Hedgehogs4 Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Okay, i'm beginning to think I'm weird, but I just don't switch curriculum that much. I tend to choose carefully, pick what I think we will like, adjust those things until they're just right for us, and stay with it. We have always used living books, MUS, FLL, SOTW, Classical Conversations stuff, and Apologia science. the only thing i've had trouble landing on has been a good spelling program, but I think I've even got that nailed down now. oh, and i tried one brief foray into Abeka, and ran screaming from it with my hair on fire. :willy_nilly: (No insult to those of you who love it--i just have an aversion to their workbooks.) Â Is there anyone else here who isn't a curriculum-hopper? Am I weird? I see tons of stuff out there that look delicious, but I tend to think that if I try that, it might not work out like what we're doing, and then I'd really be hosed...you know, the ol' if it ain't broke don't fix it thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 You are still a Larvae! Hang around a little more and let us suck you in with all our discussions about The Latest and Greatest Curriculum That You Really Have To Have! :D Â Just kidding-it's great that you have found what's working and are sticking with it! Â Welcome! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I tend to ignore threads on the latest and greatest unless we are searching because something is not working. Good enough is good enough for me, until it stops working, I don't change. I've changed a couple of things, but for the most part, we are still using what I started using 4 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm not a hopper either... but it does take me a reeeeeeeeeeeaaaallllly long time to make a decision about a new subject, since I research it to death. But once I have made my decision, I'm really happy with what we are doing, whether it is a purchased curriculum or our own thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindie2dds Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 You are still a Larvae! Hang around a little more and let us suck you in with all our discussions about The Latest and Greatest Curriculum That You Really Have To Have! :D Â I fell victim to this! :lol: Â Seriously, I think I needed to find out what type of "school" I wanted to do with my girls, then it fell into place. I wanted to take advantage of living on a farm and using nature and art as part of our daily school. I didn't want a traditional school at home, but I kept buying workbooks. Then I happily found my direction and now I'm just nailing it down..... Â But we'll see in a couple of years! :D It's actually quite amusing to look back on my previous blog posts and see my indecision turning me around in circles. Â Glad you are comfortable with what you are doing too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't think you're weird, just LUCKY! Â You've been able to find things that work well for you. I think I've finally done that for us, but I'm one that prefers secular materials and they aren't as plentiful so I usually have to see if I can tweak the religion out of things especially science, that's been the hardest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I find what I like and that is what I like. I don't move on to other things because it has to be a really good fit for me to accept it in the first place. I may incorporate new things, but I rarely dump anything that I have taken on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfinbaby Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I somewhere around my 4th year homeschooling and I'm just now feeling like I've nailed down some subjects. I feel terrible for my oldest. I feel like he's the experiment. I'm going to do my best find what works for us and then put the blinders on. In my defense, we started out as unschoolers then branched out from there. I found TWTM in year 2 maybe, really committed to classical in 3 and decided on LCC in 4 - not because I LIKE to flail around but because I was exploring what was out there. Now that I have my philosophy nailed down I think I will have an easier time of it from there. Â I encourage my sitter (and anyone else who thinks they might homeschool) to start reading pre-children!! It's been quite a journey for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RecumbentHeart Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't want to be a hopper. I'm really wanting to nail stuff down before we really have to start but .. how do I really know until I've tried stuff? .. that's what makes me nervous. Also, I'm not nailed down on my philosophy of education .. that complicates things .. Â I'm hoping to have it all nailed down before 1st grade. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boushela Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Hi, Â New here but I've been homeschooling for about 5 years now. Just wanted to encourage you and let you know that you just have to find your own pace. Sometimes things that worked for other people will drive you crazy and vice versa. Just know that you've got time to get it right, and that you're give your kids the most beautiful gift by homeschooling them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't hop curriculum. I believe that when you look through those threads about how many programs have you owned that you'll notice that several of us that posted really high numbers have been homeschooling for a long time and have lots of kids. Â I do look at the new curriculum that becomes available. Why? B/c when I started homeschooling the options were slim. (I remember when Green Leaf Press's catalog was one of the few out there!) Most of the curricula available now were not available even 10-12 yrs ago. If I hadn't switched some of our choices, I would have done a disservice not only to my children, but to me. Â Every once in a while