Curriculum Hopping

[FO4UR]

Just to clarify, I didn't necessarily mean choose a curriculum at age 5 and use it until they graduate! I was talking about the tendency I see on the boards to hop curriculums during a school year, which made me wonder why exactly this happens.

 

Of course I can see if a kid or mom/dad is completely miserable then a change may be in order but it just looks really expensive and confusing to me to change around so much right in the middle of a school year. Then again my perception of this happening and the reality that it probably happens not very often are two different things! I probably zero in on those types of posts the most because I am a Newbie Nervous Nellie.

:tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

 

 

:grouphug:

 

It's all an educated guess...I wish I would have found this forum before making my first curric purchases.;) Read all you can, make the purchase and go for it!

[ondreeuh]

Basically, you don't know if something else will work better than what you're using unless you try it!

 

I did a lot of research before I bought my first batch of HS materials, but I am not using any of the same programs. The more I teach, the more I learn about my preferred style and my son's. And honestly, sometimes we just need to change things up a bit.

[BBG580]

:grouphug:

 

It's all an educated guess...I wish I would have found this forum before making my first curric purchases.;) Read all you can, make the purchase and go for it!

 

I have already got all the curriculum purchased and I am starting to compile it all into weekly file folders, which I think will (hopefully) be great for keeping me somewhat organized my first year.

 

I am using PR1, ToG Year 2/Units 3 and 4 at half pace, McRuffy Color Math 1, and pulling together various resources for science and geography.

 

Let's hope it goes well! PR1 is the most intimidating program to me at this point - just the thought of teaching my kid how to read is giving me hives. I've read Words Their Way and scoured this board for information so hopefully that will be enough to bolster my confidence. :)

 

Thanks everyone!

Edited February 1, 2011 by BBG580

[SnMomof7]

Well, OP, if it's any consolation, I think the WTM forums tend to pull in curriculum junkies ;). I don't think ALL hs moms jump around so much as we tend to do here!

[Just Robyn]

I can think of three times when I have changed a curriculum that we were using mid-year.

 

1: Math. The math program with which we started was hated by us all. We continued using it for an entire year because I was working full time and did not have time to research curricula to find something that worked better for us. The next year we continued with it because it was solid, but with knowledge that I'd be looking into other options. I ordered one more program (used), looked it over thoroughly, tried it out for awhile, then decided that it wouldn't work for *me* because it wasn't helpful enough to the teacher. I purchased another curriculum at a large discount from homeschoolbuyerscoop.com, tried it out, and we LOVE it as a supplement. Finally I purchased another program (again used) looked it over thoroughly, knew it was right for us, found my dc's place in it and switched. We have since continued with the final decision this school year and we have no intentions of dropping it.

 

2: Geography. I purchased a curriculum because, based on what I saw online, I thought it would be very open and go, or open, print, and go. When I got it and got to look it over it was immediately clear that that was not the case. We tried it out anyway for awhile, but eventually switched to something that required less preparation. I just couldn't justify the amount of *my* time my original choice was going to require for geography. There are only so many hours in a school day and using my original choice would take away time from other curricula that I found more important.

 

3: Spelling. I purchased a program that is well loved around here and have found that it is overkill for my ds and he was not really retaining things (Perhaps if he were retaining things and making strides I would not think of it as overkill.). He was not learning and applying the lessons the way the curriculum clearly meant for them to be learned and applied. We continued with a full level of it, but I am now in the process of searching for something that will be less time consuming and teach using a different method. I have purchased one option to get us through the year (because we finished the first level of the program we were using part way through the year). I bought it new and found his place in the program and started there. It is as of yet undecided whether or not we will continue with it because we haven't been using it long.

 

SO- in short, I have switched curriculum mid year because we all hated it, because it took up too much time, and because it was not working the way it should for my child.

[GoVanGogh]

I actually think "curriculum hopping" has an unwarranted bad rap.

You can research a curriculum all you want, but you won't know if it works for you and your child until you "get in and get your hands dirty."

