Anyone have a silly reason...

[Rosie_0801]

I saw a phonics book in our local bookshop the other week and, being completely shocked, I had to go in and look at it. Woah! They were using red and yellow print to "clearly" explain whatever it was they had to say. My eyes crossed and I put it back, then went home to find my copy of OPG to lend to my aunt for her young fella. Can you think of a better way to convince anyone that teaching sight words would be less complicated? Argh!

 

Rosie

[littlebug42]

My daughter's math workbook (Sadlier-Oxford) has shiny pages and she informed me yesterday that it is too hard to write out her work on those pages and that she needs other paper to work out the problems. Apparently, she is on track to be as picky as I am.

[Storm Bay]

I hate the name Math U See. I really, really, really loathe and detest it. I never looked at it because I couldn't stand it. Now two of my dc use it but I completely ignore the name because I still hate it.

 

It's the editor in me, I guess.

:iagree: I would have posted this had I not found yours! If only they could have called it Math You See. It took me a long time to actually look at MUS and finally try it because of the name. That goes for any mispelling (rite for right--come on, what kind of rite is it? or lite for light, using a k for a c, etc.)

[Storm Bay]

interesting, and :iagree:...it seems that certain publishers are trying to make their books all appear like webpages. the "Who Was..." series of books were a great find, so i thought, until every page has several text inserts of this and that--a kid can't just read a book without being interrupted by other factoids all over the page.

 

Actually, I consider this a bona fide good reason not to like a curricula :D.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

interesting, and :iagree:...it seems that certain publishers are trying to make their books all appear like webpages. the "Who Was..." series of books were a great find, so i thought, until every page has several text inserts of this and that--a kid can't just read a book without being interrupted by other factoids all over the page.

I hate those books too.

[Medieval Mom]

I love the idea of MCT, but I don't know if I can get over my distaste of the font in the beginning book.

 

Tracy

 

:iagree: Me too! Every time my head is turned by MCT, I go to the website, click on the samples, and simply know that I CAN NOT READ THAT BOOK to ds. I'd be cringing the entire time. Ugh! :tongue_smilie:

[nd293]

I hate the name Math U See.

 

:iagree:In general, any programme that using texting language in its name bothers me. Why on earth would I choose to educate my child with material from a publisher that can't use English properly? Maths U See and Real Science 4 Kids come to mind. (I realise that the programme might be fantastic, but it sounds "dumbed down".)

 

And binding that doesn't allow a workbook to lie flat is beyond annoying. Oh, but so is spiral binding where the holes aren't set in far enough and the cover or pages can rip out too easily. Admittedly this might not be a problem in households where books are returned to shelves immediately after use, and not left on the couch for a 3yr old to jump on...

[Excelsior! Academy]

I have avoided Son Light for the title. Never even looked at it. Same as pp.

 

I can't stand curriculum, especially well known curriculum, with bad illustrations. If your worksheets look like my 6 year old child drew them, then how am I supposed to take your content seriously???

[Julieofsardis]

I would never look at Spell to Write and Read and it was pure stubborn pride. :blush:

 

When I started Homeschooling, there was this lady who told me I should be using it and she should know because she was a former school teacher. She then proceeded to grill me on my other curriculum and let me know that I would need her help someday, and she was the "go to" person for that group of women because she was a certified teacher. :glare:

 

As for other curriculum, I'm going to admit something else. . .I steered clear from MFW up until this semester because it was THE curriculum at my old church. :blush: I wish I hadn't been so stubborn on this one, but I really do hate it when you have these groups that try and FORCE their curriculum on you. If you don't use the curriculum d'jour, there's something wrong with you. It just turns me off.

 

Anyway, I'm over that now. I'll eat crow and say MFW is great. Just don't tell anyone from that church :scared:

 

Dorinda

 

This is why I wouldn't touch A Beka with a ten foot pool. Everyone used it when we started homeschooling and everyone who didn't homeschool automatically assumed that we used it. I have no idea if it's good or bad, but I won't be finding out.

[Julieofsardis]

 

I had the same experience, but we still aren't using MFW, even though I really liked it.

[Momling]

I'm put off by the middle school math books "Kiss my math" and "Math doesn't suck" and could never use them.

 

Also, there is a certain style of illustration that really bothers me... it's often found in children's Bibles and other particularly Christian materials. I can't put my finger on why I don't like it...

[FO4UR]

Abeka Readers are too BUSY!!!

