Catholic homeschoolers-what curricula do you use

[jillian]

So at the risk of being redundant, what do you use for your core subjects? Do you try to weave. Catholicism throughout or do you just go with Catholic beliefs in "religion"? Does it change as your kids get older; in other words do you lessen on the interweaving of the faith through all subjects as your child moves up in grades and address it only when discussing particular things? Or do you change from using all Catholic curricula to a mix? Dd is young but we are starting to research and wondering what those who have gone before me have done. Open to critques and raves

[Faithr]

I mostly put my own stuff together, but some years I utilize more of one particular curriculum provider than others. The Last couple of years I've come to rely most heavily on CHC in the younger years (with my own eclectic add ons or spin on their plans) and then in the older years Kolbe (done the same way).

[zookeeperof3]

For the last three years I've been adding Catholic content to our Bible based curriculum....and it's made me feel like Catholicism was just another subject to get through. I really want my children and myself to live our faith every day, not just read a page from a catechism book and move on to the next thing. As my oldest (11) has gotten older, it's gotten harder to pre-read all of his books for anti-Catholic content.

 

For the upcoming school year for our 6th and pre-k/k children, we are doing CHC as written for the pre-k/k child. For the 6th grader CHC Stories of the Saints, Image of God and Catholic Textbook Project's All Ye Lands books. I'm using Connecting with History to flesh it out the reading lists and for memory work. We use Hillside's Intermediate Language Lessons and will move on to their Lingua Mater for 7th grade.

Blessings,

Kim

[Caitilin]

Seton, Catholic Heritage Curriculum, Kolbe Academy, Mother of Divine Grace are all faithful Catholic programs with many good resources to look at. Also Mater Amabilis has some lovely CM-style recommendations. :)

[Crimson Wife]

If you haven't already acquired copies of Designing Your Own Classical Catholic Curriculum by Laura Berquist and For the Love of Literature by Maureen Wittmann, I highly recommend doing so. Their reading lists are awesome! Also, I love the reading lists at Mater Amabilis.

 

I haven't been terribly impressed by most of the Catholic materials I've tried in core academic subjects. Language of God from CHC was a nice little supplement to FLL 1/2 but wouldn't have been enough on its own. The 1962 edition of Voyages in English was a huge miss. Some of the Seton workbooks have been good as supplements in LA but again I wouldn't want them as my main program. The History Links unit I tried on Ancient Israel I found hard to use.

 

We are going to be using From Sea to Shining Sea as our "spine" for American History the next 2 years. I have the book already and am fairly impressed by it upon preview. I plan to use Light to the Nations as "spine" for world history for my DD the next time through the cycle.

 

Lingua Mater looks good but while I think my DD could probably handle the grammar, the writing portion is way too advanced for her.

 

I really like the looks of Kolbe's literature courses but the steep price has kept me from taking the plunge thus far.

[jillian]

Seton, Catholic Heritage Curriculum, Kolbe Academy, Mother of Divine Grace are all faithful Catholic programs with many good resources to look at. Also Mater Amabilis has some lovely CM-style recommendations. :)

Yeah I've looked at all the previous curricula but I am having trouble discerning if the materials (with the exception of a lot of Seton's materials) are truly Catholic. I have checked the "pitfalls" list that was posted in the other thread about Catholic history and realized some of these programs do require a bit more of an in depth look iykwim.

If you haven't already acquired copies of Designing Your Own Classical Catholic Curriculum by Laura Berquist and For the Love of Literature by Maureen Wittmann, I highly recommend doing so. Their reading lists are awesome! Also, I love the reading lists at Mater Amabilis.

 

I haven't been terribly impressed by most of the Catholic materials I've tried in core academic subjects. Language of God from CHC was a nice little supplement to FLL 1/2 but wouldn't have been enough on its own. The 1962 edition of Voyages in English was a huge miss. Some of the Seton workbooks have been good as supplements in LA but again I wouldn't want them as my main program. The History Links unit I tried on Ancient Israel I found hard to use.

 

We are going to be using From Sea to Shining Sea as our "spine" for American History the next 2 years. I have the book already and am fairly impressed by it upon preview. I plan to use Light to the Nations as "spine" for world history for my DD the next time through the cycle.

 

Lingua Mater looks good but while I think my DD could probably handle the grammar, the writing portion is way too advanced for her.

 

I really like the looks of Kolbe's literature courses but the steep price has kept me from taking the plunge thus far.

I need to pick up DYOCC but haven't checked out For the Love of Literature yet (will do that). I have just started exploring the Mater website.

 

We plan on using CHC's materials (some of them) for preschool because they seem to be a bit behind and/or easier than some of the other curricula out there.