Twice now I have been reluctant to change curriculum because I hate the notion of "curriculum hopping," only to realize later that I wasted so much time and energy trying to make a bad curriculum "fit."

1.) Math. We started with a program in pre-K. We loved it and DS was doing great with it. Then midway through 3rd grade, it just started 'spiraling' like crazy and DS and I got so frustrated with it. It took me six months before I got up the nerve to ditch it and switch. Oh, how I regret wasting those six months!

2.) Spelling. My DS was a self-taught, young reader. I assumed spelling would be easy. We went with Spelling Workout, because it is a WTM rec. We hated, hated, hated it. I researched spelling until my eyes crossed and we tried out several other (for us) duds along the way. We just started All About Spelling and DS has learned more in three weeks than he had with three years of previous programs. I think the other spelling programs we tried ARE good programs, just not for us.

And - of all things - I had discounted AAS several times because DS is so tactile that he plays with letter tiles until it drives me crazy. So I couldn't imagine using their letter tiles AND disks. But - DS is older now and better able to control the urge to play with the tiles. I think he is getting spelling now *because* he is so tactile. What in the past was a major weakness now is a benefit. Who know. If we had tried AAS when DS was younger, I might have hated it because of the letter tiles.

 

Oh. And I just dumped a geography workbook. It was "too creative" and used made up terms instead of standard measurements and the like. I thought it was cute but it drove DS nuts.

 

Homeschooling is an on-going learning experience. And you learn just as much from bad curriculum choices as you do from good ones, in my opinion.

[LynnG in Arizona]

Great discussion so far! :)

 

I have homeschooled for around 9 years now and love to research curricula. I have serious tendencies to wallow in curriculum junkie land. :D And that means that I have to also be careful to avoid switching curricula prematurely or on a whim.

 

I do think, though, that a definite balance is needed. I agree with many posters who have had the experience of researching a curriculum thoroughly and faithfully, and then still figuring out the hard way that it simply wasn't a fit for whatever reason. Even as an "experienced" homeschooler, this still happens to me.

 

Just as there is a danger in switching too often and too easily, there is also a danger in refusing to switch under any circumstances. That extreme, too, can be detrimental to our kids.

 

I remember reading a post on here once that has stuck with me. I think a woman posted about her sister-in-law, who had been homeschooling a very long time and prided herself on not purchasing or changing any curriculum in almost twenty years! :ohmy:

 

If that worked out for her and her kids, great. If she had to do that for budget reasons, I understand. But if I remember the post correctly, it was done more out of pure stubborness and a weird pride at being the anti-hopper. And I thought that was maybe sad. Surely we can all agree that many wonderful resources and curricula have been released in the last twenty years, right?

 

I don't know . . . I think the key is to find a balance that means we are good stewards of our resources and aware of the reality that not every curriculum can be fun and high interest . . . but also willing to make changes when necessary and/or advisable. It's a hard balance, that's for sure. :)

[Wheres Toto]

I took advantage of the fact that we started more than a year before ds was going to be "official" school age (late summer birthday so they didn't want him until he was 6) to explore different options without spending much money.

 

I started with just reading and math using free or low cost options (MEP and Progressive Phonics, borrowed 100EZ and OPGTTR from library). After working with him a little using those, I was able to get a feel for what works for him and what doesn't.

We dropped Prog. Phonics for ETC, which is working very well and, after reading about it here, we added AAS which is also working very well.

I'm getting ready to drop MEP and various workbooks for MM. We used the sample pages, ds likes it and I find it easier to teach.

I have BFSU but find I need more guidance and experiments so we will be combining it with RSO. We used the Try Before You Buy options and the program works well for both my hs'ing kids.

We will be using SOTW1 with the Activity Guide and Mosaic (free) outline and schedule.

Handwriting we do using free worksheets from Donna Young and The Learning Page. We may get HWT if my son keeps resisting lowercase letters.

When we start Grammar it will be using the free Scholastic Skill Builder grammar. I also have a free McGraw-Hill Grammar workbook (pdf), Sheldon's Primary Language Lessons and KISS grammar to switch to (or supplement) if needed.

