What Is Your Favorite Multi-Children Curriculum?

[mommyto3boys2girls]

I am considering using MFW next year but am not 100% My kids will be 6th, 5th, 2nd, and we may do another round of K for my youngest ds.

 

I am just curious what your favorite is and why.

 

Thanks :)

[TracyR]

Mine has always been Sonlight. I haven't used MFW so I can't compare.

[cherylw]

I started a similar thread a while ago and someone pointed me to Heart of Dakota. There were other suggestions but this is the I have decided to go with for the fall..if not sooner. So I can't speak from experience, but it seems like a great fit for us. I am really excited about it:001_smile:!.

 

There is actually an ongoing thread on the HOD board now...HOD vs MFW

 

http://www.heartofdakota.com/board3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8468

[jewel7123]

MFW

Tapestry of Grace (TOG)

Biblioplan

[Holly]

We use (and love) HOD. It has smaller ranges of ages...I have my 1st and 3rd graders together, but I will most likely have to keep my younger one separate when she starts school because of the age gap.

 

We went with it because it was open and go, uses many of the 3R's programs we were already using, and wanted a program with lots of activities. It has been a great fit for these reasons. I also love the books HOD uses.

[coffeefreak]

MFW is the only curriculum that made combing the girls easy, even though they weren't really using the same books. We have been using the 2nd-3rd grade go alongs for the last two years, and it helped immensely. We're going to Sonlight next year, and I am not going to combine them. However, my oldest is working more and more independently, so I am better able to work with my youngest more one on one.

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[mom@shiloh]

We have really enjoyed Sonlight and it works well for combining up to a certain point. For instance, it is quite easy to combine children up to three or four years apart. Any more than that and it gets a bit difficult in my opinion.

 

Truthquest has worked very well for us also in combining children with a wider age range. The TQ guides give book suggestions for multiple age levels.

 

Jean

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

MFW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am starting all my kids in it next year- We are doing MFW K with my ds6 right now. I am so excited to start this! :D

[Irishmommy]

We are doing a combo of SL 3+4 and MFW adventures. My older will be in 5th grade, but reads more at an 8th grade level. My littles will be 1st and pre, pre K. I think it will be great for all of us. I would have used MFW for all of them, but I just felt like I needed a reading schedule for my oldest or I might not have him reading enough.

[Woodland_Mom]

MFW has worked very well for us. You may also want to consider TOG since you'll have kids in a couple of different stages.

[SnMomof7]

We're using SL, but it is quite limited in age range IMO. The grad-daddy of them all is TOG because you get a full program on the same topic on four distinct levels, with some overlap for family times :).

[laughing lioness]

IEW- we've had it for over a decade. LOVE it.

SOTW- CD's, books.

Classical conversation and Living Memory

Diana Waring's history cd's

IEW's poetry

 

some Sonlight.

We use a lot of CD's. Great stuff.

[NCJessieRN]

We have used (and LOVED) MFW for K, 1st, Adventures, and ECC this year. BUT, I've ONLY used MFW so I really can't compare to the other multi-levels out there. I've heard the others are wonderful programs as well, but MFW has worked for us so far so I have not felt the need to switch.

[DeeFL]

I am a busy mom to 7, and we're entering the homestretch of our 12th year. We did TOG in our earliest years, along with one year of SL, but when we found MFW, I quit looking. I love the ease, simplicity, depth, focus, flexibility...pretty much every thing about it. We have used ECC and Exp to 1850. This year, we're using AHL, 1st, and K.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

MFW would be very easy to combine, for the widest of age ranges, that we've used. We've tried SL and HOD, but not TOG... yet. ;) I guess it really depends on what "type" of program you are looking for as to which one would be best at combining. HOD has a daily schedule, MFW and SL have a weekly grid.

 

ETA: We are working our way through Adventures right now and I can see how easy it would be to combine a wide age range.

[mom@shiloh]

I hear several people recommending MFW and HOD. Both programs look good to me, but could someone jump in here with specific suggestions for age range? I have five children, ages 6-13 at home right now. Does anyone have experience with using one level of those for that much of an age range, or would you need to be using separate levels?

 

Thanks -- hope I'm not hijacking!

[jewel7123]

I hear several people recommending MFW and HOD. Both programs look good to me, but could someone jump in here with specific suggestions for age range? I have five children, ages 6-13 at home right now. Does anyone have experience with using one level of those for that much of an age range, or would you need to be using separate levels?

 

Thanks -- hope I'm not hijacking!

