If you started homeschooling all over again...

[scrapbabe]

There has been a lot of fun curricula come out in the past couple of years (AAS/AAR, Beast Academy, MCT). If you could go back, or have another child, what curricula would you look forward to using that you didn't get to try before because your kids were too old to use it?

[2_girls_mommy]

I might be tempted to purchase a packet from Memoria press, the whole shebang. The things I would keep and not change to MP: Story of the World. I might use their Famous Men of Series to complement, but I love SOTW and its scope and sequence. Also, I might keep the WTM science rotations, but use MP science materials when they fit it. That is what I am doing this year. We are on a biology year, so I am using their 5th and 6th grade biology selections.

 

But I would like the MP curric guides to schedule memory work and literature and possibly to schedule R&S math and English for me though I have done fine w/out it.

 

Ok, I think I really just want the science materials to use when I want to and the memorywork guides. LOL I really like everything else that I do already :) So I guess I wouldn't change much except to have more science planned out for me, but in the WTM rotation.

[8filltheheart]

There has been a lot of fun curricula come out in the past couple of years (AAS/AAR, Beast Academy, MCT). If you could go back, or have another child, what curricula would you look forward to using that you didn't get to try before because your kids were too old to use it?

 

I guess you could say that I have "started over" repeatedly since our oldest is a married college graduate daddy 2 and our youngest school-ager is only in 1st and we will start again a few yrs since we have a 2 yr old still in diapers. ;)

 

I am not all that impressed w/most new curriculum out there. One that I do wish that I had known about earlier is AoPS. BA would have been a lot of fun to use w/a couple of my kids when they were younger (but it wouldn't have appealed to all of them.)

 

Not a fan of AAS nor MCT w/the exception of CE. I think that Apples and Pears would have helped w/my oldest's spelling.

 

But overall, I am hard-pressed to think anything that I **really** wished I had had access to other than AoPS. (except for perhaps ChemAdvantage's AP chem course b/c he is fabulous.....but that is the teacher, not the curriculum)

 

ETA: Oh, I did think of one thing I added a couple of yrs ago that I am glad I did, Hands-on Equations. I wish I had known about it w/my older kids.

Edited August 21, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart

[SkateLeft]

I am not all that impressed w/most new curriculum out there.

 

:iagree:

 

I've got a high school senior, and I'm effectively starting over again since my youngest is a 1st grader.

 

Honestly, I don't care for most new curriculum materials. I also don't care for the "newly popular but been around for years" curriculum.

 

AoPS is pretty awesome, and I'm quite happy with it for my 6th grader. I probably won't be using it for my youngest, given his particular challenges. And, as much as I love AoPS, I don't care for BA at all so I'll be giving that a pass. I've also bought and passed on both AAS and MCT.

[Ellie]

I'd still use Spalding for literacy, but I'd probably do more Charlotte Mason-y stuff, via AmblesideOnline. If I discovered that CM wasn't really a good fit for us, the next thing would be KONOS, adding Writing Strands.

 

I'd probably still delay formal math until the dc were 8 or 9, then...not sure. :-)

[WishboneDawn]

I am doing it all over and I will probably use and stick with what I've finally found to be successful with both of my older kids. I want this time to be focused without distractions whenev something new comes out.

[Hunter]

Yup, I'm another one not impressed with most of the new stuff.

 

The demise of my printer was a BIG wake up call for me. Back a bit, when my computer started glitching, and has been only at half function for awhile now, was the first little wake up call.

 

I don't do well being DEPENDENT on computers and printers. I'm going back old school for everything that I can.

 

I have my seizure disorder, that when it gets out of control, leaves me very disorganized and without full speech. I have to plan for that. So some "stick in the dirt" curricula don't work for me with my ups and downs. I cannot multitask and wing-it like I used to. But even so, I'm picking through mostly old school stuff, prioritizing, and looking for good enough but definitely can be finished.

 

Slick advertising, scare tactics, and empty promises are a turn off. I've been around the block too many times now. Everyone seems to have a product to sell now. Homeschooling has become big business. Everything is faster and bigger now, but I don't see anyone learning more. In fact I think less learning is taking place.

 

There seems to be more fear and stress than ever. And more one size fits all mentality. And competition disguised as "excellence".

 

I have that overstuffed and exhausted feeling like after a "vacation", and I'm just looking forward to going "home". I paid a lot of money to try to out some things. It was what it was, good and bad. It's time for it to be over, and to get back to the daily grind.

[coffeegal]

I am doing it all over and I will probably use and stick with what I've finally found to be successful with both of my older kids. I want this time to be focused without distractions whenev something new comes out.

