MCT threads, but it's just not gonna happen. I'd like to order the poetry book, but I think I've found something on the free grammar thread on the K-8 forum that will work. Free is good! We use MEP, the library, and mainlesson.com whenever possible. I love MEP -- it's worth paying for but I don't have to! I'll have to find the thread you mentioned. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 but I struggle with this every time we have a bad day/week. Yeah, that always seems like a good time to go shopping! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 Don't go there with that. Pick up from today and move forward. You will be so surprised how much it works just to keep doing the next thing, then the next---to keep on keeping on. The view from that rear view mirror is always 20/20, isn't it? Edited to add: Set your sights on what is ahead, not behind you. Think of today as a new day. Thankfully we get one every 24 hours. Thank you for this encouragement. I am trying so hard now to focus on, like you said, doing the next thing, then the next. I got pretty sidetracked from my original goals and vision of our homeschool when I got really involved in a VERY relaxed homeschooling group. I realized that wasn't going to work for us, and now I feel like I'm trying to make up for lost time. (I say this without judgment for whom that style DOES work! It just wasn't for us.) I love the way some of the wise moms here remind us that homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. I've also read some stories of people climbing Everest in which they say it took all their energy and focus to be able to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I guess I like dramatic imagery! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Don't go there with that. Pick up from today and move forward. You will be so surprised how much it works just to keep doing the next thing, then the next---to keep on keeping on. The view from that rear view mirror is always 20/20, isn't it? Edited to add: Set your sights on what is ahead, not behind you. Think of today as a new day. Thankfully we get one every 24 hours. I love your name, that is all :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Good for you! I'm on a kick to really dig into the resources I already own. I've been amazed what I've found stashed on the shelf, filed in my computer downloads, and flipping through some of my thrift store finds. I've already trimmed a substantial portion from my expenditures for this year and next. Of which I probably will use the saved money to buy more books for myself. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Good for you! I'm on a kick to really dig into the resources I already own. I've been amazed what I've found stashed on the shelf, filed in my computer downloads, and flipping through some of my thrift store finds. I've already trimmed a substantial portion from my expenditures for this year and next. Of which I probably will use the saved money to buy more books for myself. :001_huh: Yep, that's what has been the latest thrill for me. Some of the things I've looked at that I had in boxes, just got the "meh" reaction; but others were like new-found treasure for me. Actually I splurged last weekend to get the beautiful book A Golden History of the World at a used bookstore for $6. I already own SOTW, but I thought we might just do this overview before starting out with a year spent in ancients. It's helping me to get a *big picture* in my mind of how I'd like for things to progress, and *that* gets me excited about reorganizing the goodies I have here to work with my new plan. We're not anywhere at all that we should be in the history rotation, but that's okay. We're right in the place where we are, and that's okay too. Rereading the WTM (1st edition) has redirected my energies, and now a clearer picture comes into focus. And with all that money saved on buying things I don't need, I can spend on something I'd like for *me*--the newest version of WTM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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