Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

Ok, almost a month into school for most of us . . . What have been your winners???

jeri

By jeri,
in K-8 Curriculum Board

 Share

Recommended Posts

Karen in CO

Karen in CO

Posted
Posted

For dd7, who thinks most writing programs are too babyish, I tried Can Do Print from HWT. It is awesome! She loves it and does it without complaint. It is aimed at about the 5th grade level and has cool words like devastated as challenge words.

 

I picked up Just Write 2 to fill in until the WWE2 workbook came out. I really like it. It starts with basic punctuation and grammar then leads through sentence, paragraph, and basic creative writing. It includes things like using interesting words and outlining character and setting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
happyWImom

happyWImom

Posted
Posted

My winners weren't my main picks, but ended up really working well for us.

 

Draw, Write, Now - Have used a few of these, and they REALLY get my dd to practice her reading and writing. She loves drawing, so it's a bonus. Plus the extra books & info about each thing are great too.

 

Explorer Bible Study - First time using it, perfect length lessons that get them to think. A great addition to our regular devotional time.

 

Living Books Curriculum 1st Grade - This was my original choice last year, ordered it over the summer but somehow got side tracked. This is the perfect Charlotte Mason curriculum, the books are great, and we like how it has a weekly guide, not daily. It's easy to combine to other things.

 

Zoobooks - We've never used them before, but both kids are thrilled since they love nature & animals.

 

Right Start Math - It's early, but so far, so good! Works great, because I can do both kids together easily. I am combining with Singapore 1A.

 

I guess I need to change my sig line now!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
happyWImom

happyWImom

Posted
Posted
My winners weren't my main picks, but ended up really working well for us.

 

Draw, Write, Now - Have used a few of these, and they REALLY get my dd to practice her reading and writing. She loves drawing, so it's a bonus. Plus the extra books & info about each thing are great too.

 

Explorer Bible Study - First time using it, perfect length lessons that get them to think. A great addition to our regular devotional time.

 

Living Books Curriculum 1st Grade - This was my original choice last year, ordered it over the summer but somehow got side tracked. This is the perfect Charlotte Mason curriculum, the books are great, and we like how it has a weekly guide, not daily. It's easy to combine to other things.

 

Zoobooks - We've never used them before, but both kids are thrilled since they love nature & animals.

 

Right Start Math - It's early, but so far, so good! Works great, because I can do both kids together easily. I am combining with Singapore 1A.

 

I guess I need to change my sig line now!

 

Oops! I forgot to add one.

 

WP The World Around Us - Great short, easy science. Finally!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
...................

...................

Posted
Posted

Abeka Arithmetic 1- I cannot express how happy I am with this. I cannot, cannot recomment it enough. My son has had 8 tests now and scored 100 on all of them. We do use the TM, and the lessons are fast and painless. I re-work or tweak it a bit, but mostly I do recommend using the TM. It's a fairly long math lesson- about 45 minutes every day...but it moves fast and is filled with lots of different exercises and my son doesn' tmind the pages. We use the speed drills, Worktext, TM, and make our own flashcards and manips.

 

Building Spelling Skills A by CLP

The Children's Hour- Heroes and Heroines (used bookstore treasure!)

History for Little Pilgrims

Simply CM Copywork (reduced to make 3/8 inch lines)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
at the beach

at the beach

Posted
Posted

Well, we're early on, too, with Sonlight Core 5 and 1/2. However, we've been using the rest of our stuff since mid-August.

 

For dd 11:

 

Hits:

Galore Park's Latin Prep 1, SYRWTL Science 1 and English 2--I am especially thrilled with Latin and English.

Calvert Spelling CD--she likes this

Singapore Math--It is fantastic. We love it. It does take getting used to, though.

Artistic Pursuits (her first lesson resulted in a remarkably great drawing!)

Sonlight Core 5--this is going quite smoothly and we really like it so far but we're only just finishing week 2. I wasn't sure what to expect, but my dd is finishing her work much faster this year than last. She's also getting in her piano and violin practice. That's not just due to Sonlight, though, it's also the other curricula we chose that is very efficient.

 

We're so-so on Sonlight's Core 5 Bible program. It just seems like it has busy work (cutting and pasting most recently) and the book isn't laid out all that well. The format is also busy, lots of print on the page. We'll see how it goes. Some of it seems fine, but as for the stuff that seems like busy work, we are just skipping.

 

Really, no major losers yet.

 

DD 9

 

Hits

Sonlight Core 1/2--she loves this! She actually said so and said these stories are exciting as she described Ginger Pye (our current read aloud). She really was not excited about some of AO's readings much as I love AO. We even like the Usborne book of World History. ;) I also like the Bible that goes with this Core, and I love how the Bible readings all line up with the Bible book we're using.

ABeCeDarian--we like this! She's a strong reader, but she could use more phonics.