 

If it's between MFW and HOD, MFW would be much better for combining such a wide range of ages as those. HOD is really not meant for combining outside of a grade or two in either direction, as their TM's are geared towards a certain age group, and will teach a certain skill set that someone younger might not be ready for, and someone older will have already learned. The author herself does not recommend using one HOG guide with a variety of ages, but rather she suggests everyone have their own guide.

[NCJessieRN]

I hear several people recommending MFW and HOD. Both programs look good to me, but could someone jump in here with specific suggestions for age range? I have five children, ages 6-13 at home right now. Does anyone have experience with using one level of those for that much of an age range, or would you need to be using separate levels?

 

Thanks -- hope I'm not hijacking!

 

My Father's World combines from 2nd-8th. However, I have a 1st grader who is loving ECC as well. The younger ones jump in the history cycle where the oldest one is. There are advanced assignments for 7th-8th (at least in ECC) and younger sibling supplements I believe in the last two years of the cycle. MFW works in a way to create complete or almost complete independence by HS. HTH and you get other opinions and feedback as well.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Super happy with TOG over here :)

[mommyto3boys2girls]

Well it sounds like I will give MFW a try. I think it would work best for me. I like the weekly grid that i can check things off when completed. And that I can combine everyone.

 

Thanks all for sharing :)

[mothergooseof4]

MFW!!!

 

I have used SL and couldn't see trying to combine all of my kids with it.

 

With HOD, I had my oldest in one guide and my younger two combined in another. It was taking too much of my time.

 

We started MFW and have been getting it done consistently since the beginning of this year. They are all enjoying it, learning a lot (I have been surprised what they remember), and my day as well as my oldest ds' day have become much easier. Plus, with having to teach history/science/Bible only once per day, they are all learning the same thing and our studies become family conversations. I share more (disciple) than I did before when I felt pressured from the workload and just wanted to read it, check it off, and move to the next thing. Our activities and science experiments are getting done since they fit everyone. We often do them after dinner with dh for family time. Before, they were one more thing to get done and I often felt to busy and left them out.

 

For these three programs, MFW if the best for us. The reasons are that it actually gets done, it unifies us as a family to study together, it lightened our workload without sacrificing depth of learning, and it makes a happier momma who doesn't feel like I am being pulled in different directions.

[hearts4homeschooling]

Having used BJU, Sonlight, MFW, Biblioplan and Truthquest, I'd say MFW and Biblioplan are the easiest to combine with multiple grades. BP will require more legwork to get the books from the library versus just purchasing an entire MFW set, but BP is potentially K-12 if you diligently get the books for each level.

[Reya]

Independent work. ;-)

 

This summer, I'll be teaching a very gifted 2-y-o and an MR 5-y-o together, but that's better than I've ever managed before, and this is only possible because really I only care about the 5-y-o. And I have to WRITE that curriculum from scratch.

 

I couldn't even teach 2 boys 9 months apart together in K. Their needs were just too different.

[BlsdMama]

MFW!!!

 

I have used SL and couldn't see trying to combine all of my kids with it.

 

 

 

 

:iagree: (Nodding head vigorously.)

 

I tried to "tweak" to combine two and it was overload. We use TOG for three of our children.

[Donna A.]

MFW user for over 6 years here.... Between my three children, currently ages 8, 12, and 15, we've used everything from K to 9th grade, and my 10th grade (year 2 of high school) package just arrived today! :thumbup:

 

I've also tried HOD and SL, and looked really hard at TOG (even borrowing a unit from my pastor's wife), but MFW wins hands down for our family. :)

[cin]

I'm looking at MFW for next year and not real sure what to do. My girls are 3 years apart, but they seem to be too far apart to combine. My oldest is 9, and I'm thinking about starting her in either the ECC or Creation to Greeks (1st year history). My youngest is 6. I was toying with putting her in the Adventures in MFW. Oldest loves to read and will devour most of the reading in her level. The younger, well. She reads when she has too. And I know that the books will be too difficult for her to read on her own, at all. I guess I think DD1 will find the lower level boring, and DD2 will find the upper level too hard. does that make any sense? :001_huh:

 

Is this making any sense? I'd LOVE some input into this.