 

I am LOVING Kolbe and have since I first looked at it. We could only do it if I had help from some of the grandparents

 

I will admit some of my issues are that Seton has Apologia as an alternate resource. While the material is VERY sound I don't know how easy it would be to alternate some of the contradictory information (like the young earth stance). I did find out they have an elementary level anatomy/physiology course now! Excited about that lol

[Violet Crown]

So at the risk of being redundant, what do you use for your core subjects? Do you try to weave. Catholicism throughout or do you just go with Catholic beliefs in "religion"?

 

Really, neither. Since we began hs'ing, I've never ceased to be put off by how both Protestant and Catholic hs'ers try to "Christianize" or "Catholicize" subjects. Strategies range from putting random Bible verses on math worksheets, to using sentences for grammar study that tell the story of persecutions, to studying only/primarily art with religious subjects ... and don't get me started on history. :D

 

The Venerable Newman--soon to be beatified!--took a much different approach to integrating the disciplines of an education. I would urge reading The Idea of a University (you can get a little sense of it here in a lecture by the formidable Alisdair MacIntyre). I follow my own grade-school version of this by (a) living as Catholics, not in the very self-conscious way that I feel is promoted by curricula that slather on Catholicism as a kind of frosting; (b) teaching catechism as a subject at a young age; and © teaching theology (or really leading the student to books and teachers that can do so) at high school age. For the rest, I let the math be math, etc.

 

Hope this made sense.:)

[newhsmommy]

Tapestry of Grace and add religion supplements. I also belong to a site that gives the heads up on anything that is not within te Catholic Teachings. I have only had to make a few very minor adjustments. I educate my kids to give them a classical and very solid educational foundation. Through family traditions and our own religion studies I fulfill being a Catholic family.

[sagira]

I use what's in my signature currently, and next year more of the same with a few changes (notably math). We inevitably talk about our morals, values and faith when we deal with History and Literature. The rest is handled via CCD at our church. He loves "church class" :)

[Faithr]

I agree with Sharon in Austin to a large extent. That's one of the reasons I've never been able to do one curriculum provider all the way (also my kids just don't fit into grade levels, they're all over the place.) But to me it seems to be brainwashing to make everything, no matter how artificially connected, somehow Catholic. If I did all of Seton, not only would all the workbooks kill any love of learning but we'd get sick to death of their beating-Catholicism-into-your-head method of catechizing.

 

On the other hand, I don't want my kids to think that Catholicism is just another subject to study. I do want to incorporate it somewhat into our studies. Being Catholic means having a certain worldview and I'd like that worldview to show through in how we learn. Now lots of our faith can be incorporated into our learning simply by living out our faith and talking about it a lot. But I do like to have one or two subjects that are written from the aspect of the Catholic faith. For one thing it often sparks conversation which leads to deeper learning and for another it seems to be a more holistic way of actually teaching the faith.

 

So while I never could do all of Seton, I don't mind maybe using one of their Health books and maybe their handwriting books one year with a particular student. Another year (this year!) we might use CHC's Spelling book which is actually quite clever in how it teaches spelling and catechism together. Spelling isn't just an arbitrary list of words but actually contributes to the child learning a certain Catholic vocabulary. The student doesn't just learn how to look up a word in a dictionary, but also learns how to look up something in the Bible and the Catechism. So I like to blend both secular and Catholic stuff very eclectically and in an individualized way that suits the student for a particular year.

 

I like CHC because every single thing that I've ever tried from them has been a hit with kids. My kids just connect really well with it. And I disagree that their grammar isn't enough. There is no reason to drill, drill, drill grammar into a young child's head. You have review the darn stuff over and over again for 8 years that way. A light touch often makes a much longer lasting impression. At least for my kids, it works better that way.

 

I like Kolbe because it doesn't hit you over the head the way Seton does. I loved their Jr. high Lit program. You read classics good books (and some saint books) and then you analyze them, using a Catholic worldview. Very well done.

 

Blessings,

 

Faith

[Avila]

I guess it depends on how you Catholicize something.

 

When we do history, we add in the saints from the time period and we make sure the worldview presented is a balanced one. Sometimes that means taking out some things and sometimes that means we add in resources to share the Catholic viewpoint. I also often take questions from a Catholic textbook or study guide for discussion and writing prompts to make sure that we are internalizing the material. I don't see any of that as artificial or inserting something in that doesn't fit or shouldn't be there.

 

OTOH, one of the reasons I haven't been able to choose a Catholic provider and just go with it is that sense of overkill. So I use some secular, some Catholic and some Christian resources, and we have an eclectic mix that, to me, feels balanced and right.

