Which would you say is more "fun"--WP, MFW, HOD, Sonlight?

[MommyInTraining]

I am trying to decide what we are going to use for this coming school year. I feel like we are in a rut and I want to use a curriculum that I look forward to everyday.

 

I was planning on using MFW ECC, partly because I thought it would be easiest to combine everyone.

 

I would love to hear what you all think....

[freeindeed]

If you're interested in hands-on activities, I would say Winter Promise. If you want to simply read and discuss, then I'd choose Sonlight.

[momof3treasures]

We used ECC last year and it was a very fun year for us! Fun crafts, songs, and dishes from around the world. My kids love to cook, so they really enjoyed helping prepare different dishes. I highly recommend it:)

[Holly]

We also had that "stuck in a rut" feeling this year. :tongue_smilie: I'm switching to HOD next year. I went with it because I like how the guide is laid out and I like that everything is covered. I looked closely at MFW, and there was still lots of boxes to fill in for the 3Rs. Planning was my downfall this year, so I loved that HOD has it all written in (and I love her choices!). After looking it over, the activities look perfect for my kids (and the supplies don't use hard-to-find items). I think they're going to have a great year.

 

I do like that MFW can be combined for bigger ages, but the lesson plans in HOD seem a much better fit for me. Maybe look at all of the plans to see what fits your teaching style?

[tinkhs]

We also had that "stuck in a rut" feeling this year. :tongue_smilie: I'm switching to HOD next year. I went with it because I like how the guide is laid out and I like that everything is covered. I looked closely at MFW, and there was still lots of boxes to fill in for the 3Rs. Planning was my downfall this year, so I loved that HOD has it all written in (and I love her choices!). After looking it over, the activities look perfect for my kids (and the supplies don't use hard-to-find items). I think they're going to have a great year.

 

I do like that MFW can be combined for bigger ages, but the lesson plans in HOD seem a much better fit for me. Maybe look at all of the plans to see what fits your teaching style?

 

We tried WP at the beginning of the year and had to send it back after about a month of trying to make it work. The activities didn't tie into anything we were reading and it just seemed choppy. We used Sonlight K after that for this year. I really liked the books and we had a fun year, but there weren't any activities to go with it.

 

Now we are going to try HOD in the fall. I am a little surprised that it is so complete without ordering extras like with Sonlight and WP. I'm really glad nothing will slip through my fingers since I'm still so new at this. The LAs, spelling words, poetry, narration questions, reading schedule, activities, copy work and math games are all in the guide. I've spent a lot of time reading through it and the activities are not only easy and use household items, but they tie into the story you are reading at the time.

 

I guess it really depends on how much hands-on you really want to do. I don't know anything about MFW.

[jubulibee]

I have used WP, MFW, and elements of Sonlight. HOD looks great, too. IMO, WP is the most fun. I did MFW ECC, and it was good, but not great. If you are wanting to stick with that theme, and you want more fun, WP's Children around the World might fit the bill. It also covers a large age range, especially if you add in the Older Learner's Guide (which I'm not sure if you would need to with your ages, but IDK).

 

I definitely looked forward daily to WP more than MFW. We loved the book selections, the activities, the notebooking, the style. That's my $0.02.

 

 

I am trying to decide what we are going to use for this coming school year. I feel like we are in a rut and I want to use a curriculum that I look forward to everyday.

 

I was planning on using MFW ECC, partly because I thought it would be easiest to combine everyone.

 

I would love to hear what you all think....

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I think HOD is the most fun.

I want to love WP but I just don't. The activities were over the top, not fun for me. Things like making Guy Fawkes dolls and burning them in a bonfire. The boys really loved this but it was a lot of work for me to make the dolls.

[DianeW88]

I think HOD is the most fun.

I want to love WP but I just don't. The activities were over the top, not fun for me. Things like making Guy Fawkes dolls and burning them in a bonfire. The boys really loved this but it was a lot of work for me to make the dolls.

 

Wow....you MADE the dolls??? I'm impressed. I would have just bought a couple of corn husk dolls from Michaels, put a nametag on them that said, "Guy Fawkes" and called it good. :lol:

 

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

[AngieW in Texas]

I thoroughly enjoyed SL the first time through each of the Cores (even though Core 5 took a lot adapting to get rid of the religious stuff) up through Core 7. Core 100 was also a very good Core, but I disagree with SL's labeling of it as high school level. I think it's perfect for 7th or 8th grade.

 

I experimented with Oak Meadow for my 9th grader this year and I've been happy with it. I'm going to use Oak Meadow for history and English for my rising 7th and 10th graders next year. I plan for my oldest to do almost all of her senior year at the community college.

[Himfirst]

I have used WP, MFW ECC, parts of Sonlight, and HOD. By far HOD has been the easiest to implement. It has fun activities which are quick and easy. Everything for the day is contained on 2 pages and there is no going to 3 different craft books and gathering supplies, etc.

 

MFW ECC was ok, but the book basket wasn't working for us and the worksheets were way to hard for my youngest. I see they've added some new books, which is probably nice though.

 

The book selections for WP and Sonlight are great, but WP had way too many choices for the box checker in me. I felt as if everything needed to be done, soooo not much actually got done. Sonlight has way too many read alouds for me.

 

All that said, I believe they are ALL great programs. It really depends on your style. Personally speaking, after years of trying everything under the sun, HOD is a very refreshing open-and-go program which is substantially more full than it appears. The activities/ experiments are so easy to do. EVERYTHING is scheduled for you, but if you prefer to use a few different things such as your LA/ math it is very easy to do. However, each person who answers will probably have a different opinion. So, ultimately you will have to truly look at yourself and what you realistically will do. God bless your decision making.

[sandra in va]

I'm like you, feeling the homeschool burn-out of spring and researching options for next year. I do think WP is a fun program...we didn't use the majority of the hands-on stuff, but it was nice to have the option. The books are colorful and fun and notebooking pages, movie ideas, and websites were great. We used AS 1, AS 2, and QAW. Tried Animal Worlds and didn't like it as much.

Edited May 24, 2010 by sandra in va

[siloam]

I am trying to decide what we are going to use for this coming school year. I feel like we are in a rut and I want to use a curriculum that I look forward to everyday.

 

I was planning on using MFW ECC, partly because I thought it would be easiest to combine everyone.

 

I would love to hear what you all think....

I have only use SL and WP, but WP would be my choice between those. I hear the schedule for MFW and HOD is lighter than WP and WP has a lighter reading schedule than SL, but with the hands on it can be just as heavy.

 

Heather