Have you ever started school and hated what you were doing?

[3lilreds in NC]

I have to go do school here in a sec, but I have to ask this question. I was really, really excited to do Living Books Curriculum this year. I love the CM approach and was just sure we were going to love it.

 

The problem is mostly with the history. Of course it's a living books approach, and maybe I just don't get it, but neither do my kids. We are supposed to do Ancient Egypt and the American Revolution. Fine. However, the book for the AR jumped right into Taxation Without Representation, no background, nothing. We're using the Egyptology Handbook for Ancient Egypt, and while it's an extremely cool book, it's not the best for an overview.

 

So, I pulled out CHOW and we've been reading that. When we read the first part on Egypt, the girls loved it, and the handbook made MUCH more sense. We also decided we'd like to do US history from the beginning, so we read about Columbus and we're going to read about the Vikings (I forgot about them so we're backtracking a bit).

 

The funniest thing is, I find myself going back to WTM more and more. I love the CM approach and do intend to incorporate a lot into our lessons, but I am SO tempted to scrap the world/US history together plan, drag out SOTW 1 and start from the beginning with world history. I had been using MFW for K and 1 so we didn't get ancients in 1st grade, and now I *really* regret that.

 

So - should I give it a few more weeks, adding in a spine, and see how it goes? I know it's a little early to decide we don't like what we're doing, but I do know that the way the history is currently laid out is not going to work. It's very tempting to use CHOW or SOTW and do a 2-year overview of world history, and then start the 4-year cycle when Emma's in 5th grade.

[Aubrey]

I was excited about the same thing this yr, but I've ended up mostly focusing on the recommended reading list in the SOTW AG.

 

I've always checked these books out from the library, but I rarely read them. This time, since I was trying to incorporate Sonlight, too, I skimmed through both lists & tried to make a master.

 

In the end, it's worked out like a unit study or something. Every other chapter or so, we read a ton of books on one subject. Most recently, it was ch 2 of SOTW 3. We focused on Holland. Ds read The Wheel on the School (which I would have skipped had it not been for the Sonlight list, lol). So then we read about storks, because he didn't know what they were. We read fiction & non fiction. We read books about Holland, & for our read-aloud, I'm reading Hans Brinker.

 

We keep coming across recurring themes. He read about dikes in WOTS, learned what they are in a non-fict book about Holland, saw illustrations of them in a picture book, etc. We've read about Tulip Mania & Rembrandt. It was really fun & wonderful, although a little slower-going, perhaps.

 

So if you like the CM approach, I'd say it's already there in SOTW. Perhaps.

[KidsHappen]

We hated, hated, hated Saxon. Unfortunately, it took me an entire year to drop it. I can't really think of anything else. There were some other things that didn't really work out but nothing that we hated like Saxon.

[Michelle T]

I can't tell you how many times I've started something with the greatest intentions, and hated it right away. Almost always when I had ignored that little voice in my gut that told me the curriculum wasn't going to work out, but I went ahead and bought it anyway.

Michelle T

[Dawn E]

At first I loved reading every day from the Burgess Bird Book. Now I am SO READY TO FINISH that book. Ugh. It has been a fun introduction to birds and a gentle study coupled with internet resources, but man am I tired of Peter Rabbit and Jenny Wren.

 

Thankfully everything else is working well.

[Heather in Neverland]

I don't know if there has been a year where I didn't end up not liking something I was sure I would love and switching to something else. Happens all the time!

[abbeyej]

Yes. Last year history was not working for us. It took us till June to get it worked out, and I ended up feeling so frustrated and un-accomplished. This year is tons and tons better. I'm not in favor of constant curriculum-hopping, but if you know something isn't working, and you know that another good option would work better... For heaven's sake, make the switch!

 

A two-year overview of world history with CHOW or SOTW would be a great history program for your girls! Go for it!

[HollyDay]

YES!!

 

Last year we HATED Saxon and MOH vol 2. We switched and life got much better.

 

This year we just could not make CW work again (even though it worked last year). I also hated BJU science 7 and switched to Apologia General.

 

We made big changes over the summer. We left SOTW behind and went to BF. We changed latin programs and added Greek.

 

But YES _ CHANGE _ dont stay with something that doesnt work. Every year there is something I need to "tweak" or exchange. It is just the nature of the beast!

[coffeefreak]

UGH!! Last year it was Veritas Press, Math U See, Rod and Staff and Singapore.:banghead: HMMMM, come to think of it, last year was a tough year for us. :thumbdown:We DREADED school and I felt like nothing was working. This year so far so good (which is highly unusual). :thumbup: I will put in a disclaimer here, we haven't been very consistent this month because we're moving, but I don't foresee any problems. The moral of the story: CHANGE IF IT"S NOT WORKING! It's not worth the months of agony.

Blessings!

Dorinda