New Here-plenty of ???s :)

[krwsmum]

Quick background-

I have three dds, 7 (8 in April), 6 1/2, and 2. Oldest two went to private Christian school for two years, used Abeka so both can read (very well-oldest finished Box Car Children within 2-3 hrs with complete comprehension, middle not far behind) and write cursive. We decided last minute to hs this year, so the school gave us all their curriculum (we had already paid for it. Needless to say it is B-O-R-I-N-G!!! WE hate the Math, and the phonics is unneccessary.

I love the whole WTM philosophy and CM. My question is where do I start when they already have the skills that I should just be beginning to introduce? i kind of want to scrap what we have been doing and start fresh but don't knwo what to do! I am torn between what curriculum for math, I hear MM is great, as well as TT...and then Saxon was recently recommended to me...HELP please!

[jewel7123]

Welcome to the board! Do you have the budget to scrap everything and start over?

 

I would research each subject at a time. For good reviews, try Cathy Duffy's website as well as her book http://www.amazon.com/100-Top-Picks-Homeschool-Curriculum/dp/0805431381/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296667151&sr=8-1

 

Also this site: http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/

 

You'll also find lots of good info on every curriculum imaginable right here on this board! Check out threads for 1st and 2nd/3rd? grade and see what others are using. Your older two are very close in age so you should be able to combine them in content subjects such as history, science, bible, art, etc. That should make things easier on you.

 

Hope this helps and good luck!

[Tiberia]

Welcome. I'm fairly new here too, but have learned a few things along the way. First, you don't need to rush and make a decision about curriculum today. Your kids will not fall behind if you take a week or two, or a month, to research until you are comfortable with your curriculum choices.

 

You don't have to duplicate school. Give yourself and your kids some time to "de-school." Do some games, take field trips. Find out what they like. Go to the library. Homeschooling is flexible. You get way more done in an hour than in "school." You can camp out in places the kids show interest. Yes, you will want to focus on some basics, but there's a lot of room for variation.

 

I get recommendations from WTM and then look at them myself. If you have some sort of homeschool book store in your area, maybe you could look there to get an idea of what's available. Or try online book resources. There are so many choices, but you could narrow your search if you are interested in the classical approach.

 

There are topics listed at the bottom of these forums. Click on one, say Math, and see where it takes you. Warning: people either love Saxon or hate it. I happen to love it.

 

There's so much information on these forums- I'm glad you found us. Welcome to the fun!!!

[Dolphin]

We are new this year too. We had not already paid for third grade, so I had to go and get everything new. I think in someways that was more stressful. Not only was I having to figure out HOW to be a teacher, and HOW to teach each curriculum. My ds was having to learn a new way of learning in every subject. Different programs teach the same thing in different ways and with different language.

 

My advice would be to keep with the curriculum that you are using, they might hate it, but it is familiar. Pick which subject you are all the most unhappy with. Research and change that. Then look at what is now your least favorite. I think it would be less stressful for the kids to change one subject at a time.

 

Also, someone pointed out a key message in the grammar stage part of the WTM. SWB, herself says that kids are naturally all over the map at this point in their education. The goal is to have them know what they need to know by the end of 4th grade. We are ahead someplaces, and behind in others.

This is what we are doing with my 3rd grade son

1st grade

spelling (AAS 1)

handwriting (Getty Dubbay)

Geography (map drawing)

2nd grade

Math (Singapore 2B, we are almost done and should move to 3A next month)

3rd grade

WWE3

FLL3

Latina Christina 1

SOTW 3

7th grade reading level last time he was tested.

 

So see, it is all over the map. I figure that it is part of why we homeschool. We can do things at our child's skill level, rather than their grade level.

 

One other thing a lot of people pointed out to me. The second year has some new issues, but is a lot easier than the first.

 

Hope that helps,

Nicole

[blakereese]

Welcome. I'm fairly new here too, but have learned a few things along the way. First, you don't need to rush and make a decision about curriculum today. Your kids will not fall behind if you take a week or two, or a month, to research until you are comfortable with your curriculum choices.

 

You don't have to duplicate school. Give yourself and your kids some time to "de-school." Do some games, take field trips. Find out what they like. Go to the library. Homeschooling is flexible. You get way more done in an hour than in "school." You can camp out in places the kids show interest. Yes, you will want to focus on some basics, but there's a lot of room for variation.

