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We have broken free of boxed curricula!

mothergooseof4

By mothergooseof4,
in K-8 Curriculum Board

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mothergooseof4

mothergooseof4

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I just want to share about our journey this year. This is my 12th year to hs and I have just broken out of the boxed curricula mentality. I am not here to bash any of those programs. I have loved many, and they fit for the season in which they were used.

 

I started hsing with Sonlight and looked at nothing else for five years. I used their LA, science, and recommendations for math. I didn't even look at anything else and was satisfied. I could say that I didn't know any different, and that there were things that fit us better out there, but I also had the peace that comes with just using what you have. Then my ds started K and I found that I was not looking forward to redoing the cores that I had already used...I get bored.

 

We floundered for a bit, then started HOD. I liked it for a few years, then came to a point where many of the spines just didn't fit us. Also, I was running multiple guides and it just didn't seem like the best use of my time to do history two or three times per day when I could just combine them all and get it done at once.

 

We switched to MFW and stayed there for two years. At first, I loved this. Much of it was the ages of my kids. Combining was working and streamlined things for us. Then, last year, it seemed like the level of the spines ramped up, which was fine for my oldest. My younger ones were bored with the readings and became distracting. My oldest was annoyed with the distraction of the younger two, my stopping to explain what he understood to the youngers, and with my reading of things that he was able and ready to take on himself. MFW also adds the younger supplements in this level, which just added more reading for me. My kids were already balking at the pile of books to read each day. Plus, I had books that I wanted my ds to study for Bible that apply to HIS spiritual journey. They are too advance for my younger two. Combining was no longer working.

 

This year, we tried TruthQuest. I love it in theory, but I need more of a plan. I still use the guide for book recommendations.

 

So, a few weeks into the year, we dropped everything and started over. I dug out all of my catalogs, downloaded samples, and spent many sleepless nights plotting and planning. Nothing seemed to fit. I have fond memories of SL and miss some of the books. I look at the sample guides and love knowing what to read and when. But, I don't want to read their recommendation for Bible...I want to fit that to each dc's spiritual development. I really dislike Usborne books. I also disliked many of their spines.

 

I looked over MFW and want to love it like I used to, but again there are spines I dislike, Usborne books and SOTW bore us all. Combining is flopping and the individualized Bible study issue is still there.

 

HOD is beautiful and I REALLY want to love it. But, again, there are spines I dislike, the Bible issue, and my ds gets overwhelmed at the multitude of boxes all over the page.

 

In all of my research, I found books from each catalog that I definitely want to include in our studies, but others that I had no desire to include. I have mourned the loss of each of those beautiful programs when I admitted to myself that each didn't fit for whatever reason.

 

I brought my oldest in on his curricula choices and found that he often picked things that were even more rigorous than I would have selected. But, he is choosing things that appeal to his learning style, and I am hearing less complaining from him.

 

Uncombining has worked beautifully this year. In the past it was just what we needed, but now it seems like more work than necessary.

 

My oldest selected Notgrass America the Beautiful which we are spreading over two years by adding literature from BF, SL, HOD, and more. I am using all of those lovely books that I mourned the loss of from the other programs while leaving the ones that we disliked behind. I pile them all up, and ds gets to select which appeal to him. Yes, there are a few titles I will insist upon. For science, he chose Apologia General which shocked me. He dislikes science, so I really expected him to pick one of the other less-intense programs I showed him. I selected a few books for his Bible study that fit where HE is spiritually. He has ONE history lesson per day and ONE literature reading per day. He likes this plan rather than the bits of reading from multiple books. He also likes that he doesn't have to wait for me to read to him, explain to his siblings, etc. Our discussions are targeted towards his level. It is working great.