 

:iagree: I never did find a science program that I loved for the elementary years, so we may be using Elemental Science for that. Otherwise I'll be sticking to the tried and true with my littles.

[WishboneDawn]

I'd still use Spalding for literacy, but I'd probably do more Charlotte Mason-y stuff, via AmblesideOnline. If I discovered that CM wasn't really a good fit for us, the next thing would be KONOS, adding Writing Strands.

 

I'd probably still delay formal math until the dc were 8 or 9, then...not sure. :-)

 

:iagree:

 

I'd do lots of mathy stuff like being, card games, etc. (Miquon without the Miguon) and some interest led workbooks maybe but delay introduction of a formal program.

[JoyceTWTM]

We tended to prefer less curriculum

But there will always be new things being made available

[Walking-Iris]

I wish I had read The Well Trained Mind earlier. But even that wouldn't have really changed much. Other than that, honestly there isn't anything that I've discovered now that I wish I could have done with my oldest when we started homeschooling him for pre-K/K.

 

I do wish I has discovered Bravewriter and WWE earlier, but really, now is the best time for us to delve into those two so it wouldn't have mattered too much.

 

Our science still has a hodge-podge unschooling feel about it and may always be that way.

 

I do kind of wish I had something like Artistic Pursuits or Harmony Fine Arts back then as well. :001_smile:

[PollyOR]

Some great advice here. :)

[Pamela H in Texas]

Well, we completely changed styles between the first set of kids (2nd of which is graduating this month) and the new set (preK, Kindy and 1st grade this year). So that is pretty big in and of itself.

 

I like that we have options like Elemental Science as I couldn't/wouldn't do it WTM style myself and I didn't like how science went before high school before (though we did have a lot of fun, it wasn't systematic or organized).

 

I'm really a "KISS" person in terms of phonics. And I like for kids to be able to go their own pace. However, I have to say that because of certain personalities and needs, All About Reading has crossed my mind. Necessary? no. Expensive? Yes. But....

 

Honestly, I am more nervous about starting over than I ever was with starting with my first two.

[Hedgehogs4]

I like what I'm doing so much...but in a case of "If I knew then what I know now," I would not get bogged down for 3 years in CC, but would rather spend the time in SOTW and additional literature, reading more wonderful books and sticking with TWTM and PHP materials and methods. I would just stress less and read more.

[redsquirrel]

The only thing I wish I had when I was starting are the great lectures by SWB. I learn more from those than anything else.

 

My kids do very well when I follow the method in TWTM. The only thing I wish I had is more Peace Hill Press materials to use.

[angela in ohio]

I am not all that impressed w/most new curriculum out there. One that I do wish that I had known about earlier is AoPS. BA would have been a lot of fun to use w/a couple of my kids when they were younger (but it wouldn't have appealed to all of them.)...

 

But overall, I am hard-pressed to think anything that I **really** wished I had had access to other than AoPS.

 

I agree.

 

Most of my regrest are just in things *I* had learned earlier, not in curriculum. :D I feel bad for new homeschoolers these days; there wasn't so much mediocre stuff out there when I started, and there weren't fads and fashions.

[Colleen]

If you could go back, or have another child, what curricula would you look forward to using that you didn't get to try before because your kids were too old to use it?

 

Nothing, really. The two staples in my homeschooling ~ Singapore Math and Sonlight (for history) ~ have been in place from the beginning. Very few new programs interest me, and that includes Beast Academy and MCT. Imo the market is becoming inundated, and many of the materials are redundant and/or sub-par. I appreciate the new WTM products, but I don't necessarily think they're superior to what I used in the past (e.g. R&S English).

[Catwoman]

I would have lightened up more in the early years, and been more structured as ds got older.

 

I also wouldn't have flip-flopped between curricula, and I wouldn't have wasted so much money on all of the "latest and greatest" things, many of which are still in their shrinkwrap out on the bookcases in my garage.

 

If I had it to do over again, my main priority would have been to make a curriculum decision and stick with it, and not be influenced by anything else. The grass truly is not always greener on the other side. :tongue_smilie:

[sagira]

My middle, that is. She's starting K and it will be my fifth year homeschooling. I admit being tempted by WWE and such, stressing over curricula and what ds was learning. Now I'm more relaxed and in zen mode, content with the fact that I'm doing the best I can with what I have. I buy quite a bit of material because I hs the CM way. I look at everything through this lens. If it doesn't fit, I move on to something that does. I look at samples, imagine.

