razorbackmama Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I remember looking at Biblioplan a couple years back, but for the life of me I can't remember why I decided against it. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyagain Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Well, I don't know how helpful I'll be, but at least I'll give you a bump:). My experience with MFW was only at K level but I have looked at it extensively for possible future use. MFW is a more complete curriculum. You only have to add math and phonics. It has hands on activities and direction for the teacher. Biblioplan (which I plan on using next year) is more of just a framework. It has an extensive list of books with a schedule for reading them. It's a 3 day a week schedule and it is only history. I chose it because I want to start the 4 yr rotation beginning in 1st grade (MFW starts at 3rd or 4th grade with a 5yr cycle). I wanted biblical history tied in to secular history and I wanted the freedom to be more flexible with whatever resources I want to use. I also like that it schedules both SOTW and MOH. Hopefully, more experienced users of both will chime in. However, there are MANY threads on both curricula (I just don't have a clue how to link to them yet:blush:). Hope that helps a little! Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewday Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Ditto above. MFW is somewhat classical but also follows a unit study approach intertwined. You'll fiind a lot of hands-on suggestions in MFW (cooking something based on the region/time period of study, a related craft etc) that Biblioplan does not have. MFW is also strongly mission-focused. Both are lists/schedules for what to read and when, but if I can recall correctly, I think MFW has more notes in their TM. Biblioplan is now coming out with what they call a Parent Companion for each level (not all are completed yet) and it serves as a resource to "tie in" everything that was read during the week. I'm using BP for the second year right now and just bought the PC so I can't give a thorough review of it right yet. Ultimately it depends on which books you want to use. I actually chose to go with SOTW over MFW and found BP the next year in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in SouthGa Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 MFW has everything included, pretty much. It schedules your history, Bible, science, art, music, and lang. arts. There are a lot of notes and helps, and hands-on stuff. It can be combined, but there aren't any alternate resources for different levels included in the TM that I recall. BP is basically a reading schedule for history (spines, nonfiction, and historical fiction), geo., Bible (in the last two years, it is mainly missionary stories), and a writing assignment each week. Three different levels studying the same subject each week with age appropriate resources. They now have maps, timelines, and parent notes, which I love. It is just the right amount of help. I prefer BP because it gives me freedom to choose the science and lit. for each of my kids at their level, and still keeps us studying history and Bible as a family. It has just enough help (notes) without being overwhelming. They are redoing the Ancients program right now to include high school instead of having to buy a separate supplement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 First of all, hey Dawn! It's Keer!;) OK, so there aren't notes with it...good to know! It looks like it's 3 days a week, is that right? Have you found that to be too little? Do you spread the work out over 5 days? We are using MFW right now and liking it, but I'm eyeballing BP for high school because I think MFW's high school will be too much. And if I do end up doing BP I'd want to just do it with everyone rather than doing 2 different things. I really like how the K and 1st graders are included in BP too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3byzaz Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 We are loving BP Ancients this year. I did take the three day schedule and made it to a 4 day - sometimes 5, but with that option if it's a lot of reading that week. I did it over the summer - didn't take too long and has been worth it. I felt like it would be too much to do in 3 days. I chose to put it in my own planner form, but you could just use theirs. I love it for the same reasons as other posters - ease of use, flexibility, but most of all being able to keep all my guys in the same place in Bible and History. I do the hands on things suggested in the MOH readings - sometimes! They are all very good and very do-able! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 How long does it take? Also good to know about the activities in MOH. I'm not super crazy about hands-on stuff (just give me books books and more books), but my kids like that sort of thing every once in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 We are loving BP Ancients this year. I did take the three day schedule and made it to a 4 day - sometimes 5, but with that option if it's a lot of reading that week. I did it over the summer - didn't take too long and has been worth it. I felt like it would be too much to do in 3 days. I chose to put it in my own planner form, but you could just use theirs. I love it for the same reasons as other posters - ease of use, flexibility, but most of all being able to keep all my guys in the same place in Bible and History. I do the hands on things suggested in the MOH readings - sometimes! They are all very good and very do-able! What do you think about it for your first grader? Do you feel like he's actually getting anything out of it? Do you feel like the books they choose for each grade level are appropriate and they are all learning at their own individual levels? Or do you feel like it's geared more towards the older children and the youngers are just "tagging along"? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Oh, and one reason I have sort of dismissed Biblioplan is because there AREN'T any hands on activities, which I really enjoy as do my girls. Can you give me some examples of the activities in MOH? Do they have options for olders as well as youngers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aquiverfull Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 OK, so there aren't notes with it...good to know! Just wanted to let you know that there are some notes for the teacher. They are not as extensive as TOG but they do have some. It's called the Parent Companion. Although they are only available for the last two BP years, they are currently making them for Ancients and Middle Ages. The Ancients should be out by April. Then MA by next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3byzaz Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 What do you think about it for your first grader? Do you feel like he's actually getting anything out of it? Do you feel like the books they choose for each grade level are appropriate and they are all learning at their own individual levels? Or do you feel like it's geared more towards the older children and the youngers are just "tagging along"? Thanks That is so bizarre - as I was pulling up WTM just now I was thinking about BP and how I am glad to have made my decision for next year to stay with it. I was thinking about how I just really want to be able to combine them all still and this seems to be the best way for me to do it. I was thinking that he HAS really gotten a lot out of it. There are readers for three different ages. I do tend to gear it more for my older two cuz I'm comfortable with him mostly tagging along at this point. Not as concerned anymore about him learning every little thing cuz he'll get it again. Anyway, I get a picture book or two that are suggested. He loves the Family Read-Aloud's. And, he does the coloring pages while we do timelines and then he watches that some too. Next year, I might try to find him a little step up in activity type book. Rainbow has some good ones. So, I am very happy with the amount and quality of learning at each boy's level. My oldest is a book worm and has read extra and soaks everything up. I like that I should be able to keep him with us as he enters high school when we get to American also....this is very important to me as a HUGE aspect of homeschooling that I treasure!! The books are very grade appropriate. And, OK - my middle one does NOT like to read. This pains this momma much!! :) However, he has made it through the books for history of all things. He doesn't even like to read a funny book and he is reading Detectives in Togas right now and LOVES it - LOVES it!! It's a miracle!!!! And, he's excited that there is a sequel that I found! AMAZING!! The MOH activities are broken into "younger students", "middle students" and "older students". They are fairly simple to implement. The younger ones are using acting something out, doing a simple craft thing, etc. The middles and olders tend to be more writing or research oriented. Last unit, during Greece, we were could put on a mini olympics, Copy a Greek paragraph, draw horses, copy the Greek alphabet, paint a Greek pot, Keep a list of characters from the Homer book, make a cuneiform tablet, build a ziggurat from Legos, etc. I just did that backwards off my planning sheets. We did some of them and skipped some. They were from different levels that I wrote down thinking we would do them. Time didn't allow or we didn't want to??! :001_smile: I like the MOH ones better than SOTW mostly cuz we are using MOH as our spine with just a little SOTW. I like the MOH activity format better - at the end of the chapter - always had a little trouble digging out the SOTW activities. We used SOTW in the past with our unit study. BUT, that's just my preference. You could use SOTW a lot too!! Hope I got all your questions!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 Just wanted to let you know that there are some notes for the teacher. They are not as extensive as TOG but they do have some. It's called the Parent Companion. Although they are only available for the last two BP years, they are currently making them for Ancients and Middle Ages. The Ancients should be out by April. Then MA by next year. Well, considering that I hated the notes in TOG, this is REALLY good news!;) I'm also glad to know that the PC is out for the last 2 years - I was planning to start with year 3.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyagain Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Oh, and one reason I have sort of dismissed Biblioplan is because there AREN'T any hands on activities, which I really enjoy as do my girls. Can you give me some examples of the activities in MOH? Do they have options for olders as well as youngers? For hands-on I plan to use the SOTW Activity Guide and the History Portfolio Jr. We also LOVE hands on!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aquiverfull Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Well, considering that I hated the notes in TOG, this is REALLY good news!;) I'm also glad to know that the PC is out for the last 2 years - I was planning to start with year 3.:) LOL! That's the first I've heard about anyone not liking the notes in TOG. Seems that's what most people rave about the most. ;) You can see the samples of the BP companion online at their site. It will give you an idea of what they are like. It definitely looks a lot more streamlined than TOG, but enough to get some good discussions going. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 LOL! That's the first I've heard about anyone not liking the notes in TOG. Seems that's what most people rave about the most. ;)You can see the samples of the BP companion online at their site. It will give you an idea of what they are like. It definitely looks a lot more streamlined than TOG, but enough to get some good discussions going. :) They took me too long to read, and then come to find out they didn't help at ALL. Often what we read in the books didn't jive with the notes at all. I finally gave up and just focused on reading the books, rather than trying to figure out just what it was we were "supposed" to cover. I will check out the samples - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aquiverfull Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 They took me too long to read, and then come to find out they didn't help at ALL. Often what we read in the books didn't jive with the notes at all. I finally gave up and just focused on reading the books, rather than trying to figure out just what it was we were "supposed" to cover. I will check out the samples - thanks! That's interesting about the TOG notes. That's good to know. Thanks! And you're welcome. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 They took me too long to read, and then come to find out they didn't help at ALL. Often what we read in the books didn't jive with the notes at all. I finally gave up and just focused on reading the books, rather than trying to figure out just what it was we were "supposed" to cover. I will check out the samples - thanks! How long did you use TOG and was it the Classic or Redesign? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 How long did you use TOG and was it the Classic or Redesign? I used the Redesign for about 2 years. (I think it was 2???? LOL I can't remember exactly now.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.