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What curricula have you stuck with long-term?


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SOTW-we are on volume 3 and will do volume 4 next year

FLL/WWE-we switched for a bit, but now we are sticking with them for the long haul

Elemental Science-that's a no brainer :)

Singapore Math-love, love, love this!

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I did most of my switching around with my remedial phonics students! And, I generally kept each student in one or 2 books. My daughter was my "guinea pig" for other subjects, I switched around a bit with her before finding things I liked.

 

Webster's Speller

MCT

Singapore

ZB

 

I am pretty happy with everything else I am using, but have not used it long enough to know for sure.

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I used and loved

all of Miquon (didn't work for my youngest though)

Singapore 3A-6B (didn't work as well for my youngest)

Sonlight Cores K-7 (didn't work as well for my youngest)

Kinetic Books Algebra I and Algebra II (came out with prealgebra in time for only my youngest and I'm trying to get her to use it, but she doesn't want to do math on the computer)

Prentice Hall Science Explorer (and guess what, it doesn't work as well for my youngest either, but I'm making her stick with this one)

 

My youngest is dyslexic and is an auditory learner (my older two are both visual learners and so am I). She seems to need an entirely different approach for almost everything.

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Singapore Math

Rod and Staff English

Shurley English

Sequential Spelling

Write Source

SOTW

Four Square Writing

Noeo Science

Blackbird and Company Lit guides

 

I just used Window to the World for the first time this year, but I plan to use it again with 3 more kids.

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Singapore and Miquon with all three dc for their early elementary math

 

Rod & Staff grammar all the way through for two dc and now working on grade 3 with youngest (so 7 or so years now)

 

Spelling Workout since 2003 (I've tried other "in" spelling programs, but always came back quckly :D)

 

TWTM and VP for history/literature for all three dc

 

Pathway Readers, then BJU Reading for all three dc

 

IEW for 7 years now, both for my dc and for my writing classes

 

ETC - all three dc used this

 

That doesn't include any of the things I've used for just a few years now, just the ones that are 7+ years.

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Oldest ds has been hs on the record for four years...things I've used for multiple years or completed with one child and plan to use again include:

 

SOTW

Explode the Code

Singapore Math

Getty-Dubay Italics

Miquon Math

Lively Latin

Song School Latin

Greek Code Cracker

Mnemosyne

Trail Guide to Geography (World and U.S.)

 

I'm not a huge curriculum jumper, as you can see. We started Michael Clay Thompson a year ago, and I see no reason why we won't stick with that long-term. I'm tinkering with 4-level sentence analysis forms to use with ds9's Lively Latin diagramming sentences.

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Oak Meadow.

 

I don't know if you'd consider it 'long term' yet- I didn't pull my daughter out of public school til toward the very end of the third grade school year, so we did our own eclectic thing with no curriculum for the end of that year.

 

I did my research, fell in love with Oak Meadow and decided on that, and used it for our fourth grade year. Continued to love it, currently using it for our fifth grade year. Continuing to love it, planning to use it next year for sixth grade- and all the way to 8th at a minimum, as I bought K-8 used from one person. I will be starting K with my son in the fall and going through all of K-8 with him.

 

I have no intentions of curriculum-jumping- I'm VERY happy with Oak Meadow. And may very well purchase it for the high school years, too!

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Things I have used for more than one year or with more than one child:

 

Rod and Staff Phonics and Reading

Rod and Staff Spelling

Rod and Staff English

Explode the Code

Developmental Mathematics (I used this with 8 children starting with my first about 17 years ago. Five of my children went through all 16 levels and then on to Saxon 1/2) My 14yo son just wasn't getting math and my 8yog was struggling too so we recently switched to CLE math...after using the same math curriculum for 17 years!

 

Saxon Algebra 1/2

Teaching Textbooks

Apologia General Science

Lightning Lit

Prima Latina

Latina Christiana

 

Susan in TX

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We've been using Singapore since ds1 was in K, he is a unit away from finishing 4B.