[mommaduck]

We've done Weaver, TOG, and MFW as far as multi level curricula. MFW has won out :D

[coffeefreak]

I'm looking at MFW for next year and not real sure what to do. My girls are 3 years apart, but they seem to be too far apart to combine. My oldest is 9, and I'm thinking about starting her in either the ECC or Creation to Greeks (1st year history). My youngest is 6. I was toying with putting her in the Adventures in MFW. Oldest loves to read and will devour most of the reading in her level. The younger, well. She reads when she has too. And I know that the books will be too difficult for her to read on her own, at all. I guess I think DD1 will find the lower level boring, and DD2 will find the upper level too hard. does that make any sense? :001_huh:

 

Is this making any sense? I'd LOVE some input into this.

 

Have you popped on over to the MFW Forums? They would be more than happy to help you place your girls. However, from what I understand, you could put them both in ECC this year, no problem.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[Ellie]

KONOS was my favorite. Of course, it isn't classical or anything, but back then I'd never heard of "classical." :D

[sewpeaceful]

SOTW for history and Elemental Science for science. All other subjects are personalized to the kid (reading, writing, math, grammar, etc).

 

We use SWB's guidelines for the most part. My first grader COPIES 1 topic sentence for each subject. My 3rd grader is allowed to copy the 1st grader's sentence and must compose 2 of her own on the same subject from that day's reading. Why? Because a 4th grader should be able to write a short paragraph or 4 sentences about something read or heard.

 

I like the fact I can read out loud to both kids at the same time. We can discuss it as a family. We can do projects together. I like the fact that as my older has to dive deeper, it peaks my younger's curiousity to want to learn and understand as much as big sis, if not more.

 

Both have been a great fit for our family and we look forward to our school year next year.

[Donna A.]

I'm looking at MFW for next year and not real sure what to do. My girls are 3 years apart, but they seem to be too far apart to combine. My oldest is 9, and I'm thinking about starting her in either the ECC or Creation to Greeks (1st year history). My youngest is 6. I was toying with putting her in the Adventures in MFW. Oldest loves to read and will devour most of the reading in her level. The younger, well. She reads when she has too. And I know that the books will be too difficult for her to read on her own, at all. I guess I think DD1 will find the lower level boring, and DD2 will find the upper level too hard. does that make any sense? :001_huh:

 

Is this making any sense? I'd LOVE some input into this.

 

Well, you just described my two oldest dd's, and we've been combining using MFW for 6 years. :001_smile: Although oldest is now doing MFW high school which is written to her specific college-prep needs, but we still do a lot together as well. And then I have the 8yo in the mix, too.

 

But when I first found MFW, my two oldest were 9 and 6. ;) We did Adventures because my oldest hadn't had much American history yet and she needed the overview. (They turned 10 and 7 while doing Adventures.) MFW didn't have the "older" American history years done yet (Expl-1850 and 1850-Modern), so I went with Adventures and it was a great year! My oldest is a voracious reader and she read everything I brought home from the library, which I'd gotten from the booklist of about 400 titles in the back of the TM. There's a wide variety of different genres and reading levels, so she had plenty. I also assigned extra notebooking for her on occasion.

 

My then-6yo was just learning how to read, so I continued doing her phonics, and she listened to the read-alouds (both scheduled and what I read aloud from Book Basket), did the hands-on stuff that she was interested in ADV (she can't stand anything involving glue or too much mess), and did the notebooking, sometimes with help if needed. Her reading skills greatly improved that year, I believe because once she took off in her separate reading lessons, ADV really reinforced it, gave her more practice in reading her own Bible (the Discoverers Bible that MFW sells), and the language arts skills that are built into the lesson plans. Those include copywork, memorization, oral and written narrations, and dictation. Later I added PLL which MFW recommends for 2nd & 3rd grade, and oldest was doing ILL.

 

So it works, even with age gaps. The fact is, if you had 5 children, there would still be at least 3 years between *somebody*, right? MFW is meant to be multi-level learning, and that works whether they're 9 and 6 or 12 and 9 because each child is always doing math and LA at their own level anyway.

 

MFW is flexible in many ways to accommodate the different ages participating in family learning together. That's exactly what it's set up for. :) But if your oldest has already had American history, then you'd want to go with ECC instead of Adventures. The principles about multi-level learning, individual math and LA, and utilizing Book Basket for variety in reading levels still apply. You just wouldn't do the *Advanced* lessons in ECC yet, because those are intended for junior high age (or older grammar stage who's advanced).

 

Don't do two completely separate programs with your girls. Go with *either* ECC or Adventures, but not both. Youngest will have her own books for American history when you get to Expl-1850. :001_smile:

[Donna A.]