 

I've got a little man here struggling with VT and Abeka seems to think they need to cover every square inch of the page with some such thing.:glare: Atleast I found those free, and found readers he can actually SEE the words on at the library.

[LaissezFaire]

 

Also, there is a certain style of illustration that really bothers me... it's often found in children's Bibles and other particularly Christian materials. I can't put my finger on why I don't like it...

 

I think I know the illustration style you are thinking of and it bugs me too.

 

Also cannot stand the name Math U See. UGH.

 

I am cracking up over Comic Sans. It's the butt of all jokes in the graphic design world. Can't stand it.

[angela in ohio]

I have to admit that sometimes I don't want to look at a curriculum if the people I know who use it don't... have the same homeschooling technique as I do, shall we say.

 

My dc have, since a young age, turned their noses up at any curriculum they thought looked "silly," though I have made them do some anyway. An example would be the A Beka math in the younger grades with cartoon pictures and colorful pictures on the front.

[Dmmetler]

I have a limit on the number of bible verses I can stand in a non-religion curriculum, and therefore tend to avoid anything with an obviously Christian name. I do use Sonlight, tweaked heavily, but I still cringe every time I open the manual.

[SquirrellyMama]

I don't remember how it came to my attention, but I stumbled upon this article on the inappropriate uses of Comic Sans....there's even a group, Ban Comic Sans (I'm not a member :)).

 

I totally agree that it's easier for a beginner to read this /a/ than the traditional /a/.

 

My dh was telling me about that group because I'm a big Comic Sans fan. I also like the Century Gothic but think Comic Sans is more kid friendly. It just looks like a happy font and cheers me up.

[lollie010]

I am bothered when a cover has a picture of a child on the front (like the Queens Homeschool--Language series or some of the Heart of Dakota guides). My little ones get upset "that's a boy on the front and I am a girl. I can't use it." Or "that is a little kid on the front and I am a big boy." Just a few examples of the conversations that we have had. My kids are young though, so maybe they will eventually get over it.

[mommyagain]

I realize this is probably not true, and it is a big selling point to some, but when a curriculum is repeatedly referred to as "open and go" I tend to translate that to mean "dumbed down so that even a pathetic homeschool mom can teach it"!! I mean, I expect to put some effort into my kids education, not just throw Wal-mart workbooks at them!:001_smile::001_smile: But again, I realize a lot of families are thriving with them and I may even take a closer look at some in the future :D!

[Susie in MS]

Kumon workbooks are sooooo stiff that you have this huge mountain along the spine. Horrible for writing in.

 

Glossy pages in wkbks are just terrible. Who, in their right mind, would do this???

 

LOVE Comic Sans! :tongue_smilie:

[Storm Bay]

I am bothered when a cover has a picture of a child on the front (like the Queens Homeschool--Language series or some of the Heart of Dakota guides). My little ones get upset "that's a boy on the front and I am a girl. I can't use it." Or "that is a little kid on the front and I am a big boy." Just a few examples of the conversations that we have had. My kids are young though, so maybe they will eventually get over it.

 

Maybe is the key word ;). My dc haven't overcome this yet. I should add, though, that I have one dd who doesn't like to use anything that looks to girlish, and she's nearly 12.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I saw this mentioned the other day and I agree. Any workbook over about 30-40 pages that is perfect bound. My ds has a hard time writing in them. We solve it by cutting off the binding, hole punching, and putting into a binder.

 

:iagree:We spiral bind all of them, not just workbooks. I've had to take all of my books from OM down to Office Max other than the Syllabus (it came spiral bound). I also took Miquon's Lab Annotations. At least it was all less than $10. :)

 

ETA: I love Oak Meadow and Miquon, I just don't like the way their books are bound.

Edited March 31, 2010 by Cindie2dds
clarification

[Woodland_Mom]

If it looks old-fashioned, as if it were created with a typerwriter, I just can't use it. I need more beauty!

[ocelotmom]

Another un-fan of Math-U-See and Real Science-4-Kids.

 

I really like what I've seen of Real Science-4-Kids, but I have a very very hard time getting past the 4!

 

I also don't like books with a bunch of busy little captions and sidebars, especially when the main text continues unbroken from one page to the next. Very difficult to read aloud! Unfortunately, most nonfiction books aimed at elementary kids seem to be written this way these days.

[rafgaf4]

I can't stand books that have pictures or quotes all over the pages in different locations. Sometimes it looks like a comic book and just drives me nuts.

[EKS]

I can't stand the name of Math U See.

