faiths13 Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Has anyone used Christian Light Education as a full curriculum? I was thinking about trying it for 1st grade. I have used some of the K workbooks and some of the 5th math/LA workbooks and like them fine. I'm not sure how it would fare as a whole though. I am looking for something Christian and I know its inexpensive compared to some. I was actually really considering Heart of Dakota, and I know CLE is quite different as it is all workbooks, but its cheaper. Im curious about the Science an Social Studies for the upper grades. How is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faiths13 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazzie Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 I bought a sample of science and SS for first and second grade and wasn't at all a fan. I actually tossed them. We are using CLE math, reading and LA with HOD, which is a fantastic balance, IMHO. (I am skipping the scheduled books for these subjects because my son doesnt retain anything wih the lighter/CM math or LA). But you could save by just adding in whatever reading you wanted and call it science and history, and I think you'd do better than going with CLE for those subjects, at least for the younger grades. I haven't looked at the upper grades much at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 My main objection to CLE, as well as ACE and Alpha Omega, is having the children do all subjects, every day, in identical little workbooks. Individual subjects would be fine, I'm sure. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faiths13 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 Yeah im not too keen on the all workbooks idea either... but i am trying to make a plan for next year and i like the idea of having everything all the same, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolleenCarie Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I know a mom from another message board who uses all CLE because she has about ten kids and a new baby every year. She misses doing the fun things, but school gets done. We use their LA and Math, and are very pleased. I have heard good things about their Bible and Reading. ETA: I know another mom who used all CLE for a year or two while she battled some health issues. It was a blessing for their family, her children learned a lot, and now that season is over, they're looking forward to having fewer workbooks and more fun in their homeschool. She still plans to stick with their LA, Reading, and Math, but is switching to MFW for the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 My main objection to CLE, as well as ACE and Alpha Omega, is having the children do all subjects, every day, in identical little workbooks. Individual subjects would be fine, I'm sure. :-) :iagree: For me, it's not so much that they ARE workbooks (because we like workbooks here), but that they are so similar looking & there's so many (usually 10/subject/year). Right now we're using CLE Bible, some Math, and LTR...and just with those 3 subjects, I'm getting pretty tired of the workbooks. It's like you never finish anything, LOL, they just keep multiplying. Some people like to finish each little LU, but I wish they'd put a year's worth of each subject in just 1 or 2 workbook compilations. Plus those little workbooks do NOT stand up nicely on my bookshelf. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 My main objection to CLE, as well as ACE and Alpha Omega, is having the children do all subjects, every day, in identical little workbooks. Individual subjects would be fine, I'm sure. :-) Honestly....I agree!!! I LOVE CLE for math and language arts....there it is, all of it in a nice neat workbook. The content is great, includes lots of review, and I can call it done OR use it as a springboard depending on my time available. That said...I would NEVER use it as a whole curriculum. It would be mind dulling! TOO MUCH WORKBOOK!!!! YUCK! With younger kids....read, read, read.....and play, do, play. Seriously, they will acquire way more information from a magic Schoolbus video than a light unit in science!! Bill Nye is the guy! D' Aulaire and Fritz are amazing historians....LOL! Anyway....CLE is a wonderful curriculum....especially for LA and Math....skill subjects are covered beautifully....but, stay away for the content subjects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 :iagree: For me, it's not so much that they ARE workbooks (because we like workbooks here), but that they are so similar looking & there's so many (usually 10/subject/year). Right now we're using CLE Bible, some Math, and LTR...and just with those 3 subjects, I'm getting pretty tired of the workbooks. It's like you never finish anything, LOL, they just keep multiplying. Some people like to finish each little LU, but I wish they'd put a year's worth of each subject in just 1 or 2 workbook compilations. Plus those little workbooks do NOT stand up nicely on my bookshelf. :p I skip TONS!!! LOL! I was having my kids do every freaking thing in those books until we burnt out.....so, I put them away and used another program this fall for about 3 months.....useless! So, instead of picking up where we left off, I bought the units we would be in if I had started in the fall....my kids had NO PROBLEM falling into the new books......lesson learned!! We don't have to do 10 books just because there are 10! I am aiming for 6 each year per subject!! And so far, we are ON TARGET!!!! Yay!!!! Oh, I do look at the alternative tests, and teach the few concepts covered in the books we skipped. That makes to skipping seamless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I'm not a fan of using them long-term because I don't think they really encourage broad learning, but I used the math and reading for years and then added two years of the science and social studies for my youngest for 4th and 5th grade. I was dealing with family medical issues, out-of-state eldercare issues, and I've always worked and homeschooled. So I needed help. The math and reading was great. I have no regrets about that at all. The science and social studies were boring frankly, and I'm not sure how much she really retained. Also as you go up, you will encounter more conservative Mennonite doctrine. Their take on the various wars in history may not match your own. I also don't think that science and social studies are best taught by fill-in-the-blank, but it got those subjects done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I think the LA and Math are solid. Science & Soc. Studies.... well, I will say that if you are required to do a "social studies" for your youngers (communities, helpers, etc), CLE's 1st grade Social Studies LUs are pretty decent (and you probably could just pick & choose a couple of LUs to get it done)... But after that, I'd move on to something else (even if it's just library books). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 For me, it's not so much that they ARE workbooks (because we like workbooks here), but that they are so similar looking & there's so many (usually 10/subject/year). Right now we're using CLE Bible, some Math, and LTR...and just with those 3 subjects, I'm getting pretty tired of the workbooks. It's like you never finish anything, LOL, they just keep multiplying. Some people like to finish each little LU, but I wish they'd put a year's worth of each subject in just 1 or 2 workbook compilations. You and I have the same objections. :-) Plus those little workbooks do NOT stand up nicely on my bookshelf. :p I know, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I know of people who use HOD with CLE math and LA. It would be fairly easy to just use HOD for science and history. I used CLE math and LA for a couple of years, and math/LA/science for 1 year. It was nice to have everything all there, ready to go. I feel like sometimes in the homeschooling world we are all expected to be "Martha Stewart" with our curriculum choices, and most of us don't have the time or energy to implement the ideal homeschool curriculum. We don't use CLE for math or LA anymore, but I am using Lifepacs for history/geography and have been stunned at how much we like them. They are open and go, and my daughter enjoys reading them. I definitely think Lifepacs are a better choice for history than CLE. I think CLE just uses Lifepacs at some point for their history and science anyway. If it was me, I would do CLE for math and LA, Lifepacs for history, and maybe come up with something different for science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Unlike many here, I am a big fan of worktexts for SOME families. I am not a fan of CLE history and science though. It's choppy. They made some poor choices over the years during times of revisions, that were NOT made in the consumers' best interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 I would never use the entire curriculum. I think that would get VERY old VERY quickly. FOR a number of years, I used their math and LA and then balanced out the workbook approach with a literature-based approach (Sonlight) for other subjects. In the end, I decided I didn't care for CLE's LA, but we're still using their math. I love that part of their program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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