dalynnrmc Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 First posted on the general board, until I realized it was the general board a few minutes later. :tongue_smilie: So. *sigh* Is there not a curriculum that will do it all??? I've about decided that there is NOT. :glare: I'd love something that was like combining all of these! Illuminations, Sonlight, Winter Promise, My Father's World... We love and use Illuminations put out by the publishers of MOH, firstly for its MOH usage but also for its fantastic literature guides. It touts itself as being for grades 3-8 (and then a separate section for high school), but I see it more of a middle school curriculum. My 4th grader won't sit still for the lengths of passages, nor can he effectively do and understand the lit guides. They are just above him right now. I love the booklist and *idea* of Sonlight. It's pricey though, for one thing, and though there is certainly an abundance of literature being read, I can't hack not doing ANYTHING to go with it. Winter Promise has plenty of activities, too many sometimes, and when we've used it in the past I haven't always felt like my kids were retaining the actual information. Besides, doing that many high-maintenance activities requires a lot of teacher-time which I don't have any longer. I need more student doable items than this, and enjoy the *option* of hands-on activities. My Father's World is one I had almost forgotten about. I haven't ever seen a TM for the history stages, only the K and 1st grade which I realize is different than the family sets. Looking at samples online, it looks good, and I know MFW is usually touted for its lots of literature options... but I don't see that with what I'm looking at now. Also, it does seem to be geared towards SOTW and of course we prefer MOH and I've already learned that changing from one to the other does require quite a bit of "tweaking" and rearranging - more than I have time for right now. What if I want the literature from Sonlight, the literature guides from Illuminations (but also on the younger levels), the activity options of Winter Promise, but the approach and style of MFW? Does that exist? :001_huh: All of those programs are pricey enough by themselves! No way can I actually get all of them and tweak my happy heart out. I am a tweaker by nature, but this year and probably next year (at least), I won't have time to do much. These twin toddlers take enough time on their own! Gotta find a middle ground! Help? :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 We're using Learning Adventures next year for that reason. After years of hodgepodge I needed a break. I liked the literature of Sonlight but wasn't comfortable with the changes to the teaching guides. I liked the idea of Winter Promise, but heard conflicting things about their timeliness and how smooth it was. It already takes forever for things to get here. And I really liked Moving Beyond The Page's lit guides, but we were outgrowing them. So this year I picked a themed program like WP, with lots of activities and everything integrated like MBTP, and nice literature (but not a lot that is required) like Sonlight. And then it got bonus points: amazingly quick shipping, great customer service, and a lot cheaper than what I budgeted. We added in a deeper science and math and I feel good about what we're doing - especially since it'll help us stay connected. So many curricula expect the student to almost self teach as they get older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalynnrmc Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thank you! I have been looking at their website. It does look pretty neat, and close to what I want, except that all of world history from the ancient cultures through and past the reformation. The format is pretty close! So, I guess I *am* wanting a unit study, based on the literature; there are just plenty of things I don't need IN the unit study. (Science and grammar, for example.) And I want MORE literature options, including plenty for student perusing alone. I will keep looking at this a little deeper, and at least it helps me recognize that the units probably are what will come closest to what I've been dreaming. ;) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof2littles Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Heart of Dakota? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I have been using Learning Adventures for almost 2 years. We absolutly love it. We started with the 2nd book because we had already spent a year + on the Ancients and I couldn't bare the thought of doing anymore. The first year we used it as written and it was great. This year I only used the Bible, Literature and History sections. I did some of the grammar/LA (like the Dewey decimal system). I didn't do the grammar/writing only because we did Classical Conversations this year and used their Grammar. LA cannot be finished in a year, it is so comprehensive it just cannot be done. It took us 16 months. I could have done it a couple months sooner, but I don't like stopping in the middle of a book when we reach holidays/breaks (Christmas, summer, spring break, etc.) There is a reading list several pages long for each unit in the book. A lot of the books are older and I couldn't find them in the Library, but I always had dozens of books for him to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrjoy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 You could check out Paths of Exploration - Trail Guide to Learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spetzi Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I sense you don't love SL, but they now include a CD of activities to go along w/each Core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Have you looked at Biblioplan? The only thing it doesn't have that I see you want is literature guides, which would be easy to add... They schedule MOH as a spine, have lots of lit, many SL choices, have hands on options, and a SL like schedule only 3 days a week. They have the guide (schedule), Companion (teachers notes), Cool histories (questions/worksheets), maps, crafts, and timeline, and combine different ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julzar Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Have you looked at Tapestry of Grace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I think it depends on the personality of the teacher. Some people will be content with something that has a lot of components and plenty of books. Other people won't be content no matter how much is included. I'm of the latter type. But I'm not drawn to finding an all in one curriculum anyway. It's too limiting... because I want to find a diversity of resources and see inherent value in having different things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godsaggie Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thank you! I have been looking at their website. It does look pretty neat, and close to what I want, except that all of world history from the ancient cultures through and past the reformation. The format is pretty close! So, I guess I *am* wanting a unit study, based on the literature; there are just plenty of things I don't need IN the unit study. (Science and grammar, for example.) And I want MORE literature options, including plenty for student perusing alone. I will keep looking at this a little deeper, and at least it helps me recognize that the units probably are what will come closest to what I've been dreaming. ;) Thanks! I highly recommend KONOS for unit study. They have an amazing program...I have a friend that started using it two years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. She said she won't ever use another curriculum. I looked at it and really liked it. But then, I decided I just wasn't really a unit study kind of gal. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Oak Meadow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singingmom Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I am drawn to Sonlight too, because of their lit. selections. What I am doing is MFW, and then will add in Sonlight/FIAR/Ambleside/ any other book list classics that catch my fancy. I think it is pretty easy to add to/tweak MFW, from what I have seen so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thank you! I have been looking at their website. It does look pretty neat, and close to what I want, except that all of world history from the ancient cultures through and past the reformation. The format is pretty close! So, I guess I *am* wanting a unit study, based on the literature; there are just plenty of things I don't need IN the unit study. (Science and grammar, for example.) And I want MORE literature options, including plenty for student perusing alone. I will keep looking at this a little deeper, and at least it helps me recognize that the units probably are what will come closest to what I've been dreaming. ;) Thanks! What about Truthquest? It has a unit study but only for history/lit feel to it. I am looking forward to using it w/ SL when we get to American history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalynnrmc Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Heart of Dakota? The Drawn Into the Heart of Reading program looks very close to what I'd like for literature, but I'm not loving their history. Not sure what irks me about it. I'll go look again. You could check out Paths of Exploration - Trail Guide to Learning. Googling! I sense you don't love SL, but they now include a CD of activities to go along w/each Core. I actually DO love Sonlight. I just wish it delved deeper into each book. Actually, I have on standby a kind lady who is going to give me a crazy excellent price on Core C if she still has it for sale when my hubby's school money comes in at the end of the week. No way can I afford it new. And... stopping the post here because I didn't want to overwhelm one post with too many replies and wanted to keep my train of thought. LOL Thanks for all the replies so far! Back to reading the thread for more! And :lurk5: as well! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalynnrmc Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 You could check out Paths of Exploration - Trail Guide to Learning. Seems to be mostly American history? We're a couple of years away from that yet. Have you looked at Biblioplan? The only thing it doesn't have that I see you want is literature guides, which would be easy to add... Not recently. Googling! The lit guides are actually pretty important to me - what do Biblioplanners usually use for that? Have you looked at Tapestry of Grace? Not recently. It looked like a lot to take in, and by that time I'd found MOH and decided it was my go-to history and stopped looking. Pulling it up now. I might need help getting around my mind block of thinking it's too much. ;) I think it depends on the personality of the teacher. Some people will be content with something that has a lot of components and plenty of books. Other people won't be content no matter how much is included. I'm of the latter type. But I'm not drawn to finding an all in one curriculum anyway. It's too limiting... because I want to find a diversity of resources and see inherent value in having different things. Me too. So... what do YOU use? :D I highly recommend KONOS for unit study. They have an amazing program...I have a friend that started using it two years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. She said she won't ever use another curriculum. I looked at it and really liked it. But then, I decided I just wasn't really a unit study kind of gal. :) Never figured myself for a unit study gal either. Maybe I've morphed? Another I heard of years ago and haven't looked at intensely or recently. Thanks for the reminder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalynnrmc Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 (edited) Oak Meadow This is one that I automatically tick off the list, but I can't remember why. Going to look again! ETA: I'm not seeing much history at all, and definitely not in any sort of chronological order. MOH is pretty much non-compromise for us. What about Truthquest? It has a unit study but only for history/lit feel to it. I am looking forward to using it w/ SL when we get to American history. Another one I haven't looked at in a while. Thanks! I am drawn to Sonlight too, because of their lit. selections. What I am doing is MFW, and then will add in Sonlight/FIAR/Ambleside/ any other book list classics that catch my fancy. I think it is pretty easy to add to/tweak MFW, from what I have seen so far. This is pretty much what I've ended up doing, except we are starting with an Illuminations base and adding in Sonlight. Only problem is SL isn't giving me everything I want, so then I have to supplement IT, too - by digging deeper into the literature, which I'm finding pricey, and by finding my own activities which is time-consuming. :glare: So, here's the conclusion: I LOVE Illuminations. I really do! It just doesn't provide enough for my younger students, while everything it provides for my oldest is above their heads. I want an ILM-young... but the "early learners" section is TOO "early" for them. LOL Doing more research tonight, ladies. Thanks for the responses! Edited June 10, 2012 by dalynnrmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 What types of "digging deeper" and activities are you looking for? Ones specifically related to the books you are reading? Or just related to the historical time period? I didn't use illuminations but we read all of MOH 2 and part of 3 this year, and I even thought all the book suggestions and activities just from the rec'd resources there was more than we wanted to do. I picked a few read alouds this year based on suggestions from MOH and then just picked other books not related to history that I thought DD would like. But she is also not a big "lets do crafts related to history or literature" sort of a kid. She would much rather just look at a book of crafts and pick her own projects to complete that suit her mood that day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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