I use some of the online resources for the Core Knowledge Curriculum to do some Art, Music, Poetry, etc.

[JennyD]

My oldest is in K and before beginning school this year I made several well-researched, well-considered purchases. They weren't terrible, not a by a long shot, but as it turned out they just weren't the right approach for us. I made some big changes in January and things are exponentially better now. I don't regret those purchases -- it's all a learning process -- but I am not going to throw good time after bad in the name of completeness.

 

I can deal with wasting money. I just cannot bear to waste time.

[HSMom2One]

It took us at least two years to find the right combination of curriculum, even when I researched carefully and relied on recommendations of the pros. Once I knew we finally had the right fit, I made up my mind to stay there. Some things will change with time and advancement, but I hated changing curriculum and felt it was a real waste of time and money in a couple of situations so we won't change again any more than is necessary. Sometimes it just can't be helped though, especially when you are new to hs'ing and lack experience.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Edited February 2, 2011 by HSMom2One

[BBG580]

My oldest is in K and before beginning school this year I made several well-researched, well-considered purchases. They weren't terrible, not a by a long shot, but as it turned out they just weren't the right approach for us. I made some big changes in January and things are exponentially better now. I don't regret those purchases -- it's all a learning process -- but I am not going to throw good time after bad in the name of completeness.

 

I can deal with wasting money. I just cannot bear to waste time.

 

So what did you start with and what did you switch to? I understand that learning styles and preferences affect what works but I am curious!

[Jay3fer]

Every hs'ing book I've read says DON'T RUSH OUT & BUY TOO MUCH CURRICULUM RIGHT AWAY!

I have tried to follow this and I think doing so would help many new hs'ers.

 

This is our first year, doing a K5 curriculum(ish, bc I'm kinda with Charlotte Mason in not rushing them into lessons too young!). I invested in Miquon, but we didn't love it, so we're out a bit, but not a ton. I don't regret doing Miquon, either, and may still start that way with my younger. The rods are valuable anyway, as a supplement to any curriculum.

So many "impulse" curriculum purchases end up not being necessary - you know, the stuff that looks SO must-have when you hear about it from another parent and research it, etc. And then it SITS and does nothing.

 

So my newbie "advice" would be: don't buy too much, ease into the curriculum choices (adopting one at a time as you realize what works and what you don't NEED), think decisions through, read curriculum reviews, esp. the reviews from parents who didn't like it (maybe your kid is like THEIR kid!)... hmm... and I think that's it!

 

Now off to read the many wonderful posts here.

[Mommybostic]

Great discussion so far! :)

 

I have homeschooled for around 9 years now and love to research curricula. I have serious tendencies to wallow in curriculum junkie land. :D And that means that I have to also be careful to avoid switching curricula prematurely or on a whim.

 

I do think, though, that a definite balance is needed. I agree with many posters who have had the experience of researching a curriculum thoroughly and faithfully, and then still figuring out the hard way that it simply wasn't a fit for whatever reason. Even as an "experienced" homeschooler, this still happens to me.

 

Just as there is a danger in switching too often and too easily, there is also a danger in refusing to switch under any circumstances. That extreme, too, can be detrimental to our kids.

 

I remember reading a post on here once that has stuck with me. I think a woman posted about her sister-in-law, who had been homeschooling a very long time and prided herself on not purchasing or changing any curriculum in almost twenty years! :ohmy:

 

If that worked out for her and her kids, great. If she had to do that for budget reasons, I understand. But if I remember the post correctly, it was done more out of pure stubborness and a weird pride at being the anti-hopper. And I thought that was maybe sad. Surely we can all agree that many wonderful resources and curricula have been released in the last twenty years, right?

 

I don't know . . . I think the key is to find a balance that means we are good stewards of our resources and aware of the reality that not every curriculum can be fun and high interest . . . but also willing to make changes when necessary and/or advisable. It's a hard balance, that's for sure. :)

 

 

:iagree:Wholeheartedly.

