What do you use that no one else does?

[Violet Crown]

After 10 years of this homeschooling gig, I've found there are a few books and/ or curricula which have worked very well for us, and are among my very favorite curricular items, and which seem to be used by nobody else (at least that I've ever met). Which brings up two questions:

 

(1) Do you use, or have you tried, any of these? (Maybe I'm wrong, and lots of people are using them!) If so, how did they work for you? ('Cause maybe there's a good reason nobody else uses these!)

 

and

 

(2) What do you use that no one else does (or seems to)?

 

My list:

 

Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? Teaching Great Poetry to Children (elementary age)

 

Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (middle/high school)

 

Scribner School Paperbacks (various; high school classics with thorough and excellent study guides)

 

Living Shakespeare (abridged but not adapted; late elementary or middle)

 

Open University Discovering Science (middle school/ early high school general science course)

[Tracy]

Haven't even heard of those, but we are just finishing up first grade with my oldest. The one I use that nobody else does is CSMP math. We both love it.

[mo2]

Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? Teaching Great Poetry to Children (elementary age)

 

 

 

I haven't used any of those, and I don't have anything to contribute because everything I use is pretty mainstream. But I have to say that the book above looks awesome. Can you tell me more about it? How do you use it?

[Ellen in PA]

We have used the following that no one in my area uses:

 

Science through Children's Literature

Latin for Children

[Farrar]

We used a book for history as a supplement this year that I had never heard anyone mention - Builders of the Old World. It's in the same vein as A Child's History of the World or A Little History of the World, but it covers ancient to Enlightenment focused on western history only. We liked it. It's old fashioned like those, with similar biases I had to edit in some places, but I was surprised I had never heard anyone here mention it as a potential spine for history. I only happened on it by accident.

 

The other resource that I adore that I've never heard mentioned among homeschoolers is the Boston Children's Museum Activity Books for science, which are just amazing. Good for elementary through middle school.

[simka2]

This will sound stupid, but Cliff Notes!

[Farrar]

We have used the following that no one in my area uses:

 

Science through Children's Literature

Latin for Children

 

Science through Children's Literature looks sort of cool - sort of like doing FIAR just for science.

[Aquinas Academy]

My younger kids use fairly mainstream curricula, but DD 14 uses a few uncommon things.

 

Introduction to Logic

Bradley's Arnold Latin Prose Composition

Icelandic Grammar, Texts, and Glossary Not surprising no one else uses this one!

We're planning on using Sidgwick's Greek Prose Composition next year.

[redsquirrel]

I am always surprised that more people don't use Reading Reflex. I have found it to be a wonderful reading instruction program.

 

In my parts, I am a freak because I use TWTM as a guide for homeschooling. :lol:

[Aquinas Academy]

In my parts, I am a freak because I use TWTM as a guide for homeschooling. :lol:

Same with me. :D

[JennyD]

 

Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (middle/high school)

 

I have that book from my own school years, along with a companion volume called Story and Sense, I believe. I have no idea where I got them -- they weren't from my own school, I don't think. Maybe a relative? Anyway, I read them both many times. Excellent collections, IMdimlyrecalledO.

 

 

[Mrs Twain]

I use Edward Eggleston's books which have been reprinted from 1895:

 

Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans, and

A First Book in American History

 

I think I actually saw one or both of these listed on HOD's website, so maybe I'm not the only one using them. I think they are fabulous!

[Tohru]

We just picked up Teaching Science with Science Fiction Films for a great price. I plan on using it over the summer, but not sure if we actually will since I'd like to do Nature Study and Earth Science too.

[momto2Cs]

We just picked up Teaching Science with Science Fiction Films for a great price. I plan on using it over the summer, but not sure if we actually will since I'd like to do Nature Study and Earth Science too.

 

Stop posting these awesome looking resources! ;) I can't stop myself wanting them, and thinking "wow, ds would LOVE this!"

[Ritsumei]

We use Math Expressions, which is a K-5 program. I'm hoping they'll come out with more years before we finish 5. I just love it. Math is Monkey's favorite.

 

And we throw a little extra geography in with Postcrossing. Gotta love postcards from random locations!

[Jeanne in MN]

No one around here, that I know of, uses TWTM either. It's disappointing going to local hs curriculum sales and it's all Abeka, Saxon, Apologia and BJU. There's a whole world out there of hs curriculum, people! C'mon! :)

 

I am always surprised that more people don't use Reading Reflex. I have found it to be a wonderful reading instruction program.

