Kristie in Florida Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Isn't it amazing how one can fall in love with a boxed curriculum online, be completely convinced, spend weeks, sometimes months reading every message board post so you know every pro and con and strength and weakness, sing hallelujah on Box Day, spend the entire summer reading the guide, only to realize about three to six weeks in... "This isn't working for us, is it?" We've done this every single year. Hangs head. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macmacmoo Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Care to elaborate what drew you in each year and why things didn't work out? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristie in Florida Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Essentially: one size doesn't fit all. Tapestry of Grace Year 1: It was years ago and we don't remember why it didn't work. It was the Upper Grammar level and she refuses to try it again. I was doing the Rhetoric level myself and thought it was okay. But half way through we discovered MFW and looked at it for the next year. They recommend geography first even though she wanted middle ages. MFW ECC: needed geography, but really missed history. So we added it. We realized that the program was probably great for early elementary or 7th, 8th grade with add ons, and she was in fifth and awkwardly in the middle. Things were either too babyish or too advanced. We struggled to find the happy medium. We added Ambleside history and literature. This year is Memoria Press 7th grade core curriculum which is almost perfect but not quite. We have switched around the days we do each subject, dropped most of Famous Men of Greece, and added wtm logic history to the American studies. We also realized that Spelling Power was too advanced for her and kept the AAS that was already working well. We are looking at MFW Rome to Reformation for next year, maybe, and already talked about what we'd probably drop and add. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernal Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Yup. I did it too. But only once so far. But my kiddos are only in 2nd grade, so there's time left :) Ours was Memoria Press K. So glorious in the catalog. But the phonics and the math didn't work for us. And SOOOO much handwriting. So I was left with a very expensive enrichment program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I've done it a couple of times. Most recently was buying OM 6th grade, and realizing, 4 weeks before school started that it wasn't going to work. At all. I buy everything used, so no returns, either. I should have known - I had to tweak OM 2nd grade so heavily it was almost unrecognizable. I did the same thing with a couple of levels of Moving Beyond the Page (though we still do the occasional lit unit). The only thing that's ever "worked" was Calvert Pre-K, and only because I didn't know there was anything else available other than Calvert or Laurel Springs. I'm actually kind of scared because I've decided to go with Build Your Library 8th grade next year, since there seems to be some flexibility in the assignments and it uses lots of real books instead of a "babyish, boring" (DD's term) textbook like OM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Oh my, I have totally done this! I have tried Sonlight twice and My Father's World twice!! I really want to be that mom that uses Oak meadow, reads a loud, does crafts on the floor, has beautiful children, has tons of energy, wants to walk in the leaves and point to creatures, ... but I am not her ....and it's okay. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristie in Florida Posted October 1, 2015 Author Share Posted October 1, 2015 I think MFW will be perfect for us later when I have two little ones in the cycle and my daughter is doing independent MFW high school. It is just getting to that part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenDaisies Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I bought Sonlight twice. I have a lot of books that have never been read. I still try to plan to use them as read alouds but it never happens. Sitting on the couch reading seemed so nice, but as it turns out it wasn't my style. It just took me two tries to realize it. I now use a lot of MP. One thing that is good to know about MP is that they will customize any package for you. You said it was almost perfect. If you decide to use it again, email them with any changes you want to make and they will customize the package and price. Some of the simple customizations can be done on their website, but they do not limit you to those changes. So if spelling is too advanced, they will allow you to go down a level or drop spelling altogether. I don't use the whole core, but I buy the better part of one because after I buy the 4 subjects I do use, the rest is practically free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristie in Florida Posted October 1, 2015 Author Share Posted October 1, 2015 I bought Sonlight twice. I have a lot of books that have never been read. I still try to plan to use them as read alouds but it never happens. Sitting on the couch reading seemed so nice, but as it turns out it wasn't my style. It just took me two tries to realize it. I now use a lot of MP. One thing that is good to know about MP is that they will customize any package for you. You said it was almost perfect. If you decide to use it again, email them with any changes you want to make and they will customize the package and price. Some of the simple customizations can be done on their website, but they do not limit you to those changes. So if spelling is too advanced, they will allow you to go down a level or drop spelling altogether. I don't use the whole core, but I buy the better part of one because after I buy the 4 subjects I do use, the rest is practically free. It was great to customize! We got the first levels of First Form Latin, composition, and I think that's it. She loves Latin and we will definitely continue it, MP or MFW. (We went with something else for comp.) She loves Ancient Greece but this turned out to be our third year of learning about it in some form, formally. So I put my foot down