 

I get recommendations from WTM and then look at them myself. If you have some sort of homeschool book store in your area, maybe you could look there to get an idea of what's available. Or try online book resources. There are so many choices, but you could narrow your search if you are interested in the classical approach.

 

There are topics listed at the bottom of these forums. Click on one, say Math, and see where it takes you. Warning: people either love Saxon or hate it. I happen to love it.

 

There's so much information on these forums- I'm glad you found us. Welcome to the fun!!!

 

I agree with this. Take your time. It is so easy to get recommendations for the best things from all of us, and then spend a lot of money before you really know what you want.

 

Start with math. Think about how you want to teach math, how they have been learning, what they respond to, etc. You can research here what people have to say about things you are interested in. Also homeschool reviews, as someone mentioned above. Try to really know what you are getting into before you buy something, so when it arrives you are not overwhelmed or disappointed. For now you can play lots of math games to reinforce addition and subtraction facts. Do "around the house" math...include your children while doing recipes, for example. Just live and learn while they de-school. I took my DS 7 out of ps last year, and we did need to start slow, and get him out of the routine of "school". Things are very different when you homeschool, and you need to slowly introduce that. Don't be surprised if it takes a few months.

 

Also, look on the Sale boards for things you are interested in. You can save some money, and that way if it doesn't work out for you, you are not out as much $$. Then you can turn around and sell it again.

 

And go to the library!! I was amazed at all I could find at our library. Lots of homeschooling books to get me started, and even some of the curricula I was interested in could be checked out. It is great to be able to see things in person, and for free! Which leads me to this...find a homeschool group in your area. It is wonderful to have IRL people who are supportive of your choice and can help you along the way. Often they have regular meet-ups and your children can meet some friends, and so can mama. :) Often you will be able to take a look at books and manipulatives others are using, and maybe you can even borrow or buy someone's used items. You can also find out about local homeschool classes and field trips through these groups.

 

Your kids are still young, so I would just read to them a lot, have them read to you (if they are reading), and just work on the three R's. It will take awhile to find your groove and materials that work for you, but your kids will be just fine. Good luck!!

[thowell]

Hi and welcome! How exciting for you! My first suggestions would be to take a breath get yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea and relax. Now the next thing you have to decide is which type of learning you and your children would prefer. You stated that you are drawn to the Classical CM way. That is great and will be very different from Abeka. For CM, Simply Charlotte Mason is a great sight to look over. For Classical TWTM is the best! There are several other styles so make sure you have reviewd them all. Once you are fairly settled on this I would make a list of which subjects you will teach them. For math you must again decide which kind you want. There is mastery, spiral, and some that are a mix of both. Coming from Abeka your kids will have a pretty good foundation in traditional math. So do they do better focusing on one topic at a time until it is mastered? Do they need alot of review to keep things fresh? Your kids are still very young so I would take it slow. For grammar do you want to teach that from young ages and continue building on it each year? Or do you want to delay formal studies until they are older? By now you have realized there are a million questions you will need to answer. Yes, Cathy Duffy's book is the BEST! You can visit her website to get a good start but her book will actually walk you through several checklist to help you decide all of this. So Relax, Read, and gather all the info you can. In the mean time I would either let them continue what they are doing or take a few weeks off and just let them read. This will give you time to get some things cleared up. Ask all the questions you can think of as this is a great place to find answers. Good luck to you!!!

[Lovedtodeath]

At that age I would start out with a math program and Writing With Ease Workbook 1. That will cover your educational needs for a while and help you to get used to the classical method. Writing With Ease will cover literature, writing mechanics, narrating, writing skills, and spelling (in a round about way). You could go with just this for half the school year as far as I am concerned.

 

Why is it that you don't want to continue with the same math program? Is it Abeka? We love Abeka math. lol.