 

In my parts, I am a freak because I use TWTM as a guide for homeschooling. :lol:

[Luckymama]

My olders have used Perrine's Sound and Sense---I've got it set aside for youngest :D

[Joyofsixreboot]

A set of Open Court Readers from the ' 60's edited by Marianne Carus. They have history content, fables, fairy tales and excerpts from real books like Wizard of Oz and Narnia. My kids have learned so much from these.

Edited May 19, 2011 by joyofsix

[Violet Crown]

I haven't used any of those, and I don't have anything to contribute because everything I use is pretty mainstream. But I have to say that the book above looks awesome. Can you tell me more about it? How do you use it?

The author, a poetry teacher, has extensive descriptions of how he uses his technique in class, and after you've read his intro, it's almost open-and-go. You read the poem with the child, talk about it (there's discussions of each poem in the book), and challenge them to write their own poem with a similar theme or technique. I've found that the trick is to just keep discussing what's going on in the poem until the child suddenly jumps up and grabs a pencil. :) There are many student samples, from various ages, included for each poem, so you have an idea what kind of result you're looking for.

 

We used a book for history as a supplement this year that I had never heard anyone mention - Builders of the Old World. It's in the same vein as A Child's History of the World or A Little History of the World, but it covers ancient to Enlightenment focused on western history only. We liked it. It's old fashioned like those, with similar biases I had to edit in some places, but I was surprised I had never heard anyone here mention it as a potential spine for history. I only happened on it by accident.

 

The other resource that I adore that I've never heard mentioned among homeschoolers is the Boston Children's Museum Activity Books for science, which are just amazing. Good for elementary through middle school.

My homeschooling best friend swears by Builders of the Old World! She used that as her world history spine in place of whatever SonLight uses.

 

I haven't seen the Boston one, but I've used the National Gallery Children's Book with both older dd's, and am about to use their Activity Book with dd8. The Metropolitan Museum has one, too, but the projects look very challenging and I haven't gotten the courage yet to start using rubber cement and the Exacto knife.

 

Icelandic Grammar, Texts, and Glossary Not surprising no one else uses this one!

 

So I was told once that literary Icelandic has a technique where two sentences are interwoven, with the effect that you arrive at the end with two different thoughts concluded. Have you heard of this?

 

 

Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (middle/high school)

 

I have that book from my own school years, along with a companion volume called Story and Sense, I believe. I have no idea where I got them -- they weren't from my own school, I don't think. Maybe a relative? Anyway, I read them both many times. Excellent collections, IMdimlyrecalledO.

 

 

 

There's a combination volume called Structure, Sound, and Sense. They are indeed awesome!

[Tarreymere]

I am always surprised that more people don't use Reading Reflex. I have found it to be a wonderful reading instruction program.

 

In my parts, I am a freak because I use TWTM as a guide for homeschooling. :lol:

 

 

Just the name 'Reading Reflex' for some reason just repells me. I can't even look at the stuff. Just seems 'bathroomy' to me........:tongue_smilie:

[Just Robyn]

After 10 years of this homeschooling gig, I've found there are a few books and/ or curricula which have worked very well for us, and are among my very favorite curricular items, and which seem to be used by nobody else (at least that I've ever met). Which brings up two questions:

 

(1) Do you use, or have you tried, any of these? (Maybe I'm wrong, and lots of people are using them!) If so, how did they work for you? ('Cause maybe there's a good reason nobody else uses these!)

 

and

 

(2) What do you use that no one else does (or seems to)?

 

My list:

 

Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? Teaching Great Poetry to Children (elementary age)

 

Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (middle/high school)

 

Scribner School Paperbacks (various; high school classics with thorough and excellent study guides)

 

Living Shakespeare (abridged but not adapted; late elementary or middle)

 

Open University Discovering Science (middle school/ early high school general science course)

 

Is Scribner linked to the right place?

 

We use Math Expressions, which is a K-5 program. I'm hoping they'll come out with more years before we finish 5. I just love it. Math is Monkey's favorite.

 

And we throw a little extra geography in with Postcrossing. Gotta love postcards from random locations!

 

Postcrossing is awesome! We haven't done it in a while, but getting postcards from random countries (Finland, Finland, Finland, Finland, Oh! Germany!, Finland... :D) is super fun. It remains in the back of my head. Maybe I'll get back into it over the summer.

 

 

 

I don't think there is anything I use that nobody on here uses. A lot of things I use (though not all) seem to only used by a small minority of people here. That comes with being secular. However, nobody I know IRL uses the things I use. They've never even heard of them. Most people in my area rent a curriculum from the public schools.

[chiguirre]

I'm using Semple Math for ds and it's (finally) clicking. I've also used Rewards Reading and we're starting Great Leaps. We both love Writing Skills by EPS. These are all special ed curricula and not off the beaten path for that area, but they're not common among hsers. I'd recommend all of them if you need a hs friendly special ed curriculum.

 

Dd's off the beaten path curriculum is Climbing to Good English. We've also done some of CW's primers and R&S English, but CTGE wins hands-down for us. Dd likes workbooks, I like the material covered. Its scope and sequence is a bit different than R&S, but I think it's well done and it fits well with Pathway readers which dd adores.

[Dmmetler]

Old Scott Foresman reading books my daughter's former school was getting rid of. She really enjoys the stories and doing the workbook activities and having a BIG book like her PS friends do. And it gives her some of those specific terms that form the big chunk of standardized test "reading". Since she reads constantly on her own, and we use Sonlight for history, so have a lot of reading there, it's not like her entire reading program is from a basal.

 

I also have a bunch of old PS textbooks in other subject areas that I pull from. Sometimes it's exactly the presentation DD needs.

[Violet Crown]

 

Is Scribner linked to the right place?

It is. It's someone's blog, and if you scroll down, you get a description of one of the Scribner School Paperbacks (Drums). Unfortunately, there's no good place to get the SSP's, and they're almost impossible to do a search for, as there's seldom a way to distinguish them from the same books published by Scribner without the study guides. It's taken me years to acquire the ones I have.

[TheAutumnOak]

I use Rod & Staff Health...I don't think anyone else uses that :tongue_smilie:

 

I acutally bought Reading Reflex to do with my older son this upcoming year as a review...My younger two will continue OPGTR...

[mothergooseof4]

I am always surprised that more people don't use Reading Reflex. I have found it to be a wonderful reading instruction program.

 

In my parts, I am a freak because I use TWTM as a guide for homeschooling. :lol:

 

I did it for my 8yo for K. It is not laid out well for me...more of the theory, then how to, but little guidance. Ds hated it!

 

I don't follow WTM recommendations, but enjoyed reading the book and gaining some ideas and theories that I apply to my hsing. I live in an area with a LOT of hsers, but have only read one that has read WTM. Funny because other moms were talking about how she does music, lots of memory work, and latin with her very young kids. My first thought was WTM. I talked with her and found out I was right.

 

I use Edward Eggleston's books which have been reprinted from 1895:

 

Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans, and

A First Book in American History

 

I think I actually saw one or both of these listed on HOD's website, so maybe I'm not the only one using them. I think they are fabulous!

 

I sold Bigger, but kept those books. They are great!

[Momling]

For my 9 yr old, I use a writing textbook originally intended for ESL students called "First Steps in Academic Writing". It's actually a series, so we'll probably continue with it.

 

I also have been using the Usborne World History Sticker Book as a spine - along with a timeline, some mapwork, and some library books to teach history to my wiggly first grader.

[Oakblossoms]

I don't seem to run into anh Waldorfy homeschoolers. But, I think I converted one into A Waldorfy homeschooler:lol:

 

KONOS worked wonderful for our first two boys when they were younger. I found it super easy. I am always shocked when people say it hard work or overwhelming. I have anxiety issues and get oveerwhelmed very, very easily. I never felt that way with KONOS.

[coralloyd]

These Simply- books from shoelacebooks: http://shoelacebooks.ecrater.com/filter.php?sort=date

We especially like Simply Spelling and Simply English.

[NineChoirs]

We just picked up Teaching Science with Science Fiction Films for a great price. I plan on using it over the summer, but not sure if we actually will since I'd like to do Nature Study and Earth Science too.

 

Oh wow, that just went on my wish list!! I am combining my 8th Grade DD and 7th Grade DS this/next year into one class. But the year after that I want to focus on film study themed subjects for my DS. He is very interested in film making. I had already tagged Movies as Literature and now this one made the list as well!! It will be wonderful for him!

 

 

As for myself, although it isn't a program I have found that my DS loves to do dictation from music CD's. I just pop in the CD and he puts a song on repeat until he has transcribed all of the lyrics. Right now he is using a Catechism CD. Once he has finished that I will be looking for other educational music CD's to use. It isn't even work for him, he really, really enjoys it! I have never seen it done, I just decided to try it on a whim one day.

 

I also found a hidden little gem called "An Overview of Catholic History" through Trisms. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered it, I was just trying to fill my shelves with resources for our Timelime study/construction. It actually ended up being quite amazing!! It would make a great Catholic history spine for any Catholic history program, it even has excellent movie and book recommendations. I love it!

[crl]

My kids love using Alphabet Island from Eagles Wings. I've never seen anyone else use this program, but my kids ask for it.

[sunflowerlady]

Dd will be starting with Far Above Rubies next year. She will be in grade 8 and this will take her all the way through high school. It's a unity study and has been around a long time, but I never really hear of anyone using it anymore.

 

We are very excited about starting it.:)

 

I have not heard of the other programs in the original post.

[Crimson Wife]

I don't think there is anything I use that nobody on here uses. A lot of things I use (though not all) seem to only used by a small minority of people here. That comes with being secular. However, nobody I know IRL uses the things I use. They've never even heard of them.

 

I go to my support group's curriculum fair and I'm always the odd one out. I'm bringing MCT, Killgallon, Ellen McHenry, Edward Zaccaro, AAS, etc. and everyone else pretty much brings very traditional textbook/workbook programs. :lol:

[Homemama2]

However, nobody I know IRL uses the things I use. They've never even heard of them.

 

:iagree: Same here. The things that I use that nobody else IRL uses include Rightstart Math, All About Spelling, WTM, Ambleside Online and Math Mammoth. I come on here to feel more normal. :001_smile:

[melissel]

What a great thread! I'm so happy that my library has not only the Koch poetry book, but also several others by him :D Now if I could just get those fines paid off, I could request them... :lol: And I'm signing up for Postcrossing right now!

[Finnella]

No one around here, that I know of, uses TWTM either. It's disappointing going to local hs curriculum sales and it's all Abeka, Saxon, Apologia and BJU. There's a whole world out there of hs curriculum, people! C'mon! :)

 

This is exactly what happened to me yesterday. Quite a few families were also selling their copies of TWTM. And I couldn't believe the volume of abridged novels. Nevertheless, I got some good deals and did find some unabridged novels for next year's reading list.

 

So by local standards, I'm evidently odd. By WTM forum standards, however, I'm pretty mainstream.

[Aquinas Academy]

So I was told once that literary Icelandic has a technique where two sentences are interwoven, with the effect that you arrive at the end with two different thoughts concluded. Have you heard of this?

 

 

Very interesting! I hadn't heard of that, but I'll try to find out! Maybe DD knows.

[mhornby56]

The other resource that I adore that I've never heard mentioned among homeschoolers is the Boston Children's Museum Activity Books for science, which are just amazing. Good for elementary through middle school.

 

I was so excited when I checked online this morning and found my library has these. I requested the balloons book, the soda book, and the shadow book. Do you have an favorites?

[Dolphin]

In my parts, I am a freak because I use TWTM as a guide for homeschooling. :lol:

:iagree:

I have a lot of unschoolers around here. They think I am strange.

 

We use A pig can Jig as that is what my mom taught me to read with.

 

Also, Lessons in Responsibility. I am sure people are using it somewhere. I love it. I picked it up to look at as a joke, then saw the table of contents and decided to give it a try. It is one of my favorites.

[mamachanse]

Great thread! I just ordered the Koch book. It looks great and is 1/6 the price of the MCT poetry book I was going to order.

 

We also love Reading Reflex here, although the name is a little disgusting. What I think is even funnier is the subtitle. I always read "phono-graphix" as pornographic. :lol:

 

Postcrossing looks awesome too!

[NineChoirs]

IRL I am a bit of an anomaly as well. I don't really go to homeschool functions anymore because I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. When I first started homeschooling I was so worried about being "perfect". I used the pre-packaged workbook curriculums, Saxon Math, used timers, and everything. Now I use Life of Fred, Living books, Hands on Learning programs, the Lingua Mater series, various Netflix movies, and a dozen other things that other HS'ers in the area have never even heard of. Also we do different things on different days at different times and are pretty darn incapable of sticking to any kind of schedule (drives my schedule loving DH nuts lol). Whenever I start talking to other HS'ers about my programs and methods, I can literally see them start to panic a little, like maybe my unorthodox methods are contagious. :D I blame this forum :lol:

[Farrar]

I was so excited when I checked online this morning and found my library has these. I requested the balloons book, the soda book, and the shadow book. Do you have an favorites?

