If you could have a new homeschooling curriculum written, what would it be?

[QueenieReighn]

This is for fun, but be specific about what homeschooling curriculum you'd love to see come out. For instance, you could say you want a new geography book written because all the books you've seen don't have enough maps, accurate country history, pictures, or they've all been too text-booky. Please don't say something like a one word answer of geography. Have fun with it!

[Alte Veste Academy]

I have long wanted a secular TOG with a SL open & go schedule, with discussion/narration prompts even at the grammar levels, with everything you need for one week in one small section altogether. In my wildest dreams, it would also come with true handicraft project kits with high quality materials, artist study with poster size art, music study with cd/download available, and VP style memory cards. I would pay an enormous sum of money for this. It would also include correlating IEW themes, scheduled of course. :D

[Bang!Zoom!]

Any that balance the ratio of female figures historically in the subject.

[Clarkd]

Secular history that is representative of all cultures rather than the perspective of white guys.

[a27mom]

A scientific origins curriculum that presents information from experts in at least 3 different perspectives, Science only evolution, old earth creation, and young earth creation, more perspectives would be nice as well. The key would be that it would be developed by scientists with each point of view, not just one point of view describing the other point of view. H(hope that makes sense) Maybe this exists, but I haven't heard of any. It will be a while before my kids will be old enough for it, so if anyone would to take my idea...

 

A history curriculum with similar types of multi viewpoints of events would be nice too :)

[regentrude]

A serious foreign language program that begins in 3rd grade and runs through high school and actually gets the student proficient in the language.

 

Foreign language is the one subject where I have not been able to even come close to the result of my own public school education (two languages, over 10 and 8 years, resp, to fluency in reading, writing and conversation.) I am afraid it may not be possible to homeschool a language I am not proficient in beyond a basic introduction.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Oh, dur! I also would love to see a secular science curriculum based on true inquiry, scaffolded in a way that would allow learning to flow organically through the various scientific disciplines, weaving them together just as they are in reality. There would be a living book spine and a long list of living book and documentary suggestions for each topic. The only output would be a science notebook with expectations that increase age-appropriately through the grades, incorporating increasing amounts of math, current research analysis/events, etc., ultimately preparing students for rigorous study in high school. It would come with discovery boxes for each level. The periodic table would be introduced in 1st grade! :tongue_smilie:

[SarahW]

When I come up empty-handed...I make my own thing. :laugh: Where's there's a will there's a way and all that.

 

But, seriously, I have graduate degrees in History (a very specialized field of history, of course), so when I started looking at History curricula for lower elementary I had many moments of huuuhhh..... :confused1:

 

The WTM is a vast improvement over other stuff that's out there, but there are things in SOTW that make me scratch my head. And I didn't much care for the additional reading suggestions. So I grabbed a bunch of resources, started putting together the parts I liked, and then launched off of that to make my own thing. I now have my very own Elementary Ancient History plan. :coolgleamA:

 

My kid, however, barely understands that history exists. I do hope he starts figuring that out before September :toetap05: It was a lot of work!

 

As for the rest, I'm just picking what looks like the best, and depending on my ignorance of the subject to keep me from getting too annoyed at it.

 

Religion and theology though, yeah, okay, now that you mention it, I want an Eastern Orthodox curriculum that looks like Faith & Life for 1st grade. Darn it, now I'm annoyed that it doesn't exist. I'm going to be mad about this all night. :glare:

[QueenieReighn]

A serious foreign language program that begins in 3rd grade and runs through high school and actually gets the student proficient in the language.

 

Foreign language is the one subject where I have not been able to even come close to the result of my own public school education (two languages, over 10 and 8 years, resp, to fluency in reading, writing and conversation.) I am afraid it may not be possible to homeschool a language I am not proficient in beyond a basic introduction.

 

 

I so agree with this!

[musicianmom]

A serious foreign language program that begins in 3rd grade and runs through high school and actually gets the student proficient in the language.

 

I agree.

 

Also, scripted, step-by-step BFSU for the ADHD mom.

[QueenieReighn]

Oh, dur! I also would love to see a secular science curriculum based on true inquiry, scaffolded in a way that would allow learning to flow organically through the various scientific disciplines, weaving them together just as they are in reality. There would be a living book spine and a long list of living book and documentary suggestions for each topic. The only output would be a science notebook with expectations that increase age-appropriately through the grades, incorporating increasing amounts of math, current research analysis/events, etc., ultimately preparing students for rigorous study in high school. It would come with discovery boxes for each level. The periodic table would be introduced in 1st grade! :tongue_smilie:

 

This sounds awesome too! Though I don't do secular homeschooling, I do always insist that everything be inquiry based with studying and experiments written about in a little notebook. I would love a science program that is more 'real' with all the sciences together as in nature and living books/documentaries. The part about including the periodic table and discovery boxes is especially exciting to me. Great ideas!