 

My younger two are doing a combo of BF Geography and Early American. They are LOVING the geography study, the books, the maps, etc. While reading Paddle to the Sea yesterday, they begged for more when the lesson was done. This has never happened with the other programs when we were trying to combine. Doing history that is targeted for their level is creating a better learning experience than my old theory of allowing them to absorb whatever they could from books targeted at their older brother. By not using a boxed curricula, we have eliminated all of the books that don't fit US. Their individual readings are books that I have selected from various reading lists, our shelves, or their own interests. For science, they selected Apologia Swimming Creatures. I will admit that I do not care for the Apologia Elementary series at all, and my oldest disliked it as well, but these two are enjoying it. Since we are not using a boxed plan, we will read it as long as it is holding interest. If they develop another interest, we will follow that. For Bible, these two are getting things from BF, Apologia, and whatever I throw in that fits the day.

 

Together, we are reading Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends. We just finished watching The Case for Christ. Some days we listen to the Adventures in Odyssey American history cds, Little Bear Wheeler's Historical Devotions, or have a read aloud going. But, we fit it in when it fits our life. When something else sparks my interest, I can do it and not feel like we are getting behind in our schedule. I am enjoying making our educations completely ours for the first time.

 

Now, for the technicalities, I hate scheduling out things far in advance. Yet, we needed a plan to get it all done. My 10yo saw the ten drawer carts at Mardel and asked if he could have one to put all of his work in. I bought one for each dc, stuck one subject in each box, and slap a post-it on there each day with their assignment. They all love it, even the 13yo. He says it makes him feel less overwhelmed than the long list of things to do each day. For the things I want us to do together, I stick them in a box and then pick one when we have time to work on them. When something else sparks our interest, I will add it to the box so that I don't forget about it before we have time to work it in.

 

We have only been at this a couple of weeks, and someday, boxed curricula may fit us again, but for this season we are thoroughly enjoying finding our own path!

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curlylocks

curlylocks

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My oldest selected Notgrass America the Beautiful which we are spreading over two years by adding literature from BF, SL, HOD, and more. I am using all of those lovely books that I mourned the loss of from the other programs while leaving the ones that we disliked behind. I pile them all up, and ds gets to select which appeal to him. Yes, there are a few titles I will insist upon. For science, he chose Apologia General which shocked me. He dislikes science, so I really expected him to pick one of the other less-intense programs I showed him. I selected a few books for his Bible study that fit where HE is spiritually. He has ONE history lesson per day and ONE literature reading per day. He likes this plan rather than the bits of reading from multiple books. He also likes that he doesn't have to wait for me to read to him, explain to his siblings, etc. Our discussions are targeted towards his level. It is working great.

 

We're stepping away from Tapestry of Grace...I just can't make it work for us -- for many of the same reasons that you mention. (Waiting, explaining, etc. trying to schedule discussions...and my per diem work schedule throws a huge monkey wrench into the plans.)

 

I like your plan -- and I may just "borrow it" !! :D I've been pouring over websites, catalogs, etc. until my eyes glaze over. I keep coming back to Notgrass ATB for my 13 year old...but I haven't been brave enough to "pull the trigger" on the complete checkout button.

 

We're currently doing Apologia General w/ VHSG and that is going well...not going to mess with that.

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We have only been at this a couple of weeks, and someday, boxed curricula may fit us again, but for this season we are thoroughly enjoying finding our own path!

 

I started doing this about a year and a half ago...and it has been awesome. ;) We're also going to use Notgrass next year (for 6th grade). Some of the classes, I create my own curriculum - like physics last year and geography. Some of the stuff- I just piece together. Lately, I've been trying to get most of our resources from the library. We're doing Astronomy this year and there is SO much out there that's free at the library. We also bought apps for our phones, so the kids can see the real-time star charts at night and identify what they're looking at. My kids were almost hysterical the first night we did this. They had a great time.

