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Programs that are similar to Sonlight, MFW, etc ?


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Next year I will only have one child home schooling. It is so hard to believe that I will have graduated three! Very long individual days have morphed into home school years flying by so quickly! I will have the next three years to focus on my youngest son. He has some delays and undiagnosed LD problems.

 

Although math will continue to be a struggle, he loves to read, loves history, loves classics, loves current events. I am thinking of going with a literature based program with him. (This year is mainly a textbook/workbook year.) He went through two WTM history cycles using Vertias Press and Story of the World during his elementary years. He has been doing BJU history texts in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. (Geography in 9th this year.)

 

I have three more years with him and we could do another complete cycle of world history compressed into three years. I don't think he would really want to do ancients next. Sonlight 100 looks like something he would be very interested in.

 

I do work outside the home about 25 hours per week. I work full time in November and December. I would prefer something already laid out for me. I looked at Ambleside Online, which is free, but it looks a bit difficult to pull a specific lesson plan together.

 

I searched for an old post of mine that listed different programs, but I could not find what I was looking for.

 

So, What other curriculums might I look at and consider?

My Fathers World, Trisims, and Biblioplan have all been mentioned recently on the boards.

 

Of course I could do the WTM high school plan,, but I would have to put that together myself. Teaching only one gives me more time to put things together. I am going to need a lot of time for algebra and geometry.

 

What say you?

Thanks,

Pam

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There is Heart of Dakota's new guide coming out next year, but it is a geography based program. Here is their projected scope and sequence for High School:

AGES 13-15

(*extending to grades 10-11)

Geography Through History: A one-year program including geography through history, Bible, all areas of language arts, math and science options, and possibly electives
AGES 14-16

(extending to grades 11-12)

World History: A one-year program including world history, Bible, all areas of language arts, math and science options, and possibly electives
AGES 15-17

(extending to grade 12)

American History Up to 1900 and Government: A one-year program including American history up to 1900 and government, Bible, all areas of language arts, math and science options, and possibly electives
AGES 16-18

American History 1900 to Present and Economics/Personal Finance: A one-year program including American history from 1900 to present and economics/personal finance, Bible, all areas of language arts, math and science options, and possibly electives
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I think Tapestry could be a breeze (really) for you if you only have this one child. Here's are the keys: get all the books you want to use before you begin the year, and a child who will work independently. You will need a half hour to read the yellow background pages each week and another 2 hours to do Socratic discussions with him, my experience is that you can do all the extra subjects plus the main ones in that two hour time period. R level doesn't do crafts, you won't try to. If you want, you can use a cutting chart.

 

You don't want to start in Year 1, that's good. That is the most difficult year to get a handle on the discussions. You will not prep for the discussions, you will open your notebook and go. You may struggle at first, but it will be okay, you'll survive.

 

If you have more time, then you can spend another 1-2 hours prepping the discussions, read them, high light them, etc. But I would not get bogged down in it; I did four years of open and go discussions, they worked fine.

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Thanks everyone.

I spent hours yesterday... 4 or 5 hours... reading websites, blogs, recommendations, and look at samples online. It was fun!

 

I like Tapestry of Grace, but all the lower grades stuff on the schedule overwhelms me. In fact, I am just overwhelmed. I did eliminate Biblioplan because it uses several books we've used before.

 

I'm also uncertain if I want to lean more towards the classical approach or the Charlotte Mason approach?

 

These are the programs that I am considering:

WTM

Omnibus

Sonlight

Trisms

My Fathers World

Ambleside Online.

 

And Tapestry after reading that last post.... I would love something that would be as independent as the last poster said.

 

I am sure that I will tweak whatever I choose.

 

Opinions please?

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Thanks everyone.

I spent hours yesterday... 4 or 5 hours... reading websites, blogs, recommendations, and look at samples online. It was fun!

 

I like Tapestry of Grace, but all the lower grades stuff on the schedule overwhelms me. In fact, I am just overwhelmed. I did eliminate Biblioplan because it uses several books we've used before.

 

I'm also uncertain if I want to lean more towards the classical approach or the Charlotte Mason approach?

 

These are the programs that I am considering:

WTM

Omnibus

Sonlight

Trisms

My Fathers World

Ambleside Online.

 

And Tapestry after reading that last post.... I would love something that would be as independent as the last poster said.

 

I am sure that I will tweak whatever I choose.

 

Opinions please?

 

 

The real trick is ignoring the stuff that doesn't pertain to you and not getting bog down in the hunt for books or doing crafts and projects.

 

For your student, buy the pre-printed SAPS, he assigns himself the readings, just looking in his one column. I know that is doable, my oldest just came down after taking an online test and did that himself. I do provide him with a planner to write it down in.

 

For you, read the yellow world book, information. Normally about 1/2 hour. Then on the day of, open the notebook and when I do just one student I start with history which is first, then move to lit, and then to anything after lit. I don't prep. Expect for the discussion to start slow at the beginning of the year as you both get used to them Yes, there might be frustration, but once you are in the groove, I've found it pretty easy.

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What is pre-printed SAPS?

 

http://www.lampstandbookshelf.com/ZC/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=100_103

 

One pack would be all the questions, etc for one level (R in your case) already printed. The price on this page is $95, but if you buy the year plan from them the price is $15 or $30 (difference is black and white or color). http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/company/newsletter.php

 

The big thing here is to save you time. I do not own DE, so if you do decide to buy new and get DE, I'd see how hard it will be for you to just print the R level Student Activity Pages. I print my own and have them spiral bound with a weekly planning sheet on top of each week's pages. I do this over the summer because if I wait it doesn't get done.

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Candid:

Thanks for this info! Very helpful!

I am not familiar with all the names of everything with Tapestry.

What is DE?

 

Do the SAPS pages have answers?

 

Thank you so very much!

 

DE is the digital edition, it is cheaper.

 

SAPs do not have flat at answers (except for lit worksheets for D and down). They are to prepare the student for the discussion which will ask for some of the information they write down but go beyond. I tell my co-op lit students doing this when they whine that they didn't have that questions, that in college you'll have a lit assignment and zero input from the professor, but he or she will most certainly expect them to be able to discuss the work fully on the day of class.

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