momma aimee Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 http://www.biblioplan.net/2011/04/introduction-to-biblioplan-companion.html I am wondering what is most useful, or 'what you liked best' family guide vs Companion vs Cool Times also if you have seen or used their craft guide and seen or used SOTW AG -- is one better then the other, or are the differences enough that both could be useful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3browneyedboys4me Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I have loved Biblioplan. It's everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. I love the companion is just enough without making your kid's eyes glaze over with boredom. I love that they give plenty of reading assignments and great literature books for the kids. I love the cool pages b/c they keep the program hands-on (without too much work) and really cement the concepts and ideas being discussed throughout the week. We love the timeline figures- b/c they are just cool. :) We use a KONOS wall chart and just love adding them in every week. In a nut shell, I just like that the program is really concise. I've tried MFW and TOG, but both were too expensive, too much extra work that I didn't use or need. So, this is just a good fit if: you want an outline for history studies in a TM (not a dictionary), enjoy working with maps/geography, and reading literature either with your kids or having them work on them independently. I will stay with it. I think it's great! HTH!! Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarrieF Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Momma Aimee, I just saw this thread when I did a Biblioplan search. The Family Guide is a must as that is your lesson plan-of-action (think TG!). I tweak mine, but that is just me, I'm a tweaker! :D Mainly, I do so to make the reading/lessons fit our schedule, NOT because there is anything "wrong" with it to begin with. The Parent Companion is nice to have, but I have not found it to be necessary to have. Some of the information is different/new, but a lot of it is similar to what you read in SOTW/MOH, so you wouldn't want to go over it again anyway (unless looking for review). We have enjoyed both the 'Cool History' and the 'Maps for Middles' as they help give us some "accountability" with comprehension. This is our second full year using BP after using two other popular history/literature curricula and we LOVE BP! Plan to use it from here on out. HTH! Enjoy it! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 We love BP too! I agonized over which History curriculum to go with this past year. Once and for all, I really wanted to choose something we would stick with for the long haul (we had already tried several). I'm thankful that I chose BP, it is a perfect fit for my dd(11). We don't read the companion regularly, but it is good to have for reference. Dd loves doing worksheets, so the Cool History pages are perfect for her. She also tells me how much she enjoys doing the maps each week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Momma Aimee,I just saw this thread when I did a Biblioplan search. The Family Guide is a must as that is your lesson plan-of-action (think TG!). I tweak mine, but that is just me, I'm a tweaker! :D Mainly, I do so to make the reading/lessons fit our schedule, NOT because there is anything "wrong" with it to begin with. The Parent Companion is nice to have, but I have not found it to be necessary to have. Some of the information is different/new, but a lot of it is similar to what you read in SOTW/MOH, so you wouldn't want to go over it again anyway (unless looking for review). We have enjoyed both the 'Cool History' and the 'Maps for Middles' as they help give us some "accountability" with comprehension. This is our second full year using BP after using two other popular history/literature curricula and we LOVE BP! Plan to use it from here on out. HTH! Enjoy it! :001_smile: so the Family Guild is the teachers guide, and then "cool History" is like an activity guide? also did people buy the e-book then print it all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarrieF Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Yes, the 'Family Guide' is the TG/lesson plan pages that tell you what to read/do, etc. and the 'Cool History' pages are comprehension questions that are directly related to the reading (there are also activity ideas on the 'Cool History' pages). I have purchased the ebooks and printed them out - it has been a great experience. If you ever have any questions or issues with your curriculum/ebooks, the customer service is great, too. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Yes, the 'Family Guide' is the TG/lesson plan pages that tell you what to read/do, etc. and the 'Cool History' pages are comprehension questions that are directly related to the reading (there are also activity ideas on the 'Cool History' pages). I have purchased the ebooks and printed them out - it has been a great experience. If you ever have any questions or issues with your curriculum/ebooks, the customer service is great, too. :001_smile: Are the Cool History questions only from SOTW or from the other resources as well? I am looking at BP for next year as well :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 :D i am getting so excited :D wish my folks had homeschooled me, this is all so much better than the stuff i sat though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarrieF Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Are the Cool History questions only from SOTW or from the other resources as well? I am looking at BP for next year as well :) We have always found the answers in SOTW reading, but there is overlap between SOTW and the 'Parent Companion' that is from BP, so I don't know the "real" answer to that. :D My gut is that they are from SOTW, but I don't know if I got that from something I read on BP's website, or from our experience, or what. Sorry I'm not much help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wehave8 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 CarrieF--- I have an 8 yo ds. I have been looking at Biblioplan. Which one did you start with? Could I start with Amer. History? Does it "fit" well with just having younger ones? Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jina Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 We love BP. We started in the middle of year 1 (ancients) and are currently in year 3. I love that there is American history scheduled for us in year 3 and 4. We have REALLY enjoyed it and SO glad to have found it. We tried just SOTW with AG guide...MFW...and Sonlight. BP met our needs best of any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 We love BP. We started in the middle of year 1 (ancients) and are currently in year 3. I love that there is American history scheduled for us in year 3 and 4. We have REALLY enjoyed it and SO glad to have found it. We tried just SOTW with AG guide...MFW...and Sonlight. BP met our needs best of any of them. glad to hear it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrystalM Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Is Biblioplan really cheaper when you have to add in math, science, and language arts? I am trying to piece some ideas together and things are adding up to a price that seems like it would be easier to go with a more comprehensive program such as MFW or Sonlight. Any insights would be greatly appreciated. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jina Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Is Biblioplan really cheaper when you have to add in math, science, and language arts? I am trying to piece some ideas together and things are adding up to a price that seems like it would be easier to go with a more comprehensive program such as MFW or Sonlight. Any insights would be greatly appreciated. :) Well...Sonlight has their math, science and language arts as separate subjects to add to their "core" anyway. MFW does include some LA and science - but it wasn't the LA and science I wanted...so why pay for that? Also, MFW and SL were both "off" the 4-year classical cycle. MFW is close with 5 years - but I don't want to take a whole year for geography - I'd rather learn geography as we are learning what happens in those countries throughout our history cycle. I'm not saying biblioplan is a good fit for everyone, but a biblical approach was important to me. In the ancients cycle, it weaves in the bible stories and provides timeline pieces that match those. I don't want to learn bible history and world history separately...I want to learn ALL history - which includes how the bible fits into our history timeline. That was one of the main reasons I chose BP originally...then I realized they had a schedule for the MOH readings and church history...then I realized they added in American history to year 3 and 4...it just seemed like the perfect mesh of everything I was looking for. We are very happy to have made the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jina Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 so the Family Guild is the teachers guide, and then "cool History" is like an activity guide? Yes - the cool history pages are kind of like review sheets. The family guide is the main lesson plan. There is also a parent companion with extra notes and information. And...there are maps and timeline pieces if interested in those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer2911mom Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Yes, the 'Family Guide' is the TG/lesson plan pages that tell you what to read/do, etc. and the 'Cool History' pages are comprehension questions that are directly related to the reading (there are also activity ideas on the 'Cool History' pages). What kinds of activity ideas are there? Is that the main hands-on component? Are they easily doable? Do they use things found around the house or require shopping? Thanks, Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Well...Sonlight has their math, science and language arts as separate subjects to add to their "core" anyway. MFW does include some LA and science - but it wasn't the LA and science I wanted...so why pay for that? Also, MFW and SL were both "off" the 4-year classical cycle. MFW is close with 5 years - but I don't want to take a whole year for geography - I'd rather learn geography as we are learning what happens in those countries throughout our history cycle. I'm not saying biblioplan is a good fit for everyone, but a biblical approach was important to me. In the ancients cycle, it weaves in the bible stories and provides timeline pieces that match those. I don't want to learn bible history and world history separately...I want to learn ALL history - which includes how the bible fits into our history timeline. That was one of the main reasons I chose BP originally...then I realized they had a schedule for the MOH readings and church history...then I realized they added in American history to year 3 and 4...it just seemed like the perfect mesh of everything I was looking for. We are very happy to have made the switch. thanks again, this sounds so great. i liked what i saw of it, but hearing from user makes me :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I have looked at the years that have been revised and am a little confused. Are there separate guides for each stage now or is there still one guide that includes all grades? I know year 3 will be revised for the fall. Does anyone know if they are revising the guide or just some of the stuff that goes along with it? I'd like to buy the guide earlier so i can get my lit together for fall, but I will wait for fall if the guide is being revised. On another note, I'm glad to see so many using this program! When I came across it, I thought it was such a gem and wondered why no one seemed to be talking about it or using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I have looked at the years that have been revised and am a little confused. Are there separate guides for each stage now or is there still one guide that includes all grades? I know year 3 will be revised for the fall. Does anyone know if they are revising the guide or just some of the stuff that goes along with it? I'd like to buy the guide earlier so i can get my lit together for fall, but I will wait for fall if the guide is being revised. On another note, I'm glad to see so many using this program! When I came across it, I thought it was such a gem and wondered why no one seemed to be talking about it or using it. From what I understand the guide is still for all stages. I do think the guide itself is being revised since I was told the booklist was changing. Also, I was told by BP to expect the revisions to be available mid April. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I have looked at the years that have been revised and am a little confused. Are there separate guides for each stage now or is there still one guide that includes all grades? I know year 3 will be revised for the fall. Does anyone know if they are revising the guide or just some of the stuff that goes along with it? I'd like to buy the guide earlier so i can get my lit together for fall, but I will wait for fall if the guide is being revised. On another note, I'm glad to see so many using this program! When I came across it, I thought it was such a gem and wondered why no one seemed to be talking about it or using it. Yes, the guide is still for all ages, and yes the guides are being revised. Which guide are you looking at? I think the first two have already been revised already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 From what I understand the guide is still for all stages. I do think the guide itself is being revised since I was told the booklist was changing. Also, I was told by BP to expect the revisions to be available mid April. Oh, good! I was hoping I wouldn't have to buy multiple guides. I'm glad it will be ready in April. Definitely better for my planning than sometime this fall. Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Yes, the guide is still for all ages, and yes the guides are being revised. Which guide are you looking at? I think the first two have already been revised already. We are doing year 3 starting in the fall. To my understanding year 3 will be the last one for them to finish up. I think they just finished or are about to finish year 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 does BP specifically schedule itself with SOTW and the bible -- like to SAY -- WEEK 10, read pages ___ in SOTW, read verses ______ in Bible and here is a list of additional reading? I guess i am asking is it 'dummy usable' -- am i going to be able to tie it to SOTW with ease? Am I going to know what Bible I am supposed to be reading for each Chapter of SOTW? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 does BP specifically schedule itself with SOTW and the bible -- like to SAY -- WEEK 10, read pages ___ in SOTW, read verses ______ in Bible and here is a list of additional reading? I guess i am asking is it 'dummy usable' -- am i going to be able to tie it to SOTW with ease? Am I going to know what Bible I am supposed to be reading for each Chapter of SOTW? It uses SOTW as its spine, chapters are assigned each week on a grid schedule. Bible readings are only assigned in year one to coordinate with SOTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 It uses SOTW as its spine, chapters are assigned each week on a grid schedule. Bible readings are only assigned in year one to coordinate with SOTW. is the Family Guide aka the teachers guide? Sounds great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 is the Family Guide aka the teachers guide? Sounds great!! I think the teachers guide is called the parent companion? The guide is the schedule and book list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 is the Family Guide ( called the BiblioPlan Family Guide for Ancient and Biblical History on the site) enough or do i need the parent Companion (called BiblioPlan Companion for Ancient and Biblical History on the site)? the family guide is 32 bucks, the Parent guide another 30 -- so i am wondering if i NEED the parent guide. I do not want to miss out of reading lists and helpful stuff; but if i can do it for just 32 and not 62 DH would be happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarrieF Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 is the Family Guide ( called the BiblioPlan Family Guide for Ancient and Biblical History on the site) enough or do i need the parent Companion (called BiblioPlan Companion for Ancient and Biblical History on the site)? the family guide is 32 bucks, the Parent guide another 30 -- so i am wondering if i NEED the parent guide. I do not want to miss out of reading lists and helpful stuff; but if i can do it for just 32 and not 62 DH would be happy You MUST have the Family Guide because that is your teacher's guide - it has all of the schedules, reading assignments, books lists, etc. You'd be "sunk" without it! ;) The Parent Companion is really like having an extra textbook because it is ALL supplementary articles about the people, places, events, etc. that you will study each week. It is definitely not a "must have" but is more like a "nice-to-have-on-hand" resource. You'll get enough from the spines (SOTW/MOH) and the readers, so you can definitely have a great year of history without the Parent Companion. I have purchased them each year (we're starting our 3rd year with BP and STILL loving it!), but I do not read all of the articles each week; I pick and choose the items that are most interesting OR that we didn't quite get enough of in the other reading. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 THANKS every sorry i am so slow at this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 i have a question too-is biblioplan best for grammar or logic stage or both? I had looked at it and read archived posts about it and seemed like it would be better for logic stage. So I thought I might wait and use it with MOH next cycle not first history cycle. But this thread makes me think it would be fine to use now. Could you use it with SOTW now and then MOH for second history cycle? Or am I totally confused? I haven't read logic stage stuff in TWTM so I may not know what I'm talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 also, do you have to re-purchase the guides when they make revisions or will they send you updates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 i have a question too-is biblioplan best for grammar or logic stage or both? I had looked at it and read archived posts about it and seemed like it would be better for logic stage. So I thought I might wait and use it with MOH next cycle not first history cycle. But this thread makes me think it would be fine to use now. Could you use it with SOTW now and then MOH for second history cycle? Or am I totally confused? I haven't read logic stage stuff in TWTM so I may not know what I'm talking about. I am new at this, so take with a BIG grain of salt. I am doing Biblioplan with SOTW for First -- Vol 1 -- Ancients. I am most interested, and "sold" because BP matches SOTW vol one to the Bible -- and that is what I wanted for Bible Times" History. I'll see how i love BP to see if i keep it up. I'll have to think about it for the next 3 vol of SOTW -- but it really fills a need i have for this first time period Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extrafor6 Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 If you have a 1st grader and are using the guide for 2-6th, is it easy to incorporate the younger one? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyagain Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Yes, you absolutely can use SOTW for grammar stage and MOH for logic stage. And, from what I've read on the yahoo group, I believe you can get a revision at no charge if you are the original purchaser of BP and you bought it from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Yes, you absolutely can use SOTW for grammar stage and MOH for logic stage. And, from what I've read on the yahoo group, I believe you can get a revision at no charge if you are the original purchaser of BP and you bought it from them. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 Yes, you absolutely can use SOTW for grammar stage and MOH for logic stage. And, from what I've read on the yahoo group, I believe you can get a revision at no charge if you are the original purchaser of BP and you bought it from them. is MOH more advanced than SOTW?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 is MOH more advanced than SOTW?? Yes. I have read that it is best for the logic stage cycle, my plan is to use it the next cycle around, when I will have a 5th, 3rd and 1st. I may or may not use SOTW then as well, honestly for First, I think dd could have had just a good if not better year if we would have stuck with picture books and lit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 We do not have Bibliopolan yet, going to purchase year 3 for next year. But, we are on our second year of MOH, with my 2nd grader and we love it! Looking forward to having the Biblioplan schedule to help us flesh out history with more literature. We are doing okay with the mapping in MOH, should we stick with that or do others recommend the mapping through Biblioplan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarrieF Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 We do not have Bibliopolan yet, going to purchase year 3 for next year. But, we are on our second year of MOH, with my 2nd grader and we love it! Looking forward to having the Biblioplan schedule to help us flesh out history with more literature. We are doing okay with the mapping in MOH, should we stick with that or do others recommend the mapping through Biblioplan? I have not used the mapping with MOH, but we have enjoyed the mapping in BP. The maps & assignments (students are asked to find and mark things on the maps) always tie in with what has just been read/studied, so it is just one more experience with the topic-at-hand to help solidify learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarrieF Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 also, do you have to re-purchase the guides when they make revisions or will they send you updates? The people at BP are so wonderful - I have not had to repurchase a new TG ever. Now, having said that, they did updates to the two Family Guides that I had purchased most recently, so maybe there is some kind of time limit? I would say that it had been at least 6 months since my last purchase and they sent me the updated version right away, no questions asked. I was impressed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinMarie123 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 This is an old thread but I just wanted to say THANK YOU! I am doing SOTW 1 + AG with my soon-to-be 2nd grader (so either we are getting a very late start for 1st grade or a super early 2nd grade start :D) and want to tie in Bible reading to it. I was debating getting the Family Guide only for right now...but there is so much "stuff" (not bad, just overwhelming for a newbie) that I wasn't sure that would be OK. But after reading this thread I think we'll be fine with just that, and being that it will last for all future cycles of history I am going to order it now! Helpful board! Helpful people! Thank you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 This is an old thread but I just wanted to say THANK YOU! I am doing SOTW 1 + AG with my soon-to-be 2nd grader (so either we are getting a very late start for 1st grade or a super early 2nd grade start :D) and want to tie in Bible reading to it. I was debating getting the Family Guide only for right now...but there is so much "stuff" (not bad, just overwhelming for a newbie) that I wasn't sure that would be OK. But after reading this thread I think we'll be fine with just that, and being that it will last for all future cycles of history I am going to order it now! Helpful board! Helpful people! Thank you! :) i am loving haveing BP with SOTW -- gives me so many more planning options Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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