Phonics Pathways--we are still chugging through this and reviewing things.

Developmental Math with Singapore--I had my doubts about DM, but I read that it was good for kids with LD's and it's honestly making a difference for her. She's not at all resistant to doing it.

HWT--this has been working for us since we started hs and we're starting our third year. My child has serious dysgraphia. Just today, though, she made a card for my dad and I could actually read what she wrote on it. That is amazing progress and HWT has something to do with it, that and what I hope is just her maturing.

Calvert Spelling CD--She takes a long time to get the words in a chapter, but it's working. We just have to spend three weeks on a chapter not one, but that's okay.

 

We have I Can Do All Things for art, but we haven't started it yet. I'm wondering, though, if I should have gotten Artistic Pursuits K-3 for her. We'll see.

 

So, no losers yet!

 

It's fun reading everyone else's winners and losers! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kalanamak

kalanamak

Posted
Posted

 

The Story Hat (book of African folk stories--thanks Kalanak for listing it on your bottom curr. caption! we love it)

 

 

We love everything by Verna Aardema. I think I got her name from the 1st edition of WTM. Some of the stories have been taken and turned into picture books for younger children, like the Lioness and the Ostrich Chicks.

 

Here is Amazon's list of her books.

http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1221827449/ref=sr_pg_1?ie=UTF8&rs=1000&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Cp_27%3AVerna%20Aardema&page=1

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wee Pip

Wee Pip

Posted
Posted

I picked all BJU stuff for Math/La. Haven't tried the Spelling yet. But so far, I like having it all done for me, like opening up to the next page, knowing that it is complete enough, etc.

 

BJU Math is a big hit for me!

 

SOTW 2 is great fun. The kids like it and so do I.

 

Bomber: I switched from SL science to a free Scotts-Foresman textbook. The kids like it fine, and its really easy...but that's the problem...its really easy, too easy! SL science was so much richer and deeper. But we're going to stick with Scotts Foresman this year & just add in books. Maybe I'll end up liking this afterall. Time will tell!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Haiku

Haiku

Posted
Posted

The biggest hit, hands down, has been RightStart math. My kids adore it.

 

Second-place honors go to Mosaic Intro to World History I, which is a free curriculum utilizing SOTW and the Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History, among other things.

 

The kids are also really enjoying Explode the Code.

 

Tara

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jumping In Puddles

Jumping In Puddles

Posted
Posted

RightStart Math A: My son loves it (started rocky, but now GREAT!)

 

I have two complaints about it. I should have ordered, for $10. what was in the appendix of the book. The cards and templates. Considering it needs card stock and colored paper, it would have been easier to have just ordered it. Second, the materials that come with the package for RS A are pretty cheap stuff. I would have preferred to spend a little more and get better quality stuff.

 

HWT: This has been brilliant. My son's best subject.

I did order the preschool stuff for my girl and I'm not worried (yet!) but she can't seem to do the letters even with a lot of help. Right now, I'm letting her color but it is a little worrying in the back of my mind.

 

 

ETC: Not working well because DS does not know how to write all his letters yet and that is a big part of this.

 

OPGR: Not working well, he either can not or will not blend letters together no matter how many times I do this. He knows the letter sounds, he can not put them together and I'm not sure how to help him. :confused:

 

NOT started yet:

BFSU: Science... Still a little daunting.

 

Thinking about adding CHOW because that is what is recommended in LCC. 5 seems a little young to start history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AuntPol

AuntPol

Posted
Posted

Wordsmith Apprentice

my DS usually melts down at the mere mention of writing but he's only had two minor fits with this and those were on days when the other subjects involved writing and since then I learned to not schedule WA on days when other writing is needed or when we need to write a thank you card, etc. It is easy to implement, easy to pick up and go or take a break from, etc. It is also easy to break assignments into smaller more managable chunks.

 

Igniting Your Writing

This has also been easy to implement with my reluctant writer. We do only the beginning and intermediate exerices. It coordinates nicely with Wordsmith Apprentice. We use this for writing on teacher work days, etc when my public school child is at home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jane Elliot

Jane Elliot

Posted
Posted

We've only added a three new things this year and all three are fantastic:

 

Chalkdust Math (pre-algebra, algebra 1 and 2, precalculus) I'm just kicking and kicking myself that we didn't use this earlier.

 

Writing With Ease - Love this!!! It makes it all so simple.

 

FLL 3 - After using R&S 3 with five kids, this is a nice change for me. I love R&S, but I really wasn't up for going through R&S 3 a sixth time.

 

 

Other winners that have been in use in our home for years and years:

 

Younger grades: OPGTR, SOTW, Apologia, SWO, LC, Horizons, Singapore, R&S English

 

Older grades: greatbooks.com, Apologia, Jensen's Punctuation, Sentence Composing, IEW, R&S English, Wheelocks (with Oxford Tutorials)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...