 

More food for thought--isn't it better to expose your student to various methods, schools of thought, and procedures? One of the key points in our history discussions is to point out and discuss the different points of view in various history resources that we read. In other words, how three different sources can be each be slightly different. I think it opens the door for logical thinking, and for considering the validity of various arguments.

 

I hope to NEVER confine myself or my son to one specific subject just for the sake of saying that I haven't changed curriculum. If it works well and my son is engaged, interested and learning, then it stays. If not, bye-bye.

[BBG580]

I hope to NEVER confine myself or my son to one specific subject just for the sake of saying that I haven't changed curriculum. If it works well and my son is engaged, interested and learning, then it stays. If not, bye-bye.

 

Once again, I meant for a one year cycle of instruction, not an entire homeschool career! I was wondering about jumping ship midstream during a year. I can only imagine that I will make curriculum changes on a yearly basis as I see fit, but I do hope that I will stick with a program for a full year unless it is such a disaster that zero learning is taking place. I do not think tears and boredom will move me, but I am NEW so what do I know?! :tongue_smilie:

[Mommybostic]

As someone has already said, too much either way would be a bad thing, and I was referring to the post which I quoted, about keeping curriculum just to say that you never switched.

 

However, boredom is a bad thing, at least to my way of thinking. To me, it means something might be off, and it's at least worth looking in to.

 

I hope to not have to switch curriculum in the middle of the year very much, but honestly I don't think it would take me half a year to figure out something was a wash. The one program that I'm probably not returning to next year was a wash literally in first two weeks. I'm hanging in there for now, I added another resource to go along with it, and I'm changing it up a little to make it more suitable to my son.

 

The whole point of this entire endeavor was to custom-design my son's education. Custom designing anything is ALWAYS a trial and error process.

 

Good luck to you.

[BBG580]

 

The whole point of this entire endeavor was to custom-design my son's education. Custom designing anything is ALWAYS a trial and error process.

 

 

 

You're right! Great point. :)

[RachelFlores]

Well I jumped ship mid year, my first year. I started out with Five In A Row, a great curriculum. I thought I would love teaching it, but was wrong. I thought I was a unit study person. I am not. Aparently I know my dd better than I do myself. I can choose stuff she liked just fine, but am still learning my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. I kept over planning and really disliked changing books/ subjects each week with no rhyme or reason to it. Everything felt so jumbled, stressful and chaotic that school started not getting done. We switched to Little Hearts For His Glory (something I would have never choosen before I started homeschooling) and are loving it. School is getting done, we are having fun, dd is learning.

 

Oh, we also switched math programs, I started with Horizons K because of all the great reviews, it was a bad fit for dd, not me this time. It went too slow and then too fast, dd wasn't internalizing the concepts, she had demonstatably stopped progressing. We restarted in Earlybird math (goes with LHFHG) and are doing great. Sometimes even with the best planning, I think hopping is the best thing to do if you want to keep learning happening.

[Embassy]

I've hopped, but not too much. I've hopped this week though. I finally threw in the towel mid-year after trying a curriculum for 1 1/2 years and am now trying something new. Ds didn't like the curriculum. I didn't like it either. And testing showed it wasn't as effective as I had hoped. I also switched my other son's phonics program this week. He didn't like it and he was spinning his wheels progress wise. He is excited and relieved about the change.

 

I've changed math programs once in between school years because testing revealed weaknesses in the math program we were using. Right now my son doesn't like MCT, but I think it can grow on him and it appears to be effective so we are sticking with it.

 

I'm all for switching a curriculum if the child hates it, but I do give it a good try. I've found (at least with my kids) that enjoyment is closely associated with learning. If they hate something they aren't going to learn well with it.

[DianeW88]

Because sometimes the curriculum you've spent months researching, drooling over, and knowing FOR SURE will be the perfect fit for you and your children....just isn't.

 

And, because sometimes (usually) what works perfectly for Child A....is a complete disaster for Child B and C and D and so on. I have 3 kids.....I've used 3 different phonics programs and more than 3 different math programs.