[iwka]

In the past I was very eclectic (Singapore Math, SOTW, Apologia, TOG, plus tons of other stuff including trying Charlotte Mason approach), now we are using predominantly CLAA. I was looking for a "logic-centered" classical liberal arts curriculum, with Catholic faith being a source and foundation, that was my quest.

[jillian]

I guess it depends on how you Catholicize something.

 

When we do history, we add in the saints from the time period and we make sure the worldview presented is a balanced one. Sometimes that means taking out some things and sometimes that means we add in resources to share the Catholic viewpoint. I also often take questions from a Catholic textbook or study guide for discussion and writing prompts to make sure that we are internalizing the material. I don't see any of that as artificial or inserting something in that doesn't fit or shouldn't be there.

 

OTOH, one of the reasons I haven't been able to choose a Catholic provider and just go with it is that sense of overkill. So I use some secular, some Catholic and some Christian resources, and we have an eclectic mix that, to me, feels balanced and right.

This is why I really like Kolbe (except I don't know much about Harcourt science). I LOVE the information though in Apologia elementary texts (minus the "young earth" philosophy).

[lauracolumbus]

Most of our curricula is non-Catholic. When I've tried Catholic material it hasn't worked--VIE, RC Connecting w/History, for one reason or another. However, as my kids get older, I'm finding that I wish I could do a better job of integrating our faith throughout all of our subjects rather than as a separate subject.

 

Laura

[Avila]

This is why I really like Kolbe (except I don't know much about Harcourt science). I LOVE the information though in Apologia elementary texts (minus the "young earth" philosophy).

 

Kolbe and MODG come closest for me too. We would really like to enroll by the end of middle school, so I keep researching and talking to my friends who are enrolled.

[mommydearest]

Really, neither. Since we began hs'ing, I've never ceased to be put off by how both Protestant and Catholic hs'ers try to "Christianize" or "Catholicize" subjects. Strategies range from putting random Bible verses on math worksheets, to using sentences for grammar study that tell the story of persecutions, to studying only/primarily art with religious subjects ... and don't get me started on history. :D

 

The Venerable Newman--soon to be beatified!--took a much different approach to integrating the disciplines of an education. I would urge reading The Idea of a University (you can get a little sense of it here in a lecture by the formidable Alisdair MacIntyre). I follow my own grade-school version of this by (a) living as Catholics, not in the very self-conscious way that I feel is promoted by curricula that slather on Catholicism as a kind of frosting; (b) teaching catechism as a subject at a young age; and © teaching theology (or really leading the student to books and teachers that can do so) at high school age. For the rest, I let the math be math, etc.

 

Hope this made sense.:)

 

 

Wow! This is exactly how I feel, although I've never been able to put it into words. Thanks for sharing!

[nikhen]

Tapestry of Grace and add religion supplements. I also belong to a site that gives the heads up on anything that is not within te Catholic Teachings. I have only had to make a few very minor adjustments. I educate my kids to give them a classical and very solid educational foundation. Through family traditions and our own religion studies I fulfill being a Catholic family.

 

 

 

What is the site that you belong to-it sounds like something I would be interested in. Thanks!

[ElizabethB]

I am a Protestant, but I find the online Catholic Encyclopedia useful at times, it has information you will not see anywhere else. For instance, their piece on the French revolution talks about the ?sp decadaire persecution, where a state sabbath every 10th day was instituted and those who did not follow it were persecuted.

[Soror]

I am new to this so still trying to flesh out what we like and what we don't like. Like some pp's I don't necessarily want Catholic math and such but I want it to be a strong part of our day. My thoughts for my soon to be 6 y.o. K'er.

 

Math- Right Start

Reading- Reading Reflex

Writing- Handwriting w/out Tears

Recitation/Copywork- Harp and Laurel Wreath

Latin- Song School Latin

Science- Handbook Nature Study/ BFSU

Geography- Galloping the Globe

ARt- Discovering Great ARtists-Child Sized Masterpieces

History- Studying based on holidays and such w/ some living books thrown in appropriate to those holidays and seasons

 

Religion-A Year w/ God- Celebrating through the Liturgical Year- will be interwoven w/ our history study

Tomie dePaola bible stories, A Book of Saints, etc

[asta]

Really, neither. Since we began hs'ing, I've never ceased to be put off by how both Protestant and Catholic hs'ers try to "Christianize" or "Catholicize" subjects. Strategies range from putting random Bible verses on math worksheets, to using sentences for grammar study that tell the story of persecutions, to studying only/primarily art with religious subjects ... and don't get me started on history. :D

 

This is, by far, my biggest gripe with homeschooling.