I'm looking at MFW for next year and not real sure what to do. My girls are 3 years apart, but they seem to be too far apart to combine. My oldest is 9, and I'm thinking about starting her in either the ECC or Creation to Greeks (1st year history). My youngest is 6. I was toying with putting her in the Adventures in MFW. Oldest loves to read and will devour most of the reading in her level. The younger, well. She reads when she has too. And I know that the books will be too difficult for her to read on her own, at all. I guess I think DD1 will find the lower level boring, and DD2 will find the upper level too hard. does that make any sense? :001_huh:

 

Is this making any sense? I'd LOVE some input into this.

 

About the reading.... the scheduled chapter books that you see in the Deluxe package on the website are intended to be used as family read-alouds. So neither dd will be reading these "on her own". Where they get separate reading at their own level comes from Book Basket (in the back of the TM). The list is divided up by topic and week # so it's easy for you to browse ahead of time and get what you want from the library.

 

If you don't have a good library option, as some don't, you can choose to buy some titles from Sonlight or elsewhere to have in your home library. Marie has asterisked some titles on the list that she recommends for purchase if you choose to do it this way.

 

Oh, and there's video recommendations on there as well. And Marie has pre-read EVERY title on the list to make sure they're appropriate, and has also noted places where there's questionable content for sensitive children, or to accommodate personal conviction on that, as well as age-appropriateness.

[cin]

Wow, thanks for the info! I might just do both in the Adventures, because we haven't really had a strong American History year yet.

 

If I do that, then when does DD9 start into the other history series? Because I'd like to also do the geography the next year with them both. Should I just continue from there, and then when she hits 9th grade, jump her to that one? Would she be ok jumping from the 2nd history rotation straight into 9th grade?

 

Why oh Why didn't I find this curriculum sooner?!?!?!?

[Mallorie]

Great info here...we're looking at starting MFW ECC this fall. A friend lent me some of the books that are in that package, and I like them a lot. I hope to see them at conference in May and really look their stuff over.

[speedmom4]

I know it's not very popular here but I really like Winter Promise. This year we are doing the All American 2. It combines their two programs for American History into one. There are books geared more to my younger child and some that are more mature.

 

I used Sonlight for many years but it became very difficult to combine after a while. Winter Promise is really geared towards combining lots of ages. Right now I am combining a 3rd, 4th, and 7th graders together. It is working very well. I did add Bible to my 7th graders schedule outside of Winter Promise.

 

I have looked into MFW for the younger years but so far I really prefer the books in Winter Promise. There are a lot of great non-fiction books included in the program. I don't believe it is the best organized Instructor Guide as far as how they schedule the books. It hasn't been horrible though. I think the book choices have made up for that fact.

 

God Bless,

Elise in NC

[Ruthie in MS]

Really loving all the imput here. I have 2 dds ages 7 and 5 (a gifted 5). Next year I am thinking about using MFW Adventures with them. After hearing all the comments, I am excited and more reassured.

I know my 5 y/o may not completely "get it" but it will be a great start for her once they both start the cycle.

[cin]

Im so excited about MFW; I'm wanting to start it the week after the Convention We do school over the summer, so I wonder......oh boy. Gotta get off this curriculum high :D

[Bostonmom]

MFW or HOD

[RobinF]

I hear several people recommending MFW and HOD. Both programs look good to me, but could someone jump in here with specific suggestions for age range? I have five children, ages 6-13 at home right now. Does anyone have experience with using one level of those for that much of an age range, or would you need to be using separate levels?

 

Thanks -- hope I'm not hijacking!

 

We have four boys ages and next year they will be 5-12 and we use TOG. We have used MFW in the past but TOG works better for us. I love being able to study the same thing and know that I can stay on that schedule through high school.

[DianeW88]

KONOS....hands down, no contest. It's also the one that my children learned and retained the most with. You can tweak it to be classical, Charlotte Mason or whatever you want. I love it!

[TXMary2]

TOG. I tried combing SL and WP with all kids, but it was too much work.

[strawnfam]

I have 6dc (12yo-6th, 10yo-5th, 7yo-2nd,5yo-k, 3yo-pk,2yo) I've been chatting with a friend who is in love with SL for her family. She said that by 6th gr that her dc manage their own schedule, and she just gives them a copy of the checklist. I don't want to have to spend all day on school, honestly. I think I have to go to a single program for all my dc. We have been doing eclectic stuff, and I am just not getting enough subjects in. I NEED a preplanned curric. After reading some on the forums I'm now leaning toward MFW or TOG. Thanks for all of your input.

[mommyto3boys2girls]

I just got my MFW Rome to Reformation stuff and it looks AWESOME!