Need help with a 1st grade curriculum

[Esperella]

Hi! I'm in my first year of homeschooling. I have 5, almost 4 and almost 2 year old boys. Right now DS1 is doing Sonlight's 4/5 prek. I've added in HWT K and Horizon's math K. He's really struggling with learning to read so I'm going to buy AAR1 this weekend and see if that helps. DS1 has ADHD and struggles with the read alouds but DS2 loves them and sits great for them. DS1 is also starting cello lessons this month.

 

My problem is I'm feeling very overwhelmed and confused by ALL of the homeschooling curriculum. This year we're not really enjoying SL at all. My boys are very active and there is just not enough fun hands on things to do. I bought Handle on the Arts but it's still just kind of boring. We're done with our day in sometimes less than an hour and it's like, okay, now what?

 

Basically, I thought I was going to go with WP Animals and Their Worlds, but it seems like I can't find anyone who actually likes WP at all. My plan was WP for DS1's first grade, and SL K core for DS1's 2nd and DS2's K. I really like the books for Core K's read alouds. But if nobody likes WP, there must be a reason. Which leaves me not sure what I should do next year.

 

I see all these different curricula, and get so confused and overwhelmed. I'm worried I'm going to mess something up by jumping around and leave something out. And I have a hard time piecing together my own because I'm not quite good at the scheduling thing yet. I feel like I want them to do everything! And it's also hard for me because I've read some things are below grade level, others above, so what if I get the wrong thing?

 

I'm trying to get stuff set up for next year and I just feel :001_unsure:. I really like the looks of Telling God's Story. But really, I feel like I just dont know what I'm doing. I feel like I have shiny ball syndrome (you know, like a ferret chasing after everything!). Can anyone recommend a really fun curriculum? If I piece one together on my own, what should be done in first grade? I need something that my other 2 can join in on too, because they like to be RIGHT in the middle of school :001_smile:

 

If you've made it this far, thank you!! I'm just completely losing my confidence WRT homeschooling right now, and I think a plan would make me feel much better.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Esperella

[lindsrae]

First of all, know that you are not alone: we ALL feel overwhelmed by curriculum choices in the beginning! Take a deep breath. You aren't going to mess up your boys, even if you go with different curriculums. I was homeschooled for eight years myself, and my mom switched curriculum all the time. I have my masters degree now, so it must not have messed me up too much :)

 

A couple of questions before I delve into yours...have you read the Well-Trained Mind? Or perhaps you've read another book or two about home schooling philosophy? Getting an idea of what you want in an education will help you narrow down the curriculum choices. Also--what attracted you to SL in the first place? And is it not working because there are too many read alouds are too much?

[meggie]

First of all, know that you are not alone: we ALL feel overwhelmed by curriculum choices in the beginning! Take a deep breath. You aren't going to mess up your boys, even if you go with different curriculums. I was homeschooled for eight years myself, and my mom switched curriculum all the time. I have my masters degree now, so it must not have messed me up too much :)

 

A couple of questions before I delve into yours...have you read the Well-Trained Mind? Or perhaps you've read another book or two about home schooling philosophy? Getting an idea of what you want in an education will help you narrow down the curriculum choices. Also--what attracted you to SL in the first place? And is it not working because there are too many read alouds are too much?

 

:iagree: It's normal to feel overwhelmed with the abundance of curricula out there. I'm not sure I have any good advice about curricula, since I've never looked at any of the ones you've listed besides Sonlight. Hopefully someone with more experience can help. I would recommend reading The Well Trained Mind, too. If nothing else, it'll give you a few really good options for each subject and help you narrow down your search. I remember spending years trying to figure out what curricula to use and the Well Trained Mind helped take away some of my panic. :grouphug:

[Esperella]

Thank you so much!

 

My husband was homeschooled and my MIL homeschooled 3 of her 5 children. She has been sending me different books and magazines on homeschooling for years. I've read For the Children's Sake, and Better Late than Early, and tons of magazines. I havent read TWTM. I just dont know that I know for sure which philosophy I like the most.

 

I want to homeschool to give my kids a better education, that helps them to LOVE learning and to be independent thinkers. I want them to be allowed (when they're older) to have time to spend doing things they really enjoy with learning, like musical instruments, art, sports, whatever they end up being really in to.

