Newbie wants feedback on curriculum considerations

[Shanna]

Hi everyone, this is my very first post here. My DH and I, after 5 long years of deliberation, have finally decided to HS our 2 boys.

 

My boys, at least the oldest, is very "Wiggly Willy". This has caused me some conflict when I am torn between an unschooling philosophy and a Classical approach. I'm so new here that I'm not sure if it's unusual to be drawn to both. I've found the "100 top picks" book to be incredibly helpful, and am exploring the following approach when we start a more structured HS routine next year when my oldest is 5:

 

Oak Meadow Kindergarten curriculum, gradually adding in (perhaps the following year)

Math-U-See Primer

Sing Spell Read Write

 

Any comments?

 

I love the content of Classical schooling, but I know my oldest enough to know that the methods described in the Core are going to make us both miserable. We're heavy on real books, which is where the WTM has been most helpful in the suggestions they've given.

[sbgrace]

I wanted to welcome you!

 

It's good to teach to the kid. You'll figure out what works and doesn't as you go. I'm glad you realize you don't have to toe the line of any particular style. You'll find your own fit.

 

How old is your oldest?

 

I've got a wiggler. I always thought Oak Meadow might have been a nice match for him early on.

 

RightStart is supposed to be good for a wiggler. Miquon is talked about a lot as an exploratory start. I've not found the perfect fit in math. I hope MUS is that for you!

 

SSRW is a very solid phonics program.

 

It sounds like you're a researcher! That will help but realize that almost everyone finds something they really thought a good choice doesn't work well. It's ok!

[Shanna]

Thanks sbgrace :)

My oldest is 4 1/2 and my younger son is 2. We aren't really doing anything structured (can you call Oak Meadow "structured"? ;)) until next year, partly because we're starting to establish routines that will help us next year, and to give my youngest a chance to be able to participate as much as he is able to.

[Guest IdahoMtnMom]

I am new this year. And I researched and I researched and I asked questions and I decided on a boxed curriculum for my two kids.... total FAIL, even though it looked perfect for us on the surface. So within the first 3 weeks, I was pulling an entire years worth (and several hundred dollars worth) of curriculum and shelving it... for what is in my signature.

 

That said, if you are looking for delayed phonics/ reading and math (as many are) I think OM K is a good option. If you are looking for "more", it won't work for you. OM L just starts at the basics of learning letters... which is why we didn't go with it... because my 3 year old was already knew her letters and sounds and my 4 year old was reading a bit.

[Guest]

If you go the OM route, get the block crayons and pass on the beeswax modeling wax. That stuff is rock hard! Other than that, I tried K and first with two boys but they were already beyond that level for OM. We sorely miss our math gnomes. OM is just a beautiful curriculum. I wish it had worked out for mine.

[kalanamak]

Personally, I liked the way I did it.:001_smile:

K4-K5 was slowing increasing seat times with Earlybird Math, Plaid phonics K, then A and B, then pre-explode the code, and ZB K handwriting. We started early readers as soon as we were half way through Phonics Pathways, which was, for us, just as we came to 1st grade.

 

Beyond that I read aloud for 2 hours a day (one whole winter I was hoarse) or more, kiddo had 3+ hours of OUTdoor time per day, no matter the weather, plus swimming, and we did zoo/aquarium/science museums. For K5 we did prehistory.

 

I spent extra time educating myself: going through a math book as if I was a child, familiarizing myself with the phonograms and how to do SWR, learning the spelling rules, and researching all the great read-alouds available for that age.

 

YMMV.

[morosophe]

EVERY child is a "Wiggly Willy" at four and a half. (Except my sister's. She's got eight kids, and another on the way, her husband's the pastor, and yet they still sit still every Sunday. It's kind of disgusting, to be honest.)

 

Anyhow, my son loved Math-U-See Primer. Don't worry about retention, with Primer--it'll all be covered again, in Alpha and Beta. Primer is much more about having fun with blocks and beginning to get some of the concepts covered. I wrote all the answers my son gave through Primer and partway through Alpha--the coordination required for writing the numbers can be a bit much, at that age.

 

And if your son ends up hating it, you can feel free to switch to another math program. The blocks are the big expense, and it's not like you can't use them with another program, right?

 

I don't know much about Oak Meadow, but all we did for my son in kindergarten was math, phonics, and Five in a Row, and it worked out fine. Really, kindergarten is a year for relaxing and having fun while easing into lessons--if you feel like Oak Meadow will allow you to do that, go for it!