[bethben]

Anything that has a video for the teacher to learn how to teach the program or a bunch of chapters to explain how the program works(such as spelling power), I won't even look at. If it's not clear cut from the beginning, it's too complicated I feel. It's like having a huge manual on how to operate my camera - didn't ever look at it. I'm sure I'm not getting the full benefits from my camera, but I don't care - it can take some great pictures without me having to read the whole thing...

Beth

[EKS]

Anything that has a video for the teacher to learn how to teach the program or a bunch of chapters to explain how the program works(such as spelling power), I won't even look at. If it's not clear cut from the beginning, it's too complicated I feel.

 

This is so funny. I totally agree about Spelling Power. AAS is way more complicated in principle but Spelling Power has the video *and* zillions of chapters explaining everything.

[Guest]

Anything with pictures on the front of a smiling mother (all made up, beautifully groomed and expensively dressed) and child (equally well groomed) happily learning over paper and pencil. Oh, my! Isn't learning fun! Don't we all feel happy?

 

(End grump.)

[FlutterbyMommy]

I never looked at Abeka because I had an aunt who used it, who is quite lovely, but was the denim jumper, fundamentalist type. I associate it now as an old-school, denim jumper style program. I know it is very silly to do so.

 

Although I have heard great things about MFW, I was turned off by its looks when I saw it. To me, it looked like someone printed out pages with some standard clipart at home and bound it together. It seemed very homeade to me. It is silly that I wouldn't really consider it because of it's looks. It was very superficial of me.

 

I just have a big problem with how things are packaged. I look for substance of course, but am really drawn to clean graphics, clean font, and quality packaging.

 

I agree that Math U See sounds silly and looks silly.

[lollie010]

Although I have heard great things about MFW, I was turned off by its looks when I saw it. To me, it looked like someone printed out pages with some standard clipart at home and bound it together. It seemed very homeade to me. It is silly that I wouldn't really consider it because of it's looks. It was very superficial of me.

 

Don't even get me started on bad clip art. My eyes can't take it.

[crl]

I would never look at Spell to Write and Read and it was pure stubborn pride. :blush:

 

When I started Homeschooling, there was this lady who told me I should be using it and she should know because she was a former school teacher. She then proceeded to grill me on my other curriculum and let me know that I would need her help someday, and she was the "go to" person for that group of women because she was a certified teacher. :glare:

 

As for other curriculum, I'm going to admit something else. . .I steered clear from MFW up until this semester because it was THE curriculum at my old church. :blush: I wish I hadn't been so stubborn on this one, but I really do hate it when you have these groups that try and FORCE their curriculum on you. If you don't use the curriculum d'jour, there's something wrong with you. It just turns me off.

 

Anyway, I'm over that now. I'll eat crow and say MFW is great. Just don't tell anyone from that church :scared:

 

Dorinda

 

 

I was this way with TWTM. I wish I had gotten over it and bought the book a lot sooner than I did. While we don't use all of it, we do enjoy most of the suggestions and options listed.

[Caribbean Queen]

I didn't like the title of The Well Trained Mind and the man on the cover of the first edition looked like he could be insane. I did not like it.

 

I finally read it and it and it is a good book.

[Storm Bay]

Anything that has a video for the teacher to learn how to teach the program or a bunch of chapters to explain how the program works(such as spelling power), I won't even look at. If it's not clear cut from the beginning, it's too complicated I feel. It's like having a huge manual on how to operate my camera - didn't ever look at it. I'm sure I'm not getting the full benefits from my camera, but I don't care - it can take some great pictures without me having to read the whole thing...

Beth

:iagree: The funny thing is that I loved Spelling Power for my eldest, but I had no idea there was a video to teach me how to use it. Either that or the video is newer. This is one of the main reasons, besides cost, that I shy away from IEP. As for MUS, once I got past the name, I let my dc watch the videos/DVDs as the teaching.

[angela in ohio]

Anything that has a video for the teacher to learn how to teach the program or a bunch of chapters to explain how the program works(such as spelling power), I won't even look at. If it's not clear cut from the beginning, it's too complicated I feel. It's like having a huge manual on how to operate my camera - didn't ever look at it. I'm sure I'm not getting the full benefits from my camera, but I don't care - it can take some great pictures without me having to read the whole thing...

Beth

 

I'm the opposite. I prefer a program that teaches me how to teach rather than making me rely on buying more and more materials.