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abrightmom

abrightmom

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:thumbup1: Sweeeeeeeet! What I love about your story is the reality that each year or season brings a new need. Our kids change, we change, life changes. I have realized it DOES NOT matter whether or not I can fit this or that in before such and such a time. I spent gobs of time fretting over boxed curriculum and regret that. We really can use it one year and not the next. We really can break free and forge our own path. We really can go back to our box if we need it again. :001_smile: Choose for the here and now, the kids you have now, etc.

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mothergooseof4

mothergooseof4

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:thumbup1: Sweeeeeeeet! What I love about your story is the reality that each year or season brings a new need. Our kids change, we change, life changes. I have realized it DOES NOT matter whether or not I can fit this or that in before such and such a time. I spent gobs of time fretting over boxed curriculum and regret that. We really can use it one year and not the next. We really can break free and forge our own path. We really can go back to our box if we need it again. :001_smile: Choose for the here and now, the kids you have now, etc.

 

Katrina,

I know you and I have WANTED to love many of the same programs. I have struggled with wanting to LOVE this program or that one. What I always come back to is that nothing ever seems to fit perfectly. Some years a less than perfect fit may be the best thing so that it just gets done. And, that is fine...nothing to feel guilty about.

 

This year, I really wanted to find something that just got done with no scheduling from me. However, my oldest is in 7th and I am beginning to realize that my time with him is short. Plus, he is a new teenager, and there are topics that I want to cover with him. There are books that I want to read aloud or that I want to have one of the kids read. It seems that those always got put off because we were working on our curriculum and I just want to get done. By the time we get "school" done, the kids are burned out or I have forgotten about that book or whatever that I wanted to do with the kids. Now, I do not worry because that book or lesson or cd becomes our school. My oldest may do NaNoWriMo this year. In the past, I would have felt behind if we took a month or two off from our LA, but this year I will just let him have the freedom to do this only for Oct. and Nov. if he wants, then we will pick back up with our LA when he is done.

 

Even though I have always been pretty relaxed and wasn't too worried if we skipped a notebooking assignment or a reading of one book, I was starting to not like having someone else's plan in front of me each day. I really love a statement on the TruthQuest site by Michelle that states why she doesn't provide a schedule. She says that she can't possibly know what the Lord has in store for your school day. Well, you know what, I don't know what the Lord has in store for our year either. So, I have picked materials that we can follow in each subject, but if something else jumps out at us that day, we are free to follow that interest. No curriculum writer knows what Bible or character training my dc need in a particular year. I like being able to address their needs and not feel like we are missing part of a program.

 

I have not followed the math or LA recommendations of any of the boxed curricula that I have used. I rarely follow the science, and now I didn't really want the Bible plan either. So, what's the point?

 

Friday was one of those days when we stuck to the plan for math and science. But, our history that day ended up being The Agony and the Ecstasy on netflix streaming. Then what LA we had time for got done. There are no boxes on a grid or page telling me that we missed a reading or timeline assignment. I don't feel like we need to pick up anything from a previous week's schedule so we can move on. And, our regular history programs are right there for us to pick up where we were on Monday.

 

I am really liking the looks of the Notgrass planners where you record what you did and fill it in under the area it fits. I think we cover a lot more than we think.

 

ETA: Also, you are right about just planning for the year. I sometimes think that I need to pick something for the long haul. But, this year this works. Next year HOD or MFW or something else entirely may be the perfect fit. And, we may scrap it all and go an entirely different route for high school. Who knows?

Edited by mothergooseofthree
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abrightmom

abrightmom

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Katrina,

I know you and I have WANTED to love many of the same programs. I have struggled with wanting to LOVE this program or that one. What I always come back to is that nothing ever seems to fit perfectly. Some years a less than perfect fit may be the best thing so that it just gets done. And, that is fine...nothing to feel guilty about.

 

This year, I really wanted to find something that just got done with no scheduling from me. However, my oldest is in 7th and I am beginning to realize that my time with him is short. Plus, he is a new teenager, and there are topics that I want to cover with him. There are books that I want to read aloud or that I want to have one of the kids read. It seems that those always got put off because we were working on our curriculum and I just want to get done. By the time we get "school" done, the kids are burned out or I have forgotten about that book or whatever that I wanted to do with the kids. Now, I do not worry because that book or lesson or cd becomes our school. My oldest may do NaNoWriMo this year. In the past, I would have felt behind if we took a month or two off from our LA, but this year I will just let him have the freedom to do this only for Oct. and Nov. if he wants, then we will pick back up with our LA when he is done.

 

Even though I have always been pretty relaxed and wasn't too worried if we skipped a notebooking assignment or a reading of one book, I was starting to not like having someone else's plan in front of me each day. I really love a statement on the TruthQuest site by Michelle that states why she doesn't provide a schedule. She says that she can't possibly know what the Lord has in store for your school day. Well, you know what, I don't know what the Lord has in store for our year either. So, I have picked materials that we can follow in each subject, but if something else jumps out at us that day, we are free to follow that interest. No curriculum writer knows what Bible or character training my dc need in a particular year. I like being able to address their needs and not feel like we are missing part of a program.

 

I have not followed the math or LA recommendations of any of the boxed curricula that I have used. I rarely follow the science, and now I didn't really want the Bible plan either. So, what's the point?

 

Friday was one of those days when we stuck to the plan for math and science. But, our history that day ended up being The Agony and the Ecstasy on netflix streaming. Then what LA we had time for got done. There are no boxes on a grid or page telling me that we missed a reading or timeline assignment. I don't feel like we need to pick up anything from a previous week's schedule so we can move on. And, our regular history programs are right there for us to pick up where we were on Monday.

 

I am really liking the looks of the Notgrass planners where you record what you did and fill it in under the area it fits. I think we cover a lot more than we think.

 

ETA: Also, you are right about just planning for the year. I sometimes think that I need to pick something for the long haul. But, this year this works. Next year HOD or MFW or something else entirely may be the perfect fit. And, we may scrap it all and go an entirely different route for high school. Who knows?

 

:001_smile: It is so refreshing to read about your growth as a teacher and Mama. I also have books and topics I want and need to enjoy with the kids. I don't plan to allow someone else's plan to mess with my plan .... Hehehehe. :) I do think I will use MFW CtG and RtR though. I love the plans for both years across the board in all subject areas. The only thing we would change is letting my oldest add a chemistey program in lieu of Genesis for Kids. :) Beyond that I have NO idea but I have a huge list of tantalizing possibilities awaiting us.

 

God is good!

Edited by abrightmom
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Down_the_Rabbit_Hole

Down_the_Rabbit_Hole

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We started breaking away from boxed curricula a few yrs ago but this is the first year I can honestly say we hare completely free of it...it took 20 yrs of HS to get to feel like I can do it myself. Because of that we are more relaxed in our HS journey which is creating some amazing weeks of learning.

 

There is nothing wrong with boxed curricula and it served it's purpose. We (maybe it was mostly me) just got to a different point in our homeschool and needed a different direction.

 

I am glad all is going great.:party:

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julikins

julikins

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I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm enjoying MFW CtG a lot, so it's not that. I'm not sure, and I've heard such wonderful things about MFW RtR but I want to simplify things and make the kids school work as independent as possible. Maybe that won't be for History but in other subjects. I don't have to decide it right now, I keep reminding myself of that. But thank you for posting this because I feel like I needed to hear this in order to give myself permission to "break free."

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Esse Quam Videri

Esse Quam Videri

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We broke free this year, and I am feeling the same sense of triumph :). We have used HOD (Heart of Dakota) with all of the recommendations since the oldest started kindergarten. This year we are doing our own thing, working all together in the areas we can and finding the best fit for each child in other areas. It's a huge blessing, and it feels so much more "us." I actually really liked HOD, but the quality of learning and amount of enjoyment has doubled this year.

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