Hazelt"nut" Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 What are your thoughts on this. I am looking for a one year culture/geography curriculum to do before we start the 4 year cycle. DD will be in second grade when I do this and ds in Kinder. There doesn't seem to be many samples on the web so I was wondering how everyone likes this program. How "fun" is it? How much prep work to make it "fun". How tweakable is it..I love to tweak! Thanks everyone, Sheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori C- Texas Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I am also thinking of getting this program. It sounds like fun. I would love to hear what everyone has to say about it, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I've used parts of Galloping the Globe and parts of MFW's Exploring Countries and Cultures. If you like to tweak a curriculum (and, I know just what you mean) and you are working with a second grader, I'd suggest GTG over ECC. I started GTG and then switched to ECC because we were previous users of MFW and had had a positive experience with their programs in the past. At the time, I wanted "more" than GTG provided. I wanted a schedule that laid it all out for me. I wanted "open and go" which is what MFW is supposed to be. For me, ECC ended up being more work (for me) than GTG. The only difference was that with ECC there was a grid schedule that I could check things off on. Otherwise, it feels very similiar. Looking back, we would have been better off sticking with GTG. I wish I had not stopped using GTG because I ended up waiting awhile to start ECC... thought it would be a better fourth grade curriculum than a third grade curriculum. Anyways, both are good and both are fun. But, I kept hearing from others that ECC was "open and go"; and, based on that plus my previous experiences with MFW, I thought ECC would be easier to pull together. But, really, there is not much difference. I actually prefer the book suggestions in GTG to the book suggestions in ECC. GTG has book suggestions in the TM that you don't have to buy. You can find them or something similiar in the library. The book list in ECC is HUGE. I love book lists. I am a book list addict. But, the list is overwhelming in volume (in my opinion) and it takes alot of time to wade through the list and find out what is at your child's level. I got burned out (we were only in week seven) and kept finding myself picking up my GTG TM to help me to hone in on things a bit. I doubt any of that makes sense! I'm just saying that ECC, for me, was not "open and go". It would have been easier (far easier, I think) to just work through GTG one page at a time. Just start at the beginning and go to the end. Nice and simple. So, I got burned out and decided it was too early in the year to be burnt out! We switched to Sonlight (I had used SL in the past, so I am familiar with it and we hit the floor running so to speak) and we are all much happier. But, I am still doing a culture study and will mostly use GTG for that. For a second grader and a mom who doesn't mind the tweaking, I think GTG would be a good fit. For a slightly older child and if you want a more rigid schedule to follow, ECC would be good - just know it's not really any less work pulling it all together. Atleast, it's not for me. I think there is a yahoo group for GTG. I may be wrong. I think there is though. This is just my two cents. It's all good. I like simple and Sonlight is the simpliest of all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Oh, and you have a Ker. Definately GTG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonia Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I haven't used GTG but I made my own list of resources to do the same kind of thing using the "Around the World" coloring book from Dover and a list of books and craft ideas for each country. The plans are linked in my signature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I've used GTG with a Ker before, and I'm doing world geography again this year with my Ker. GWG is definately "tweakable", in fact, I mostly tweaked. By the end of the year I was just checking out library books on the countries, printing map and coloring pages off of Enchanted Learning, and using our globe. I did use a few pages from GTG (also you can check out "A Trip Around the World" and "Another Trip Around the World" from Carson-Dellosa--they are very similar). I combined the three resources because I wanted a broader range of countries--I have a list of what they each cover if you want to email me. I think it was good for me to have GWG because I was new and wanted some confidence and ideas. BUT doing it today, I wouldn't have spent the money. Our public library is good and GWG isn't a full curriculum, more a resource list plus some worksheets and maps and activity ideas. I could pull something together on my own that is comparable, and did so by the end of the year... I've got plenty of multicultural crafts and cooking etc. in my personal library already. Not sure that helps, and YMMV! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julieofsardis Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 GTG recommends R&S 2, but I really like 4 better. My ds is in 3rd this year. We're doing a world cultures/geography along with earth science and animals and plants. I think GTG is definitely a good resource to build a study around that uses whatever resources are most available to you. We're using some of the ones recommended by GTG, but also some I already have. How the Earth Works, Childcraft books, Natural World by Usborne, and several others. I'm looking forward to starting -- we're finishing up last year's stuff first though. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I haven't used GTG but I made my own list of resources to do the same kind of thing using the "Around the World" coloring book from Dover and a list of books and craft ideas for each country. The plans are linked in my signature. I didn't think GTG looked worth spending money on. I'm just going to acquire a few good maps, jigsaw puzzles, some colouring books, a globe and raid the library. I might think differently if I lived in woop woop and didn't have a library. Also, my goals at this stage are just about locating places. If I wanted more than that, I'd probably look for a curriculum. :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I've got a freebie idea in my sig too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 IMO it's very fun and very tweakable. It does take some prep time. I am keeping prep time to a minimum by using A Trip and Another Trip Around the World and Global Art as supplements. I am also using my Discovery/United Streaming subscription to great advantage, along with the resources at homeschoolshare.com and http://www.ourlosbanos.com/homeschool/history/worldstudies.html (this will be moving to guesthollow.com soon, I believe. I like the 2nd grade R&S workbook for our 2nd grader. We are adding Wee Sing Around the World for a music component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amanda_Jo Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I love GTG. I'm doing it with a Ker, you can check my blog to see what we've done so far. I've felt somewhat limited in literature choices as many are way above her head, we also aren't doing much mapping work so I think this program could also be great for a 2nd grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 IMO it's very fun and very tweakable. It does take some prep time. I am keeping prep time to a minimum by using A Trip and Another Trip Around the World and Global Art as supplements. I am also using my Discovery/United Streaming subscription to great advantage, along with the resources at homeschoolshare.com and http://www.ourlosbanos.com/homeschool/history/worldstudies.html (this will be moving to guesthollow.com soon, I believe. I like the 2nd grade R&S workbook for our 2nd grader. We are adding Wee Sing Around the World for a music component. Is there a reason A Trip and Another Trip Around the World do not work alone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 GtG helps me pull together all of the resources. I spend a whole school day on each country and if I did not use GTG plus the other books I use to supplement it would be more work to make a full day's worth of activities. I like having a wide variety of materials. I especially like GTG's listed resources such as Children Just Like me and the different missionary stories and children's lit resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloha2U Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 You may already know about this, but here is the link to GTG Yahoo! Group We plan on doing GtG next year for K5. Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I think you could easily use them alone... in fact, some the the GWG stuff is straight from there, if I remember. GWG has more listed resources for things like science (animals) and bible... but if you have access to a library, that would be easy to do yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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