 

Of course, I dislike SP for other reasons. :tongue_smilie:

[stripe]

I didn't like the title of The Well Trained Mind and the man on the cover of the first edition looked like he could be insane. I did not like it.

 

I finally read it and it and it is a good book.

I had the exact same reaction, except it was the boy who scared me.

[caitlinsmom]

I dislike HWT paper and the font. My kids like it so we use it but I shudder anytime I have to look at the book.

[Guest]

I LOVE HWT paper! But my older two had severe line confusion so I love it cause it saved my sanity and theirs! I can't stand overly religious content in non-religious courses. Save religion for the parent to decide how and when to teach, KWIM? This really bothers me because some of the best/rigourous resources are that way. R&S, Apologia... My sons will not even tolerate it.

 

I squeak by with CLE Math because it isn't so heavy.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Anything with pictures on the front of a smiling mother (all made up, beautifully groomed and expensively dressed) and child (equally well groomed) happily learning over paper and pencil. Oh, my! Isn't learning fun! Don't we all feel happy?

 

(End grump.)

 

 

You mean to say you all don't look like that? That bursts my bubble!

Edited April 7, 2010 by The Dragon Academy

[SproutMamaK]

I'd never heard of Abeka, but I cna't bring myself to use it - the first things I read about it were all about how great the videos are, how long they are for this subject and that, etc. I did the math and realized my 5 year old would be in front of a TV for WAY too long. And now I KNOW that there are Abeka books and more interactive options, but I jsut can't get past that initial turn-off.

 

Aside from that, I thought all you Comic Sans haters would get a kick out of this (the second and third photos).

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2010/03/30/completely-valid-rebuttals

[Storm Bay]

I LOVE HWT paper! But my older two had severe line confusion so I love it cause it saved my sanity and theirs! .

 

 

That happened with my ds. All those lines in Zaner Bloser and ETC were confusing. HWT lines are much easier. (although he did ask to learn "normal" cursive recently, now that he's finished all of the HWT books.)

[Momma H]

I am not a big fan reading Usborne books aloud to my kids. I do think the illustrations are wonderful but it just feels a bit chaotic to read them outloud.

Stacey

[Momma H]

And it also bugs me that the new in thing to do with books in general is to put a box on EACH page that quotes something already written in the body of the text. It is like those radio commercials that repat what is being said in a voice that sounds like it is on the phone or something.

Stacey

[radiobrain]

I am a complete font snob, except that I don't know the names of the fonts I hate, so I suppose I am not a font geek.

 

I couldn't stand the font in OPGTR, and is why we couldn't use it. I wonder about the thought process that picked a font where capital Is looked like lowercase Ls. My son would say LLL whenever he saw it.

 

I am a very visual person, so I almost scream when I come across curric. that are all words. Words and words and words. I need a little zing. (If I am reading a novel, that is different. )

 

But I like to teach with graphic novels and comic books...so take that with a grain of salt. ;)

 

Comic fonts are awful. I hated that in the shakespeare for kids books they included kids writings in crayonesque font WITH spelling errors included. I would not have cared if it was the actual writing of the kid, but it was typed up by someone and they CHOSE to keep them in there (or maybe insert them?) Hello, it is called an EDITOR!! I'm sure the kid would prefer to correct their own spelling... ugh

 

what am I babbling about.... :confused:

[radiobrain]

Actually, so many things bug me I am surprised I can get though life!

[OnTheBrink]

Anything at all from Usborne. The overcrowded, manic graphic layout drives all of us bonkers !

 

ditto ditto and ditto!

[BearWallowSchool]

And it also bugs me that the new in thing to do with books in general is to put a box on EACH page that quotes something already written in the body of the text. It is like those radio commercials that repat what is being said in a voice that sounds like it is on the phone or something

Stacey

 

:iagree: I hate this! When I see boxes, I think "additional information". I'm always irritated when I find out I've re-read what I've already read.

[Heather in VA]

Actually, so many things bug me I am surprised I can get though life!

 

LOL!!! I can relate to this !!

[FlockOfSillies]

Yeah, nothing screams "I wrote this curriculum in MS Word using all the defaults EXCEPT Times New Roman and then took it to Kinko's to have it printed, now pay me $50" like Comic Sans!

[FlockOfSillies]

"Open and go" doesn't mean dumbed-down; it means "Don't waste time running all over the place getting the resources or supplies you need." But that's kind of a mouthful, so "open and go" it is.

[FlockOfSillies]

Ah, but see, that's not a silly reason. It has to do with the structure of the program.