Memoria Press or Veritas Press for K-3?

[ksr5377]

I think I asked this same question last year. I tried Sonlight initially and it's not for us. One of my complaints was that it just seemed like too much to do. We're currently doing MP 1, and it's working fine, although DD complains that it's not fun. I find myself trying to find things to add in. I LOVE the look of VP but it seems like a lot more to do than MP, and I hated feeling like we were failing b/c we weren't getting it all done. However, I'm also not sure I want to keep finding fun projects on my own and maybe I now realize that I don't have to be a slave to the teacher's guide and can decide what I want to do myself. Has anyone done VP in the younger grades? The full homeschool version for every subject, nothing online? I'm beginning to wonder if I'm always going to wonder unless I just try it? Should I switch for a year and if it's a big fail go back to MP and then never think about it again? This is basically me rambling, I'm sorry, but DH refuses to listen to me ramble anymore so I turn to the Hive.

[anoncalhan]

I haven't done the whole VP but I have done Shurley English and we are currently doing VP OT/AE. My kids HATED Shurley english it caused tears not just their tears but my own. I know some like it but we did not and it was awful everyday we did it I would rather have hot pokered myself in the eye. IMHO. They love the history they have learned so much using it. Like I said I can't speak for the whole program but personally I would run at full speed away from any curriculum that had Shurley English in it. Good Luck

[SilverMoon]

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Edited July 12, 2022 by SilverMoon

[ksr5377]

Hmmm...I'm wondering if it's going to be one of those things that I will wonder about every year around this time unless I try it?

[sleeplessnights]

Their literature for those grades have become some of our family's all time favorites. I've used their history with multiple grades for years now. We do not use math, grammar, spelling, writing or phonics, but I do implement many of their supplemental suggestions. We were already set in our WTM ways when we first discovered VP, and I didn't want to change what was already working for us.

 

 

I have a quick question: Have you used the Scholar's Plans for VP's Literature? Does it provide anything besides what pages to read, like discussion questions or background info? I was wondering if they would be worth it. We love their literature, but we haven't used their plans yet.

[SilverMoon]

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Edited July 12, 2022 by SilverMoon

[ksr5377]

I have to agree with your dd, MP is not fun. It gets even less fun the further up you go. That is one big reason we stopped. MP 2 did us in after a week. I felt like pulling my hair out. I have no experience with VP but I always liked the cards and lit guides. Good luck finding what you like.

 

Thank you for your post, it's hard to find people who have done their whole program and not just a subject here and there. MP2 is what we're looking at for next year. DD used to say that she loved workbooks, until we did MP and had nothing but workbooks. :sad:

[ksr5377]

I'm sure they do add things in at Highland. They'll soon be offering an Enrichment Guide for K and 1st and I was able to get a beta copy. It's been very helpful to have, instead of just the little blip in the teacher's guide about what to do that day for enrichment. I just got it a few weeks ago. I think I'll be waiting another month or so to make my final decision on this, just to make sure. I'll also be sure to check out Shurley Grammar more and see if it looks like a good fit for us or if there's something we could substitute. I'll have one in K next year and one in 2nd. I have to say, another concern is that the one going into K is NOTHING like the older one, and I just don't see her getting through half of the workbook pages, let alone all of them.

[mumto2]

Dd did the first VP homeschool kit Ancients and the Bible portion too while ds did SL. It was a long time ago but what I remember was quite a bit of overlap between the two books -- five or six identical card weeks which upset her. She enjoyed the worksheets and quickly discovered the questions could be answered using the cards - she did not like the Streams of history spine at all(high school textbook). She enjoyed the books. Order with care, she thrived on the middle level ones but I bought some upper level ones that were too detailed even for her, bored her badly. She also did the next history book. Enjoyed it. A large portion of it was Greek myths which she loves!

 

There is no need to do Shurley with the history homeschool kits. That being said we actually like Shurley. I found it easier to do then other programs after I really understood the book. I bought it and set it aside because I didn't understand it. I got it back out a few monthsxlater to show a friend and fell in love with it. I managed to get my ds through 2 levels which is amazing (dd did 3 levels which is expected ;)) If you can find a way to look at it I would.

 

Now I will point out we have done assorted MP courses -- Christian Studies, Latina ..., which we enjoyed. Dd thrived on them again, she loves the writing intensive format and ds not so much. What VP gives you is a huge choice of some really good books.

 

[WIS0320]

 

Thank you for your post, it's hard to find people who have done their whole program and not just a subject here and there. MP2 is what we're looking at for next year. DD used to say that she loved workbooks, until we did MP and had nothing but workbooks. :sad:

 

 

 

We are using some MP 2 materials and the Lit Guides are my 7 year old's least favorite part of school this year. She hates, hates, hates them. We do them together so it isn't like she is winging it on her own but part of me wonders if I am just sucking all the joy out of some of these books for her by doing the guides. I'm almost ready to just do the next book's question orally and forget about writing in the workbook, it would move faster and she wouldn't feel so put upon.

 

We are using the second grade read aloud literature and those choices from MP have all been super. There are some books I wouldn't have found on my own that we've loved. I also appreciate the copywork, cursive, Prima Latina and memory work/recitations. We occasionally get to the poetry and classical music. I do my own Bible, science and we use a combo of Singapore/TT3 for math. We also use Phonics Road. I do use the MP 2 guide a lot, though, even though I've made many substitutions!

