TwoEdgedSword Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I have spent so much time looking at curriculum my head is spinning. Our children are 14, 12, 9, 6, 5, 5, and 4. I have always kept them together for history using Veritas and All through the Ages, focing on living books. Then I discovered SCM and love it. Oldest is starting 9th in the fall and we want to do ancients in a year. I was thinking MFW AHL, but that does NOT include Rome. Also looking at BF or tweaking AO and SCM. But how can the first three modules of SCM be combined in a year as someone suggested earlier? I'd love to keep us all together studying history and with MFW she would be on her own. I'm also concerend about the littles getting to much info on pagans too early. Her 12 year old brother is pretty able to stay with her on studies, but the BF Ancients cuts off at 8th grade and he will be 7th. She is particulary sensitive to godlessness and it would be nice to either have her with her brother or with the whole famiy for the Ancients. Thanks fo sticking with me this far! Any help is appreciated. :-) JFB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Have you looked at MOH? You could combine all the kiddos using that. We combined most of the way through as well. However, once my dd got to high school level she actually wanted her OWN curriculum. So, we got MFW AHL and LOVED it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Sue, Thanks for the input. We have used MOH for the middle ages and it was good for that time in our lives (they all were little). But now I'm hoping for more living books and it seemed (it's been a while) that MOH was a little pre-digested, kwim? I am so drawn to MFW ahl, but worried it could be way too much for her/me and not having all 7 of us together might be an administrative mess for me!:lol: JFB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 It's designed for large families. Begin with the large green link to the right on this page: "What is Tapestry?" The videos make it easier to understand the program. http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/index.php Here's a direct link to information about year one of the cycle (Year One: Ancients). It includes a three week sample of the program. http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year1/ The program has been around for a while; there is plenty of discussion about it on the boards here. Hope that helps, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I have struggled with how to continue to learn together once the oldest hits high school age. It was very hard for me to cut back on working together in most subject areas. When it became obvious to me that I could not truly give each Dc what they needed, I realized something had to change. I was holding Ds back by keeping him working with me and Dd, and there are only so many independent assignments you can give and keep track of. So, as Janice suggested, we switched to TOG. We still talk about the subject matter together and I do some read alouds for TOG, and some I just choose for our family to enjoy. Ds sits in on SOTW read alouds for Dd (though that might end this year as his workload increases), but through their independent reading they are each getting an appropriate level of rigor for their age and abilities. Dd loves that she has her own reading assignments just like her older brother. History is one of the only subjects (through TOG) that we can follow together, though I do make an effort to plan some lessons together. Last year we used MCT together just as a supplement to their other grammar and writing. They enjoyed it. For the most part though, as Ds grew older I realized each needed their own curriculum. By trying to keep them together I was always doing someone a disservice. Dd needs more instruction to grasp new concepts, and if the subject matter and teaching are geared for Ds either I don't have enough time to help Dd, or much of it goes over her head. Obviously, if The material is aimed at Dd, or even somewhere in between the two Dc, then Ds is not being challenged to his full potential. This year they will both be studying biology, Ds w/ BJU and DIVE, but Dd will use Elemental Science for logic stage. I am lining up some of the assignments so that we can do them together and Dd will sit in on some of Ds's labs. For the most part, I think high schoolers really do need their own curriculum designed to challenge them appropriately---OR a parent who is willing to design a course of study that allows combining with youngers while still being sufficiently challenging to highschoolers. I burned out on trying to design it myself, but I know there are moms (and probably dads, too) who do it and do it well. I opted for Tapestry so I wouldn't have to design everything and both Dc love it. But, I'm not plugging TOG. MFW is another good option. You just have to decide what will work for you and what approach is most comfortable for you and your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbollin Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm another one who found that in high school, they needed to start to separate from the rest of us. In my case (as you know from other thread) using MFW AHL helped me with our needs. The planning was done. My daughter was ready to step up to the plate. She is still connected to the family in other ways than history. I'm not a well organized person at all so I need tools like that to get it done. My dd still interacts throughout the day.... using mfw high school does not mean locked in their rooms. ;) it means I have more time to give younger children. :grouphug: as you enter this phase -crystal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 (edited) You might consider Biblioplan. The Family Guide includes options for all ages. Everyone stays together for history and Bible. There are literature reading suggestions for K through high school. You can handle the high school literature any way that works for you; i.e. just reading, literature guides, essays, etc. BP includes maps and timeline. It is easy to implement, and it isn't expensive. Edited July 25, 2012 by 1Togo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Ladies, Thank you all for the input! This is what I'm thinking... MFW ahl for the 9th grader and SCM Modules 1 and 2 (Egypt and Greece) for the 1st through 7th graders. That way we'd still be on the same time period, but DD 14 would be more independant in her studies. If after a go of MFW ahl which ends with the Greeks in a year, if it is just too much and she wants to stop MFW, she can join the rest of us doing Module 3 Romans in SCM. What do you all think? Please do share. I am not as drawn to TOG although I have loooked it over in the past as some have shared that it is so teacher intensive and requires lots of teacher prep time. I could be wrong though. But I must confess, I'm just not as drawn to it. Thank you! JFB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 Bumpity bump :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEdgedSword Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 Just looking for some input to this plan pretty please....what do you think and will it likely work? A second pair of eyes can be reassuring! "This is what I'm thinking... MFW ahl for the 9th grader and SCM Modules 1 and 2 (Egypt and Greece) for the 1st through 7th graders. That way we'd still be on the same time period, but DD 14 would be more independant in her studies. If after a go of MFW ahl which ends with the Greeks in a year, if it is just too much and she wants to stop MFW, she can join the rest of us next year doing Module 3 Romans in SCM." What do you all think? Please do share. Many thanks, JFB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.