 

I will not stay with a curriculum that clearly isn't working...in the long run, it will cost you waaaay more in time, money and frustration.

[boscopup]

Could you elaborate on this? I cannot imagine a program that eliminates all boredom. I also cannot imagine never being "bored" as a good thing.

 

I agree with you, but I also agree with the poster you quoted that if there is boredom, it needs to be looked at. One reason for being bored is that the material might be too easy. That is a situation where I would make a change. Another reason for being bored is just because the topic itself is boring. In that situation, I may or may not make a change.

 

I'm ok with kids being bored now and then. Copywork is boring, but my son still has to do it. Narrations are boring, but he still has to do them too. Then there are situations where *I* am so bored that I just want to make a change. My change in spelling was part of that. My son hadn't complained at all about either of the two spelling programs we had used. It was ME that saw a need to change. The first one was clearly too easy (when I looked ahead at the words), so he was on the wrong level, and I also thought it was a lot of busywork which would eventually lead to boredom. My son wasn't bored yet, but I didn't see a need to make him bored with a spelling program that isn't teaching him anything. I really enjoy the new spelling program, and that makes me more likely to teach spelling, because it is a topic that can otherwise being B-O-R-I-N-G. :lol: On the other hand, R&S English is not the most exciting thing in the world, but we are sticking with it through the year. My son IS learning things from it, even if it is a bit boring. Next year, we'll try something else. I didn't see a need to hop during the year for this. For spelling, I did see a need to hop, and I'm really glad I did! We would have wasted a useless year if I had stuck with the program we started with, since the program we're using now usually has you start at level 1 and progress forward. So that's another consideration to make... If the curriculum you're looking at switching to is leveled like that and you can't just jump in the middle, it might be better to hop to it earlier rather than at the end of the year. If you're going to start at the beginning anyway, why waste time with something that isn't working?

[MelanieM]

Once again, I meant for a one year cycle of instruction, not an entire homeschool career! I was wondering about jumping ship midstream during a year. I can only imagine that I will make curriculum changes on a yearly basis as I see fit, but I do hope that I will stick with a program for a full year unless it is such a disaster that zero learning is taking place. I do not think tears and boredom will move me, but I am NEW so what do I know?! :tongue_smilie:

 

Honestly, I think if you're getting tears and boredom with a very little one (I haven't worked with older kids yet, so won't speak to that) then something is going wrong. For me, it is far more important that my kids maintain a joy for learning (sometimes considered dirty words around here, it seems!) than it is for me to plow through something for the sake of getting it done. I just cannot imagine any reason why I would need a 5 yr old to push through boredom and tears to complete a math worksheet when it is completely possible for him to learn primary math without any formal instruction at all. So I would absolutely curriculum hop (or abandon) for boredom and tears... in a heartbeat.

 

A year can feel like a lifetime when you're only five. And I think a year of drudgery can set you up for some pretty negative associations that can take a very long time to overcome.

[Mommybostic]

Could you elaborate on this? I cannot imagine a program that eliminates all boredom. I also cannot imagine never being "bored" as a good thing.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that there were some classes in school that I thought were boring, there were some things that my mother made me do that I thought were boring, but in the end some of those most boring things (like math - which I didn't find interesting until I got to college - and I had some fantastic teachers too who used activities, different learning methods, etc) were the most useful and fulfilling. Being bored and doing it anyway also taught me that just because something isn't fun and entertaining at the moment it may still be worth while and it definitely prepared me for college where I had to take way too many classes that I had no interest in but were necessary for graduation and for life in general especially when I was at work and the project I may have been working on wasn't the most inspiring thing in the world.

 

I didn't say a child would never be bored and I didn't say that you shouldn't do anything that is boring. We do things now that I'm sure my son would say is boring. For what it's worth, I despise this word. I hate to hear a kid say, "I'm bored."

 

Narration and copywork is not a curriculum. What I think I said was that if a curriculum is habitually boring to a child, you should maybe take the time to find out why. We are putting an awful lot of our time and energy into this whole process to settle for anything.

