Curriculum that you tried and dislike?

[cjbeach]

I'm really frugal so it has to REALLY not be working for me to put it aside.

 

For us so far our 2 big misses have been:

• 
  

Galloping the Globe,

• 
  

CQLA (I'm still trying for MC primarily but it's a tedious battle to get it accomplished), and

• 
  

Themes to Remember died for us the day our disc was broken in the car (ouch)

[kchara]

My duds were:

 

Teaching Textbooks (The kids adored them, but they retained absolutely nothing. I think they just liked playing on the computer. I ended up tossing them, and having to put the kids into MUS Alpha. We had tried R&S too, so I think it's just that my kids need a mastery based approach, not a spiral.)

 

PLL (Again, didn't retain a thing. We used it for almost 2 years, and they got nearly through the book, but it didn't teach them anything. Not sure what the issue was there. Probably the way I taught it.)

 

CQLA (It's very writing intensive, but not so much on the grammar front, which sort of makes the writing frustrating. The kids love the Checklist Challenge, and they seem to be somewhat enjoying it, but I just don't think things are explained well. For example, a few weeks ago, DS's CC had him adding an interjection into his sentence. That alone is great... but they never told him what an interjection was. :001_huh: We're using PreA, so it's not that I've missed it on a lower level.)

 

100 EZ Lessons (OK... this was all me. I might've started way too early with my olders on this. They so weren't ready for reading, and they cried whenever the book came out. Ironically, though, my middle is roughly the same age, and he's adoring Funnix, and learning a lot.)

 

Things I could've lived without, but didn't necessarily hate:

 

R&S Health and Social Studies Pretty much pointless, and I think I only got them because we were getting the whole curriculum, so I figured why not?

MFW K Great concept, I think, but would've worked better for our kids at PreK, not at the K level. By then, they had most of that down pat. We ditched it after a few weeks.

[LizzyBee]

Saxon math, Latina Christiana, Spell to Write and Read

[Aquinas Academy]

Our duds:

 

Spelling Workout -- B-O-R-I-N-G. No retention. My philosophy on spelling has changed anyway.

Writing Strands -- Way to unorganised. DD didn't like the tone of the books. We love Classical Writing though. :)

Saxon Math -- Far to boring and repetative.

Apologia science -- I love the the way the books are written but they didn't fit with my belief system.

Le Francias Facile --I tried and tried to make this work. I have no idea why we hated it so much.

Fallacy Detective -- Way too easy. DD got through the whole thing in a couple months.

Wheelock's --I know, I know it's the Latin book. I tried, but we my Latin loving DD hated it and I had to agree.

Explode the Code -- Complete waste of time, no retention at all.

Shurley English -- Yuck!! The jingles nearly killed me.

[3Blessings]

I loved 100 EZ lessons- both my two older kids are reading maniacs and I owe a lot of that to getting through the book. I admit to offering major rewards to completing it, though, around lesson 70. My youngest is on lesson 12 and we are taking it gently, but so far so good.

 

Saxon math- I love Saxon for my dd who needs repetition, but my ds is just zooming. He barely needs me to teach anything and I don't want to waste time with stuff he already knows. We will try MM and possibly Singapore.

 

I enjoyed reading these posts, but like someone else said, it makes me start to second guess my choices.:tongue_smilie:

[Guest CinD]

Math-U-See was not a good fit. My daughter asked if we could stop using it.

My daughter is struggling with MUS as well. I'm thinking I might need to change. The videos are great but the workbooks are boring - she may need something with color and graphics. My son, however, is doing great with MUS.

[marbelinchen]

Spelling Workout - way too easy and boring for a natural speller

Spell to Write and Read - IMHO there is something wrong with a program that requires so much preparation, training workshops, ... I also didn't like the spiral approach (I'm a firm believer in mastery approach), pronunciation, pronunciation symbols don't match those in dictionaries, separating syllables (this is a good exercise for a time, but I am more concerned about the child seeing the whole word. We use a red vertical line to separate syllables),...

 

We are now using All About Spelling and love it.

 

RS4K Pre-Level - I liked Chemistry which is rarely ever taught at early elementary level, though it was only a small introduction to atoms and molecules.We're now in Biology, and I have to agree with another blogger - it's very basic, disconnected. Makes me want to not only start Apologia, but really make this our main science curriculum. We had started Apologia twice, unfortunately it is more work than we could handle at the time, but I found it excellent. Sad that so many people shy away from it for religious believes, the academic part is sooo good.