 

The problem is I am surrounded by people who either think it's awful that I'm homeschooling at all, people who are horrified he didnt learn to read at 3 or 4, or people that are horrified I'm teaching him to read before he's 7 or 8. It's important for my husband that they are AT LEAST at grade level. He has tons of memories about kids at state testing who couldn't read and cried the whole test, things like that. But my MIL tells me I shouldn't do anything with them but read to them and let them play. That I'm rushing them and I'll make them hate learning and crush their little spirits. So, anytime I feel like I'm on to something I like, I read something else that also makes sense, and then I'm just like, ugh.

 

I liked sonlight because I love books and I get so excited thinking about them loving reading and I liked that Sonlight has some really great books. I also liked that it wasnt all workbooks (though my boys have so much fun with workbooks!) and constant drilling and flash cards. The read alouds are fine, we actually add stuff in a lot. They get frustrated by reading the little stories, like one or two sentences. I've tweaked things a bit to have it not so jumpy.

 

They LOVE science experiments, art, lots of activity. DS1 doesnt love books unless they're about things he's really interested in, but DS2 loves all books.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

The problem is I am surrounded by people who either think it's awful that I'm homeschooling at all, people who are horrified he didnt learn to read at 3 or 4, or people that are horrified I'm teaching him to read before he's 7 or 8. It's important for my husband that they are AT LEAST at grade level. He has tons of memories about kids at state testing who couldn't read and cried the whole test, things like that. But my MIL tells me I shouldn't do anything with them but read to them and let them play. That I'm rushing them and I'll make them hate learning and crush their little spirits. So, anytime I feel like I'm on to something I like, I read something else that also makes sense, and then I'm just like, ugh.

 

I liked sonlight because I love books and I get so excited thinking about them loving reading and I liked that Sonlight has some really great books. I also liked that it wasnt all workbooks (though my boys have so much fun with workbooks!) and constant drilling and flash cards. The read alouds are fine, we actually add stuff in a lot. They get frustrated by reading the little stories, like one or two sentences. I've tweaked things a bit to have it not so jumpy.

 

They LOVE science experiments, art, lots of activity. DS1 doesnt love books unless they're about things he's really interested in, but DS2 loves all books.

 

First: :grouphug:. It is very overwhelming. But remember; it's good that we're overwhelmed- it means there are lots of choices out there!

 

I would spend some time browsing on these boards. Just scroll backwards and open up the threads that look interesting. There is so much good information here. I regularly find myself reading old posts. Once you have done that, I'll bet you find yourself with more focused questions.

 

I would also start with the big ones: reading, writing, and math. Then add the extras in from there.

[WeeBeaks]

I have no opinion on WP.

 

I do think SL works well even for an ADHD kid. My first was such a kid. I took him SL through the end of core D. I left because of combining issues, not because I didn't like SL. I still use lots of SL book choices. If you go that route, I think it can be a very rich, memorable experience.

 

If you really need hands on and love SL otherwise, you don't need to leave it to get hands on. Just add in activities your kids enjoy - lapbooks, projects, kits, whatever. Check the library for books of crafts and ideas on various time periods in history.

 

I see you already modify the snippets of reading each day. We did that too. Although Charlotte Mason methodology would say their schedule has it the right way. :D

 

On learning to read, I taught one using SL materials, and he is not my strongest reader I'm sorry to say. I won't use their materials again. True, it could be his natural inclination, but my first read much faster and easier (used 100EZ Lessons and BOB books), and my third also is seeming to pick it up better (she is early stages yet, 100EZ, Funnix and BOB books). My second struggled the whole way with SL materials.

[hmschooling]

Have you seen heart of Dakota? great books balanced with hands on and will go from PK through high school. On my phone so can't help but keep this short.

[NanceXToo]

For "hands on," "fun," and "not all workbooks" etc I'm a big fan of Oak Meadow. :D You could look into it on their website (I also have a detailed review and lots of info on my blog if you click the link in my signature and then see the sidebar to left under reviews) and see if it strikes a chord with you.