[krwsmum]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

We're considering changing because we are bored. IT's just worksheet after worksheet. My oldest dd is doing BJU English 2 and it is NO challenge whatsoever! Like I said she is a strong reader which I guess helps her know alot of the "rules" to grammar. We are using BJU Math 1 and Math 2 and I don't like how it jumps all over the place. My middle dd needs more of the mastery appproach (I think-still getting used to all the terms!)-When we cam back around to place value she could not tell me where the ones and tens place were-VERY frustrating! We have completed the Abeka Letters & Sounds and Language books already-they both sailed through those. I just read this quote from Marva Collins-'...I went beyong the required curriculum in many of my lessons. For example, I taught my students how to add and subtract, but I also taught them that arithmetic is a Greek word meaning to count and that numbers were called digits after the Latin word digitus, meaning finger, because people used to count on their fingers.' to my oldest dd and her eyes lit up! She thought that was "sooo cool!"...how awesome it that? Especially after last night while driving a former classmate home said "all homeschool is is a bunch of worksheets."-I have to make a change and I think sooner rather than later will benefit us all!

But here's my other dilemma-according to TWTM, I should be starting my 1st grader on Ancients and my 2nd on Medieval-can't I just do them both together? I understand my older will be behind...what should I do?

 

Thanks again for everything so far! :)

[krwsmum]

so I just read another post about BJU and saw it is considered "mastery"-I'm so confused! I agree BJU is pretty and colorful-just not enough! Ugh-this is so frustrating, maybe I should just take the easy way out and send them to school! HA!;)

[jewel7123]

My oldest dd is doing BJU English 2 and it is NO challenge whatsoever! Like I said she is a strong reader which I guess helps her know alot of the "rules" to grammar. We are using BJU Math 1 and Math 2 and I don't like how it jumps all over the place.

 

Where are you located? My local Christian school uses Abeka in the younger grades and BJU for the older as well. I'm sure that's common though.

 

But here's my other dilemma-according to TWTM, I should be starting my 1st grader on Ancients and my 2nd on Medieval-can't I just do them both together? I understand my older will be behind...what should I do?

 

ABSOLUTELY you can keep them together! I highly recommend it. I would check out Tapestry of Grace, Mystery of History, Biblioplan and Story of the World and see which fits your worldview and budget.

[thowell]

so I just read another post about BJU and saw it is considered "mastery"-I'm so confused! I agree BJU is pretty and colorful-just not enough! Ugh-this is so frustrating, maybe I should just take the easy way out and send them to school! HA!;)

 

BJU is mastery this is what dd11 uses. In BJU each chapter focuses on a new topic. You study that topic through the chapter. The only review is at the end of each chapter in the review test. With a spiral you would be doing several topics at the same time in small steps and cycle back around to each one getting more in depth each time. I think Saxon is a good idea of spiral. Abeka is also spiral but has way too much review in it for my girls. CLE has worked great for my dd7 who loves and needs the spiral approach. Dd10 has been using TT5 and while she likes it, she is ready to get back in with the rest of us so she will switch to Saxon 7/6 next year (also this is what I already have on my shelf). MM is a great math that is very strong on conceptual math. If your kiddos are bored you may want to think about trying a few unit studies to lighten things up a bit for awhile. Also, keep in mind that your first year or so is just getting your feet wet and figuring out what works the best.

Edited February 2, 2011 by thowell
can't type today!!!

[Lovedtodeath]

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/frequently-asked-questions/

 

These will help you especially about older child and multiple children.

 

If you are not happy with BJU math because you need spiraling review and you want more angles covered then I would definitely look at Saxon. Math Mammoth covers a lot of angles but it is mastery (that is what we are using now). Saxon is really good in the upper grades.

 

If you are looking for math that is not worksheet based and that you could do together with both students then you might look at RightStart or Math on the Level.

 

Check out the math reviews here: http://www.grovepublishing.com/math/math-index.htm

 

Here is a link to a bunch of threads that are tagged Saxon Math here: saxon math

 

I want to really encourage you to not try to jump into doing every subject all at once, but it does sound like you want to start a literature, history or science with lots of fun hands-on activities stuff.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Lovedtodeath

[Annabel Lee]

Hi there, welcome to the homeschooling journey! I started out just like you, OP. My oldest had been in Abeka private schools so I was familiar with that. When I started homeschooling my youngers, that's what I used since that's what I knew. I never fathomed there were SO many other educational approaches available.