 

On the positive side, what I/my son like:

FLL, WwE, OPGTR (they have to read, no way to deduct from a picture what the words might say), SOW (love, love, love it), All About Spelling, Singapore Math with all the bells and whistles (though the new version of Challenging Word Problems is sometimes way over my son's head, and he's a pretty smart cookie), Wordly Wise K,1 (we're using it without the teacher's guide, making up our own hilarious stories), Meet the Masters, Artistic Pursuits, Mark Kistler,...

[RahRah]

RS4K Pre-Level - I liked Chemistry which is rarely ever taught at early elementary level, though it was only a small introduction to atoms and molecules.We're now in Biology, and I have to agree with another blogger - it's very basic, disconnected. Makes me want to not only start Apologia, but really make this our main science curriculum. We had started Apologia twice, unfortunately it is more work than we could handle at the time, but I found it excellent. Sad that so many people shy away from it for religious believes, the academic part is sooo good.

 

 

 

I'm also in the camp disappointed with RS4K....both the pre-Level 1 and Level 1.

 

Now granted we are very science focused in our home, but the biology (both levels) is scant and disconnected; while the chemistry is a decent introduction at level 1 (only because it isn't typically taught at such a young age) - I wouldn't bother with pre-Level 1 since everything is fully repeated in Level 1; and physics is meh, really nothing to write home about, and it too is disjointed IMO. They also don't have any earth & space offering, so you need to find something else for that.

 

To me BFSU isn't great for use as curriculum, but nicely lays out a good approach to what order to introduce and cover each discipline (not by grade, but by topic), so for us that serves as a nice guide to refer to.

 

I still have not figured out what we are going to use for next year, for now we're just pulling together different resources and doing our own thing with BFSU as the basic outline of topic order.

[smjlangley]

because I know a lot of people love All About Spelling and Sequential Spelling but we didn't like either one. As a matter of fact I think we may just be protesting against spelling in general because we didn't like Abeka's either. :001_tt2:

 

On the other hand we love just about every other curriculum there is out there! Favorites would definitely be..........

 

Apologia Elementary sciences

IEW

Mystery of History

Classical Conversations (foundations and essentials)

Sonlight

Latin for Children

[amyrjoy]

With my kids in kindergarten and second, my idea of using Apologia's Anatomy was just not a good one. Lol. Too much for us right now. I did not like History for Little Pilgrims either.

[foxbridgeacademy]

WWE 3 workbook, I like the system, narration and even dictation is fine. What I don't like are the excerpt chosen, or the dictation sentences. So we've taken a week off and I've decided to chuck the WB, and go with the system, but use my own selections.

SWO as a PP stated there's no continuity to the lessons. Alos I want something that explains the "why" better. So we're chucking SWO and getting AAS maybe next month?

[MicheleinMN]

100 EZ Lessons is the only book I refused to even try again. Ds #1 and I both hated it. I had such a bad time with it that I wouldn't even try it again with any of my other children.

[3lilreds in NC]

Phonics Pathways - made oldest dd cry. Younger dd is open to trying anything but MFW K worked so well for us that we didn't go back to PP.

 

Singapore Math - just shoot me. I didn't get it AT ALL, even with the HIG. I called the local homeschool store and asked for the AIG for level 1, and they said they didn't carry it because no one needed it. Boy, did I feel stupid!

 

Simply Language Arts - I was SO excited about this program, but it did not work. We're back to FLL/WWE. I am not crazy about the scripting, but it works.

 

All American History - oh. my. goodness. Could it be more boring? I could not get the girls to read it to themselves (oldest would try but would retain nothing, younger cried) and it nearly put me to sleep to read it. I found myself going to the library to get a book that we liked better about each explorer - and we didn't get past the explorers (who KNEW there were so many? Gah!). I am still trying to decide if I want to sell it or use it for timeline/reading lists; I think it's very thorough.

 

All About Spelling - I *wanted* to love this program. I *do* love this program. However, oldest dd was retaining nothing. She could do everything perfectly during the lesson but never applied it anywhere else. My younger dd LOVES this program; both girls think it's fun, but it's too much teacher time for something that isn't working for anyone.

Edited April 13, 2011 by 3lilreds in NC

[*Inna*]

I know it's an old thread, but wondering if other people can add their opinions as well.

 

We're dropping FLL and WWE this year. I really wanted to like it, but it wasn't a good fit for both DD7 and I.

 

We'll still use MM, but not as a main math program. Not enough explanation and way too many problems on the page. It was very overwhelming visually.