 

Really, you need to figure out what philosophy resonates with you and seems to work for your family and don't worry so much about what everyone else thinks. There are lots of ways to learn.

[Esperella]

How does Heart of Dakota compare with Sonlight?

 

My friend does Veritas Press but I find their website confusing.

 

 

He really loves Horizon's math and I like HWT.

[Esperella]

For "hands on," "fun," and "not all workbooks" etc I'm a big fan of Oak Meadow. :D You could look into it on their website (I also have a detailed review and lots of info on my blog if you click the link in my signature and then see the sidebar to left under reviews) and see if it strikes a chord with you.

 

Really, you need to figure out what philosophy resonates with you and seems to work for your family and don't worry so much about what everyone else thinks. There are lots of ways to learn.

 

 

That is so true. I actually have read about oak meadow because its from where my husband is from. It seems very gentle and peaceful.

[lindsrae]

It sounds like you are wanting to homeschool for all the right reasons :) And PLEASE don't worry about what other people think. I don't know why (some) other people find it necessary to criticize families who home school. Am I walking around horrified that all of the other children in our neighborhood are sent to public school? No. Some people are just curious, but don't let the critical ones get you off track! It is good that your husband and your MIL both support you--if you have those two in your corner, you have the hardest battles already fought!

 

Do a little more reading and researching. After you look at Oak Meadow or My Father's World or whatever, post specific questions that you have on the board. You will get lots of help and opinions :) Sometimes it is hard to know if something will work until you try it. I was homeschooled myself and knew about different kinds of curriculum that my mom used...I thought I was "ahead of the curve" so to speak when I started hs my DD last year. But it took a while to figure out what kinds of things worked for her and what kinds of books I liked teaching from. In PS, neither parents nor teachers get to pick the curriculum used--you are stuck, for better or for worse, with whatever the district buys. That is the blessing and the curse of hs--so much to choose from, and no one to tell you for sure what to use.

 

Give yourself some time, do some research, and also realize you might make mistakes. But you won't hurt your kiddos by keeping them at home. Just think of all the one-on-one time they are getting with you that they would never get in ps. You can do this! There are lots of people who are cheering you on!

[Laura in MI]

Definitely normal, I'm overwhelmed at picking curricula all the time!

 

I'm hoping this doesn't overwhelm you even more but have you looked at Living Books Curriculum? I've never used it but I look at it all the time, you might like it too. There's lots of literature and from the samples it looks like it has quite a few hands on activities. It includes every subject but Math too. :001_smile:

[Esperella]

It sounds like you are wanting to homeschool for all the right reasons :) And PLEASE don't worry about what other people think. I don't know why (some) other people find it necessary to criticize families who home school. Am I walking around horrified that all of the other children in our neighborhood are sent to public school? No. Some people are just curious, but don't let the critical ones get you off track! It is good that your husband and your MIL both support you--if you have those two in your corner, you have the hardest battles already fought!

 

Do a little more reading and researching. After you look at Oak Meadow or My Father's World or whatever, post specific questions that you have on the board. You will get lots of help and opinions :) Sometimes it is hard to know if something will work until you try it. I was homeschooled myself and knew about different kinds of curriculum that my mom used...I thought I was "ahead of the curve" so to speak when I started hs my DD last year. But it took a while to figure out what kinds of things worked for her and what kinds of books I liked teaching from. In PS, neither parents nor teachers get to pick the curriculum used--you are stuck, for better or for worse, with whatever the district buys. That is the blessing and the curse of hs--so much to choose from, and no one to tell you for sure what to use.

 

Give yourself some time, do some research, and also realize you might make mistakes. But you won't hurt your kiddos by keeping them at home. Just think of all the one-on-one time they are getting with you that they would never get in ps. You can do this! There are lots of people who are cheering you on!

 

Thank you so much. You're so sweet! I really needed that today. I had a friend the other day suggest "gently" I send DS to public school to learn to read. He was just struggling SO much with sonlight's la, I put it off for a few months.

 

I really want to use Telling God's Story, is that something I can just add on to any curriculum?

 

I went to VP, but they dont sell packages? So do you just buy ALL of the books on their site for your age group or am I missing something?