 

My grandmothers were two of the most faithful, religious people you could ever have met. Neither was homeschooled nor went to parochial school. The entirety of their religious "formation" came from the way their families lived their faith and the manner in which they were raised. It had nothing whatsoever to do with bible verses on math sheets or history books from a "particular" point of view.

 

I realize my view may be offensive to many people, but I feel that this modern need to "religious-ize" every aspect of formal education is like slapping a layer of frosting on a cookie and calling it a cupcake. It's not a cupcake. A cupcake is a complex recipe requiring the binding of proteins and a chemical reaction between baking powder and lactic acid (milk) to make it rise. A cookie is a lump of butter and flour that goes bleh on a cookie sheet when you get it hot. One is the "real deal", the other is window dressing.

 

Can you tell this subject really bothers me? I'll be quiet now.

 

 

a

[woolybear]

Literature for a Young Lady over at Serendipity looks really nice (for Catholics or not.:))

 

http://ebeth.typepad.com/serendipity/2009/07/announcing-literature-for-a-young-lady.html

[Violet Crown]

This is, by far, my biggest gripe with homeschooling.

 

My grandmothers were two of the most faithful, religious people you could ever have met. Neither was homeschooled nor went to parochial school. The entirety of their religious "formation" came from the way their families lived their faith and the manner in which they were raised. It had nothing whatsoever to do with bible verses on math sheets or history books from a "particular" point of view.

 

I realize my view may be offensive to many people, but I feel that this modern need to "religious-ize" every aspect of formal education is like slapping a layer of frosting on a cookie and calling it a cupcake. It's not a cupcake. A cupcake is a complex recipe requiring the binding of proteins and a chemical reaction between baking powder and lactic acid (milk) to make it rise. A cookie is a lump of butter and flour that goes bleh on a cookie sheet when you get it hot. One is the "real deal", the other is window dressing.

 

Can you tell this subject really bothers me? I'll be quiet now.

 

 

a

Preach it, sister! :D

[jillian]

I guess I just look at it as wanting to see what happens in other families and what they use. We personally aren't either way except that we will pick the most suitable materials for dd; if that happens to be something heavily Catholic then that is an option we will take, if the options are tied between between secular and Catholic we will go with a secular one and incorporate Catholicsm where necessary (e.g. history or science).

[tiredbuthappy]

 

I realize my view may be offensive to many people, but I feel that this modern need to "religious-ize" every aspect of formal education is like slapping a layer of frosting on a cookie and calling it a cupcake. It's not a cupcake. A cupcake is a complex recipe requiring the binding of proteins and a chemical reaction between baking powder and lactic acid (milk) to make it rise. A cookie is a lump of butter and flour that goes bleh on a cookie sheet when you get it hot. One is the "real deal", the other is window dressing.

 

a

 

 

 

 

ROFL!!! I love the analogy! :lol: :lol: Especially the bolded part!

 

For what it's worth, we have been enrolled in Seton for two years. We are switching next year. They are fine and challenging, but too many workbooks, too dry and yes, smathered with "frosting". I really don't even notice the religious pictures all over the math books anymore, but everything is entrenched in catechism. The English lessons (of which there are a lot of drills) are catechism lessons in and of themselves! I learn things I never knew and I went to Catholic school for 13 years! I don't even think my school taught that much religion! It is a good approach for some, but as many of you have said, we want to teach our Faith through our lives and the necessary catechism lessons, but we, too, want Math to just be Math, and HWing to just be HWing!

[4besitos]

We use Mater Amabilis. What I have found to be most helpful for weaving in Catholic teachings is to go heavy on following the Liturgical Calendar, Saint of the Day (this is also our globe geography), concentrating on learning the prayers. My children have really enjoyed the Feast Day celebrations. I tried to do 2 Feast day celebrations a month. One just with our family and one with a family we invited. Our Co-Op also picks some to host as well the church where our Co-Op is located. If you really like a certain Saint....spend more time learning about him/her. We did a month of St. Francis as our library had a ton of children's books on him. We also try and participate in 3 community service projects.

[Faithr]

4besitos, you have inspired me! I try to live the liturgical year but I burn out on overdoing it. Limiting it to just two a mont to really focus on is a great idea.

 

I love Mater Amabilis too. It is a GREAT resource!

[KinderSafari]

I am happy with the basics of education (all we have time for?), and would like more time, but it's where we're at.

 

What we do do, is all get up together and meet at 7:30 to start our short prayer/reading time together. We read something chacter or faith-building, says some rote prayers, some personal prayers, sometimes sing a song or two.

 

Favorite books over the years for all of us have been the Saints and Heroes series by Amy Welborn. Helps us historically learn of saints lives, see they were real people too, and inspires us to try to live virtuously. It's a good way to start the day. Also read through the thick Book of Virtues by William Bennett (excellent variety of stories).

 

I guess I don't see the need to Catholcize or Christianize every subject. We talk about character, behavior, and responsibility (to ourselves and God) throughout the day, but I don't feel the need for these things to be written in every textbook.

 

By the way - my current favorite general curriculum:

Apologia science - seems the right balance of science and an occasional faith-filled comment (like: and isn't this interesting that this point is in the Bible as well?) :)

 

Also love Story of the World

Saxon with DIVE CD (my kids need the auditory part of the lesson)

Explode the Code for beginning readers/writers

[zaichiki]

When we do history, we add in the saints from the time period and we make sure the worldview presented is a balanced one. Sometimes that means taking out some things and sometimes that means we add in resources to share the Catholic viewpoint.

 

This is our approach, too.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

(not Catholic, but never able to pass up a thread about curriculum)

 

Asta, I love what you said.

 

I took my mother with me to a homeschool convention. We are Christians, and she is very supportive of homeschooling, but the curriculum hall really bothered her!

 

She didn't know why absolutely everything was labeled "Christian." I think the effect on her was that she felt her own public school education was being disparaged, as if she were supposed to think that she had not received the "right" tools for life but instead was left in darkness and sin with secular math books.

 

When she saw the booth with "A Reason for Handwriting" and "A Reason for Spelling," her annoyance turned to amusement. (She didn't understand that RHW is about copying Bible verses, she just saw the "Christian" label on it.)

 

She said, loud enough for everyone around to hear, "Amy, what makes that spelling book, 'Christian?' Do they leave out the swear words that are in the spelling lists for the secular kids?"

 

:lol:

 

People just stared. I said, "Mom, I think its time for lunch." And steered her out the door.

 

On the way home she said that she wished she could have homeschooled us, and she was glad her grandkids were being homeschooled, but she was concerned about the vibe of the convention. Everything was so heavy and important, and religious, and narrow. She hoped I would remember that many, many Christians in America's past were educated with traditional and secular materials and did not need a "Christian" spelling book to keep their faith.

[Faithr]

Ah, but back in the olden days educational materials were steeped in the Judeo-Christian worldview, so they didn't have to be labeled as Christian because they already were! Nowadays, things are labeled Christian to show that they are different from the secular, godless and relativistic worldview that permeates our society now. I know this because one reason why Catholic schools started was due to the fact that a Protestant form of Christianity was pushed in public schools. Catholics felt that their children were being evangelized away from the Catholic faith via the public schools. The reason why Christians began homeschooling back in 70's in the first place was due to evolution and sex ed. The schools had changed and were no longer coming from a Protestant worldview. Part of that is probably good because public schools are now open to all peoples of faith or of none, but on the other hand what has taken over is valuelessness or the embracing and pushing of relativism and anything that is trendy. That's why the curricula providers are trying so hard to appeal to Christians or Catholics because so many who homeschool are seeking an education that supports and does not tear down their most cherished beliefs.

 

I don't like heavy-handed, over the top proselytizing in educational materials either but I can definitely see WHY it is like that.

[Guest Cozumel]

September will be my first attempt at homeschooling, and so far I've been disappointed with the Catholic materials I've seen. I find that many are cheesy in their attempt to force connections between Catholicism and the subject at hand, and most are just plain boring. So much stuff looks like it's still stuck in the '50s with the old fonts and pictures.

 

I'm also wondering how others are incorporating catechism in their plans. So far I bought a Faith and Life book which looks good, but I also like the suggestion about following the liturgical calendar. How do you incorporate Bible study and apologetics? I've thought about just using the Sunday readings so I don't overwhelm the 6 and 9 yo. They're probably too young for apologetics, but dd's friends have brought up objections for her to answer. Any other ideas out there?:bigear:

[Faithr]

I don't find Kolbe particularly 'cheesy.'

 

CHC is good to pick and choose from, they have wonderful resources for living the liturgical year. I don't like going with all of their curriculum because it can get a little over the top, but using bits and pieces works well for us.

 

Also, have you looked at Mater Amabilis?

 

What I try to do is begin each day with reading some aloud. Mondays we read Bible stories/history, T, W, Th can be be reading Faith and Life or St. Joseph's Balto catechism or focusing on a saint's story for that week. Friday is for the Sunday mass readings.

[Guest Cozumel]

I don't find Kolbe particularly 'cheesy.'

 

CHC is good to pick and choose from, they have wonderful resources for living the liturgical year. I don't like going with all of their curriculum because it can get a little over the top, but using bits and pieces works well for us.

 

Also, have you looked at Mater Amabilis?

 

What I try to do is begin each day with reading some aloud. Mondays we read Bible stories/history, T, W, Th can be be reading Faith and Life or St. Joseph's Balto catechism or focusing on a saint's story for that week. Friday is for the Sunday mass readings.

 

Any particular books/series you especially liked?

[jillian]

I don't find Kolbe particularly 'cheesy.'

 

CHC is good to pick and choose from, they have wonderful resources for living the liturgical year. I don't like going with all of their curriculum because it can get a little over the top, but using bits and pieces works well for us.

 

Also, have you looked at Mater Amabilis?

 

What I try to do is begin each day with reading some aloud. Mondays we read Bible stories/history, T, W, Th can be be reading Faith and Life or St. Joseph's Balto catechism or focusing on a saint's story for that week. Friday is for the Sunday mass readings.

I love the look of Kolbe especially for when dd gets a bit older. I am using some CHC fit the preschool ages but I hear a lot of their materials are a little "below" grade level so we have to see how they are actually a fit for dd.

 

I am using Mater Amabilis as a guide for us right now to see what sort of materials I want to put together and check out from the library

[MyFourSons]

Any particular books/series you especially liked?

 

www.materamabilis.org is the site for Mater Amabilis, they have free booklists and reading schedules for a Catholic CM approach. I belong to their yahoo group and their creators are very Orthodox, I completely trust their history and science selections so it gives me piece of mind. Tons of great living books without any anti-Catholic bias. They started in Britain, so they have "levels" or "years" instead of grades. I also use quite a few of their religion suggestions.

[Faithr]

I like Kolbe for the older grades too. We did 8th grade last year and this coming year another son is going to do 6th grade with them. I just got the lessons plans and have been looking through them and organizing things. I love, love, love the literature guides. We also like the vocabulary and composition, the religion, and the science. We're also doing the MCP Word Study and Maps workbooks as well. We're doing our own history grammar and Latin.

 

CHC has many wonderful resources. We have loved many of their religion selections. My younger ones loved the Devotional Stories for Little Folks. They'd beg for me to read them out loud. We also have enjoyed King of the Golden City. Wow, what a profound book, my kids really learned from it. They have many good suggestions and fun ways to incorporate the liturgical year. A Year with God is a great resource. We also liked CHC's spelling for my late blooming son and their very clever handwriting books. I also like the way they present science. The Behold and See book for 3rd grade is wonderful. I've heard they've come out with a science text for 4th grade which I need to look into. I have a feeling my 4th grader is just going to listen in and observe the 6th grader's science.

 

Mater Amabilis is a treasure trove! We have used many of their suggestions over the years. The only two that didn't work out for us were the H.E. Marshall books. My children didn't care for them for some reason. And also my preteens didn't care for the Prove It books. But countless other suggestions were wonderful for us and still are! I think it is a great resource.

[Murphy101]

See my blog links! Too many kids being homeschooled here to type it all in all the time.;)

 

For info on our high schooling journey, you'd have to PM me for the password on that seperate blog.:D

[Guest Cozumel]

Thanks for your suggestions everyone! I've checked out these links before, but I'll take another look at some of your recommendations.

[MyFourSons]

September will be my first attempt at homeschooling, and so far I've been disappointed with the Catholic materials I've seen. I find that many are cheesy in their attempt to force connections between Catholicism and the subject at hand, and most are just plain boring. So much stuff looks like it's still stuck in the '50s with the old fonts and pictures.

 

I'm also wondering how others are incorporating catechism in their plans. So far I bought a Faith and Life book which looks good, but I also like the suggestion about following the liturgical calendar. How do you incorporate Bible study and apologetics? I've thought about just using the Sunday readings so I don't overwhelm the 6 and 9 yo. They're probably too young for apologetics, but dd's friends have brought up objections for her to answer. Any other ideas out there?:bigear:

 

Hi there! I worked as a teacher in a Catholic school for several years, so I know what you mean about some textbooks being "boring." I am not really fond of using textbooks myself, I am using an ecclectic approach implementing suggestions from LCC by Andrew Campbell, Mater Amabilis, and other Charlotte Mason sources along with some "unschooling" activities thrown in from time to time.

 

For our catechism, we are also using the Faith and Life series along with the Balitmore catechism.

 

For our Bible study, I am planning on using the Child's Bible History by Knecht with my 8 and 9 year old. It is a simplified version of the Child's Bible History by Schuster, which is a bit more in depth. Both of these were recommended for Catholics in LCC, but the author also suggested Christian Studies from Memoria Press. This is a study guide/workbook approach, and it is in three different levels. The author of LCC recommends using them starting in first grade. I haven't seen them myself, but Andrew Campbell is Catholic and I think that although the books aren't "catholic," they would work well for any denomination. For my 3 and 5 year old, we simply read stories from a Catholic picture Bible. Here is a pamphlet that schedules out readings from the Bible and Catechism for an entire year if you wanted to come up with your own program:

 

http://www.chnetwork.org/readguide04.pdf

 

For the liturgical year, we are using Catholic Mosaic by Cay Gibson as a family. It has literature suggestions for each month that correspond with the liturgical season as well as any feast days or holy days that take place. Each book suggestion has discussion questions and activity ideas. It is written in a very CM friendly way, I think it is going to be great. I have been able to find almost all the books through interlibrary loan or used on paperbackswap.com.

 

http://www.adoremusbooks.com/catholicmosaic-1.aspx

 

Another option for a liturgical year study is "A Year with God" from CHC. I haven't actually seen it myself, but it looks great. It is a bit pricier, and I'm not sure how easy the materials are to come by:

 

http://www.chcweb.com/catalog/AYearwithGodCelebratingtheLiturgicalYear/product_info.html

 

As far as apologetics, I simply discuss what other Christians believe when it is appropriate as we learn about Catholic doctrine.

 

I schedule religion as a daily subject. Twice a week we do Faith and Life with the Baltimore Catechism, we do Bible History twice a week, and then Catholic Mosaic once a week. It seems to work well for us.

 

HTH! This is our second year homeschooling, and I feel like I am finally getting the hang of it. Don't feel badly if you wind up changing your plans and rearranging things as you go along, it is hard to know exactly what will work for you and your family until you actually start teaching. I didn't discover LCC until this March, and so our homeschool is going to look dramatically different next year as a result. I highly recommend reading LCC to anyone who is interested in classical education.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

We just started our first year of officially homeschooling for first grade. (Although I used 100 EZ lesson 2 1/2 yrs ago to teach my oldest to read).

 

We're using:

Language Arts:

All About Spelling, Writing With Ease(reading the literature used in WWE), First Language Lessons 1

 

Math:

Right Start Math and Singapore Math

 

Religion:

I have Faith and Life, Image of God, St Josephs 1st Communion Catechism, and an old copy of Seton's Kindergarten Catechism. I haven't decided what of this I will do yet:)

 

Religion/History:

RC History Connect Volume 1: Ancient Times

We will study the Old Testament while studying ancient history. I ordered Jeff Cavin's Great Adventure Bible Study CD's for my husband and I to study while as well.

We will supplement w/ SOTW

 

Art:

Lots of how to draw books

Child Size Masterpieces

[zaichiki]

How do you incorporate Bible study and apologetics? I've thought about just using the Sunday readings so I don't overwhelm the 6 and 9 yo. They're probably too young for apologetics, but dd's friends have brought up objections for her to answer. Any other ideas out there?:bigear:

 

Check out the Friendly Defender cards here -

http://www.emmanuelbooks.com/product_detail.cfm?ID=915&OID=3683

 

We have the cards. The dc have been known to look at them in their free time.

 

Cheers!

[MyFourSons]

Check out the Friendly Defender cards here -

http://www.emmanuelbooks.com/product_detail.cfm?ID=915&OID=3683

 

We have the cards. The dc have been known to look at them in their free time.

 

Cheers!

 

These look great, thanks so much!

 

I've also been looking at the Connecting with History, it looks great. Everytime I think I've got what I'm doing settled, I come here and find something else I think I need!

[mbw0817]

I've always liked the looks of CWH as well, but I wonder how user-friendly it is. I hear it takes a lot of time to prepare for the lessons?? I wish there was a 4-volume series like SOTW written with Catholics in mind.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

I've always liked the looks of CWH as well, but I wonder how user-friendly it is. I hear it takes a lot of time to prepare for the lessons?? I wish there was a 4-volume series like SOTW written with Catholics in mind.

 

I prefer the chronology of SOTW, but I am going to use CWH as my spine this year specifically for the Old Testament study. I may feel the same way about Vol 2., because I imagine SOTW doesn't include the development of religious orders, etc... I just started reading How the Irish Saved Civilization, to further educate myself on the transition between ancient and medieval history. CWH is not as user friendly, but I'm still going to mesh the two together:) I was also a teacher for many years, and never could limit myself to one curriculum. I was always pulling from a variety of sources:)

 

Just a little comment regarding the 'over Catholicizing every curriculum piece'. I don't get into this at all. I want the pieces my children study with respect to the church to be beautiful like a fine piece of artwork. There are very few things from Seton and CHC that I like. I have found the Faith and Freedom readers beneficial for my son. He feel in love w/ Dick and Jane when he first learned how to read and loved those as well. The stories have good morals for him, so we use them between excellent literature choices. (This is a hoot for me, because I swore my children would never read from 'readers'.)