[Berta]

MUS- My daughter liked the Primer, but by the time we got to Alpha her eyes would glaze over. She preferred to play with the blocks like they were legos instead of paying attention to the lesson at hand.

 

CLE Reading- I love CLE Math and LA, but the reading was horrible. I have never heard of a "schwa" before and I had a hard time teaching this to my daughter.

 

AAS- Looked like a really good program but my daughter was just lost. We switched to Horizons spelling and she loves it.

[MelAR05]

TOG - tried it and maybe my children were too young, but too much work and felt like I was getting behind very quickly.

 

Sonlight - love the book choices, but soon realized I could not spend that much time reading aloud, though we do spend alot of time reading aloud, and the instructor's guide did not work for me.

 

Sonlight Science 1 - didn't enjoy it.

 

Rod & Staff English 2 - My daughter was so happy when she saw me sell it in the used curriculum sale. :001_smile: Not that I won't revisit it later down the road because it is so solid.

 

That's' all I can think of right now. Will add more as I remember. Tired kids sitting by me crying because they can't go somewhere is hindering my ability to form any cohesive thoughts. :tongue_smilie:

[JulieH]

Saxon...too dry for us

Shurley Grammar..dd hated it and hubby made fun of me for the songs.

Abeka.

[Spryte]

MUS bored my kiddo to tears. I wanted to love it, but it didn't work for us.

 

Scripted programs work for us only if I prep ahead of time enough to figure out the lesson *in my own words* and do it without the book in front of me.

 

Oh! Sing, Spell, Read, Write was a colossal failure here, too. That was an expensive mistake. Too much busywork, the songs were fun for a day or two but that was it. And too much repetition.

[zenjenn]

My biggest dud.. First Step (the younger version of Connect the Thoughts).

 

Really, I LOVE this guy's approach and how he approaches teaching critical thinking to kids.

 

BUT, his self-generated reading material was so riddled with grammatical and spelling errors that I found it unusable.

 

However, his philosophy and approach was worthwhile to be exposed to, such that I can apply the same line of questioning/reasoning/critical thinking exercises along with more polished materials.

[cloversandlions]

For my DS:

 

Singapore Math: DS had already spent 3 years in (an excellent...really!) public school, and this math was just too different. We finished the 3rd grade books, but in 4th, it all unraveled.

 

HWOT: Oh...gosh, again, this was just too different from the method ds had learned in school, and yes, really...he cried. I have to say that the letters looked a little weird to me, so I haven't revisited the program for my younger two.

 

SOTW: But ONLY for this kid, because he's a history buff and the first book didn't really have anything new for him. He read the other three books on his own over a two day period sometime later in grade 3 (at home).

 

(Actually, my son seems pretty averse to any curriculum...sigh.)

 

For my older daughter,

 

ETC: I'd read so many positive reviews that I really expected a lot from this one, but was rather disappointed with the product. DD didn't like it either, but I do credit some of the exercises with helping me realize that dd had dyslexia/other reading issues.

 

...actually, this dd had lots of problems with any type of work that involved reading and writing. Tincture of time has resolved many of them; until now, she's been rather unschooled.

 

ETA: I've considered trying RS4K every year I've homeschooled, but I can't get past the Comic Sans font.

 

And also, we're workbox flunkies. Love the idea, but they were a total flop at my house.

Edited July 24, 2011 by WorkInProgress

[my2boysteacher]

AAS- Believe it or not, this was the second time I tried it and sold it. It just makes spelling too much of a 'production'.

[matilda]

Duds:

 

BJU Science

100EZ lessons

IEW - I still have hope for this one.

FLL

[Ewe Mama]

100 EZ Lessons

Phonics Pathways

TRL

Rocket Phonics

Alphabet Island

Alpha Phonics

Happy Phonics

HOP

 

(I have five dc. We went through a lot of phonics programs that weren't a good fit.)

 

Critical Thinking Co. Language Smarts, Building Thinking Skills, Mathematical Reasoning

 

Sonlight P3/4, P4/5, Core 1, Core 2 (I was in a rut and could not get out!)

 

MFW K - I tried this with 3 dc and they all thought it was dull.

 

MFW ECC

 

MUS - too many holes, too dependant on the manipulatives

 

SL Science

 

Big hits for us:

HOD LHTH - our 3 yo loves it so much that we "do school" on Saturday and Sunday, too

 

Apologia Exploring Creation with the notebooks

 

Math Mammoth

 

The Easy French

 

MFW Grade 1

 

SL Mathtacular DVD's

 

MFW Creation to the Greeks

 

Expedition Earth

 

Confessions of a Homeschooler: Letter of the week Preschool curriculum

[sewgirlie]

Only because I'm too lazy to read that much aloud.