 

ToG looks VERY confusing to set up. Is it something that would be hard to do with younger kids (6, and 4)? Should I save it until they're a bit older and I can include DS3 too? (they're all 21 months apart). Do you just make up your own schedule using their outlines?

 

Do you think that SL's K would be okay to use with a bright 4 yr old and a 6 yr old? Or do you think it's a better idea to hold off a year on that?

 

Why does everyone hate Winter's Promise? It looks so pretty.

[lorrainejmc]

Hi :seeya:

 

You can add Telling God's Story to any curriculum. Winter Promise gets a poor reputation for customer service and delivery and I've heard it called "choppy" a few times.

 

I've been where you are right now, I daresay we all have. In terms of philosophy, I've tried them all. :tongue_smilie:I've settled with making sure my kids have a good base in reading, spelling, penmanship and math. I try to cater for their preferences and learning style. One is a real "montessori" kid, the other 2 are real "well trained mind" types. I've heard the Cathy Duffy book mentioned many times, although I haven't read it myself. It helps you establish what your child's learning style is and recommends curricula to suit. For us, finding curricula for each kids learning style has been more important than finding an educational philosophy that simply appeals to me.

[chicagoshannon]

Thank you so much. You're so sweet! I really needed that today. I had a friend the other day suggest "gently" I send DS to public school to learn to read. He was just struggling SO much with sonlight's la, I put it off for a few months.

 

I really want to use Telling God's Story, is that something I can just add on to any curriculum?

 

I went to VP, but they dont sell packages? So do you just buy ALL of the books on their site for your age group or am I missing something?

 

ToG looks VERY confusing to set up. Is it something that would be hard to do with younger kids (6, and 4)? Should I save it until they're a bit older and I can include DS3 too? (they're all 21 months apart). Do you just make up your own schedule using their outlines?

 

Do you think that SL's K would be okay to use with a bright 4 yr old and a 6 yr old? Or do you think it's a better idea to hold off a year on that?

 

Why does everyone hate Winter's Promise? It looks so pretty.

 

We're using Sonlight P4/5 now too. I was thinking about using Sonlight K for my bright 4 year old but was convinced not to. "They" said it wasn't necessarily that the K core would be too much for her but that down the road Core D may be too much if we got there before the recommended age. Could you go through core P 4/5 a second time combining the 4 yr old and 6 year old and then just do the next thing with math ect. With the 6 year old?

 

Another option would be to move on with your oldest to Core K and combine the younger 2 instead. You could do Core K and Core P3/4 next year with the youngers.

 

We are working our way through Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading for reading. It's working really well. We ditched Sonlights Language arts early on but still use the Readers.

 

We decided against Winter Promise because I couldn't find the right level for DD. I think I decided against HOD for the same reason. I never looked at Oak Meadow so can't help with that one.

[jer2911mom]

Have you seen heart of Dakota? great books balanced with hands on and will go from PK through high school. On my phone so can't help but keep this short.

 

:iagree: We used Heart of Dakota's Little Hearts for His Glory last year for K, then did half of first grade this year with Sonlight's Core K. We are now back to Heart of Dakota for Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory. Sonlight does have wonderful books, but the lack of hands-on was causing us to lose the joy in our day. I am just not good at adding that in myself. I need it scheduled. Heart of Dakota uses a lot of good books as well, many of them the same as Sonlight, but also incorporates hands-on in a way that makes it very easy to do. The author has 4 boys, and knows what it takes to keep them active and engaged in the school day. Little Hearts for His Glory has things like ball work during bible verse memorization, movement during rhymes, and art and science projects throughout the week. With Sonlight, we weren't doing any art projects other than one here and there from an Evan Moor book I bought, and it was driving us nuts. Like I said, I need it scheduled.

 

We tried the SL LA 1 as well, and it was just too all over the place for us. Fortunately, we were using other things alongside it, OPGTR, AAS, CLE LA, WWE, and FLL, so we did not lose ground. One thing about Heart of Dakota is that it is very strong in skill-building (dictation, oral and written narrations, notebooking, etc.). It does this very incrementally with step-by-step guidance for the teacher and the student. It builds each year in a very gentle way, slowly turning things over to the child as they are ready for more independence.