We used ETC until the bitter end (the coby of Book 8 I had was filled with a lot of errors and misprints).

 

ETA: We also went through all the logic books on Prufrock's site (analogy books, lollipop logic, Countdown books, and Safari Logic books).

Edited by HootyTooty
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Abeka phonics through 3rd grade (was so glad I finally gave this a try after so many negatives I had heard about Abeka...it worked wonderfully for both my boys)

 

Rightstart for the earlier grades(...not sure if I will continue this next year though)

 

HWT

 

Things that I have really liked from this year that I plan to continue with as long as possible:

 

Math Mammoth!!

Spelling Wisdom

Rod and Staff English

Artistic Pursuits (love it)

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Used with 2 DC over the course of 6 years:

BJU Math grades 1-6

BJU Reading grades 1-4

WTM/Teaching Classics literature approach from grades 3 up

 

*but I supplement heavily with my own approaches

 

Curriculum we've been using for aprox 2 years that I think are keepers:

 

TOG

AAS

Megawords

Lial's Math for pre Algebra up

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I used Spelling Workout all the way through with both boys.

 

I used Writing Strands all the way through (from level 3) with my older son, who was a natural writer. I don't think it necessarily works for those who are not natural writers.

 

I have loved SOTW. We've worn out a Kingfisher encyclopedia.

 

I love Singapore for math and used it all the way through with both boys.

 

I really liked Abeka with my older son, but again, he's a natural at language arts. It hasn't worked as well with the younger.

 

I've used Latin Primer/Grammar with both.

 

Those are all I can think of right now....

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We've just started grade 1 for the 2nd time, and I'm sticking with most of the choices my older dd used for the grammar stage.

 

ReadingA-Z.com phonics program

SOTW

Math-u-See

So far, I really like WWE, so can see that becoming a 'keeper' too.

 

Older dd started 6th grade in Jan. After some false starts, I think we'll stick with what we now have for the rest of middle school.

 

K12 History Odyssey

Prentice Hall Science Explorer books

IEW

Math-u-See.

Edited by Hannah
horrible typo
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I'm a 13+ years curriculum hopper.

 

I go around in circles and repurchase some of the same resources over and over. I get all googlie eyed over the new and shiny fads, but then circle back to boring and efficient.

 

I've never homeschooled/self-educated for more than a few months without using:

 

KJV as the reading/literature book

Saxon math

Aufmann math (remedial CC texts)

Encyclopedias

Bill Nye

The Encyclopedia of Country Living

 

Not the full 13 years, but 8+ years with Real Writing 2nd edition by Susan Anker.

 

I have a long list of oldies but goodies on my wishlist, waiting for a cheap copy, including the antiquated looking Rod and Staff Science 7-10. I learned how to improve my garden and deal with puppy worms and so much more from that PRACTICAL 2 volume set. I also really miss my OLD Rod and Staff Grade 8 and OLD handbook, when grade 8 was the final book in the series, but don't know how to repurchase the out of print set.

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The Encyclopedia of Country Living

 

I have a long list of oldies but goodies on my wishlist, waiting for a cheap copy, including the antiquated looking Rod and Staff Science 7-10. I learned how to improve my garden and deal with puppy worms and so much more from that PRACTICAL 2 volume set.

 

I also love Carla Emery's TEoCL. I use it all the time, especially for variations on heartier bread recipes than I usually find in modern bread baking books, gardening situations, and so on. It really is an invaluable resource to me.

 

Your mention of the Rod and Staff Science is the first time I've ever been tempted to even go look at the R&S site. I would be interested in looking at it for myself, since my kids are so little at this point. Is it the current edition that is still being offered for grades 7-10 or is this an outdated version that you are having trouble finding? Just curious!

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I've done a lot less jumping around with my younger 2 than I did my oldest (poor guinea pig).

