Why WTM?

[ZambraMama]

Hi! I'm new here and just starting out researching homeschooling. I'm the mom of a 20 month old and the mom of a little one with Jesus (both boys). I just attended my first Teach Them Diligently conference in Ohio, and bought a copy of WTM. I'm a public school brat, the child of two public school teachers, and I hold both a bachlor's and a master's degree - and I'm a working mom (praying that the Lord will change this, but waiting on His answer). My husband currently stays home with our son. All that to say, homeschooling is new to me and the choices feel very overwhelming.

 

I've got a very bright, active little guy who loves to read, be outside, and terrorize our cats. He gets frustrated easily, is resistant to following instruction or example, and seems to often march to the beat of his own drum. He is not talking, but his comprehension is surprising to me. 

 

As I'm researching my various options for homeschooling - and I know I have plenty of time - I've been reaching out to homeschooling parents to find out why they've chosen the curriculum they use. I've heard from parents using Classical Conversations as well as Memoria Press, but I know only one person using WTM. I have deeply appreciated the things I've seen from her children (intelligent, well-spoken, creative, knowledgeable), and would like to know more.

 

Would anyone be willing to share why they chose to follow WTM rather than selecting a boxed curriculum? What benefits do you receive from this model you didn't find elsewhere?

 

I'm also curious to know if anyone has combined WTM or other classical educational models with a Charlotte Mason model.

 

Thank you for anything you are willing to share!

~ZambraMama

[HomeAgain]

We chose WTM well before Classical Conversations existed, before I knew about Memoria Press.  For the first time, the process of education made sense to me.  WTM was easy to follow, flexible, and gave enough guidance to help me meet my child where he was.  Even now, I can compare CC and WTM and find WTM the better fit for us - mostly because of price, personalization, and perspective.

 

That said, over the years we have brought more Charlotte Mason into our home. An emphasis in the early years now is on habit training, and we love nature studies, living books, and actual handicrafts vs. school crafts.  We continue the 4 year history cycle, but in our own way, taking the best of both worlds.  We will never be fully CM, or fully WTM, or fully Montessori, or anything else, but using what feels right to us at that time.

 

 

[TammyS]

. He gets frustrated easily, is resistant to following instruction or example, and seems to often march to the beat of his own drum.

 

Sounds like a typical 20 month old to me.

 

I wouldn't worry about curriculum just yet.  What I would spend a lot of time doing now is learning about what you believe the purpose of education is and what you believe a good education looks like.  Until you know what your goals are, you can't choose a curriculum to help you achieve them.  So, with that in mind, here are some things that I would suggest you spend the next couple of years reading (this isn't to be considered a complete list, just the ones that will get you started):

 

Everything by John Taylor Gatto

Everything by John Holt

Some by or about Charlotte Mason

WTM

Norms and Nobility by David Hicks

Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons

Lots of articles and podcasts on the Circe Institute website

 

There are lots of curriculum choices out there.  It's not about selecting the best curriculum.  It's about selecting the one that will achieve YOUR goals.

[OneStepAtATime]

Sounds like a typical 20 month old to me.

 

I wouldn't worry about curriculum just yet.  What I would spend a lot of time doing now is learning about what you believe the purpose of education is and what you believe a good education looks like.  Until you know what your goals are, you can't choose a curriculum to help you achieve them.  So, with that in mind, here are some things that I would suggest you spend the next couple of years reading (this isn't to be considered a complete list, just the ones that will get you started):

 

Everything by John Taylor Gatto

Everything by John Holt

Some by or about Charlotte Mason

WTM

Norms and Nobility by David Hicks

Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons

Lots of articles and podcasts on the Circe Institute website

 

There are lots of curriculum choices out there.  It's not about selecting the best curriculum.  It's about selecting the one that will achieve YOUR goals.

Agree with this and will add not just achieve your goals but fulfill your heart and that of your child.  Inspiring a love of learning and being a caring and honest human being seems a much loftier goal than any one particular skill set, especially in the early years.

 

I also urge you to work with the child in front of you, and cherish that child, instead of trying to make the child in front of you fit with your preconceived ideas/hopes of how homeschooling will be.  You will both be a LOT happier.

 

And first and foremost, please cherish these early years.  Enjoy these days, as frustrating and exhausting as they can be.  They won't last long.  

[bolt.]

I can imagine myself in your shoes, and I want to encourage you to work closely with your spouse, since he is directly involved with your son's early care.

 

With your education and current employment status, it would be good for you to imagine a his-and-hers homeschooling model (shared childcare, shared education roles, employment wherever it works) not get stuck in a stereotypical ideas of wifely-ness that may not connect with your real situation. Men make great educators too.

 

You've got lots of time for your situation to shift -- not only before he reaches school age, but also all through the years of his education. Plan for flexibility.

[Amira]

There weren't as many other choices back when my oldest started kindergarten in 2004, but boxed curricula never appealed to me because I like to have more flexibility.  WTM is very doable, very flexible, and it gives me the tools I need to educate my children.  We've homeschooled in dramatically different situations (from having a huge homeschooling budget that covered everything to schooling out of a suitcase with no library or internet or money) and WTM just works for us.

 

I also like to have school be school and WTM lets me be a secular homeschooler (even though we're a religious family), but it also accommodates families that want religion-based education.

 

WTM isn't for everyone, for lots of different reasons, but I think it's a good option for a lot of families. 

[catz]

What I would say is no one does WTM one way.  No one does eclectic one way.  No one does Waldorf inspired one way.  No one does CM one way.  No one does unschooling one way.  Homeschool parents who are doing it well are working in a way that is responsive to the needs of the child and fufills the style and needs and goals of the parent.  I've read about many education movements and methods and resources.  At the end of the day, you have to teach the child in front of you.  A 100% structured WTM approach would actually not work for my particular kids.  They are quirky, GT, active (ADHD/SPD markers at early ages), and asynchronous (didn't hit stages quite like WTM predicts).  I think it's wise to have knowledge and understanding of resources available to you but it's best not to get too entrenched in an approach  when your child is very young (and by young, I mean less than age 10-12 even).  If you have a child that runs in one direction, that's great.  I think flexibility is one of the advantages of homeschooling. 

 

During the early years, we got a ton of mileage out of a printing book, a math book, a few science kits, a library card, and the great wide world out there. 

 

Enjoy your baby!  He sounds like a 20 month old all right.

Edited May 20, 2016 by WoolySocks

[Carrie12345]

What I would say is no one does WTM one way.  

<snip>

 

 A 100% structured WTM approach would actually not work for my particular kids.  

 

:iagree:

 

Even SWB says TWTM can't/shouldn't be done 100%, in its entirety.  It's a framework.  It's suggestions.

 

I've spent 10+ years sculpting WTM concepts to suit my kids and our family.  Boxed curriculum never appealed to me because I don't have or want boxed kids.  ;)

[TechWife]

I'd like to add Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay & Sally Clarkson to your reading list. It's an amazing book that will benefit your household before the formal schooling years begin and whether or not  you decide to homeschool. 

 

When it comes to looking at curriculum and if you want something that is already planned out for you, take a look at My Father's World. Their materials are age appropriate yet challenging at the same time. They incorporate elements of classical and Charlotte Mason. 

 

 

[Kalmia]

Susan Wise Bauer's latest edition of WTM should be coming out in late summer or fall of this year. It is really a very flexible curriculum even though it doesn't look like it at first. You can see what works with your child as she grows and then tweak the rest to fit. What I particularly love about WTM is the 4 year history cycle and The Story of the World.

 

Not WTM, but since you are raring to get started, at your child's age the readâ€aloud should be a high priority.

 

The Read Aloud Revival Podcasts. Scroll down to the bottom and start at #1.