 

I really feel like my dd7 would not have been ready for Core K in K. The books would have been over her head. They have been a perfect fit for her this year in 1st grade, though. I think the general consensus is that Core K is best used in 1st grade.

 

Hope this helps!

Kathy

[NanceXToo]

I wouldn't stress if a FIVE year old isn't learning to read yet. He's five. It used to be back when we were in school that they didn't even BEGIN to teach us to read until we were six and in first grade. Which was more than enough time for starting, as far as I'm concerned. One of the things I actually like about Oak Meadow is that it starts more gently and doesn't force rigid academics in the earliest years and its Kindergarten program is more gentle and peaceful as you put it.

 

You might even want to read the book "Better Late Than Early" by the Moores. Even if you don't fully agree with it, it might lend a little perspective. It's okay to take it easy in Kindergarten and not worry so much and jump from curriculum to curriculum worrying about failing and switching around and wondering whether you need to pack him off to public school. He's five. Just enjoy him. He'll learn. How can he not?

[Esperella]

Thank you Ladies so much!

 

I think I will do Oak Meadow or HoD for next year. It'll be fun to switch things up!

 

I'm glad everyone has gone through this though. I only have 1 homeschooling friend and everyone else thinks we're crazy for not doing PS.

[NanceXToo]

Maybe you can find a homeschooling support or meetup group in your area. Have you looked on Meetup.com? It can be good to get some like-minded people around you! These boards are great for support too. Just don't let yourself constantly worry about whether you are doing "enough" with kids as young as yours! :) It's a long road stretched out ahead of you with plenty of time and opportunity for academics and worrying, but K is a really sweet and special year and you don't get to go back to it, so really, enjoy it. I really doubt down the road you'll think "Man, I wish we did more worksheets/deskwork/whatever when he was in Kindergarten." So think of what you will wish you did together, and then do it together. It's a great year. Just cherish it, have fun with it, don't waste it worrying about what he's not doing yet...again, nobody ever tried to teach us to read or write or anything when WE were in K and we turned out okay, right? Just because the public schools are pushing it earlier and earlier now doesn't mean we have to. They do it because they want to get a jump on standardized testing. Now some kids are just self-motivated and want to start that early and that's great. But that doesn't mean the 4 and 5 year olds who aren't need to be worried about, in my humble opinion. So wait til he's 6 or so and try again. That's just my two cents, do what you will with it. :)

[Mom28kds]

I might be in the minority, but for 1st grade i concentrate mainly on the basics like Math, phonics, writing. I really don't worry about science (they watch magic school bus) at this age and as far as History goes, I'm doing Sonlight core 3 with my 5th grader because I already had it and I wanted to do american history and for the 3 younger kids (pre-K, K, and 1st) I take some of the history books from SL that are easy and read them aloud instead of sticking to the exact curriculum and they are loving watching "Liberty Kids" on Youtube. (I connect my computer to the tv so they can all watch it)

In a nutshell this is what my actual curriculum for my 1st grader is:

 

Math - CLE

LA - CLE

Explode the code

Going over ABEKA "Handbook for Reading"

Handwriting - Zaner-Bloser (Changing to A reason for handwriting next yr)

That's it!!

[NanceXToo]

Oh. I forgot we were talking about 1st grade instead of Kindergarten lol. I had "5 y/o" in my head. Duh.

 

But still. I don't think 1st requires a WHOLE lot more! I am doing OMK with my son now. With some sporadic Funnix beginning reading lessons which he likes because they are on the computer (if he hated them I would have not bothered until next year).

 

For 1st grade, we will be doing OM1 and if we haven't completed Funnix beginning reading lessons, we'll complete that during OM1. (I used Oak Meadow for 4th, 5th and now 6th with my daughter, too, so I'm a fan in general)!

[mandymom]

My 5 yo very active boy loves Horizons math too. For language arts, we are using Phonics Road, and it has been quite successful. We also use TOG, but only because he has 4 older brothers and sisters. I have never though TOG was especially hard to plan or put together, especially at the lower grammar level. However, if my oldest was only 6, I think I might opt for a different program for history and/or literature, simply because of cost.