Ewe Mama Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I just came across this curricula and it looks very interesting. How much time do you spend per day with it? I am coming from a mainly Charlotte Mason leaning, but the kiddos enjoy crafts and experiments that are a bit more guided. I am more of a get it done and go play kind of a teacher. Will this leave me feeling overwhelmed and anxious? How are the supplements for the youngers? Are they necessary, or can the little guys be included without too much stress? My dc are 9, 8, 6, 6, and 5. Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Your 9yo will get the most out of it, but the crafts can be done by everyone. There is a LOT of cooking! At least twice a week there's a dish you can make to go with. We do LA here with a 13yo and the basic work can take anywhere from 2-4 hours. I do tweak it to fit an older child, though - Instead of comprehension only questions we add in book club style conversation. I use the general science portion to assign one big project per unit. He has a separate science and the LA one is VERY light, so we make new requirements. The current unit has a study of amphibians. His job, instead of doing the little experiment or life cycle wheel, is to make note cards to research different subtopics and at the end of the unit present a lapbook based on his research. I assign slightly harder writing assignments as well. Most of the written work is geared to a 4th grader, give or take. Most of the oral and project work can be done by everyone, including the 2yo in my house. We enjoy it. It's relaxing, and fun, and there is plenty of time for rabbit trails. It's also easy to bump up or down, depending on a child's level. The customer service is fantastic, which is a HUGE plus in my book. The only drawback is that I wish the supply lists for each unit were broken down into day by day ingredients and a separate list for general supplies. It would make shopping easier! You might also consider Trail Guide To Learning. While it doesn't seem to have the number of hands on projects that LA has, it is broken into ability groupings with each lesson having a symbol for each age group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 We love LA here! It is the first thing my 5th grader asks to do every day. He would do it all day, every day if he could. I se an amount of tie we are goingto work. Some days we dont finish the day, other days we get 1+ days done. We only use parts of it now, but when we did all of it we'd spend 2-3 hours a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Thank you so much for your responses! I am still intrigued by it, but would probably not use it until the dc are about to do their next cycle, so they get more out of it. Have you used all three years, or just the first? Do you experience any burnout, or is the interest still high throughout (for you and your dc?) I have always wanted to do a unit study, but they seem to require so much time and planning and...organization! All of the things at which I do not do well :tongue_smilie: I will look into the Trail Guide to Learning, as well. Thank you for that option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 I just looked at the Trail Guide to Learning site, but I'm more interested in a program for Ancients, so that won't work right now. I'll keep it in the back of my mind for later on, though. It does look like a nice program. Thanks for the heads up, Lily_Grace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Have you used all three years, or just the first? Do you experience any burnout, or is the interest still high throughout (for you and your dc?) We've only used the third year. Last year we dabbled with lit studies from Moving Beyond The Page and found that we gravitate better to incorporated literature than the previous ways we had tried doing history (SOTW, HO, CEP). There is a little bit of set up with LA. The kids need notebooks for presidents, states, Native Americans, countries, and a timeline. There are crafts each day. Most use household items, but there is a list at the beginning of each unit. All the oddball stuff (like a paper towel tube) I throw in a box while I'm going down the list. That way we just reach in that day and pull out the stuff. I genuinely considered getting a kit from Hands And Hearts and just using that instead. I've been spoiled with 'everything included' curriculum. :tongue_smilie: It would have upped the price considerably, though, so we do without. We choose some of the hands on, like the cooking, to do consistently, and don't do the fine arts (he takes art through a co-op) except the artist studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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