Ditching current curriculum & starting over....new and need help!

[cashnkristin]

This is my 2nd year homeschooling so I am still a newbie! I homeschooled Sonlight K with readers along with Math U See & Handwriting without tears last year with my now 6 year old. We ended up skipping some of the readers because she didn't like them. This year I started Sonlight K and Core A with readers, Math U See, and HWT for K and 1st Grade with my 6 year old and almost 5 year old. I have found last year and this year that they are bored with most of the books in Sonlight and Math U See isn't challenging enough. My kiddos that LOVED school are now hating it. They LOVED workbooks and can keep doing them all day if I let them. MUS doesn't do it for them so I ended up buying lots of other workbooks to make up for their needs...which is to much money for a small budget. So I decided to get online and research and read tons......and I ordered new stuff! We will be doing Mystery of History, God's Design (science), Mathematical Reasoning, and HWT. Does all of that sound okay together?? I don't like the idea of putting my own curriculum together because I am a planner but those sounded like the best for what our family needs. So now I am missing LA and reading. Sonlight LA was okay and I don't mind keeping that but alot of their reading books the kids didn't enjoy. 

Any advice on this would be excellent! Thanks

[coffeegal]

Have you looked at Learning Language Arts through Literature? It would cover language arts and reading. :001_smile:

 

Good luck with the switch. I've changed things up several times over the years before finding good matches for my family. :D

[maize]

I don't know how to link from this device, but if you google "1000 great books" you should find a list subdivided by age/grade. You might try just picking your own books from that list, using whatever level seems most appropriate for your children.

[Juliegmom]

I'm a newbie too, but I'll go ahead and give my 2¢. :-) If your kids enjoy workbooks you may want to look at Abeka for language arts. You may also want to check out Rod and Staff Spelling by Sound and Structure and Pathway Readers.

 

It's good that you are comfortable to ditch what isn't working to find what works for your family!

Hope you have a blessed year!

[lifesadream83]

If your Kids love workbooks check out moving beyond the page

Math in focus... right start math

[lorisuewho]

I would probably just use library books for reading.

 

But if you want an actual curriculum and your kids love workbooks, I would take a good look at Christian Light Education.  They have reading and language arts in workbooks.  Their readers have really cute wholesome stories.  It is a very thorough program.

[Hunter]

In the long run, I don't think it matters much what you use, as long as you use SOMETHING. Seriously, all programs and methods have their strengths and weaknesses. It all evens out in the end.

 

Use what you like. Use what you can afford. Don't over-think it.

 

Are you in the mood to spend some money and looking forward to a box day, or are you looking for free and cheap ideas?

[Pen]

MathUSee lends itself to speeding up if it is easy--just do one page of new material one page of review, or whatever amount is needed, and move right along as fast as they can go.  You may find they can go through several levels per year and be ready for algebra when still quite young.  I do like Mathematical Reasoning very much, and if they like workbooks they may enjoy other materials by Critical Thinking Press also, including science detective.  

 

I would suggest Story of the World for history.   I do not have personal experience with the other programs you mention.

 

 

 

For reading, if they can read, I would just find things they like at the library or a bookstore.

[acabrera0607]

My son has never liked the readers that come with the programs...we tried Horizons set  for K last year and I let him read parts of other readers online last month to see if he would like others for this year and he just kept saying, "Mom I don't like these they are boring." Well all except for the Reading Street curriculum. So this year we are combining LOE Foundations (simply because I am teaching him cursive along with my K dd and I figure he could use the review because he detested phonics last year--he learned it but hopefully this will make it more fun) and Reading Street. We will use the stories in Reading Street and also be using our library to let him pick out books on his level so he feels a little more in control of what he reads (it makes it  more fun this way to him). So far taking him to the library has worked great for us. He went from hating reading to at least dealing with it better lol. With him it's not a matter of the reading being too hard--he just does not enjoy sitting down to read, especially if it's a huge page full of words. I think that was the problem with Horizons. The first book was full of short stories and he did fine but the second and beyond became longer stories with few pictures on the page. I would have rather had a thicker reader with more pictures to let him enjoy it and feel less intimidated by the page.

 

Long story short.....the best thing so far for us is our library for the reading portion of LA.

[kristi26]

Have you looked at the Homeschool Share site for some free lapbooks and book ideas? DD loves doing those. http://www.homeschoolshare.com

[MotherOfBoys]

I spent a lot of money on readers (couple different companies) and my son hated them all. He would only read them once with me. So we do the library for that. He can have variety that way.

 

If they like workbooks try Climbing to Good English. It's only a workbook. CHEAP! My son likes that he can do it himself and bring it to me for praise. We are going through 1st and 2nd this year with it. It's good phonics review and goes good with WWE1.

[SnMomof7]

CLE has AWESOME workbooks. LA, Math, Bible - all really good.

[Carolinagirl1]

Another vote for CLE! We are new to homeschooling this year, but I spent the entire last year researching curriculums and I feel that we have really made the best choice with CLE. We use the LA, Reading, and the Math. They are all workbooks, except the readers, which are textbooks. They are so easy to teach too. With my first grader, I need to sit and do the lesson with her using the TM, but the books are written to the student in the older grades so I really only need to be available to help if my 3rd grader needs it. I can't say enough good things about this curriculum for the subjects that I use it for.