[Mommee & Baba]

The Reading Lesson - The progression wasn't good at all. My kids weren't retaining alot and the stories made NO sense! I gave up and don't regret it. Now that we use a few different reading programs I realize how much this program is missing. I will give it the fact that it was very repetative in each lesson and helped the kids remember the sounds of the letters because they were reviewed alot, but teaching them the sounds was simple and my kids understood that part but the lessons themselves weren't strong enough. Glad we switched to something else.

 

Sequential Spelling - My dd7 didn't mind it at all. She would happily listen to the list and spell to her best and most of the time did WONDERFUL! But I personally didn't like the way I was to teach it. So we switched to another program and love it. I wish they taught the rules of spelling like our current program does.

 

HOP - My dd8 loves it and it works wonderfully for her! My dd6 is 100% resisitant to this program at all costs.

 

Apologia - This is more of a ME dud. I don't like all the reading..BLEH and the way it's laid out for young kids. Who really wants to know that much detail about EACH planet and nevermind we spend the ENTIRE year learning about them..ECK! We wanted to learn about several things that aren't just revolved around one basic topic and we wanted hands on activities and projects and not so much HEAVY writing (which you had to do for the notebooking in Apologia..and if you cut out the notebooking, you're just reading...reading...and reading...). Were'nt enough hands on projects or shall I say the reading or digging deeper information wasn't at their level..it was geared more towards the 4th grade level...I love what we use now as the supplemental books the author suggests for it are THEIR level of understanding and really isn't ALOT of reading.

[kimsclan]

Saxon math just took soooooo loooong in the higher levels. It exhausted ME just watching them do math for so long. Can we do something other than just math today please!

[LanaTron]

Most of these will be from when my elder ds and dd were in early elementary grades.

 

Horizons Math--ds didn't need the spiral repetition, moved too fast for dd

MUS (tried this twice)--dd didn't like the videos, workbook bored her, still didn't actually get her multiplication facts learned

R&S Math--helped dd learn addition, but bored her

 

OPG--I thought #3dc would love this, because it looked so fun. Nope. We went back to PP, which I had used with older dc

 

SWO--just seemed pointless

Spelling Power--my kids got really stressed and cried over having words called out to them to spell

Sequential Spelling--ditto

 

Hake Grammar (called Saxon now?)--problem sets too large/too time consuming for my ds (he's a slow worker)

R&S English--it was too much writing for ds when he was in 3rd (he was a late writer), but he probably could do it now just fine

Growing With Grammar--dd loves this one, but ds11 cried every day until I switched him to MCT

 

Classical Writing--this one I loved, but again it was way too much writing for my particular ds. He could probably do fine with it now, but he's 15 now.

Wordsmith Apprentice--not enough direct instruction on writing, and ds struggled with thinking of ideas for the ads and news articles it asks for

Writing Strands--not enough hand holding/direct instruction

 

NOEO science--my elder two kids did most of Chem III this year. As others have said, there's no tie-in between the experiments and the reading. They liked it okay, but I won't use it for my other kids.

 

 

Latin for Children--it seemed to be a lot of memorizing vocabulary and not enough using that vocabulary in translating; ds finished Primer B, and dd was halfway through Primer B when we switched to Latin Prep. Now, I'm back to LfC for my younger two, and I plan on having them do all 3 Primers, plus Latin Alive. I still have Latin Prep if we need a change of pace, translating practice, or a different take on grammar topics.

 

I think that's it. :tongue_smilie: You can see what works for us in my signature, although a few of those things, especially the high school level materials, are new to us, and may or may not end up working.

Edited July 25, 2011 by LanaTron

[LanaTron]

Reading Lori D's post reminded me of our failed art endeavors:

 

Artistic Pursuits (1st level)--not enough direct instruction, but I keep thinking that the upper levels might work, now that my kids are older

Masterpiece Art Instruction--this would probably work if the parent had more art experience, or the dc were older/more experienced. Great program, but very frustrating for us.

Atelier--I drooled over this for a long, long time, but it was never in my budget. I finally found one of the modules used, and was so excited and thought my kids would love it. Nope. I still have it, though, and I like it, so I may do it myself, and have any kids who want to join me do so.