 

I try to work with what I have, spending time planning in summer and teaching rather than stressing about choices. Right now I actually want to get rid of some stuff on my shelves. Only keep what I need.

[deeinfl]

Hmm? I'm not impressed with the newest curriculum either. I have remained pretty faithful to a few tried and true programs.

 

I would go either MUS or Rod and Staff pretty much all the way...depending on the child's learning style.

 

I would not do any formal grammar until the fourth grade, and then I would start with Easy Grammar. It would stay there until graduation, since that is pretty much the only grammar that has worked for us in all of our years, and we have tried many. My children have succeeded with many, but only EG has remained memorable for them.

 

I would finish the Explode the Code series before doing any formal spelling, and then I'd probably go with something like Sequential Spelling and copywork for spelling, nothing else. No workbooks for spelling with lots of little assignments.

 

I would only read the Christian Liberty Readers for Science and lots of library books, only starting Apologia (for reading only) in middle school 5-8th grade.

 

History would also be read only until the 7th and 8th grades in preparation for highschool. I haven't found any history program that we have loved, but we are going to give MOH a try, so maybe we'd go with something like that and books of or own choosing.

 

For writing we'd do copywork until about 6-8th grade, where we would begin IEW. IEW, we do love and only discovered it last year! Why did I wait so long! This one produced results asap!

 

I would definitely lighten up on the elementary years in terms of formal assignments, and begin to build up to more formal work in the 6-8th grades.

 

I am pretty happy with how we've done highschool, so that would remain the same. :)

[Dmmetler]

Lof elementary and BA.

Edited August 22, 2012 by dmmetler

[TheAutumnOak]

I agree.

Most of my regrest are just in things *I* had learned earlier, not in curriculum. :D

 

I have to agree with this one...There are things I just wish I knew earlier...

 

 

I feel bad for new homeschoolers these days; there wasn't so much mediocre stuff out there when I started, and there weren't fads and fashions.

 

 

Interesting...

[Annabel Lee]

8FilltheHeart, angela, and others who've been hsing a long time: would you mind sharing what tried'n'true stuff you do like? I love to hear your thoughts about those programs/methods and why you like them better than some of the newer offerings. :bigear:

[awisha.]

8FilltheHeart, angela, and others who've been hsing a long time: would you mind sharing what tried'n'true stuff you do like? I love to hear your thoughts about those programs/methods and why you like them better than some of the newer offerings. :bigear:

 

:iagree: please share your thoughts :bigear:

[dosducotes]

Great thread. I am taking notes!:)

[MicheleinMN]

I told my dd and dh about this question and then said that I thought I would use the Memoria Press stuff if I was starting over. The readers for their kindergarten program are the ones I used with all 6 children. :lol: Sooooo, yes, I think I would use their stuff. LOL ;)

[TheAutumnOak]

Just bumping this up...

[Susan in TX]

I'm an old-timer who is excited about all the new curricula out there. I have been homeschooling for 19 years and I have a four year old so I've been looking at phonics curricula and trying to decide what I might like to use. I haven't had one in K for 5 years so it really does feel like starting over. I think I might have a hard time deciding what too use...there's just so much out there. I'm seriously considering All About Reading prek. It just looks like a lot of fun.

 

Susan in TX

[Mommyfaithe]

I have re-started quite a few times in the past due to the # of kids I have and their age ranges.

 

With each child, I was able to find something new that excited me and we used profitably, and some older tried and true books from my shelves.

 

I am on my last go through now...no babies coming up, and I just spent the weekend culling through what I have and what I want to use with these 2 little guys....

 

Anyway, I decided to make a pretty clean slate and try some new programs, basically to relieve MY boredom....lol. I already did 3 grade 7 times!! The 8th time needs to have some fun stuff in it or I may go loopy! Same on my 5th and 9th graders....lol. Of course, my teaching style always comes through and we tend to go off on bunny trails etc....my method of teaching material tends to stay CM......etc.

 

I guess some people just like the repetition of using what they know....but my add bounces in and I want something new and shiny....

 

I am sticking with CLE for some subjects because it is just so good.....but for the rest....bring on the new books! (Which are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday).

[Mommyfaithe]

I told my dd and dh about this question and then said that I thought I would use the Memoria Press stuff if I was starting over. The readers for their kindergarten program are the ones I used with all 6 children. :lol: Sooooo, yes, I think I would use their stuff. LOL ;)

 

I have been drooling over MP these past few weeks, but just could not get it to fit what I need to accomplish this year. It does look so nice though.....maybe for Grandchildren.....someday....:D

[shinyhappypeople]

nevermind :)