[Annabel Lee]

A scientific origins curriculum that presents information from experts in at least 3 different perspectives, Science only evolution, old earth creation, and young earth creation, more perspectives would be nice as well. The key would be that it would be developed by scientists with each point of view, not just one point of view describing the other point of view. H(hope that makes sense) Maybe this exists, but I haven't heard of any. It will be a while before my kids will be old enough for it, so if anyone would to take my idea...

 

A history curriculum with similar types of multi viewpoints of events would be nice too :)

 

:iagree: This! I want it to be meaty & rigourous, too. I'd want WTM-style assignments (add major science events & scientists to timeline, writing assignments, sketches, etc.) woven into it, with each day and week telling me exactly what needs to be done without having to flip to an appendix or another book to find it. I'd like it for logic and high school levels, please. :) Oh, and when I recieve it in the mail, it should look professionally done, not just like things I print off my cheap-o home printer.

 

While the writers are at it, they should write a history curriculum in the same manner, with coverage for all viewpoints.

[mom31257]

a well-written American history book or series of books for elementary (like SOTW, but all American history)

[Seeking Squirrels]

Secular sonlight that follows the 4 year cycle and has (optional) hands-on activities. A kit on the side that includes the necessary supplies for those activities would be even better. LA not integrated.

[sewingmama]

I'm not fussy...I'd like any curriculum that my DD doesn't hate and complain about doing. So far one doesn't exist.

 

 

[Once]

Current Events Studies.....looking through news and being aware of sources, biases, fact checking, opinions and giving you questions and general assignments so that kids can manage the influx of information (both accurate and inaccurate) they will inevitably be exposed to.

 

Also, I am looking for a Home Finances Study that is unlike Dave Ramsey, but my criteria for that is a little less defined. Maybe more like a low level study of Micro and Macro Economics because the US and world economy seems to be the major challenge for the next generation. Partly because it is always changing!!! (Maybe that is related to current events above......) I am always surprised when people do not understand how their personal finances affect larger trends. Also, I would want included how to be a knowledgable investor.

 

So when are you starting this project.....I'd like to know when I can expect it in the mail. ;-)

[Alte Veste Academy]

a well-written American history book or series of books for elementary (like SOTW, but all American history)

 

How could I have forgotten this?! It has been my holy grail of homeschooling. Sadly, at this point I feel like I would have just as much luck finding a real, live unicorn! :lol:

[Tress]

I have long wanted a secular TOG with a SL open & go schedule, with discussion/narration prompts even at the grammar levels, with everything you need for one week in one small section altogether. In my wildest dreams, it would also come with true handicraft project kits with high quality materials, artist study with poster size art, music study with cd/download available, and VP style memory cards. I would pay an enormous sum of money for this. It would also include correlating IEW themes, scheduled of course. :D

 

This! And I want it in Dutch! :D

 

And I want the AoPS people to get working on a Dutch translation of all their stuff. As fast as possible.

 

ETA: I forgot, I want Classical Writing in Dutch! Now! :)

And Henle! I'm so sick and tired of having to translate everything.

[Laura Corin]

An Americanized Galore Park English book series. Just because I'm lazy and I don't want to have to change Bristol to Los Angeles, colour to color, biffing to smacking and so on.

 

FWIW, 'biffing' is not standard British English either - it's used for comic effect, so I don't think you need to change it.

 

Laura

[Nan in Mass]

FWIW, 'biffing' is not standard British English either - it's used for comic effect, so I don't think you need to change it.

 

Laura

 

Biff is a comic word used in New England, too. I don't think of it as British Englsih. Not that I don't know what you mean. Car parts ARE different. Paraffin for kerosine (sp?) and treacle for molasses. But why do you need to translate? I figured those out on my own growing up just from the English books I happened to have. Is it really that different?

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

I'm with Regentrude as far as the foreign language program.

 

I'd like to see an open-and-go k-12 homeschool-friendly music program that produced musical literacy. Something based on Orff or Kodally or something. Something that really works, that produces somebody who can listen to a piece of music and write it down without an instrument, who can make up a harmony to sing on the fly, who can sing something off a piece of paper without an instrument, who can back something with chords or an interesting rhythm, etc. (Pre-k was no problem - we just sang tons of songs together. Pre-k should probably be included for other people, though.)

 

I found the lack of these two things ENORMOUSLY frustrating. I put tons of energy into trying things only to hit a wall.

 

Funny that the two curriculums I wanted so badly are things that have developmental windows.

 

I managed (barely) the science myself, but if we weren't a science-oriented family, I wouldn't have been able to do this. If I were a different person, homeschool friendly science for 7th - 10th would be something I would want. I would still want to send mine to community college to work in a full lab with a (hopefully) good prof for 11th and 12th.

 

Nan

 

PS - Are you going to write one?

[SarahW]

A serious foreign language program that begins in 3rd grade and runs through high school and actually gets the student proficient in the language.

 

Foreign language is the one subject where I have not been able to even come close to the result of my own public school education (two languages, over 10 and 8 years, resp, to fluency in reading, writing and conversation.) I am afraid it may not be possible to homeschool a language I am not proficient in beyond a basic introduction.

 

Very true. I find it funny when Americans are amazed at the language abilities of Europeans. "Oh, I took all of French in High School, but I'm still not as good at it as their English! Europeans must have some special gene that lets them learn 3 languages before age 20!" Well, they don't say it exactly like that, but that's the idea.

 

I'm married to a Dutch man, and have met Dutch children. They start learning English formally in about 4th grade or so, informally before that. They add in another language a year or so later. And the instruction is actually useful. Whereas so many of the foreign language programs "for kids" I see here in America are useless. "This is how you say "eyes" in German!" Great, how many times do I say "eyes" in English in a given week? What makes you think I will use it more if I know the word in German? grrrrr.......

 

Tress, what are you using for Dutch? MIL is supposed to be mailing me some stuff, but I've looked online for basic worksheets and stuff, and even with all my (limited) Dutch skills I came up pretty empty.

[alisoncooks]

1. Galore Park... but with systematic writing instruction included.

2. ditto on the foreign language

3. a good, solid, 1-year American history for upper elementary

4. something like BJU (solid, rigorous) that doesn't cost an arm & leg :p

[Mommyfaithe]

I would like a curriculum that actually has flow. I vacillate between trying out all-in-one unit study type stuff like HOD, MFW, or Sonlight and it feels choppy and weird, never challenges my older ones and over challenges my youngers, and they are never truly flowy. Then I get tired of that and buy components to teach subjects separately, and without fail, we have too much repitition between subjects and not enough time in the day to cover everything.

 

Needless to say, I find this all terribly frustrating! I would love an integrated curriculum, coded to common core ( just saying ...it would be nice to know what goals are intended to be reached in each lesson) with WRITING, WRITING, WRITING as it's main form of assessment.

 

 

[Spy Car]

Good logic materials.

 

Bill

[Alessandra]

I would like to be able to get television, movies, and news from other countries, in other languages, all captioned, but not dubbed, into English. Not the broadcasts for overseas, but the ones shown in country of origin. I would like this streamed over Internet and/ or available on Roku/ Apple TV. Free or very modest cost. Good, searchable menu that would allow me to learn about different religions, holidays or natural resources across a region or just focus on one country. Oh, I would also like some kind of archive function.

 

I do know that this is not a curriculum, but it would be a help.

[SailorMom]

Secular, hands on, highly involved and detailed science from K through high school, with kits for all the labs, dissections, etc.

[Alessandra]

Adding one more thought, completely different: access to 'teacher only' restricted materials on websites like HMH. Their science programs have wonderful teacher materials and special needs workbooks that I CANNOT GET!!

 

And an actual curriculum I would like: reading comprehension program(s) similar to the Jane Irwin books at EPS. For example, a non-fiction history one might have a book on ancient Egypt or a science unit or a literature topic, say, folk tales. Each book would have readings, then a variety of questions -- sequencing, multiple choice, true/false, vocabulary, antonyms, close, short answer, etc. I would love to link explicit reading comprehension to living book kinds of passages. Oh, there would also be some form of assessment. Having these available as downloads so that one could select subject and level precisely would be a plus.

[Georgiana Daniels]

I've often toyed with developing a creative writing book aimed at tweens (when I see a lot of kids interested in writing their own stories.) There are so many craft books written for adults, and I think even a few for teens, but I haven't found one for younger kids that would help them write a short book, step-by-step. Of course, I really don't know that anyone would be interested and if it would be a waste of time.

[Roadrunner]

I would love science books per grade. For example, I want separate books for chemistry, physics, bio for 6th grade and up. Every year material builds on and gets harder and you study all the sciences concurrently.

Or somebody please translate old USSR science textbooks.

[QueenieReighn]

PS - Are you going to write one?

 

 

I wasn't really planning on writing anything, but you never know. Maybe I will someday. I've been working on editing some homeschool textbooks and it just got me thinking about this topic so I decided to find out what other people were thinking about this topic.

[Hunter]

A back-to-basics narrow curriculum based on 1930s public school type standards. Something explicit, no-nonsense and efficient.

 

Families could choose to accelerate the pace, or supplement, but the core curriculum would only take a couple hours a day.

 

It would come with stand-alone TMs for teachers that like to TEACH, and also come with OPTIONAL workbooks for those that prefer student independence.

 

For now, the ORIGINAL What Your _ Grader Needs to Know series, meets my needs good enough. An in-print curriculum with up-to-date geography would be nice, though.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I would like to be able to get television, movies, and news from other countries, in other languages, all captioned, but not dubbed, into English. Not the broadcasts for overseas, but the ones shown in country of origin. I would like this streamed over Internet and/ or available on Roku/ Apple TV. Free or very modest cost. Good, searchable menu that would allow me to learn about different religions, holidays or natural resources across a region or just focus on one country. Oh, I would also like some kind of archive function.

 

I do know that this is not a curriculum, but it would be a help.

 

 

Have you tried looking at the websites for television channels for other countries? For German I've had ok luck finding things at NDR, MDR and ARD. No subtitles, but it's nice to be able to watch kids' shows in German.

[Arcadia]

I would like to be able to get television, movies, and news from other countries, in other languages, all captioned, but not dubbed, into English. Not the broadcasts for overseas, but the ones shown in country of origin.

 

I have no problem watching the live and delayed news broadcasts of my home country in different languages on the internet. The captions are however in the language of broadcast. So the caption for the news in chinese would be chinese. For movies and TV shows, I would have to purchase the DVDs which some are sold here.

[Alessandra]

 

Have you tried looking at the websites for television channels for other countries? For German I've had ok luck finding things at NDR, MDR and ARD. No subtitles, but it's nice to be able to watch kids' shows in German.

 

I have no problem watching the live and delayed news broadcasts of my home country in different languages on the internet. The captions are however in the language of broadcast. So the caption for the news in chinese would be chinese. For movies and TV shows, I would have to purchase the DVDs which some are sold here.

 

I have loked intermittently for shows in other languages, mainly French. What I'd really like would be for a company to get rebroadcast licenses (or whatever is the appropriate term), so that I could get a map of the world or a list languages and click on, say, France, and then click on children's shows. But the German sounds fun -- ds likes German, not that he knows any. I could do some more googling -- I am feeling a bit lazy/busy now.

[Nan in Mass]

A back-to-basics narrow curriculum based on 1930s public school type standards. Something explicit, no-nonsense and efficient.

 

Families could choose to accelerate the pace, or supplement, but the core curriculum would only take a couple hours a day.

 

It would come with stand-alone TMs for teachers that like to TEACH, and also come with OPTIONAL workbooks for those that prefer student independence.

 

For now, the ORIGINAL What Your _ Grader Needs to Know series, meets my needs good enough. An in-print curriculum with up-to-date geography would be nice, though.

 

 

Rod and Staff grammar seemed like this for us.

 

I've had a wonderful time every time I've explored that site that has scans of old textbooks. The difference between the ones my grandmother probably had and my own is startling.

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Well, New England is pretty much a country by itself... :)

 

I only brought it up because we were going over nouns and capitalizing names and whatnot. DS didn't know what "Bristol" was in the question so he got it wrong. But if it were Los Angeles or New York, that would be totally different.

I can see where having a class about world geography/cultures would be helpful before using curriculum from other parts of the world, but I need to use the books *now*. So we make do. And I guess, being 5, he likes workbooks that he can relate to :)

 

 

We're using a history book from France. We've run into your Bristol problem many times. We just laugh and move on now. He understands enough that a few puzzling spots here and there probably aren't going to be a problem.

 

Nan

[SarahW]

I would like to be able to get television, movies, and news from other countries, in other languages, all captioned, but not dubbed, into English. Not the broadcasts for overseas, but the ones shown in country of origin. I would like this streamed over Internet and/ or available on Roku/ Apple TV. Free or very modest cost. Good, searchable menu that would allow me to learn about different religions, holidays or natural resources across a region or just focus on one country. Oh, I would also like some kind of archive function.

 

I do know that this is not a curriculum, but it would be a help.

 

 

They're not actual shows, but I found this just now for Dutch http://www.2bdutch.nl/

 

Not that you're probably interested in learning Dutch, but if it exists for Dutch it should exist for other languages somewhere too!