 

I'm going to end up being one of those strident preachers here, but let me tell you something you've probably already figured out: DO NOT PUSH YOUR KINDERGARTENER. Yes, learning to sit still and listen to Mommy is something he needs to learn, just as a general life skill, but if a particular lesson seems to be too much, back off. Try it again the next day, a little at a time. Give yourself ten or fifteen minutes on an egg timer for phonics lessons, and then stop when you get there, no matter how little you've covered. If you reach the end of the year and your son has learned absolutely nothing, take a deep breath, roll your shoulders, and remember that many parents hold their kids back a year, and your son hasn't lost his eligibility for college scholarships, all right?

 

Compared to loads of kids on these boards, my oldest son is S-L-O-W. He didn't really start reading (by which I mean decoding words) until the end of kindergarten, and he's only really getting into chapter books now, at the beginning of second grade. But he's a year ahead of where Sonlight would put him in his reading, actually, and I think he's right on track.

 

All of which is really meant to say: Welcome to the wonderful world of homeschooling. It looks like you've got a pretty good idea of what you want for your son, and I hope you enjoy the ride!

 

P.S. for later on: For loads of titles to use in a "real books" kind of classroom for history, geography, and even a little bit of other subjects, consider Christine Miller's All Through the Ages, particularly if you don't have a problem with a very Christian perspective.

 

It's a little pricey at $20.00 for an e-book, but it takes a lot of books from various homeschool catalogs, such as Veritas Press, Sonlight, and Beautiful Feet Books, as well as Newbery winners and a boatload of "none of the above," and breaks them down by historical period, reader (or listener) ages, and genre, such as "Biography," "Culture," "Overview," etc. Brief annotations are included to indicate strengths or weaknesses of many of the books (including warnings against potential problems parents may have, such as an evolutionary background for a science or ancient history book, or a high level of violence). The author's inclusion of historical timelines is somewhat helpful, but most of her additional information, particularly in the beginning (ancient history), is less helpful (by which I mean often a little nutty).

[FairyMom]

Shanna,

 

If you are wanting to do Oak Meadow K, it's a very sweet program. Now, that said, this is my second time doing it with two completely different children. My oldest is a very focused, early reader who likes to accomplish tasks. She really enjoyed the change of pace with the stories and activities. My youngest, who is currently doing Oak Meadow K, is completely different; very observant, loves to sit and listen to stories, loves to pretend and puts on all sorts of plays on her own. She has no desire to learn to read right now, unlike her sister.

 

The depth of Oak Meadow is what you make of it. On the surface, it looks like a simple program and most people dismiss it because their child is "beyond" it. The critical thinking involved to retell a story, form a picture in your mind of it, then draw it is asking quite a bit of a Ker, IMHO. I guess it's all in how you approach it.

 

Anyway, I don't want to talk you into or out of Oak Meadow; if you're drawn to it, I hope you enjoy it. There are some great products out there, and it can be extremely difficult to make a decision. I know, BTDT! :D

 

Good Luck!

[Mystie]

I loved MUS Primer!

 

I skipped it with my first, thinking we could just start with Alpha and take it slow, since everything in Primer is covered again in Alpha anyway. But that didn't work so well and we spent almost 3 years in Alpha. I started my second in Primer at 5, and he ate it up and is halfway through Alpha now at 6. He's a math boy, but I was really pleased with the pace and approach of Primer. I was expecting to think it'd be a waste (except that I bought the teacher pack used).

 

I am a big MUS fan. The blocks are just great and the DVDs are great (He can be funny and cheerful 3 times in a row!)

 

At 5 I just do Primer and phonics and then reading aloud and memorizing. Doing a few things to ease into the structure and routines is a great idea!

[veggiegal]

MUS Primer was very well received by both my wiggly boys. I did not use any of the other curriculum you listed, so I can't say much about it. One thing I wanted to add, though, is that liking elements of different educational philosophies is not entirely unusual. Our own homeschool is a blend of unschooling, classical, Charlotte Mason (and a bit of Montessori). With wiggly and young boys, I found the CM way of structuring your day--short focused lessons in the morning only, 'unschooled afternoons' and lots of time in nature worked really well. Most of our 'morning structure' at that age was reading and snuggling on the couch--we read a TON. Enjoy your homeschooling, and don't be afraid to change things up to make it work for your family!

[Dolphin]

I haven't used any of those curriculums, but it looks like you have some great advice. I just wanted to throw out there Timberdoodle! They are a great catalogue to start getting in the mail, full of lots of fun things to do with your kids (especially wiggly ones) I didn't discover them until the end of my first year. This is our current fav with my 4 1/2 year old

Have fun and welcome!

Nicole