Pansen Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I have 2 kids, 18 months apart - a 1st and a 2nd grader. We use a public homeschool charter that advertises parent choice curriculum, and after painstaking research, I decided on Nancy Larson Science to be shared between the 2 boys, with extra student pages. I submitted our choices and got a message from the facilitator that the librarian says that Science in a Nutshell is the same thing, but cheaper. That is just ridiculous, and I let the facilitator know that SIANS is an experiment kit, but NL is a full curriculum. Today, I received a call from the director of the school letting me know that they didn't want to pay for NL, and that it seems too expensive for what you get. She mentioned that if I "wanted a curriculum that's never been ordered before then every parent will want new curriculum". I'm not sure what she meant, as the school advertises parent choice and doesn't state it has to be certain curriculum only. So my question is, what can I get instead, even though it frustrates me after diligently choosing what I think would work for us and being turned down, that will work for 2 children, and is a full program? I also have a 4th grader who has some learning challenges (2E) whom I need to focus on as well. The school will only pay for secular programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduemeche Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 We have a gaggle that we all want on the same subject matter at once. We use the God's Design series to line up with the four year classical history cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I am planning on using Elemental Science- Biology. I have two girls who are exactly 2yrs apart. So a 2nd grader and a K'r and we will just do science together. I ordered the experiment kit and the books. I got the kit already, my books appear to be stuck in Greenboro NC, so who knows when we will start. Interesting that your school will buy your curriculum for you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammv15 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I used Mcruffy for k with my two dc ages 5 and 6.It is secular. It is very affordable only about $80. It is available for k-3 and grade 4 is being developed now.You get the te, student pages and a science kit. It has 72 lessons. you teach science only twice a week. It is hands on fun and my dc learned alot. We actually finished very early because they begged to do science 4 times a week. I really wanted to use NL but I couldn't afford it. I asked for suggestions on what science is similar to NL but more affordable and many on another forum suggested Mcruffy. I was happy with our choice. I switched for grade 1 to k12 beacuse I could get it for $8 a month. I really don't care for k12 science much. It's okay but pretty dull compared to mcruffy. We still miss it and will probably switch back for 2nd grade. You can check out Mcuffy at Mcruffy.com. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Do you have to use what they say? Maybe purchase it yourself? You can recoup some funds by selling it later. You really need to ask what they have available so you don't choose something else and run into the same problem where they refuse to provide it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 She mentioned that if I "wanted a curriculum that's never been ordered before then every parent will want new curriculum". I'm not sure what she meant, as the school advertises parent choice and doesn't state it has to be certain curriculum only. I would assume parent choice in a public school charter would be more of a buffet style. There is a list of curriculum that is pre-approved for purchase. Parents may suggest curriculum that would be subject to approval. So new curriculum suggested by parents may or may not be finally added to the "approved" list. I would ask the director for a pre-approved list and than get feedback on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I would start by getting clarification about their policy. Can you choose anything secular? Are they just bullying you into not getting it or do they really have veto power? As I understand it, some charters just give you a lump sum and you decide what to do and as long as it's within those guidelines, you're good. But others have a sort of curriculum library and an approved list. Figure out what your parameters are before you keep researching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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