staceyobu Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I've had a hard time finding a science program that makes me really excited. What do you think is lacking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 The perfect LA curricula. Only because I can't find something perfect. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 a Montessori-based grammar curriculum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Wallace Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 We haven't been able to find a history program we like -- something higher than SOTW, but without the -- well, long, drawn-out, story-less, and frankly boring history texts that seem to exist in between SOTW and adulthood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 A Catholic history curriculum that I could love (I'd like something along the lines of TOG). More secular science curricula (again, I'd love something similar to TOG because of the multiple grade levels). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I've had a hard time finding a science program that makes me really excited. What do you think is lacking? I never had a science program we liked. It was the one subject we just didn't delve into beyond the little kid stuff like The Magic School Bus. I don't know why I had such a hard time finding something that we liked. I've always thought science is fun so it's not like I was afraid of it. The secular programs I found were just lacking in substance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 If I had loads of money, I would create a Netflix-like service with educational materials. Models of things like the eye or brain are really cool, but they are too pricey for me to purchase. You could put together unit studies with texts, posters, models, experiments and offer consumable lab sheets and/or experiment components for sale to go with the kits. It would work with history, art, I can think of all sorts of things to put in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I would have said science for science-oriented kids until I found BFSU. Now I need a history program for very visual kids. We can't even get through a page and a half of SOTW 1 :tongue_smilie:. Too much listening, not enough to SEE or DO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venusmom Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 If I had loads of money, I would create a Netflix-like service with educational materials. Models of things like the eye or brain are really cool, but they are too pricey for me to purchase. You could put together unit studies with texts, posters, models, experiments and offer consumable lab sheets and/or experiment components for sale to go with the kits. It would work with history, art, I can think of all sorts of things to put in them. :iagree: That is really quite an idea...you might be onto something Mrs. Mungo!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Good quality secular stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 secular introductory logic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLVD Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Secular high school science curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 We haven't been able to find a history program we like -- something higher than SOTW, but without the -- well, long, drawn-out, story-less, and frankly boring history texts that seem to exist in between SOTW and adulthood. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I think everyone else has covered my thoughts - secular science, logic and rhetoric stage history (I know my own ds will not be able to manage SWBs adult books without major guidance, which could be his ASD issues, or maybe it's actually normal?), and secular logic. I haven't found "the perfect" art curriculum, but we seem to manage okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Liberal/moderate/anything but Conservative-literal Bible study materials. Telling God's Word is a good start but it's really the only one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Complete foreign language curriculum--should come with a real-life tutoring group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 :iagree: ETA: Was supposed to quote Miss Moe! Secular programs are lacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Haven't heard of that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Secular science, particularly past the elementary years. Bible study/religion/character materials coming from a secular or mainline/moderate Christian perspective. Just secular stuff, in general, that is open-and-go and specifically designed for homeschool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Secular science. I am having to buy a public school textbook for biology this year because the choices in HS curriculum are unacceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 If I had loads of money, I would create a Netflix-like service with educational materials. Models of things like the eye or brain are really cool, but they are too pricey for me to purchase. You could put together unit studies with texts, posters, models, experiments and offer consumable lab sheets and/or experiment components for sale to go with the kits. It would work with history, art, I can think of all sorts of things to put in them. We have a local service that does this. It's called the Learning Resource Center and is run by the state. For $2.00 a year you can borrow curriculum books, science kits, math manipulatives, videos/DVD's, encyclopedias, preschool kits. They also do large bullitin board die-cuts and lamination, copying. It's more geared toward school teachers but I've been able to find lots of stuff I could use at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Good quality secular stuff. No kidding. Everytime I find something I like I have to chop out and sub for the religious content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Secular science, particularly past the elementary years. Bible study/religion/character materials coming from a secular or mainline/moderate Christian perspective. Just secular stuff, in general, that is open-and-go and specifically designed for homeschool. When I was trying to build a secular curriculum that worked for my son it was either not available to the general public or outragreously expensive because the target buyer was a large school district. It didn't matter what subject I looked for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 We haven't been able to find a history program we like -- something higher than SOTW, but without the -- well, long, drawn-out, story-less, and frankly boring history texts that seem to exist in between SOTW and adulthood. :iagree: A high school science curriculum that isn't as intense/overwhelming as BJU nor as chatty/wordy as Apologia An awesome foreign language program that will give 2 high school credits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 The 2 things we lack are a good music program and foreign language. I haven't found a curr. I like or a tutor I can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Not curricula, but I have noticed over the years that a lot of 'side' services that the public schools do automatically, a lot of homeschoolers seem to overlook. Fire safety programs, hearing tests, things like that. At a program I set up for homeschoolers ages PreK to about 4th grade, the coordinator asked how many kids knew their phone number and address. Out of 11 families, only my daughter and one other family's kids knew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 US History that includes our African American heros and greats beyond Harriet Tubbman, Frederick Douglas .... What about the early African American congressmen? War heros? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Oh, and for curricula, yes, better secular stuff across the board. I ESPECIALLY want a government/citizenship course that does NOT promote American exceptionalism & imperialism! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I would have said science, but the Hive introduced me to BFSU. Now I am sad because I am convinced I have the all the right curriuclum for my children and I don't have anything else to research. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Something like Minimus, but in Koine Greek. I don't have problems finding children's texts to supplement Spanish and give reading practice, and Minimus and Cambridge Latin do a decent job with this for Latin at a lower level than real texts do, but Koine doesn't have much to actually READ in the language below the level of the gospel of John. I also agree with Science, although my DD is still at an age where we can get by with lots of assorted books on most subjects and hands-on exploration. Logic. Once a child has mastered Chocolate Fix and Rush hour, and done Primarily Logic, there's doesn't seem to be much out there. I'd also like to see a really, really good early childhood learn at home music curriculum that's secular and not too expensive. This is mostly professional frustration-I'm one of the writers/editors for the Kindermusik curriculum for the preschool/5-7 age groups, and I know good and well that we've spent a lot of curriculum development time on a school version of our units that can be taught by a classroom teacher without any significant music background. That material could be SO easily adapted to a homeschool version, and if it could be sold as an online subscription for parents to use with their child with an instrument pack, it would be such a good resource for families who don't have the funds for a class or don't have access to a class. It probably wouldn't take me more than a couple of months of work time to go through and adapt the plans to work for a homeschooling parent. But so far, the company hasn't shown any interest whatsoever in meeting the needs of this community, and it drives me crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tearose Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 A really good music history curriculum that starts from Gregorian chant, rather than the late Baroque, and is centered on actual music, not the lives of composers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Just secular stuff, in general, that is open-and-go and specifically designed for homeschool. This, especially the bolded. Most of the secular stuff is designed for classroom use and just doesn't work in the home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIS0320 Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Secular science that is designed for open and go homeschool use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Living books to go with physics and chemistry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovelaughs_times_three Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I've yet to find a language program that pulls all the elements of language together (reading, creative writing, vocab, spelling, handwriting) that I like. Also, haven't seen a science program for highschool that doesn't look dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 My I gently make a suggestion? Just as your children do not need a classroom in order to learn, they also do NOT need a curriculum or program in order to learn. Instead of fretting over finding the perfect curriculum, hit the library, google a topic, search Amazon. There are so many wonderful titles already published, so many teaching guides and plans on the internet that you can easily find material to cover any topic for any child. Have some excellent reference books on your shelves. A history and science encyclopedia, local field guides to birds, bugs, critters and plants. Organize your internet bookmarks by subject. Then start reading together and stop to look something up, stop to explain a word to ask questions and comment on the story. Get outside and start observing the things around you and identify them. Keep a nature journal. Do copy work, dictation and narration from the things you read. Diagram an interesting sentence. Then read some more. Talk. Think. I did not use a single text book or curriculum, except for math, until my kids were in high school. We read books, loosely following the history cycle, but sometimes following interests instead. We read aloud, they read independently. We traveled, visited museums, watched documentaries, listened to radio programs and podcasts. Are there gaps in their knowledge? Of course there are! But they have a lifetime in front of them to continue learning. They are engaging and wonderful young men. Articulate, too. Knowledgeable and inquisitive. I have two main complaints about textbooks and packaged programs. First they give the illusion that education is finite. I don't believe everything a 3rd grader, for instance, needs to know about a topic can be defined and packaged. I don't believe that the only questions that can be raised about a book or a topic are the ones found in a teacher's guide, and that the only acceptable answers are those imagined by the publishers. I homeschool to give a individualized education and to nurture my children's curiosity. I'm not here to check off boxes. My second complaint is pre-packaged curricula perpetuates the myth that all learning has to be handed down on high from an "expert". I can teach myself how to crochet or fix the dishwasher. I can learn about The Iliad or about quantum mechanics. I certainly do turn to and value experts, but I don't need them guiding every single step of the way. So there's my soap box speech. You don't need a curriculum, you just need to apply that same energy to finding good books and internet sites and you will have everything you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 (edited) a Montessori-based grammar curriculum My kids attend a Montessori school and they've always been very good with grammar. At the lower elementary level, there is a work called Grammar Box - I'm pretty sure this is something you could make or buy - google around. (e.g. http://montessorimaterials.org/mystore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_23&products_id=20) And one of my second graders at that school was using this booklet to parse sentences, with colored shapes denoting the part of speech: http://www.mandalaclassroom.com/gr.html#anandsym. He had "Analyze and Symbolize" but I'm intrigued by the "Literature for Grammar" series, which appears to be for grades 2, 3 or 4. The only trouble is that it looks like it might be sold in packages for classroom use - it's hard to tell from the website. ETA: maybe all you'd need would be the chart with the colored symbols, and then you could find your own sentences (taking care that the sentences were at the right level for the child). Now if you're looking for a more advanced Montessori grammar, for upper elemntary, I don't know what to tell you. I pulled dd10 out of the school for other reasons in the middle of 4th, so I don't know what they're using. HTH :) Edited June 13, 2011 by wapiti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 A really good music history curriculum that starts from Gregorian chant, rather than the late Baroque, and is centered on actual music, not the lives of composers. Check college music history texts. Both Stolba and Grout fit this requirement, and I suspect others do as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Living books to go with physics and chemistry. I'm having quite a time finding a living books curriculum for middle school physics right now. For the younger years, take a look at NOEO. I've used their book list as well as their full program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGin Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 :iagree: A high school science curriculum that isn't as intense/overwhelming as BJU nor as chatty/wordy as Apologia An awesome foreign language program that will give 2 high school credits :iagree: Too AND that has the spine or textbook on audio! The ONLY reason I'm settling for Apologia this year (and I'm not thrilled) is because I have a dd with an ld who needs to be able to hear the text as she reads and so far Apologia is the only science curriculum I've found that fits that bill without costing me an arm and a leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 A really good music history curriculum that starts from Gregorian chant, rather than the late Baroque, and is centered on actual music, not the lives of composers. The Teaching Company classes by Bob Greenberg are great. Once you (the mom) have gone through them, you can do a pretty good job by just listening and dropping tidbits to your kids. If your library doesn't have these, a cheaper, but still quite good resource, is the Dummies' Guide to Classical Music. There's also one for opera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 BFSU: http://outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?isbn=9781432706104 Are the Prufrock Press logic books not secular? So far I haven't seen any religious content in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 A Christian but not YEC science curriculum. I want something along the lines of Dr. Francis Collins' The Language of God and Dr. Owen Gingerich's God's Universe but accessible to a logic stage audience. Something that explicitly acknowledges God as the Creator of the universe but doesn't take a literal interpretation of Genesis 1. Something that discusses evolution but from a theistic POV rather than an atheistic "it's all just random chance" one. Many Christians read the Creation story in Genesis as allegory rather than a literal scientific and historical account. Where's the curriculum for us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Just as your children do not need a classroom in order to learn, they also do NOT need a curriculum or program in order to learn. I always used the curriculum as my guide. I was never successful at fly-by-the-seat-of-my-britches homeschooling. I wanted something to tell me what to cover and when to cover it because otherwise it was all so overwhelming that I didn't know where to begin. Science was really the worst because the only science the kids ever found interesting was natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. They could tell you all about that stuff. But if we tried to read regular books on any other science topics, they were bored. Of course we did experiments, but without a guide telling me what we're supposed to be seeing, they were rarely helpful. And nature stuff was just plain stupid. :tongue_smilie: We would go outside and see a rock, tree, grass, an ant, and then go 'okay, there they are, now what?' It's all about styles really. I wouldn't have been able to homeschool without curriculum to help me along. I used to feel stupid when someone would say how much better they did without curriculum, but I really did finally figure out that it's just different strokes for different folks. So yeah, some of us really do NEED to use a curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaniceO Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I think curriculum for the logic stage, in general, is lacking (specifically literature, science, and history). Especially, quality secular materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Oh! A really great Canadian history program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheller1 Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I wish I could find curriculum that were faith based but not Jesus based.... I don't think these exist. We believe in G-d and would like to have a faith filled homeschool (we are not overly observant or religious) but I don't think such materials exist or if they do I'm not aware of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Oh! A really great Canadian history program. I'd love an integrated one-year North American history program, including Mexico, to use as an overview. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 (edited) A really good music history curriculum that starts from Gregorian chant, rather than the late Baroque, and is centered on actual music, not the lives of composers. This is a course I have been using for myself although it is geared for high school/college prep. The teacher is WONDERFUL - so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. Discovering Music Edited June 13, 2011 by Mothersweets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 This is a course I have been using for myself although it is geared for high school/college. The teacher is WONDERFUL - so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. Discovering Music This is on for $107 right now at Homeschool Buyers Co-op. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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