I find a new gem and I am extremely thankful that I did buy a new product (LLfLOTR is a very good example.) Some of time the new products are duds and they either get sold or sit on my shelf collecting dust. Â I don't think it is a good idea to trust the mob mentality on this forum. There are lots of things that get hyped here that I really think are fine but not the end all be all (Singapore and MM for example) or that I just don't like (like Miquon which has been around forever. I owned it back when I first started homeschooling....and Science Prep) There are products that people post and absolutely love that apparently I associate with poodles. ;) Â There are things I love and trust that get really hammered on this forum (Horizons). I simply ignore it b/c I am perfectly happy and know that the proof is in the results. :D Â So while curriculum hopping isn't a good thing, exploring options and trying to find one that really suits your needs.....that is prudent.:001_smile: Â But it would not be prudent for me to look back on materials that I have used for 16 yrs and have produced incredibly strong students and decide that the vocal crowd with really little kids hyping their favorite program and demeaning the one I use means they are right and that I must be dumb to use mine and therefore should change b/c somehow their definition of "use this or your depriving/corrupting your child" one-size-fits-all group mentality is the correct one. Sometimes you just need to accept that you actually know what is better for your family than a hive. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm not a hopper either... but it does take me a reeeeeeeeeeeaaaallllly long time to make a decision about a new subject, since I research it to death. But once I have made my decision, I'm really happy with what we are doing, whether it is a purchased curriculum or our own thing. Â This describes my approach pretty well too. I usually don't switch until I run out of books - like Core Knowledge. They never did come out with 7th and 8th grade like they kept promising ... :D If I hadn't been so happy with this as the core, and workbooks filling in, I probably would have researched alternatives a whole lot sooner. We won't be able to get to all of Apologia, but we'll run out of Saxon; would love to see a Calculus 2 book. :D Â This forum has given me so many great ideas on curriculum. Now the problem is how to fit all that I'd like to do into four years. Notice that I said I and not we. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindie2dds Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't want to be a hopper. I'm really wanting to nail stuff down before we really have to start but .. how do I really know until I've tried stuff? .. that's what makes me nervous. Also, I'm not nailed down on my philosophy of education .. that complicates things .. I'm hoping to have it all nailed down before 1st grade. lol  This is me. I didn't want to be a hopper, but I had to find out the philosophy of education I wanted and how to implement that. I needed to look at the journey as well as the end product and be comfortable with what we have ultimately chosen. I've had to try things out, read through different books on educational philosophies, buy and sell a lot of products, and take a forum break from here so my head wouldn't spin around.  We are doing things VERY different from where we started out, but I am very happy where we are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't hop curriculum. I believe that when you look through those threads about how many programs have you owned that you'll notice that several of us that posted really high numbers have been homeschooling for a long time and have lots of kids. I do look at the new curriculum that becomes available. Why? B/c when I started homeschooling the options were slim. (I remember when Green Leaf Press's catalog was one of the few out there!) Most of the curricula available now were not available even 10-12 yrs ago. If I hadn't switched some of our choices, I would have done a disservice not only to my children, but to me.  Every once in a while I find a new gem and I am extremely thankful that I did buy a new product (LLfLOTR is a very good example.) Some of time the new products are duds and they either get sold or sit on my shelf collecting dust.  I don't think it is a good idea to trust the mob mentality on this forum. There are lots of things that get hyped here that I really think are fine but not the end all be all (Singapore and MM for example) or that I just don't like (like Miquon which has been around forever. I owned it back when I first started homeschooling....and Science Prep) There are products that people post and absolutely love that apparently I associate with poodles. ;)  There are things I love and trust that get really hammered on this forum (Horizons). I simply ignore it b/c I am perfectly happy and know that the proof is in the results. :D  So while curriculum hopping isn't a good thing, exploring options and trying to find one that really suits your needs.....that is prudent.:001_smile:  But it would not be prudent for me to look back on materials that I have used for 16 yrs and have produced incredibly strong students and decide that the vocal crowd with really little kids hyping their favorite program and demeaning the one I use means they are right and that I must be dumb to use mine and therefore should change b/c somehow their definition of "use this or your depriving/corrupting your child" one-size-fits-all group mentality is the correct one. Sometimes you just need to accept that you actually know what is better for your family than a hive. ;)  I agree with a lot of this. When we started homeschooling, WTM hadn't even been published! Obviously, none of the other Peace Hill products had come out. I don't think Right Start Math was out. When we started, math was pretty much Saxon or Saxon.  That said, I am not a curriculum hopper. But I do change when it's necessary for my dc. The only program I've wholesale scrapped (and will be selling at a used homeschool curriculum sale later this month) is Saxon Math. Goodbye and good riddance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam101 Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm not a hopper either... but it does take me a reeeeeeeeeeeaaaallllly long time to make a decision about a new subject, since I research it to death. But once I have made my decision, I'm really happy with what we are doing, whether it is a purchased curriculum or our own thing. Â Â :iagree: That's me exactly. I tend to drive myself crazy with research, but so far I've been happy with what I choose and I stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm not a curriculum-hopper. I pretty much used the same stuff straight through elementary with all 3 kids. i researched the heck out of stuff when they were in preschool, and was pretty much happy with everything we did. There were a couple missteps and adjustments, sure, but I haven't hopped. :) Â As my kids approached middle school, and all my favorites were running out of books, I found this site and have been researching the heck out of things again. This site is dangerous because there are so many goodies! But I've figured out the core for middle school, and after our first year with it, I'm happy and confident we'll be staying the course till the high school freak out. :D But that will be because I've run out of books again... Â Another danger of this site is I keep wanting to supplement with ever more stuff! Not enough hours in the day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Okay, i'm beginning to think I'm weird, but I just don't switch curriculum that much. I tend to choose carefully, pick what I think we will like, adjust those things until they're just right for us, and stay with it. We have always used living books, MUS, FLL, SOTW, Classical Conversations stuff, and Apologia science. the only thing i've had trouble landing on has been a good spelling program, but I think I've even got that nailed down now. oh, and i tried one brief foray into Abeka, and ran screaming from it with my hair on fire. :willy_nilly: (No insult to those of you who love it--i just have an aversion to their workbooks.) Is there anyone else here who isn't a curriculum-hopper? Am I weird? I see tons of stuff out there that look delicious, but I tend to think that if I try that, it might not work out like what we're doing, and then I'd really be hosed...you know, the ol' if it ain't broke don't fix it thing.  I really don't change much. I used the same phonics for my oldest 3, and only changed for my youngest because of need. I changed math programs once, because the kids hated it, I mean really hated it. I changed spelling twice. History we have changed twice. Science I just use a lot of different stuff, much of it I am re-using right now, though we do have a few that didn't work that well here and we won't revisit. This is 7 years worth of hsing.  Heather  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbysfriend Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I've been told that curriculum hopping is hard on the student, even that its better to stay with an average program than keep switching. Unfortunately my oldest has been my homeschool guinea pig and I sure hope I can stay more focused like yourself! (in the future) 8-0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Well, I certainly would'nt hop just for the sake of hopping, but if something isn't working then I think a change may be necessary. Let's see, this year (1st grade) we switched from BJU Heritage Studies (complete boredom) to SOTW1 (high interest). We switched from A Beka's writing to WWE (much more effective). I'm adding in Singapore with A Beka math to fill in some gaps. I wouldn't consider it hopping, but more like fine-tuning. I want my kids to learn and if they're not learning with what they're doing then we try something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I am entering the third year of hs'ing using largely the same curriculum choices I began with. I have only changed what didn't work for us. While there are many great choices out there, we cannot possibly do them all so I stick with what works for us as long as it is working. If at some point it doesn't work, I will be forced to switch.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cami in UT Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't hop for my oldest, ds11. I have researched and then stuck with it. Oldest boy thinks like his Dad & I, so I pretty much know what is going to work for him. Â But for my second boy, ds9. :001_huh: I have hopped quite a bit. What works for ds11 does not work for ds9. It took me about a while to figure that out. But just this last week we got the official diagnoses of Dsylexia/Dsygraphia. Which explains a lot. And consequently will mean more curriculum hopping for him. :tongue_smilie: Â Now I'm trying to piece together dd6 work for next year and thinking about totally different programs then I used with either ds11 & ds9. Is it curriculum hopping to change programs for youngers? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Well, I found what I like and I have no intention of switching or "curriculum hopping" at all. I definitely plan to stay with Oak Meadow :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Math and Science we've really never switched. We started with Singapore for both, it's worked out great, and we're continuing with it to almost the end. (DS is in the middle of the NEM series and the high school science books.) I've done "off" years to make a foray into a particular topic, but then we always come back to Singapore. I'm planning a possible switch in a year or two but like a previous poster said I'm taking a long time to consider it before I make the leap! Â Language arts though? It was years before I was happy with anything in grammar and spelling! Part of it was that we're easily bored, and part of it was that DS actually wasn't doing well with the approaches we tried... which is odd because once we found one that worked, he's really quite a good speller and writer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't switch anymore. I have also really changed what we used since the conception of our Academy. I'm pretty well set, except for middle school science, which I'm working on, and of course, I'm learning about high school these days. Â If you're happy and learning well...don't switch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 15, 2010 Author Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't hop curriculum. I believe that when you look through those threads about how many programs have you owned that you'll notice that several of us that posted really high numbers have been homeschooling for a long time and have lots of kids. I do look at the new curriculum that becomes available. Why? B/c when I started homeschooling the options were slim. (I remember when Green Leaf Press's catalog was one of the few out there!) Most of the curricula available now were not available even 10-12 yrs ago. If I hadn't switched some of our choices, I would have done a disservice not only to my children, but to me.  Every once in a while I find a new gem and I am extremely thankful that I did buy a new product (LLfLOTR is a very good example.) Some of time the new products are duds and they either get sold or sit on my shelf collecting dust.  I don't think it is a good idea to trust the mob mentality on this forum. There are lots of things that get hyped here that I really think are fine but not the end all be all (Singapore and MM for example) or that I just don't like (like Miquon which has been around forever. I owned it back when I first started homeschooling....and Science Prep) There are products that people post and absolutely love that apparently I associate with poodles. ;)  There are things I love and trust that get really hammered on this forum (Horizons). I simply ignore it b/c I am perfectly happy and know that the proof is in the results. :D  So while curriculum hopping isn't a good thing, exploring options and trying to find one that really suits your needs.....that is prudent.:001_smile:  But it would not be prudent for me to look back on materials that I have used for 16 yrs and have produced incredibly strong students and decide that the vocal crowd with really little kids hyping their favorite program and demeaning the one I use means they are right and that I must be dumb to use mine and therefore should change b/c somehow their definition of "use this or your depriving/corrupting your child" one-size-fits-all group mentality is the correct one. Sometimes you just need to accept that you actually know what is better for your family than a hive. ;)  Thanks...i think this is just what i needed to see... thanks for all the replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't want to be a hopper and am not so far (after a whole year and a half :lol:). I have made the committment to my dh that I will use what I buy. I am a researcher by nature (as I'm sure many/most on this board are) and try to be sure before I buy. Of course, if something I chose was disastrous, I'd sell it. Thankfully, I haven't had to do that yet. I do imagine that I'll have to switch curricula between dc just because of learning styles. Only time will tell about that. Â I do think that I'm starting out at a great time for hs curricula. If I were starting out 15 years ago, some of what I'm using or planning to use hadn't been created. I think us newbies are fortunate in that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm not a hopper either... but it does take me a reeeeeeeeeeeaaaallllly long time to make a decision about a new subject, since I research it to death. But once I have made my decision, I'm really happy with what we are doing, whether it is a purchased curriculum or our own thing. Â This is me too. Because of the really high cost of postage (often way more than the cost of the book) and the fact that I very rarely have the opportunity to see more than a sample page of something before buying, I also spend a lot of time researching every purchase. I've been very happy with our grammar stage choices and will stick to all of them (except maybe adding WWE) for my younger dd for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 No, I'm very much like you. Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing out on much better things, but I just don't want to embark on an endless search..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I have never switched. I have put things on hold, and used other sources (like store workbooks, online freebies, etc.) to dig deeper or to teach something a different way, but I have never switched curriculum. Sometimes we take a break just for fun to do a short unit study or a big project for something. But I have never ditched a program and purchased something else. I like what I have picked. I just adjust when needed. Â We have used Rod and Staff math and L.A. stuff for going on 4 yrs now. We started SOTW in 1st grade, and are about to start vol. 3. And I love doing Science the WTM way. It is the only way I have done science. I never bought a curric besides off the shelf from the teacher store stuff to go with what we are doing. Â My plan is to continue this way if possible, just using what I have as a guide, and tweaking what I need to for my younger dd. We shall see though as she starts 1st grade, if the same things are going to work this time around or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cheryl in SoCal Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I haven't switched much either, and when I have it's because something wasn't working. The