 

http://amongstlovelythings.com/read-aloud-revival-the-podcast/

 

The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

 

http://www.amazon.com/Read-Aloud-Handbook-Seventh-Jim-Trelease/dp/014312160X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463758204&sr=8-1&keywords=the+read+aloud+handbook

[poppy]

I don't think most people here use WTM. I don't (though I do respect it!)

 

We just like the forum.

[TechWife]

I also urge you to work with the child in front of you, and cherish that child, instead of trying to make the child in front of you fit with your preconceived ideas/hopes of how homeschooling will be. 

 

 

At the end of the day, you have to teach the child in front of you.  

 

 

So just keep in mind that whatever your philosophy of education might be, your may have to mildly OR drastically adapt to your child. 

 

 

This, exactly. Teach the child you have and not the one anyone else says you should have or the one you want to have. Start where he is and go from there, at his pace and in his way. 

[lllll]

I stumbled on to WTM after hs'ing for 10 years with a variety of things.  It was exactly what I had been looking for, and I switched even as I was reading the book.  I especially liked that the plan was all very specific, and that SWB even included explanations on HOW to teach using the recommended materials.  Using all that, I was able to start right away, and adjust things as I went along.  I also got a lot of great ideas from these boards through the years - which you'll be able to do whether you use WTM or not. 

 

I had done some unit studies and a variety of odds and ends in the years before WTM.  But I never felt like my kids were working up to their full potential with the things we were doing.  So I guess I saw in WTM a way to challenge them more than I had been able to do without it.  IOW, I think it helped me to be a better teacher, along with everything else. 

 

Good luck in your search! 

 

ETA:  I do wish I had done better/more science and math than what WTM was recommending in the first edition that I used.  And I added Bible to WTM as well, using the same basic method of WTM.  That worked well for our family.

Edited May 21, 2016 by _ ?^..

[Bluegoat]

I can tell you why I don't used boxed curricula, and it is because they are expensive and mean I am stuck with things I would not have chosen to use.  I did buy one one year, when I was worried about lack of planning time.  By the end we'd dropped quite a few things - some novels we didn't use, some programs we didn't like.  It just wasn't worth the money for the laid out daily timings.

 

I use some of the ideas from WTM, classical homeschooling first interested me as I was a classics major in university and WTM and LCC are the books I found most useful for some practical ideas.  Ultimatly I am really more of a CM person, but that encompasses quite a lot of possible curriculum choices - or very few if people prefer to avoid prepared items  It's more a set of princples so all kinds of things marry well with it depending on your child and needs.

[Carol in Cal.]

I don't use boxed curricula because I am too good of a teacher to limit myself to someone else's plans that are not customized for my own kid.

[EmseB]

I think I'm a pretty good teacher. We use a boxed curriculum. I'm not sure the two are mutually exclusive.

[Haiku]

My best advice is not to choose a method, philosophy, or curriculum until your kids are ready for school. I decided when my dd was two that TWTM would be best for us.

 

Well, it turns out that my dd was bored stiff with copywork and narration and began writing five-paragraph essays for fun when she was 8. Both kids hated WTM-style history. My son has dyslexia and language processing issues, so WTM-style language arts not only didn't teach him anything, it also played to every weakness he had.

 

In my 9 years of homeschooling, I have worked out an approach that suits us, but it isn't anyone else's style, method, or philosophy. It's wholly our own.

[knoxinsox]

My husband was at home studying for his Bachelor's degree when we started homeschooling my oldest. He taught my son to read and do math and he did a great job--probably better than I do. He studied, taught my son, and took care of the baby.

 We used the curriculum choices in the Timberdoodle boxes, and I still look at them to make sure we aren't missing something.  I get most of our books used though.  We use of Story of the World, and have loved First Language Lessons. I've not read WTM.  

[dirty ethel rackham]

We discovered TWTM in 2001 when I had a toddler, a preschooler and a first grader.  I had previously been in love with unschooling (not the radical unschooing that gets all the bad press, but learning rich, nearly screen-free, child-directed household.)  With the addition of the third child, I found that I needed structure because I was finding that, when my kids were excited to do something, I kept answering later, and later soon became never.  I was dragged into structure kicking and screaming.  I liked the long-term plan of TWTM.   I loved the history and science cycles.  I loved the literature focus and how everything tied together.  I loved that there was room for flexibility to tailor things to our kids rather than expect my kids to fit a someone else's choices.  Also, my kids were asynchronous in development.  One had special needs.  However, I did find that I needed to adapt things to our family.  I'd have to say that we weren't strictly classical, but more eclectic in our approach. 

 

1.  We did way less writing than called for in TWTM.  My older kids balked.  They were asynchronous in that their reading skills far outpaced their writing and it was a constant source of frustration.  Every day was met with crying.  I didn't want to live that way.  Instead of writing tons of science, we formed a science club with other families and meet a couple of times a month to do hands-on activities while using a spine of topics from TWTM.  Between meetings, we read about the topics, they drew and wrote a little.  I'm a firm believer that fastest way to kill a child's natural curiosity about science is to make it a chore.  The best way to foster a love of science is to DO science. 

 

2.  I just couldn't make Latin happen in the early years.  It was new to me and I was dealing with a kid with special needs, health issues of my own and as well as aging parents.  Something had to go.  We ended up introducing Latin through an online provider in the late junior high ages. 

 

3.  My friend was developing the History Portfolio and asked us to help her beta-test it, so we used that instead of many other choices. 

 

4.  We adjusted high school to help my older kids be more prepared to go into the sciences in college.  I haven't seen the later versions, but the previous versions would not be adequate to get into a good college program.  Also, since my kids liked to do things with other kids (and I needed the accountability), we needed to be flexible to be able to form groups and study what other kids wanted to study (like 20th Century in 9th grade, some eclectic English classes.)  My high schoolers had more input.  Plus, we did a lot of AP and college courses, which didn't really fit the Classical model.  I have to say that having 2 History/Science cycles under their belts prepared them well for high school. 

 

Back then, Classical Conversations didn't exist.  If I were starting over today, I don't think we would have tried it because we are the wrong kind of Christians for that program.   Co-ops started to become popular when my kids hit middle school.  We tried that, but  I found that they had lackluster academics but had many of the characteristics I hated about school.  Then there is that whole "wrong kind of Christian" vibe.  I guess I prefer to form my own club/co-op groups with a small set of like-minded families who are willing to go in the same direction (or at least willing to hop on my bus.) 

[Guest]

I found WTM while still trying to figure out  the jump to homeschooling. I loved it, but I knew myself well enough to realize making a whole hearted commitment from day one would be overwhelming- we started in 7th grade. So for my first two years I found a mostly boxed curriculum that incorporated many of the WTM suggestions. That allowed me to grow my confidence and see what worked and what didn't for both me and my daughter, and now I'm at the point where I am comfortable tacking together different subjects. I use the framework of the WTM as an idea of where I would like to help guide my kids on their educational journey, and still allow for the flexibility that some kids and some years have different challenges. It actually allows for a great deal of flexibility and gives me a bar to strive towards, and helps us to accomplish what I consider to be an extremely well rounded preparation for life as an adult. Do we follow everything? No. 

 

From what you are describing of your interests/outlook, I will add some suggestions to your already swelling reading/listening list. 

 

Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt might give you some ideas for the interim time while you figure things out. It's a great source of reading lists. 

 

Nurturing Competent Communicators by Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing is a talk well worth the cost of the download (it looks like it might be free) . http://iew.com/shop/products/nurturing-competent-communicators-andrew-pudewa 

I think all of his talks are extremely informative and inspirational. This might sound premature for a 20 month old, but it's rather the philosophy behind so much he's discussing here, that I think is important for the place you're at. 

 

And if you can get your hands on any of Dr. Raymond Moore's books, those never hurt either. :) 

 

Welcome to the boards. I think you will find the Hive to be as helpful as anything else when it comes down to a lot of it though. There's nothing quite like hashing through your thoughts and concerns with other been there, done that, parents to help you get to the place you're trying to be. 

[catz]

I think I'm a pretty good teacher. We use a boxed curriculum. I'm not sure the two are mutually exclusive.

 

I think if a box curriculum works for you and your kids that's great!  I've just seen parents spend a bunch of money on the ONE curriculum they think will work great and then it's a dud and they feel married to it and try to fit a square peg into a round hole.  I think if you aren't flexible and adapting to your particular kids, you lose many of the advantages of homeschooling. 

 

Curriculum tend to be written for synchronous kids with a particular learning slant.  There's nothing wrong with that if it works for your family.  It definitely would have never gone well at our house. 

 

My kids are so quirky and asynchronous, I don't think of myself as a teacher but more a facilitator. 

 

Edited May 20, 2016 by WoolySocks

[EmseB]

I think if a box curriculum works for you and your kids that's great! I've just seen parents spend a bunch of money on the ONE curriculum they think will work great and then it's a dud and they feel married to it and try to fit a square peg into a round hole. I think if you aren't flexible and adapting to your particular kids, you lose many of the advantages of homeschooling.

 

Curriculum tend to be written for synchronous kids with a particular learning slant. There's nothing wrong with that if it works for your family. It definitely would have never gone well at our house.

 

My kids are so quirky and asynchronous, I don't think of myself as a teacher but more a facilitator.

I guess, even with a box, I feel a certain flexibility to allow for differences. My oldest two could not be more different in terms of learning, but we use the same "box" at different levels and only really swap out the math. It also helps if one can see the box as a tool, not a taskmaster. I can easily see both of my kids learning "x" from the same box, but teaching it in completely different ways.

[TammyS]

My best advice is not to choose a method, philosophy, or curriculum until your kids are ready for school. I decided when my dd was two that TWTM would be best for us.

 

Well, it turns out that my dd was bored stiff with copywork and narration and began writing five-paragraph essays for fun when she was 8. Both kids hated WTM-style history. My son has dyslexia and language processing issues, so WTM-style language arts not only didn't teach him anything, it also played to every weakness he had.

 

In my 9 years of homeschooling, I have worked out an approach that suits us, but it isn't anyone else's style, method, or philosophy. It's wholly our own.

 

Sounds like you need to write an ebook for other homeschoolers who have similar issues.

[TammyS]

To add to what others have said about teaching the child in front of you, I would add teach as the person YOU are in the FAMILY that you have.

 

So, I hate some things that are popular: unit studies I consider too time consuming for the benefit and costly as well....lapbooks are just dumb, IMO....arts and crafts, well, I buy supplies and it's up to the kids to use them or not, but I won't be participating.  Life of Fred books are oh so popular, and I can't stand them.  So I don't use any of those methods/books - because it would be a disaster to try to mold myself into being "that mom" just because she and her kids look like they are having a good time with the stuff.  I teach as the person I am.

 

My oldest is graduating this year and I have never purchased a boxed curriculum.  I like putting it together myself.  But you know what?  I'm tired.  Seriously.  My younger child is 5 and I've signed him up for Classical Conversations next year, which is sort of a boxed curriculum in that I don't have to make any decisions.  I don't know how long we'll do that, but for now, I need a break from decision making.  Is it my "ideal"?  No.  But I have to teach in the family I actually have and that means I get a break from decision making.

 

Be true to who you are and where your family is, always, when making homeschooling decisions.

[Haiku]

Sounds like you need to write an ebook for other homeschoolers who have similar issues.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I'll add that to my list of things that need to get done. I have may a slot in 2024 ... ;)

[Jane in NC]

Homeschool Emeritus Mum here. My son is now a college grad. 

 

When we started homeschooling, there were other homeschoolers in the area but they were using materials in their co-op that did not appeal to me.  I believe that I had a very good high school education--Dolciani Math, Latin, classic lit) so I was drawn to duplicate my own education to a certain degree which I could do with WTM.

 

Like many others though, we found the older WTM science choices to be lacking.  My son wanted to take some college transfer classes at the local community college while in high school (two semesters of chemistry and one of microbiology); he did several AP classes.  My son read many of the suggested books in the reading lists and we followed a cyclical history path.  When it was over, he had a solid and well rounded education.

[abacus2]

I am currently pretty unsure about what I am using for the coming year. I've been pleased with Sonlight and Moving Beyond the Page. I am currently considering how I might homeschool using less expensive materials to leave more funds available for outside activities. The WTM intrigues and intimidates me, but this forum is fabulously helpful for everything.

 

I recommend "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling?"

 

which really helped me get a feel for how different homeschooling styles can look in a real life home. 

[73349]

I'm a former teacher with a child who is not on the same level in every area. No boxed curriculum looks good to me. I use what's interesting in TWTM--especially for history, the subject in which I'm least educated--and leave what doesn't.

 

I love setting our own calendar and schedule rather than trying to use a pre-printed one. With a child who thrives on routine, I've chosen to have school nearly every weekday, but to do little enough school each day that we can do a lot of other things.

 

For second grade, that has looked like this:

• Story of the World 2 as a read-aloud, with supplemental library books and snippets from Human Odyssey (which I think we'll use as a middle school spine) and a wall timeline; no written work
• Science input at more like a fifth-grade level, with a variety of sources; no written work
• Math at a comfortable level for him, which is about half a grade ahead, at a relaxed pace
• Memory work, including some short poems
• Having him read to me books on a second- to third-grade reading level, with informal discussion
• Reading him books above his reading level, though not necessarily great literature
• Starting cursive and grammar instruction
• Trying a bit of Spanish (I still have not found an elementary curriculum I like!)
• Traveling and visits from family on our own schedule
• Library trips every week, as we have done for probably five years now
• Piano lessons
• Outdoor play, nature and sports opportunities regularly.

 

My child has changed a lot since toddlerhood. He was so into music; now he likes it, but doesn't love it so much. He cried at preschool drop-off; now he looks forward to our occasional date nights that leave him with a babysitter. He was scared of water; now he does a pretty good backstroke, and he's proud of that. He talked a bit late; now his vocabulary is excellent. (Some things don't change: he loves sweets!) So let your plans be fluid as your child unfolds into who he is.

Edited May 21, 2016 by whitehawk

[happypamama]

Welcome!  It's awesome that you're thinking about homeschooling now!  I decided I wanted to try homeschooling long before I was even pregnant with my first, and honestly, I'm not sure I would have married my boyfriend if he hadn't been willing to entertain the idea of homeschooling.  So then we actually had a child, and she was busy and curious and just so much fun, and both of us had such a good time playing with her and reading and taking her places and everything.  It just seemed like such a natural thing to keep her home and not send her to kindergarten, even before we realized that the public school probably would not meet her academic needs.  And then we had a second child turn five.  He's totally different from our first in personality, but if I hadn't already been a homeschooler, I hope I would have considered it for him because, for different reasons than his sister, a classroom situation wasn't the right thing for him.

 

I read the first edition of WTM when my oldest was a toddler.  I was intrigued and loved the idea of a four-year history cycle and a strong academic foundation.  But I also loved the gentler seeming plans of a Charlotte Mason model and the practical aspect of the Montessori stuff and the beauty and emphasis on imaginative play of the Waldorf models.  And books!  I loved the idea of limiting textbooks and reading lots of real books!  It just made sense.  I always find myself torn between wanting a strong academic foundation and a laid-back gentle childhood.  I think we naturally fell into the eclectic balance that fits our family. . .  I'm very unschooly with little ones, and from about ages 5 through 8 (aided because our state requires nothing until age 8), we transition gently from "all day play" to "this is a list of things you need to accomplish in a day," and that really works for our family.  Little ones read and play and make art projects (of various types, both Charlotte Mason inspired and otherwise) and run around and make messes, and somewhere in the preschool years, they start asking for school like the big kids have, so they get preschool level printing books and little cut-and-paste sorts of activities to go with picture books, and they do them or not, as they choose.  Sometimes my current 4yo, almost 5yo, asks to do a phonics lesson, and sometimes he wants to copy letters, and sometimes he just wants to play with his brothers all day, and sometimes he makes a gazillion drawings and paintings; there's no set rhyme or reason.  I got him some drawing and handwriting books for next year that he can use when he wants to do something that looks like school, and I think they will fit his personality nicely.  My current 7yo is generally required to do a bit of copywork and reading practice, and several days a week, I do gentle-but-solid math with him and history.  Next year, he'll have a little more to do every day, like my big two do.  It has honestly happened naturally that they fall into a routine that fits them, and it doesn't look exactly like Charlotte Mason or Waldorf or school at home or WTM or anything else, but it does look like my children and my family. 