 

We are moving away from MP for her for 3rd grade next year and I am sad about that because it is all so appealing to me as the mom/teacher.

[Zoo Keeper]

 

 

We are using some MP 2 materials and the Lit Guides are my 7 year old's least favorite part of school this year. She hates, hates, hates them. We do them together so it isn't like she is winging it on her own but part of me wonders if I am just sucking all the joy out of some of these books for her by doing the guides. I'm almost ready to just do the next book's question orally and forget about writing in the workbook, it would move faster and she wouldn't feel so put upon.

 

We are using the second grade read aloud literature and those choices from MP have all been super. There are some books I wouldn't have found on my own that we've loved. I also appreciate the copywork, cursive, Prima Latina and memory work/recitations. We occasionally get to the poetry and classical music. I do my own Bible, science and we use a combo of Singapore/TT3 for math. We also use Phonics Road. I do use the MP 2 guide a lot, though, even though I've made many substitutions!

 

We are moving away from MP for her for 3rd grade next year and I am sad about that because it is all so appealing to me as the mom/teacher.

 

I like many of MP guides; they are great for helping a teacher get lots of info out of a source, and do it in a systematic way,

 

BUT

 

there is no way I would have my children do ALL of that writing suggested in the lit guides/workbooks. That's just too much for most kids, even in the older grades. I use the questions in the workbooks as suggestions for disucssion, and we write out only one or two of questions (with answers) after we have discussed. No need to scrap something that is working, and that both of you (mostly) enjoy--just change the part that isn't working. Here is a post I wrote about how we did MP's Greek Myths guide, if it helps.

[twoxcell]

I like many of MP guides; they are great for helping a teacher get lots of info out of a source, and do it in a systematic way,

 

BUT

 

there is no way I would have my children do ALL of that writing suggested in the lit guides/workbooks. That's just too much for most kids, even in the older grades. I use the questions in the workbooks as suggestions for disucssion, and we write out only one or two of questions (with answers) after we have discussed. No need to scrap something that is working, and that both of you (mostly) enjoy--just change the part that isn't working. Here is a post I wrote about how we did MP's Greek Myths guide, if it helps.

 

Have you used the older lit guides? I'm interested in the 5th and 6th grade ones for my ds.

[Zoo Keeper]

Have you used the older lit guides? I'm interested in the 5th and 6th grade ones for my ds.

 

 

No, I haven't used the lit guides for those grades; I have looked them over, but decided that it was just too much. If I used them *as written * and spent that long squeezing all the juice out of a book I think my boys would rise up and take arms...

 

They looked good, really, really good; the one for Adam of the Road was especially tempting, but in the end I decided to continue on with writing/lit. analysis guidelines SWB gives in her audio lectures (and in the WTM). Easier to get done (for me), and nicer to my wallet.

 

I do have the guide for Trojan War; and plan on using it. I think a work like that is meant to be picked apart and chewed on a little more slowly.

[ksr5377]

After mulling this over some more I have realized that it's not that I am not liking MP because of the current workbooks. I realize that there are some things we do in school that they just aren't going to be crazy about. I also realize that even if they don't think it's fun, it may work! I would say this is the case for this year with MP's phonics program. DD isn't jumping for joy to do it, but it's getting done. However, when I look long-term, I would really like to find a program I'm happy with and stick with it for most if not all of elementary. When I look at MP's catalogue all I see are more workbooks for every subject. I'm not even conerned with the writing, I realize that we can do it orally. That's OK, it's just that I'm not seeing anything else to go with them. When I look at the samples for the student pages for science and classical(history) studies there's just a lot of pages to fill out. I feel that, unless I found activities to add each week, these are going to eventually suck out the joy from school. I guess I would expect the TG to include some activities that are FUN, mabye even one a week? Maybe this is included somewhere but I'm just not seeing it? All I'm finding are things like familiarizing yourself with the maps and drawing family trees.

[jer2911mom]

Have you looked at Heart of Dakota? It has easy hands-on activities. We have added some of MP to it - the read-alouds, art and music appreciation, and recitation. It's really the best of both worlds.

 

HTH,

Kathy

[ksr5377]

Have you looked at Heart of Dakota? It has easy hands-on activities. We have added some of MP to it - the read-alouds, art and music appreciation, and recitation. It's really the best of both worlds.

 

HTH,

Kathy

 

 

Someone else on here mentioned that they combine these two. I had never seen HOD in person so I can't quite picture this yet. I'm planning on checking them out at the convention this year, though.

[Saddlemomma]

Have you looked at History Revealed by Diana Waring? Each unit lasts 4 weeks - Week 1 is Introductory Week with lesson reading and suggestions for additional fiction and non-fiction books for the duration of the unit; Week 2 is Exploration & Discovery Week where the child choose 1 of a dozen topics to research then report on; Week 3 is Hands-On Week where the child chooses one activity to complete during the week. Activities include mapping, art & architecture, music, science, cooking; Week 4 is Expression week where the child chooses an area he/she prefers to use as an expression of what he/she has learned. These choices include linguistics (comic book, humorous poem, etc); Art (sculpture, graphic design, illustrating, cartooning, etc.); Music (if children are musically inclined, they can show expression through their instruments); drama (put on a play with sets and costumes) and more.

 

I think my dd is going to prefer this curriculum over Mystery of History because she really likes to delve into a time period and MOH moves very quickly through each period. We will be doing History Revealed: Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries.