bttrflyvld Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I have the opportunity to use any of the following with my children. A family member is letting me use hers if I want to. I'm just looking into which ones are good and which are not as much. What did you think of them? If You have used any of them will you mind sharing your experience? Rod & Staff: Art Bible Complete English Health History Math Music Penmanship Phonics Science Spelling Please specify which ones you used, for what grades, and what you liked/disliked about them? Is Rod & Staff pretty teacher involved for all grades? I understand early grades should be teacher intensive but some programs become student taught in the later grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I have used many Rod & Staff textbooks. My youngest two weren't ready for the amount of writing until they were around nine. I have enjoyed R&S Social Studies and Science the most in grades 3-6. The SS/Hist/Geo. books focused more and more on history from a Mennonite perspective, so we only used them for a few grades. I really liked the science until we got into the 7th grade book. We use their math and English books from first grade (2nd for English) and up. You can look at samples on the Milestone Ministries website. I see you are using FIAR. Those are two very different approaches. If your daughter likes FIAR I would stick with it and ease into R&S if you think it will appeal to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 (edited) I am using R&S phonics/reading with my first grade DD. I'm also adding in R&S Math as a supplement to our main program (Singapore). Obviously, I'm not very far into it.... but I really like what we're using! (And I resisted it for so long, certain that it would not be a fit for us, LOL.) Their Language Arts is really solid and my DD is enjoying it. The math is pretty good, too. I have no interest in their science/history programs (which sometimes feel narrow-focused or dated) when there are much better (for my family) programs out there. But I like the parts we're using so much that I'll definitely keep R&S Phonics/Reading next year, and add on R&S Spelling, English & Penmanship. Edited September 16, 2012 by alisoncooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaHappy Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 This year I am using R&S English, Spelling, Math, Science, and Social Studies with my 4th grader and 2nd grader. I love everything! Rod & Staff is such a solid and thorough curriculum and I find it so easy to use. It isn't flashy, you won't find bright and colorful workbook with R&S. It is a no-nonsense curriculum that gets down to business where academics are concerned. It is completely Christ-centered and wholesome. There is some teacher involvement from me, but it's not excessive. With my 4th grader, I will teach him the math and English lesson for the day and then send him off to do his assignment. Spelling, Science, and SS can be done completely independently if you wish. I agree with the pp.....FIAR is very different from R&S and if FIAR is what is working, I would not make a switch cold turkey. :) HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Im using R&S ABC Series for my K'r. Its a simple straight forward curriculum. I was skeptical at first because many have posted that its rather boring....but for L i needed something straight forward and honestly sort of boring. It has WORKED! Shes doing the number book right now (i think its the C or D book) and it gives her the number 7 and then she practices writing it. Then on the next worksheet it gives a simple activity. Whether its cutting and pasting or counting pictures she has to color. It seems to really sticking. I would buy again if i had to. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Don't forget that you can just read aloud textbooks without "doing" them. Rod and Staff 4th grade geography is one of my favorite read alouds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammieb Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 We've used English from 2nd - 6th grades (about to 7th) Bible 4 Spelling 4, 5, 6, 7 Social Studies 3 Reading 4 & 5 I LOVE R & S! Their English program is 2nd to NONE!!! Their Reading program is NOT "dumbed down" (read a story / fill in the blank) like alot that's out there. Social Studies is VERY "down to earth" dealing with things we deal wih in our communities on a regular basis. Their Bible is PHENOMENAL!! Strictly Bible based -- no "opinion" interjected. The only "complaint" that I have (not enough to alter our course, though) is their Spelling seems a little below level to other programs. The reason we stick with it is I LOVE the fact they continue to use rules, roots, phonics, etc., all the way through. Hope that helps! I'd say TAKE IT ALL ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I love their spelling. It's simple and gets done every day. It emphasizes phonics and the â€why†of spelling where appropriate. I have a love/hate relationship with the English program. It is thorough, and I think the exercises and teaching are good. It's just so slow and repetitive in the early grades, and I was trying to use it with a kid that understands grammar easily. I can't use the English texts as written without boring him to death. I especially found the grade 2 book to be basically useless for us, though I've held onto it in case DS2 needs it (he has trouble with proper word order in speech still). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 I am using R&S phonics/reading with my first grade DD. I'm also adding in R&S Math as a supplement to our main program (Singapore). Obviously, I'm not very far into it.... but I really like what we're using! (And I resisted it for so long, certain that it would not be a fit for us, LOL.) Their Language Arts is really solid and my DD is enjoying it. The math is pretty good, too. I have no interest in their science/history programs (which sometimes feel narrow-focused or dated) when there are much better (for my family) programs out there. But I like the parts we're using so much that I'll definitely keep R&S Phonics/Reading next year, and add on R&S Spelling, English & Penmanship. Thank you for sharing your opinions on Rod & Staff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 We've used (and continue to use): English - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,and 7 (7 for the first time this year) Spelling - 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 Penmanship - 1, 2, 3, and 4 I really love these programs! I enjoyed Science 2 and 3, but it wasn't quite enough for my science loving boys. I used Math 3 as a break from Saxon with my oldest. It went over rather horribly and we went back to Saxon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 We are using FIAR for a fun Preschool program. We've had fun and may continue to use the following Volumes if this year continues to go smooth to add some fun literature into our school year. We've also been using the Rod & Staff preschool workbooks. As my daughter has requested more preschool. That girl has a never ending drive to keep going. Even when I have ran out of ideas. lol. I plan on keeping this year (prek) and kindergarten very layed back with just the 3 R's with a few fun activities added as needed to keep things fun and interesting. I'm tempted to use at least 1 of the Rod & Staff subjects because it's available to me. I just need to do some research to make sure that if I pick one (or more) that they will suit our needs and will keep us interested and learning. So I'm doing my research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Art- simple but do-able. A lot of coloring grades k-2 though English- excellent. One of SWB's top picks Math- very solid and mastery based. Spelling- I use this for my dd and it is great 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 I see you are using FIAR. Those are two very different approaches. If your daughter likes FIAR I would stick with it and ease into R&S if you think it will appeal to you. I may also just keep the books to use for older grades. We'll see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I'm a SuperFan of their English and Spelling. They are very thorough. They aren't teacher intensive at all. I teach 3 English lessons/day, and spelling is done independently. The exercises require that the student interact with the words and put the rules to use. I give a test every 4th day, and even that is painless with the teacher's guide--they have sentences to read for every word. I've got one who just started using R&S Math this year. I wouldn't hesitate to use it from the beginning with any of mine. It seems just as thorough and solid as the spelling and English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 Don't forget that you can just read aloud textbooks without "doing" them. Rod and Staff 4th grade geography is one of my favorite read alouds. Wonderful idea! I hadn't thought of using it for read alouds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 We love R&S! We use a lot of it orally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 We've used English from 2nd - 6th grades (about to 7th) Bible 4 Spelling 4, 5, 6, 7 Social Studies 3 Reading 4 & 5 I LOVE R & S! Their English program is 2nd to NONE!!! Their Reading program is NOT "dumbed down" (read a story / fill in the blank) like alot that's out there. Social Studies is VERY "down to earth" dealing with things we deal wih in our communities on a regular basis. Their Bible is PHENOMENAL!! Strictly Bible based -- no "opinion" interjected. The only "complaint" that I have (not enough to alter our course, though) is their Spelling seems a little below level to other programs. The reason we stick with it is I LOVE the fact they continue to use rules, roots, phonics, etc., all the way through. Hope that helps! I'd say TAKE IT ALL ;) It's nice to see some positive. Sounds nice. I can't wait to look it over. She's sending it my way next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 We've been homeschooling for 5 years, and have used quite a bit of R&S. I'm on my 4th child to use the 1st grade phonics and reading to learn to read, and plan to use it for the rest of them as well! The 2nd grade phonics is a very good too; sometimes I think it's almost too thorough! We've used the 1st and 2nd grade math so far. My oldest two started with R&S for math, and then we switched to CLE when they were in 1st and 2nd grade. I now use R&S 1 for my advanced 4yo, and R&S 2 for my 2nd grader because CLE was overwhelming him (he needs more time to cement the math facts, which R&S is VERY good for). My oldest two dc are still using CLE. We've used English 2-4. This year we switched to Climbing to Good English (similar to R&S but workbooks) but we might go back to R&S next year. I just wanted a break from it. The English is very solid. We've used Spelling 2-5; I know some say it's behind, and maybe the word lists themselves are, but the exercises they do with the words are very good. It's a great rule-based program that can be done mostly independently. We did the 2nd and 3rd grade science one year, but have returned to combining all of the dc for content subjects. I actually liked R&S science, but my dd thought there was too much writing. But as someone else mentioned, you could just read the texts and not do the writing. After 1st grade, I've had my dc read the readers without doing the Reading workbooks. Well, I tried to have them do the workbooks a few times in 2nd and 3rd grade, but it added a lot of work to their days, so I let them just read instead. I'm still debating Reading for my current 2nd grader (he's finishing up R&S 1st grade phonics/reading in a couple of weeks). I think you asked how time-consuming R&S programs are. Well, regardless of what you use, you are going to spend a lot of time teaching your dc until they are reading fluently. In my house, 1st grade takes the most time. In 2nd, they gradually work more and more independently (with me nearby). In 3rd and up they are able to do a lot of their work on their own, and they bring it to me to grade when they are finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I've used 2 & 3 of the grammar, in book 4 now. I really like it - inexpensive, thorough, built in review. It works well. Sylvia is using Spelling 2 right now and we're going through it more quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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