 

For my oldest we used MUS from Gamma to Pre algebra. For my younger 2, we have used MFW and Singapore math with no end in sight. We just switched to PR in December and I hope that we can stick with it all the way through.

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The old 7-10 Rod and Staff science books are still for sale. 7th grade has been rewritten, but 8th-10th has not been rewritten yet. They are really a big dissapointment to some people...but...they are a very complete survey of the science we interact with in real life. And that type of science doesn't change much. The pictures of food and it's containers change, for example, and people have become used to larger books and prettier books, but there is a lot of good content in the books.

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Just curious: What programs have you found that you were able to stick with happily for years? I see a lot of curriculum jumping going on, and I don't want to do that anymore.

 

I've found AAS, which I think is a keeper. We're only on level 2, but I plan on finishing the series.

 

Anyone else?

 

We've stuck with Saxon the longest (K, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and will keep going). I, personally, don't love Saxon, but my ds does and it works very well for him. Growing with Grammar (since grade 3, and will keep going) is a keeper, too. Latin Prep is a long-term winner as well. We'll keep going with the other Galore Park Latin materials once we're finished with LP. And, finally Oak Meadow for all other subjects, but we didn't use it for grades 1, 2, 3, much to my regret.

 

We've also really liked Soaring with Spelling (same publisher as GwG), but it's new so we only starting using it last year. We are using it this year as well, and plan to keep using it through grade 8, where it stops.

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My 3rd year homeschooling. I've dabbled with other things for a short time, but came back to what I choose first:

 

Phonics Road

Rightstart Math

Getty-Dubay Italics

 

Other things that we haven't used very long, but will be staying around happily:

 

WTM Science

CWP (singapore)

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These are programs that I got at least 4+ calendar years and 6+ kid-years out of. . .

 

Sonlight Cores (history & lit)

Singapore Math (PM1-6)

Miquon Math (all)

Rod & Staff English (many years, but have since moved to MCT)

Zaner Bloser handwriting

SWO

 

The only one I no longer use is R&S English, but I still allow for the possibility of using it for a year here or there.

 

Another one that I've used for 2+ years and expect to keep on using indefitely:

 

Galore Park So You Really Want to Learn Spanish

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Bob Jones Elementary Reading. I used it with dd and now using it with ds. It is usually the first subject he wants to do. I love that there are a variety of stories, non-fiction, poems, and plays. I love that the TM has vocabulary words, discussion questions from literal and appreciative to critical thinking, as well as extra "fun" ideas.

 

My children still read plenty of real books, but I think this helps ME to cover things I might not.

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just about all PHP

 

FLL

WWE

RightStart

FIAR (used for a total of 4years so far)

STOW

Mr. Q Science (on Chemistry this year but I have already bought next year)

RSO (we are finishing up the last one that is out)

I have scheduled all Ellen Mchenry stuff into the years we will use them

AAS

 

I curriculum jumped in the begining and again last year. We came back to to same stuff. I will modify for my 2nd child because she is a different kind of learner.

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Basically anything PHP puts out seems to work for us. :001_smile:

 

I'm finding this to be true for us as well. I think I have found the right writing curriculum with WWE, now that I have figured it out! We also use FLL and OPTGR. Everything has been a good fit so far.

 

Our long-term curriculum has been:

Sonlight. I considered jumping ship this year but I think we are going to continue on to 6 (we are skipping 5). We have used every year up through 4 now and are beginning to repeat cores with the younger children.

FLL

HWT

ETC

Ambleside Online Science

Ambleside Online books

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Story of the World - LOVE it

Analytical Grammar - only been using it a couple of years, but will continue with younger kids too

Apologia science

 

I never used to be a curriculum hopper, but a few years ago we went through a tough period and I realized that a lot of the great materials we were using just weren't working for us. So now I've become a lot more eclectic, hopping around and using multiple curricula.

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