[Mrs Twain]

I could really use a good booklist. I don't mean the 1000 Good Books list. Rather, I need the "Top 10 Don't Miss These Books for __ Grade" list. Or maybe 15 or 20 books for each grade. I waste so much time making lists from all kinds of websites that I am completely overwhelmed. I have bought several books listing lists of books, and that makes me even more overwhelmed, especially when I can't find half of them in my library. I wish someone could narrow down all of the lists and make one nice master list, and then I could just take that to the library and be at peace!

 

If anyone would like to make this for me, I would be eternally grateful.

[Mommy22alyns]

I would love a good, thorough, challenging, neutral, easy to implement science curriculum for 7-12th grades.

[rellybob]

I'm in the foreign language camp. I would love Pimsleur for kids. Little Pim is Pimsleur for babies and toddlers, and the regular Pimsleur is teen-adult. Something for 2nd+ would be lovely.

 

I agree about a scripted BFSU.

 

Also, a decent music appreciation program that follows history, from the earliest known music, to the romantic composers, and the evolution of rock and roll. Something that lasts over a few years. Everything I've seen is so dry!

[OnTheBrink]

I'm not fussy...I'd like any curriculum that my DD doesn't hate and complain about doing. So far one doesn't exist.

 

 

I would "like" this twice, if I could.

[Alessandra]

 

They're not actual shows, but I found this just now for Dutch http://www.2bdutch.nl/

 

Not that you're probably interested in learning Dutch, but if it exists for Dutch it should exist for other languages somewhere too!

 

 

Oh, that is actually a cute site. We saw the video on St Martin's Day. Dutch is enough like German that I think I understood about 15-20% of the printed text. I've bookmarked that, not that we are learning Dutch (sorry).

[Nan in Mass]

I'm in the foreign language camp. I would love Pimsleur for kids. Little Pim is Pimsleur for babies and toddlers, and the regular Pimsleur is teen-adult. Something for 2nd+ would be lovely.

 

 

Ooo... Pimsleur for kids. I really really want that. Let's write to the Pimsleur people and ask for it. If enough homeschoolers write, maybe they will do one.

 

Nan

[amsunshine]

I would love a good, thorough, challenging, neutral, easy to implement science curriculum for 7-12th grades.

 

I agree -- something that includes all labs and lab materials. But not just crafty labs -- real hands on labwork with lab notebooks (not just fill in the blank worksheets). Maybe something like mixing labpaq or qsl with a curriculum to go with. Oh, and I would want it to be secular.

[LindaOz]

An Australian History Sonlight Core !!!

 

I really could do this myself, but it would be SO. MUCH. EASIER. if SL would do it for me.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I think my dream job would be to take ideas like this and create custom curricula for people. I already do it for myself anyway, so maybe when the kids are out of the house...

[CyndiLJ]

Science for middle and high school that is lab inclusive with everything we need in a box/kit, clean textbook without all the extraneous information included and text written in clear, easy to understand language.

 

Literature for K-12 that is maybe Caldecott and Newbery award winners or similar types that are a nice mix of contemporary and classic books that come with a study guide that is twaddle/worksheet free, has thoughtful questions(like Progeny Press), isn't a total overkill which takes the fun out of reading the novel (like Progeny Press can be), and does a good job of teaching literary terms and analysis in a logical step by step process. Sonlight is too light on the responses required, Progeny Press is too overboard, many of the companies like PP and Total Language Plus ignore more contemporary works, nothing makes me completely happy.

 

Science and history that blend in multimedia/video so that I don't have to constantly go digging to find clips that work to illustrate principles.

 

Cultural literacy program of some sort, which would touch on current events.

 

An early elementary writing program that was sort of IEWish with the DVD video and keyword outlines, but without the confusing catalog and programs to figure out, sort of WriteShopish in that it is teaching more of the basics in a progressive fashion but had a teachers book that had a replica of the student book with notes alongside it rather than a totally different teacher's manual, and one that started from early writing instruction with basics taught and went all the way through high school. Not a single program really does that, and I wish i didn't have to blend curricula.

 

A true 21st century life skills/financial planning/Home Ec/Auto Maintenance course that could be used over middle and high school years to build skills gradually in many areas.

[Giraffe]

Honestly, I would love an American History curriculum that worked like SOTW but was an adjunct to it. Something where we introduced it in the grammar stage, did more in the logic stage, and again in the rhetoric stage.

 

I know it's US-centric, but I'm after schooling overseas and want DD to have as much exposure to American History as she'd get in the US, since if we ever go back to the US she'll be dropped into school there expecting to be fully up to speed with everyone else.

[QueenieReighn]

I think my dream job would be to take ideas like this and create custom curricula for people. I already do it for myself anyway, so maybe when the kids are out of the house...

 

 

You should do it! You've got this nice starting place and everything. :-)