[mbw0817]

I prefer the chronology of SOTW, but I am going to use CWH as my spine this year specifically for the Old Testament study. I may feel the same way about Vol 2., because I imagine SOTW doesn't include the development of religious orders, etc... I just started reading How the Irish Saved Civilization, to further educate myself on the transition between ancient and medieval history. CWH is not as user friendly, but I'm still going to mesh the two together:) I was also a teacher for many years, and never could limit myself to one curriculum. I was always pulling from a variety of sources:)

 

Great point. That was where I was torn...it doesn't seem that there is anti-Catholic content in SOTW 1, but I doubt it discusses the Old Testament much either. Are you planning on purchasing all the books on the CWH booklist? I don't have the SOTW AG, but I wonder if any of the recommendations in it overlap with CWH.

[Sparkle]

I've used a mix of Catholic/Christian/secular sources over the years. The first few years we homeschooled we used Sonlight and replaced the Bible and missionary stories with Catholic materials. I've also used several Winter Promise programs with a few modifications. Nowadays I mainly pick and choose from a lot of various things.

 

Some Catholic materials I've used and liked:

The old (Lepanto) Voyages in English (for grammar)

CHC's Little Stories for Little Folks

CHC's Spellers (not my favorite but they're OK)

Our Pioneers and Patriots (for history)

The Old World and America (for history)

American History (OLVS text by Goebel)

My World of Neighbors (for geography - dated but still interesting)

The old Faith and Freedom readers w/color pictures

All Ye Lands (history)

Seton 1st & 2nd grade History FYC

Seton 5th grade Art FYC

Seton 5th grade Health FYC

Seton 1st grade Science FYC

CHC's Science 2 (Science for Little Folks)

Catholic Mosaic

CHC's Little Latin readers and workbooks

God Gave Me the Gift of Language (OLVS English)

Catholic Children's Treasure Box books

Seton Phonics 1 & 2 FYC

 

and, obviously lots of saint biographies/Fr. Lovasik books/Bible/sacrament prep/catechism, etc.

[zookeeperof3]

I'm using CHC & CWH for my rising 6th grader. I just got all of my books, so I'm in lesson planning heaven! CWH seems to be fairly easy to use...compared to TOG which I tried last year. CWH lays out all of your readings into units. They suggest 1-3 weeks per unit. There are planning sheets and suggestions. I only bought it for the memory / copy work selections, and for added Literature. My one pet peeve with CHC is the lack of literature.

 

Ii look at at this way...CHC is my "basic" curriculum and CWH is my "meaty extras" curriculum. I do plan to do only CWH for high school.

 

For my little one starting K we will be using CHC K program with Catholic Mosaic for Literature. I figure if I do one book study per month, then Catholic Mosaic will last 4 years!

 

Kim

who is a curriculum junkie

[zaichiki]

it doesn't seem that there is anti-Catholic content in SOTW 1.

 

a heads up for SOTW 2--

 

It's nice to add a Catholic point-of-view on Queens Elizabeth/Mary and Martin Luther/reformation.

 

Then, as you move forward in history there were so many influential Jesuit priests among the explorers/settlers, in positions of influence with many rulers, and (of course) saints.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

Great point. That was where I was torn...it doesn't seem that there is anti-Catholic content in SOTW 1, but I doubt it discusses the Old Testament much either. Are you planning on purchasing all the books on the CWH booklist? I don't have the SOTW AG, but I wonder if any of the recommendations in it overlap with CWH.

 

 

I did get many of them. I also got some of the SOTW recommendations, but plan on using the library for others. Some of the recs do overlap.

[HeidiD]

A few resources I like that I haven't seen mentioned yet:

 

Mondays With Mary

http://happyheartsmom.typepad.com/sweetness_and_light/mondays_with_mary/index.html

 

Remain In Me

http://www.sistersofmary.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139&Itemid=123

 

The Creative Catechist Planner

http://www.goodnewsplanners.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=ZSB

 

 

The Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger (I read somewhere that St. Therese's father read this aloud to his family.) Excellent background and prayers for living the liturgical year. My younger kids wouldn't be able to sit still for a read-aloud from this, :tongue_smilie:but good for independent reading for parents and highschoolers.

 

http://www.libers.com/liturgical_year.htm

 

 

Also I second the recs for Christian Studies, Catholic Mosaic, Literature For a Young Lady, Friendly Defenders, etc. I like Kolbe religion for high school and integrate Seton workbooks here and there for elementary grades. I strive to cultivate a Catholic "atmosphere" which I hope permeates our home, rather than include a little Catholicism as the "frosting" on individual subjects. We do use materials from non-Catholic publishers as necessity dictates.