MiniBlondes Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) Am I asking too much? Lol. Does such a thing exist? We start in the fall and this will be our first year. I think I know basically how I want this to start off. I realize that a lot of this year is going to be trial and error. I don't want anything that cost a fortune. I think my budget would be no more than $500 for both kids. Here is basically what I'm looking for. - Bible based (not 100% necessary because I can work that in another way, but it would be nice) - Somewhat interesting/fun - Easy for me to operate and instruct - all inclusive I really really want a 'package deal' kind of thing. I've seen the Sonlight curriculum in person and I LOVED it. However, it's more like $1600 for a year... and that's just not feasible this year as we just bought a new house. I've been paging through a MFW catalog this morning and it looks okay... but I've never seen any of it in person. So can you ladies help me out? I am a total newbie, so try to dumb it down for me a little. Ha. I'm not 100% versed on the abbreviations and things just yet. Thank you so much!! Edited June 3, 2012 by MiniBlondes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Could you purchase the Sonlight Instructor's Guide and then borrow books from the library? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Have you considered the packages from Memoria Press? They're more in your target price range, and seem to get great reviews on this board. I haven't used one myself, but I've been more than happy with the pieces we've ordered from MP over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Great ideas ladies. Thank you! Please keep them coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 My Father's World sounds just like what you are looking for. :001_smile: You could use Exploring Countries & Cultures for 2nd & 4th, and only have to buy one package. There are two sets of student pages in the package, one for younger students and one for older students. Have you looked at the samples on the MFW website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edeemarie Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 My Father's World sounds just like what you are looking for. :001_smile: You could use Exploring Countries & Cultures for 2nd & 4th, and only have to buy one package. There are two sets of student pages in the package, one for younger students and one for older students. Have you looked at the samples on the MFW website? :iagree:If it is the books you like in Sonlight, you can always use their list and add those in. Plus the MFW teacher's manuals have a huge list of books in the back that go with each week, and most are available in a decent library. They have a Yahoo group too for selling/buying. I was able to get an almost complete deluxe package ECC with 2 sets of students sheet and the teacher packet for $200! All you would have to add in would be math and language arts. They are very flexible with those subjects so don't feel tied to their suggestions- you can use whatever works for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extrafor6 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 If you really love Sonlight, you could get one core (like B+C) and science for them to do together and then maybe see which readers your library has and just buy the ones that would be hard to check out? It would probably be a little over $500, but no where near $1600! And, in my opinion, it would be nice for you not to have to piece too many things together used for your first year. Are you wanting to keep the girls together for as much as you can other than math and reading? You could also look at Heart of Dakota. You'd have to get two different levels with that program, but it's definitely Christ-centered and all inclusive. I think you might want to look more closely at MFW and HOD, just based on your criteria. Have fun shopping! Stephanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 My Father's World will fit what you are asking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Awesome! Thank you ladies so much!!! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julzar Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 You could also look at Heart of Dakota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Don't do the multisubject package from Sonlight. It sounds like that is what you were looking at. I'm doing Sonlight Core D, used and piecing together, plus using my library, for around $100. Ok, maybe $150 now that I bought a bunch of the books used off someone local, but that included the science books for the old science IG I had, so not bad for a Sonlight core and science for the year. :D I use separate math and LA. HOD might be a good fit, if you can get both kids in one guide. I'll bet that'd be under $500. Piecing together is often much cheaper and not always difficult to do. Have you read the Well Trained Mind book? It lists what subjects to teach and examples of curricula to use for those. She typically recommends curricula that are "do the next thing" type, so you don't have to do a lot of lesson planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I like what a pp said about SL. You could easily use Core B+C with 2nd and 4th and probably get it used. You can check here, homeschoolclassifieds.com and vegsource.com/homeschool. Many people will be selling them. You can also combine them in SL science or many other science programs, then add math and LA. Math and LA from Rod and Staff are both inexpensive and effective. R&S is also mostly non-comsumable so you could pass them down from the 4th grader. Blessings on your journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 You could also look at Heart of Dakota. I was thinking this too! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iafrmgrl77 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 We have used Sonlight for a few years, and I love all of the SL suggestions above. Honestly, I bought new from SL, and now that I am seeing how much I could have purchased used IG's and paperbacks for, I am kicking myself! Definitely find the curriculum you would LOVE to try, regardless of price, and then put out ISO's and start bargain hunting! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisperry Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 http://www.home-school-curriculum.com/learning_series/ Paths of Exploration - I used it with a 2nd grader with little problem. Here is the complete package: http://www.home-school-curriculum.com/product/paths-of-exploration-complete-package for $380. That leaves you $120 for math and you are done :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 We have used MFW for a couple years and enjoyed it. However, I have drooled over Sonlight for many years now, but it was just way out of our budget. This year, though, I am going to make it work and give it a try. I purchased a very inexpensive IG and we will use our library for everything we can and only purchase the books they do not have (used, of course). I am not using their science, though. We are going with Apologia Astronomy (one book with a lapbook to put together. Simple, inexpensive, open and go, and my kids love it and learn a ton!). I hope you find something that works well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Oooo, I had not seen HOD before. I took a glimpse through their Teacher Guide that they had posted and that's exactly the sort of thing that I had in mind. I'm going to look through some of the others as well. I'm getting really excited. Thank you ladies so much! Also, what is an IG? :blushing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) Also, what is an IG? :blushing: An IG is an Instructor's Guide. It is the term usually used by Sonlight for their teachers' guides. Edited June 4, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Don't do the multisubject package from Sonlight. It sounds like that is what you were looking at. I'm doing Sonlight Core D, used and piecing together, plus using my library, for around $100. Ok, maybe $150 now that I bought a bunch of the books used off someone local, but that included the science books for the old science IG I had, so not bad for a Sonlight core and science for the year. :D I use separate math and LA. HOD might be a good fit, if you can get both kids in one guide. I'll bet that'd be under $500. Piecing together is often much cheaper and not always difficult to do. Have you read the Well Trained Mind book? It lists what subjects to teach and examples of curricula to use for those. She typically recommends curricula that are "do the next thing" type, so you don't have to do a lot of lesson planning. :iagree: I've always used SL and I've never spent more than a few hundred dollars on our core. That would leave you with $200 - $300 for math, LA and extras. On the other hand, I think MFW sounds like a good fit for you as long as you either fully utilize the book basket or add in a bunch of the SL read-alouds. (You can probably get many of those books from the library.) I tried MFW out one summer after using SL and I think I would have been a lot happier with it if I had done that. I didn't "get" what an integral part of the program the book basket was. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 You can buy a used SL core. You can find them pretty near to complete for around $300+. You could try ebay or http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) An IG is an Instructor's Guide. It is the term usually used by Sonlight for their teachers' guides. Thank you!! :) And thank the rest of you for your suggestions. I'm trying to price out my different options and see what I can find. Once I get a handle on what I actually need, I'll start looking through the used sections. I'm at least feeling a little more calm about the whole thing. My current thinking out loud and questions - I don't know the difference in the Sonlight cores (not sure if I need ABCD or Z) :lol: I'll research that in a bit. - Can I use one guide with HOD? It seems like a lot of people say to use a different guide for each child. That seems like it would make for a LONG school day. - MFW ECC plus extras if purchased new would be about $614 plus tax and shipping. That's doable. Of course I'd rather get it used. ;) - Someone at church suggested Horizons. Any thoughts? Edited June 4, 2012 by MiniBlondes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommatomany Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Thank you!! :) And thank the rest of you for your suggestions. I'm trying to price out my different options and see what I kind find. Once I get a handle on what I actually need, I'll start looking through the used sections. I'm at least feeling a little more calm about the whole thing. - Can I use one guide with HOD? It seems like a lot of people say to use a different guide for each child. That seems like it would make for a LONG school day. You can do either 1 or 2 guides depending on how well you think the 2 kids would combine. Next year I'll have my 3rd grader in Bigger and my 1st and K'er in LHFHG. They do offer extension packages making it easy to extend learning for older kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Am I asking too much? Lol. Does such a thing exist? We start in the fall and this will be our first year. I think I know basically how I want this to start off. I realize that a lot of this year is going to be trial and error. I don't want anything that cost a fortune. I think my budget would be no more than $500 for both kids. Here is basically what I'm looking for. - Bible based (not 100% necessary because I can work that in another way, but it would be nice) - Somewhat interesting/fun - Easy for me to operate and instruct - all inclusive I really really want a 'package deal' kind of thing. I've seen the Sonlight curriculum in person and I LOVED it. However, it's more like $1600 for a year... and that's just not feasible this year as we just bought a new house. I've been paging through a MFW catalog this morning and it looks okay... but I've never seen any of it in person. So can you ladies help me out? I am a total newbie, so try to dumb it down for me a little. Ha. I'm not 100% versed on the abbreviations and things just yet. Thank you so much!! I didn't read other responses yet, but Heart of Dakota would be great and affordable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 - Can I use one guide with HOD? It seems like a lot of people say to use a different guide for each child. That seems like it would make for a LONG school day. That depends on your child. With those ages if you want to combine I would use Bigger Hearts and get them each appropriate leveled LA, and Math. We have successfully run more than one guide here.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I didn't read other responses yet, but Heart of Dakota would be great and affordable! :iagree: and you can buy most of it (including the guides) used which helps bring down the cost. And yes, you could probably combine guides (Bigger maybe?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 It sounds like you are leaning towards SL. But I was going to suggest Memoria Press too. I haven't used a full package, but I use a lot of their curriculum, plus I use Rod and Staff for my core academic subjects and that is what they use too. So if I was going to buy all in one, SL would be it. They didn't exist when I started, so I have always just moved forward with what we have, since it works... But I have been happy with the subjects of MP that I have used, and I ordered a lot more for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohmomjacquie Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Look at my father's world! You can have both kids in ecc then they have la and math suggestions that you can buy through them. Everything is laid out for you. Fun hands on projects and real books instead of text books oh and way cheaper than sl! . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iafrmgrl77 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Look at my father's world! You can have both kids in ecc then they have la and math suggestions that you can buy through them. Everything is laid out for you. Fun hands on projects and real books instead of text books oh and way cheaper than sl! . MFW is cheaper because it doesn't include all of the readers/read-alouds. So, if you don't like the price of SL, you can use the library for your readers/read-alouds, like MFW does for their book basket. For a lot of people, that is the decision-maker right there: do they pay the extra to purchase all of their books in one fell swoop, or do they spend time gathering their own resources from the library, Goodwill, etc? I am not promoting one or the other; just pointing that out. I am actually looking to possibly do something other that SL this next year and considered MFW. When I saw, however, that during our last few years of SL we had already read most of the books we would be using with MFW, I decided to look for something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) Thank you!! :) You're welcome:). From the recommendations I have seen here, I have only used SL. We went in a different direction eventually but it sounds like SL might be a good fit for your family. I am not sure if it was mentioned already but with the age difference between your kids you could combine them into one Core. There are several SLers on here but if you want more advice on what Core(s) to use, I would suggest subscribing to their forum. You get 30 days free to access the private forums and even after the 30 days you will still be able to post curriculum questions in the public part of their forum. We only used up to Core K (now called A) so I will not attempt to recommend any Cores to you. I would however not recommend doing the combo Cores, and this is something you will often see mentioned in their forums also, from veteran SLers. The ages your kids are, you do not need to do that, and you would be missing out on many good books if you did. Edited June 4, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommie_Jen Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'm a total newbie, but I was also going to suggest MFW. It's what we will be using for 1st and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer L Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I don't think Beautiful Feet was mentioned, we have loved it! It's just history but I think you'll get more what your looking for if you piece it together. For science you could look at Noeo or apologia. Then just pick math and LA. We love Math Mammoth around here. You can also look at R&S English. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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