 

We did some of the stuff from the balloons one and it was fun. The shadow one has great ideas. My favorites that we've really used have been the waves one and the mirrors one. I've blogged a little about these under my science posts. These books require more prep on the part of the parent but once you've set stuff up, there's a LOT more learning and exploration possible than with other science experiment books I've seen.

[abbeyej]

We used a book for history as a supplement this year that I had never heard anyone mention - Builders of the Old World. It's in the same vein as A Child's History of the World or A Little History of the World, but it covers ancient to Enlightenment focused on western history only. We liked it. It's old fashioned like those, with similar biases I had to edit in some places, but I was surprised I had never heard anyone here mention it as a potential spine for history. I only happened on it by accident.

 

Calvert used to use Builders of the Old World -- for 6th grade, I think. I still have the copy I read ~20 years ago, and agree that it's great. :)

[cschnee]

I have used several of Marilyn Burns' books in this series http://www.mathsolutions.com/index.cfm?page=wp18&contentid=115&crid=97&mcrid=108

 

Also, the Stop Faking It! series by Bill Robertson

http://www.nsta.org/publications/press/stopfakingit.aspx

 

And science books by Bryce Hixson

http://www.teachersource.com/Books_SoftwareAndVideos/BryceHixsonBooks.aspx

 

Super Smart by Prufrock Press

http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=541

[WishboneDawn]

I go to my support group's curriculum fair and I'm always the odd one out. I'm bringing MCT, Killgallon, Ellen McHenry, Edward Zaccaro, AAS, etc. and everyone else pretty much brings very traditional textbook/workbook programs. :lol:

 

:D I always think that when I meet up with other homeschoolers I'll have buckets of stuff to talk about but when I meet them they're almost exclusively using boxed curriculum like Abeka or Sonlight. They don't get that same excited feeling I do when talking about curriculum and they're eyes don't light up if I mention a fantastic math problem from Singapore PM or babble on about MCT. *sigh*

[kolamum]

No one, in my neck of the woods, uses anything I use to my knowledge. On top of that when ever they ask and I mention it they are like, "Whoa! What's that?!"

 

However, I reckon if I lived in the states it would be rather common..

[Aurelia]

Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar are practically unheard of here, and when we first used them, Math Mammoth, MEP, Atelier and Dancing Bears were used by almost no one. MM and Atelier have really soared in popularity in the last year. I guess I like to try new things and go against the grain, given my affinity for curricula no one uses and the fact that nearly all of our LA programs are from Great Britain (I already bought Galore Park's Junior English for next year) when we reside in the US.

 

There have been several other programs no one else uses we have tried that failed for us, but this is, so far, what works. :001_smile:

[beaners]

 

We use A pig can Jig as that is what my mom taught me to read with.

 

I think I have one of the books from that series floating around here somewhere. The illustrations in it look like Richard Scarry work, not like the covers on that set.

[justasque]

Love Ellen McHenry.

Love Marilyn Burns.

 

But really really love McDougal Littell's math books - Middle School Math 1, 2, and 3, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra I Applications, Equations, Graphs (not "Concepts and Skills" - that one is an easier book). It's *exactly* what I would want to write if I wrote my own program - so I don't have to!!!

 

Perfect for co-op and tutoring because it gives guidelines for problem sets for basic, average, and advanced students. Lots of support materials on the Easy Planner CD, so you can always pull more/different kinds of work to suit the child, time available, interest level, difficulty level, etc. (Three levels of tests, alternative assessments, 3 levels of worksheets for each unit, "reteaching" pages, cumulative reviews, standardized test practice, etc - you could never use all of it, there's so much to choose from, but it's organized and sensible so not overwhelming.) Excellent wrap-around teacher's manuals that have tons of suggestions as to common errors, etc.

 

I use the 2005-ish editions, as they are cheaper than the current ones.

[radiobrain]

I am usually the first one to buy and try something, but I have a group of people who all have similar kids and tastes, so a LOT of us use a lot of the same stuff. We get together and show stuff off and babble on about them. I love it, I am such a curriculum geek. :D

 

However... if there is a curriculum sale, I make a ton of $$ as I have things other people don't, but I can't find anything I want to buy...unless it is a fluke.

 

So, I would say... in my own little world, I have a lot of kindred curriculum buddies, but in the wider HS community WE are anomolies. We are not Abeka/SL/Apologia or unschoolers.

 

 

BTW... That teaching Science with Sci-Fi movies looks sooooo excellent. My library has it! YAY!!!