 

I know one of the foremost concerns as a new homeschooler is what to use. Others have chimed in w/ plenty of resources for finding reviews, and doing a search on these boards pulls up a ton of info. as well. I don't use much Abeka anymore (and I wouldn't at all except I have a bit of leftovers) for the same reasons you stated: workbook-y and boring. I condense & combine lessons and put them on the whiteboard to be done orally (and with colorful whiteboard markers - somehow this makes a difference to my kids). My point in sharing that w/ you is that sometimes, as teachers, we can take a curric. (no matter which one) and make it work. Many people use books, history texts, etc. as a jumping off point for exploring deeper. If you have the WTM & haven't read it, I recommend doing so. If you have, then get Susan's MP3 lectures - they're not expensive at all, and they clarify & simpify things exponentially.

 

There is no such thing as "being behind" in history, unless you're in High School, or possibly Jr. High. Let the stress of that melt off you like butter. Just start where you are. There's even a chapter in TWTM about starting in the middle w/ older kids and with multiple kids. Keeping them together in the same time era for history, and the same basic topic(s) for science will make your homeschool work much easier, and then they'll be able to play, discuss, & read about their studies together. You can start at the beginning, at where you think they "should" be, or with whatever they've not had as much exposure to as other eras. Or, if the kids are especially interested in learning about something, start with that. Just move forward from wherever you start.

 

While I'm at it, I gently suggest checking out The Phonics Road as a very thorough, all-in-one program that accomplishes language arts as laid out in the WTM efficiently (read: not spending ALL morning doing L.A. worksheet after worksheet). It integrates the various topics within LA together. I haven't had the chance to use it, but I just finished researching it and I wish that I had known about it when I first started. There are members here who do use it, though.

[Lovedtodeath]

While I'm at it, I gently suggest checking out The Phonics Road as a very thorough, all-in-one program that accomplishes language arts as laid out in the WTM efficiently (read: not spending ALL morning doing L.A. worksheet after worksheet). It integrates the various topics within LA together. I haven't had the chance to use it, but I just finished researching it and I wish that I had known about it when I first started. There are members here who do use it, though.

We are really enjoying the Phonics Road Little House study and I was trying not to overwhelm you with suggestions so I didn't mention it. There are fun hands on things to do suggested throughout. Phonics Road covers everything to do with spelling (rules, phonograms, dictation) vocabulary, literature, reading, writing and grammar very, very thoroughly and it takes way less time than using separate programs, plus it is definitely not workbooks.

 

For your first year homeschooling, you would be doing very well doing only Phonics Road and a math program.

[krwsmum]

Thanks so much-you guys are AWESOME! :)

[ChandlerMom]

I agree with a lot of the advice you are getting: at this age and starting out, keep it simple!

 

Think 3Rs and start there. Math is the big one you need to "pick" first. If you don't like spiral, you probably won't like Saxon. I'd suggest Math Mammoth -- you can download a ton of sample lessons for free and see if it fits with your DDs. It is definitely mastery and I like that you can stop and start for the day where you please and there is only ONE text (the teaching is in the workbook, so for a strong math student it doesn't take a lot of parental direction and if you download it, you can use it for each kid at no extra cost besides paper).

 

For LA: if dds are ahead on reading/grammar and such, you might want to take some time here. My 7yo was most of the way through 4th grade LA and even that was soooo boring and repetitive. So, Jan 1st I stopped "the program" and just had her read a book for at least 30 min/day (from a stack I keep supplied from the library) and write at least a full page per day. I don't red pen her writing, but take notes of any misspelling or grammar errors to discuss later and down the road she'll select stories she wrote there to develop into bigger projects with more of a writing nuts-and-bolts flavor. :D We do mad libs to practice her "parts of speech" and I use history and science for a more natural narration practice.

 

So, as long as they are doing some math, some reading, and some writing, beyond that feel free to pursue some rabbit trails (topics of interest to the girls).

 

If you want to start history, start both with Ancients and just enjoy learning together. Do read alouds, have them read aloud, discuss the readings, maye do some history pockets or crafts, visit a few museums.

 

Basically, take the time to reconnect with the FUN and JOY of learning!

[Lovedtodeath]

I just wanted to try to clear up the Spiral verses Mastery ideas when it comes to math. A Mastery program will stick to one concept for a lesson. BJU is Mastery, Math Mammoth is even more mastery. A Spiral program will include the concepts in almost every lesson, having a variety in each lesson. Abeka is Spiral.

 

HTH!

 

We use Math Mammoth as our main program and throw in an Abeka worksheet once in a while.