things I've run screaming from were Horizons, Saxon, Spelling Power and LIFEPAC's (except for health or an occasional elective I can't find anything better for). I've been homeschooling for 11 years and have added curricula for my littles that wasn't available when my bigs were little. Instead of leaving what I did with my bigs behind completely I am finding that I often pull from both curricula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha SC Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 We will soon be starting our fifth year of homeschooling. Wow, that shocks even me! Anyway, I am still using the same curriculum that I chose when we started. So far, everything has worked well for both of my children. I admit I come here often to see what others are doing and asking, but I really do not wish to change what we are doing. The only subject that changes each year is geography. And that is usually my own creation of things. Â So, you are not alone. Just be thankful it has worked out and you are not still searching...as of now. :001_smile: Â Marsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't think it is a good idea to trust the mob mentality on this forum. There are lots of things that get hyped here that I really think are fine but not the end all be all or that I just don't like . ;) [edited for brevity] But it would not be prudent for me to look back on materials that I have used for 16 yrs and have produced incredibly strong students and decide that the vocal crowd with really little kids hyping their favorite program and demeaning the one I use means they are right and that I must be dumb to use mine and therefore should change b/c somehow their definition of "use this or your depriving/corrupting your child" one-size-fits-all group mentality is the correct one. Sometimes you just need to accept that you actually know what is better for your family than a hive. ;) Â The one-size-fits-all has been my downfall. Not that it's the fault of those who love and post about the materials they use, but my fault for being led into things that looked so good and ignoring what my dc needed and how they operate. Sometimes, I wish I had a do-over to call for some of our hs years. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmomma Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I tend to ignore threads on the latest and greatest unless we are searching because something is not working. Good enough is good enough for me, until it stops working, I don't change.I've changed a couple of things, but for the most part, we are still using what I started using 4 years ago. :iagree:There are things that stick with us year after year--Saxon math, SOTW, FLL, WWE--but then there are a few areas that just don't work or doesn't fit our style, so we try to find something that will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm trying very hard not to be a curriculum hopper, but I really REALLY like to read about new curricula and get caught up in the hype easily. :D Â When we started homeschooling, I tried K ala WTM. Emma HATED it. She cried. It was just awful. Then, I found MFW - which is, bar none, the best K program out there, IMO. We loved, loved, loved it! So, we entered into MFW 1st grade. I liked everything about it except the math. The math was excruciating for me. I have since learned that Emma is a late bloomer, and if I had had enough wisdom/experience/of a clue to realize that we'd have been much better off and would not have gone through the mad hunt for the perfect math program! Â Now, we're using MUS, and we really like it. It seems to be working, so I'm not going to switch. I'm tempted by Teaching Textbooks, but won't fix what isn't broken at this point. Â I've also learned that I'm a CM homeschooler at heart. That has changed the way we do things. We went from MFW to LBC, and will be doing our own thing over the next 2 years in preparation to use Ambleside for high school. I'm really excited about that. I hope I can make myself sit down and do the necessary planning so that I can accomplish what I hope to get done. Â I am particularly susceptible to grammar curricula. I LOVE grammar and would like to read everything available. That would be less productive for the kidlets, I'm afraid. :lol: We tried FLL - loved 1/2, not so much 3. This year we've used Simply Language Arts from Shoelace books, and while I think it's very cool, I'm not sure we will stick with it. I could chatter on about this for a long time, but that would be way off topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I am hoping not to be, but I am just starting out on this journey. I am doing my best to pick out what I think will work, but in the end who knows- we will do our best and move on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm definitely not a hopper. I choose carefully and stick with it. I've never felt like something "just wasn't working" with my children. OK - once I did - my eldest did Saxon Math for 1st grade year, then we switched to Singapore/Miquon and haven't looked back. I guess I'm just a content/steady type :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 I don't hop either. I only switch if something *really* is not working. I think I have been blessed in finding things that work well for us right off the bat. My biggest 'hop' has been for science. I have yet to settle on a series. Though we're headed into year 2 of Apologia...that's a record. :p It's been one year of something and 'uh, no, I don't want to continue in this series, not what I was looking/hoping for'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucenbubbi Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 You are not weird! We don't switch either; just use CLE for everything. It takes a lot of stress out of life for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalgal Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Â Â But it would not be prudent for me to look back on materials that I have used for 16 yrs and have produced incredibly strong students and decide that the vocal crowd with really little kids hyping their favorite program and demeaning the one I use means they are right and that I must be dumb to use mine and therefore should change b/c somehow their definition of "use this or your depriving/corrupting your child" one-size-fits-all group mentality is the correct one. Sometimes you just need to accept that you actually know what is better for your family than a hive. ;) Â Nice post. :) Â My oldest is 10 but that is old enough for me to realize that sticking with a program for a long time gives a sense of stability and a more thorough coverage of a program. It takes a lot to make me switch. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 (edited) I think part of it is just personality. Some people are cautious and research and follow-through with their decisions, and others, like me, turn on a dime depending on my mood;) I've always been like that. For good or bad, that's me, and so far, hopefully, I have not damaged my kiddos too much, lol. Â Okay, maybe I'm not that bad, but one summer I did buy and sell Sonlight and TOG two times before settling on Sonlight, then switchd back to TOG halfway through the year. Â I think I'm getting better, though. I have found gems I never would have thought about using before hearing it here. Â Blessings, Lisa Edited June 16, 2010 by Momto5girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandKsmama Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 Nope, you're not alone. I've homeschooled 5 years, and used My Father's World all 5 of those years. Also used Math-u-see all 5 of those years. I HAVE switched English curricula, because when we started, I had *no* clue what I wanted in an English program, and basically bought something sight unseen. So, I switched in an effort to figure out just what I wanted and needed, now I don't see myself switching anytime soon. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010  Okay, maybe I'm not that bad, but one summer I did buy and sell Sonlight and TOG two times before settling on Sonlight, then switchd back to TOG halfway through the year.  Blessings, Lisa  :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 i do want to clarify and say that i do love "window shopping" and wish sometimes that i could try it all. i am really wishing i had stopped by the right start math booth at HEAV...it looks like it may be very good, and my dd5 isn't locked into anything yet. then again, we have a proven record with mus and so far she seems to like it. **sigh** Â thanks for your replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iona Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 i'm very new at this homeschooling business, have experienced quite a bit of anxiety with picking curriculums, and my oldest is starting K. (I know) For me it has to do with lack of confidence. Can I teach my child? Putting the emphasis on the curriculum/workbook/method takes it off of me a little. I tend to feel that if I have confidence in the curriculum, we'll be o.k. I'm not saying others who have switched have confidence issues at all. I know learning styles, teaching styles and life situations all enter in. At this point though, I think I need to figure out that I can do this (which will be achieved by actually doing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I'm new (just started in January). I researched. Chose curriculum. Stuck with what I chose for 2nd grade. Looked at how he tested. I'm an "if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" kind of person so we are continuing with the same math, science, and history programs but will be changing our LA's and spelling as they are obviously not working for him. Once I find something that clicks, I'm sticking with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyofthree Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I'm not much of a hopper myself. Â I've changed some things, but only because they did not fit our homeschool. When I find something that works, I stick with it even when ALL of my friends are moving on to the next "best" thing.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 You're not weird. . . but your kids are still quite young. Give yourself some time, sister! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selh09 Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 This is me. I didn't want to be a hopper, but I had to find out the philosophy of education I wanted and how to implement that. I needed to look at the journey as well as the end product and be comfortable with what we have ultimately chosen. I've had to try things out, read through different books on educational philosophies, buy and sell a lot of products, and take a forum break from here so my head wouldn't spin around. Â We are doing things VERY different from where we started out, but I am very happy where we are. Â :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selh09 Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I've stuck with what I originally choose, except for math. Used Saxon...loved it, moved on in Saxon and dd started not to like it. We switched to Math on The Level this year and love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I agree with a lot of this. When we started homeschooling, WTM hadn't even been published! Obviously, none of the other Peace Hill products had come out. I don't think Right Start Math was out. When we started, math was pretty much Saxon or Saxon. That said, I am not a curriculum hopper. But I do change when it's necessary for my dc. The only program I've wholesale scrapped (and will be selling at a used homeschool curriculum sale later this month) is Saxon Math. Goodbye and good riddance!  :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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