and said that she had to learn American History and FMG got put aside for "fun school," after American history was done for the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 BTDT several times. Now we just make up our own curriculum by choosing certain things we like from different vendors. This year language arts is a 4-day loop of ELTL5, EIW7, Fix-It Grammar, Grammar for Middle School, and WWS1. DD is enjoying this because of the variety. She doesn't get bored. Science is Ellen McHenry's Botany combined with learning about medicinal herbs and plants. We've already attended two live medicinal plants/herbs workshops in our area and made some salves that are really working. We're reading Rosemary Gladstar's book, Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide and Herbal Antibiotics. We've combined literature with Bible by studying the Chronicles of Narnia and using A Family Guide to Narnia. We're having some great conversations and really enjoying the class. History is a mash-up of some of TOG4, some Wayfarers Modern, and whatever we want to concentrate on. Right now we're learning about WW1. There is just so much going on during the modern period that I realized we just can't cover it all. Therefore, we're just going to go deeper on the highlights by reading some good books, having deep discussions, and writing narrations and reports. Math is pre-Algebra. We started out with Tablet class, but DD seems to be doing better with Khan Academy. I've also just purchased the Everything Guide to Pre-Algebra and Cliff Notes Pre-Algebra books to tag along. We're also finding the book, How To Read Slowly, really fascinating. I chose this instead of How To Read A Book because while it also teaches how to read more deeply for meaning, it also teaches how to determine the worldview perspectives of authors. Reading it in conjunction with doing Fallacy Detectives has really opened DD's eyes to how biases affect how authors present their work. She actually wants to tear apart an example of an essay written by a college professor and find all the informal fallacies within that paper (to which I eagerly changed the FD assignment to her desire rather than looking for fallacies in newspaper editorials). I wasn't sure she would even understand the gist of the essay, entitled "An Introduction to the Humanities with Professor Ptolemy." To my delight, she not only understood it, but caught the hyperbolic and metaphorical references to Ptolemy, Agamemnon, Trojan War, and Copernicus. I guess we're not doing too badly in the education department after all. So, after trying several, I no longer feel the need to purchased "boxed" curriculum which never really worked for us. Now, we just choose attractive and interesting components from many different sources and make our own classes. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCF612 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 We did one year of Sonlight (core a for K). At the end of the year I felt like I had spent a lot of money for little return. Most of our learning came from things I added. We did enjoy some of the books but not enough to justify the price. One of my friends adores Sonlight which is why we chose it. But I've come to discover I prefer picking subjects independently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 From the title, I thought this would be Ode to Boxed Curriculum: How I wish you would work for me! In a magalog, I love you from afar, Then can't work with what I see. Perhaps they work for the regular Family. I just can't make the plans be. I must tweak, sub, and with black pen marr - Until I just want to sit under a palm tree! 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 From the title, I thought this would be Ode to Boxed Curriculum: How I wish you would work for me! In a magalog, I love you from afar, Then can't work with what I see. Perhaps they work for the regular Family. I just can't make the plans be. I must tweak, sub, and with black pen marr - Until I just want to sit under a palm tree! Brilliant!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Those boxed curriculum choices are so tempting. We used HOD for 3 years, but no matter what I did, school lasted all day long...even though I'm pretty sure the catalog specifically said it wouldn't take that long. ;) I bought SCM's Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education e-book and it gave me lots of confidence for planning out my own program. Each year gets a bit easier and I have fewer changes to make...I think the only thing we changed this year was LA and I added some little subjects like Folksong and Shakespeare. I do still use HOD's preschool program and many of their books, but I can't ever go back to a full boxed program...not matter how much their beautiful catalogs intrigue me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 We like MFW. Yes, I am sure there are many other great options out there, but jumping around would drive me crazy. It's not perfect, but again, I doubt there's such thing as a perfect curriculum out there. All of them will have pros and cons :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristie in Florida Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 With her math and science just getting more and more expensive we aren't even sure if we can afford boxed curriculum next year. She will be in seventh, doing eighth grade work mostly, so I it is about time to think about high school. I have been doing TWTM Great Books study on and off since I found TWTM soon after I graduated high school, so we are set, if she chooses to go that route. She found my binder of notes the other day and is intrigued. Just MFW has it all nicely packaged and organized with a lovely grid to check off. So she goes, "Mom, you could make me a box and a grid." Hah. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 With her math and science just getting more and more expensive we aren't even sure if we can afford boxed curriculum next year. She will be in seventh, doing eighth grade work mostly, so I it is about time to think about high school. I have been doing TWTM Great Books study on and off since I found TWTM soon after I graduated high school, so we are set, if she chooses to go that route. She found my binder of notes the other day and is intrigued. Just MFW has it all nicely packaged and organized with a lovely grid to check off. So she goes, "Mom, you could make me a box and a grid." Hah. That is what we did. I made my 12 year old a "box" (technically a crate) of the books we were going to use this year. I made sure that they were mostly independent. I mapped out how many times per week each subject should be done. I made a short list of descriptions for each assignment. Then I made a "grid" for her to check each day. I didn't over think it. It has worked out beautifully because we are using materials that we like rather than what came in the box. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I think boxed curriculum can work IF the stuff in the box is very close to what you already do, or you can swap out their stuff for your own. If the stuff in the box is all brand new and you've never tried it, then I can see it not working so well. I went with SL (from K - 4) as we already did HWT, Singapore Math, ETC and read-alouds. For us it was was simply adding in wonderful read-alouds and readers. For hands-on stuff I added in our own projects when desired. SL was a life saver for those 5 - 6 years. I still use many of the books for read-alouds and readers, but we've moved on to different curriculum in most subject areas. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I agree with wintermom that the less rigid the boxed curriculum, the more likely it will work. You have to hit the sweet spot where convenience and customization intersect. This could be a "get 'er done" basic academic kit that you can then supplement with your own chosen projects, lit. and electives, or it could be a lit.-based program to which you add your own 3Rs. Expecting your box to cover absolutely everything so you and your dc can blindly follow the schedule like drones and magically be educated will lead to great disappointment. Personally, the best customizable box I have found is Timberdoodle. They have pre-set kits, but you can mix and match items all you want. They even have an online scheduler, where you enter in the items you are using, and it tells you how many pages/lessons for each book each week. Timberdoodle doesn't include lit., per se, so I customize there. I love MBTP, but doing their whole curriculum is overkill. I choose a few lit. units to supplement with and call it good. Finding your own personal boxed curriculum sweet spot depends on determining how much freedom you're willing to give up for convenience, and vice versa. This can change year by year and child to child. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 We use a lot of MP, but I have a hard time fixing into a box. The truth is, I like to be spontaneous and mix things up. I also like to combine my kids a lot. I will keep using mostly MP products, but probably won't do a core curriculum again. The lesson plans are magical, already typed in such a neat and tidy spiral notebook. But, they lose their magic as you realize you need to move this subject to that day, your kid needs more review in math, or you want to do content subjects together as a family. MP is such a great company and they are always trying to make things more customizable and more homeschool friendly. I like how their attitude is not so much, "Straight MP is the best and only way to educate your kids," but more of, "We're here to give you more and better tools for classical education, whatever your situation and needs might be." That vibe is definitely different than the one I've gotten from some other providers. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I normally don't do boxed curricula for that very reason. The funny thing is that the two times I chose boxed curricula we loved them. We didn't always follow it exactly, but I don't mind changing things a bit. We used MFW Adventures and Sonlight P4/5 a few years ago and are using HOD BHFHG and HOD LHFHG right now. My oldest is still doing subjects from lots of different places. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcmommy Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I normally don't do boxed curricula for that very reason. The funny thing is that the two times I chose boxed curricula we loved them. We didn't always follow it exactly, but I don't mind changing things a bit. We used MFW Adventures and Sonlight P4/5 a few years ago and are using HOD BHFHG and HOD LHFHG right now. My oldest is still doing subjects from lots of different places. This is me. I like a starting point with a rough framework. Right now I am doing a 12 year old SL core 3 and enjoying it as a backbone. We add whatever we like. WP worked even better for my hands on artsy lady. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 "This year is Memoria Press 7th grade core curriculum which is almost perfect but not quite. We have switched around the days we do each subject, dropped most of Famous Men of Greece, and added wtm logic history to the American studies. We also realized that Spelling Power was too advanced for her and kept the AAS that was already working well." If it's almost perfect, keep at it. All the reasons you wanted to use it are still there, just manipulate what isn't working. I made "us" meld to it, all the pluses were worth it. It doesn't sound like you can't overcome what you've stated is wrong. Just trying to help, not trying to change your mind if you're switching :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristie in Florida Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 We've molded it to something we can work with. We don't have the money right now to switch to anything else anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 If it helps at all, I'm so glad we did MP at the higher grades before moving on to high school. It was so structured and "complete" for us. I loved giving her the lesson plans and having her complete all the work required, since knowing it wasn't from me seemed to help her attitude that year. I found it in many ways good prep for the independence required in 9th and up. Also, it's some really rigorous stuff! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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