 

My oldest went through an insane obsession with colonial American history.  Like, completely immersed ALL THE TIME from about ages six to eight.  It was awesome!  I'm glad I wasn't trying to push a particular history cycle on her then.  However, by about fifth or sixth grade, I felt like she needed to step it up a bit and focus on some areas where she wasn't as interested, so I started introducing more specific materials.  It's not necessarily that I've come *back* to WTM, exactly, but more like it was the right time to use some more specific things.  Plus, now I have five children, and while I was an excellent student, I'm not necessarily an expert on what to expect for middle or high schoolers (I have way more experience and education with babies through elementary school), so I really appreciate that other people have created programs that save me time and energy.  I've looked at a variety of materials, and by this point, I'm pretty happy with what I use, because it fits me well.  I adjust things as needed to fit my students.  Overall, we're a blend of multiple things; I'd say "classical-ish, with touches of other things."

 

I do think that if you use WTM as a general framework, you will give your student a solid academic education.  I feel like you will cover the most important things, and you will give them exposure to plenty, and they will have solid skills.  So I suppose that's why I keep buying materials recommended on these boards. ;)

[GoodGrief]

You definitely should not worry about curric yet; it's such a temptation with the tiny ones, but, seriously, focus on time together, loving your little guy, and letting him play.

 

That said, I discovered the Well Trained Mind some-17 years ago. The value in the program for me was in giving me a plan; a framework that allowed me to get started and gave me an idea where this could go.

 

I did not stick with the plan as written, but I did use many WTM ideas, and various bits of Peace Hill Press curric through the years. My oldest homeschooler is a junior in college, and #2 just graduated, and heads off to Princeton in the fall. The baby went to public school for 5th grade, and successfully completed her second year there with an easy 4.0 and an active social life. :-) I like the program.

 

The problem with boxed curric is that you will often have variance in ability (or simply need a different approach) in different subjects. I definitely prefer (ack, "preferred", I suppose I am technically retired from homeschooling now) to choose subjects individually.

[Garga]

I don't really think I use the WTM.  I read it a while ago and then found this website.  I scan through WTM from time to time, but often do not use the suggestions in the book.

 

I keep coming here because the people on here use every kind of curriculum out there, so if I have a question about something and need a review, someone here can answer the question or give the review, even if it's something not related to WTM at all.

 

The reason I don't go with a boxed curriculum is because I like to piece together books that match my kids.  One box is going to have something in it I don't like.  Probably a few somethings.  So, I pick and choose what to use for each kid for each subject.

 

Good for you looking into all this now!  You're no where near ready to buy anything, but it's a good idea to know what's out there for when you are. 

[Kareni]

We began homeschooling when my now college graduate was a 7th grader. I would say that our focus at that point was on doing history chronologically. Why? Because I was inspired by reading the Well-Trained Mind, and the idea made sense to me. We did not strictly follow the WTM -- we only did one sweep through history (from 7th to 9th grade); we added more science; my daughter did five years of Latin and a year of ancient Greek but no modern language. Why? Because there are only so many hours in a day and choices had/have to be made.

 

My suggestion to you would be to read as many books about homeschooling as you can find and take from each what works for you.

 

Your son is still quite young.  I'd recommend that you enjoy this time -- read lots of books with him and play.

 

Regards,

Kareni