 

And while I certainly know that subjects we must study aren't always going to be our favorites or the most interesting, I think things should at least be presented in as interesting a way as possible, especially in the beginning when you are trying to make a huge adjustment in lifestyle. If I wanted to let my son drudge through a subject with total lack of interest and interaction, I would have left him in public school.

 

I think our goal here in the beginning is to try to find that love of learning again, then as he grows he will be able to handle the "boring" stuff with a lot more understanding and maturity. That's just my two cents.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Mommybostic

[Embassy]

Honestly, I think if you're getting tears and boredom with a very little one (I haven't worked with older kids yet, so won't speak to that) then something is going wrong. For me, it is far more important that my kids maintain a joy for learning (sometimes considered dirty words around here, it seems!) than it is for me to plow through something for the sake of getting it done. I just cannot imagine any reason why I would need a 5 yr old to push through boredom and tears to complete a math worksheet when it is completely possible for him to learn primary math without any formal instruction at all. So I would absolutely curriculum hop (or abandon) for boredom and tears... in a heartbeat.

 

A year can feel like a lifetime when you're only five. And I think a year of drudgery can set you up for some pretty negative associations that can take a very long time to overcome.

 

:iagree:

 

My son hated his math program in Kindergarten. I've been working against that since then. This year one of my math goals was for him to enjoy math. Last month he announced that he likes math now. I asked him why and he didn't know. I changed things big time for this school year. Maybe that had something to do with it, maybe not. But it sure makes me happy we changed.

[MissKNG]

We don't curriculum hop within the year for two reasons: 1) Dh works hard for our money, and I think it's poor stewardship to buy curriculum, sell it for pennies on the dollar, and then buy something else. .

 

The positive way I view this idea is that I'm blessing someone else with curriculum for pennies on the dollar if I can't return it. Helping another HSer, who may not be able to afford brand new items, is a terrific stewardship of money imho.

 

We are pretty set with what we are using but I do have a few odds and ends that I decided to check out and they didn't work out.

[BBG580]

 

A year can feel like a lifetime when you're only five. And I think a year of drudgery can set you up for some pretty negative associations that can take a very long time to overcome.

 

Good points!

[skueppers]

I feel like I've researched about as much as I can and have made the best choices I can based on what I think my kid will respond well to and what I can personally deal with as well. And there is a financial factor as well. I can't just toss something out because I don't love it, I can't afford to change course and get all new materials!

 

Well, you probably can afford to change course, as long as what you change TO is free or nearly free!

 

I'm a new homeschooler myself, as this is my first year. While I don't have the kind of experience many of the folks on this board have, I am in the same place you are, one year on.

 

You won't really know how your teaching relationship works until you actually start homeschooling. I thought Miquon and MEP math worked for my kid, because we'd used them fairly extensively in the six months immediately preceding the start of official school. Once we started kindergarten, I found that neither of those approaches was working for her. Using physical manipulatives was distracting and confusing for my daughter, and the puzzle aspects of MEP made her frustrated and angry. I already owned the Math Mammoth blue series, which I'd bought to use as a supplement, so I gave her the first few pages of the Addition 1 book to try. She loved it, and has been happy as a clam with math ever since.

 

Could I have made math work this year without switching to Math Mammoth? Yes, and I probably wouldn't have made the switch if I didn't already own the program. But all other things being equal, I'd rather use a curriculum that my kid likes, rather than one that brings her to tears. I have plenty of other opportunities to help her develop stick-to-it-iveness; this doesn't need to be one of them!

 

Incidentally, my general approach to kindergarten would probably give you hives, if you're the file folder type. I decided we were going to study world geography this year for "social studies", so I asked my kid to look at a map and tell me what she wanted to learn about first. When I had the sense that we were close to being done with Antarctica, I asked her to pick the next place (Australia). And so on. It's no real trouble to grab some relevant library books, find a documentary or two on Netflix, and have at it. For science, I have some useful kits and basic threads we're following, but I couldn't tell you this week what we'll be doing for science next week.