Jess4879 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 What curriculum (books, whatever) would you buy no matter the cost? What have you bought and been let down by? What do you see as a waste of money? Some things we use that I would replace in a heartbeat are AAS, AAR, TT and BJU math. They are programs we have gotten multiple uses out and I feel like they have been worth every penny. I recently bought Key to Fractions and am hoping it will prove to be worth the cost. It was $44 CAD + s&h and I was more than a little disappointed to get it and find out the books are super-duper thin and printed on cheap newsprint paper. I also find the pages super busy. I get more thrifty when it comes to our general-interest books. I prefer to take out books from the library as much as possible. I couldn't imagine purchasing every book my kids and I sign out to read. Plus, we wouldn't have the shelf space to keep them all! I also use the library as a screening process. If I am thinking of buying something, I will borrow it first and decide if I really want/need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) Things I would buy again if I had to (great fit here): Barton Reading and Spelling IEW TWSS/SWI-B Fix-It Grammar Math on the Level Ronit Bird's books CLE Math Trail Guides to Learning Several AGS textbooks CTC Math Veritas Press Ancient Greeks and Romans on-line Touch Type Read and Spell Things that were not a good fit here and would not buy again (but many of these are great for the right student): Wordly Wise on-line Plato Learning on-line Teaching Textbooks Switched On Schoolhouse Science Edited October 15, 2016 by OneStepAtATime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) . Edited September 9, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) it certainly took some money to figure out what worked best for my child! would NOT buy again : Fix it grammar, Rod & Staff English, Saxon, Beautiful Feet Science, Spelling Power, Math IT. Wordly Wise would buy again: W&R, TT, Shurley, Vocab. Roots, Notgrass ETA: Key to series would buy again - the fractions, never the decimals Edited October 15, 2016 by MooCow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) Oh, here is something I was surprised I cared about: A Word Write Now, by IEW. It came with something I ordered during some sort of special promotion but I would buy it if I had to. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how it organizes words for easier writing. Especially if a child struggles to come up with words or may struggle with words tied to emotions or whatever this little spiral book is fantastic as a reference. I loved writing in school and was pretty good at it but I wish I had had this resource back then. :) Edited October 15, 2016 by OneStepAtATime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Would buy again: IEW. Well to be honest I was given IEW SSI B. But I found it to be great and went on to buy IEW CC B. SOTW audio books. I kind of forget about these since we have had them for so long. Singapore math text books. I like teaching math and just use the textbooks as a guide. AOPS pre algebra Sequential spelling we do book 1 and 2 with me, but start switching over to the dvd version in book 2. WWE level 3 (I think it was level 3). I used it with both boys and it worked out well. Pianaimals piano books. I remember really liking them long ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I have spent way too much on packaged and specific curricula only to find out DD and I prefer the DIY method with all of our classes. It's a long process and takes a lot of work, but we reap the benefits in the end (that's IF I do a good job writing it -- we have had some pitfalls.) However, that being said.... Would definitely buy again: Unseen Realm (has unlocked our desperate need for biblical context, and we couldn't be more thrilled. We will never read the Bible or do the class the same way again) Fix-It Grammar CLE Math - Algebra I Jump In (Helped DD a lot w/non-fiction writing) Adventures in Fantasy (DD is using this year, and she reports it's helping her with the book she's writing tremendously) Great Courses Plus (Excellent supplementary resource) BrainPop (This was the only subscription I ever bought & kept for several years. Gave it up this year as DD is too old for it and we switched to GCP) Discovering ID. DD is loving this class this year. I use it with a couple GCP courses as a rebuttal. Disappointed: CLASS Homeschool. Enrolled DD in this for 1st grade. It was way too simplistic and superficial for our tastes. Withdrew her after a month. Mystery of History thru Illuminations. Being the perennial tweaker, I didn't use a lot of what went with this package and felt I wasted money (my bad not their's. I just can't leave anything alone.) Eventually disillusioned with TOG. It seemed like more work than putting something together myself, and DD always felt rushed, however she liked the books Every Bible study we ever tried. Never really got to the meat of the text and too much lovey, dovey fluff (not that that's bad; just not what we were looking for). DD and I both wanted CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT. Now we've discovered how to get that, and we're not looking back. Every Homeschool science curricula we've ever tried. Either they were too one-sided, too predictable, or didn't delve deeply enough (DD learned to hate experiments because she knew the outcome before even starting and thought the exercise was pointless.) Now we use secular lectures from GCP, plus college texts with supplemental Christian materials interspersed so DD gets both sides of the picture. Memoria Press: Workbooks, Workbooks, Workbooks. Found out quickly that DD's not too fond of just doing workbooks for school. DD is very much a mixed-media kid and while a voracious reader, leans more visual when it comes to learning content. Tablet Class. Thought this would be great due to the visual content, but it really messed up my DD big time (not their fault; just the way my DD thinks), and we scrambled to piece together a Pre-Algebra curriculum partway into the year last year. Khan Academy, GCP, & CLE saved us. I really feel like a failure sometimes when I realize how long it took me to finally determine DD's learning style. However, she never really complained or provided negative feedback. I would have to drag things out of her. Now we do about a 50-50 mix between visual and reading. DD LOVES documentaries, especially for science topics. YouTube is our special friend. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera33 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) Things I would buy again: Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing manual. Magic. Rod and Staff math. Basic, old-fashioned, and works for my oldest. Dancing Bears reading. My oldest loves the irreverent sentences and stories--he actually enjoys the curriculum. Liberty's Kids DVDs. The kids love it. I would listen to an Open Yale lecture about the American revolution at night, and the kids would watch LK the next day, and I was impressed by all the historical facts packed into LK. SOTW audio. The kids beg to listen to this in the car. Stealth history. I Speak Latin. My kids love the physical aspect and the games. Simon dicit is a hit. :) Things I wouldn't buy again: Atelier. Good program, but much too expensive. Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. Great program. Amazing program. I just can't make it work here. Evan Moor History Pockets. My kids just don't get into this kind of thing. Edited October 15, 2016 by mellifera33 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Would buy no matter what: Mystery Science MUS videos Hands On Equations Patty Paper Geometry WWS Bambino Luk Scott Foresman and Co D'Nealian books Moving Beyond The Page literature guides Been let down by: LLATL - never been so disgusted by a product's worth. We did the Tan book and refused to look at the rest of their products Waste of money: Most anything that labels itself as Christian. It's usually light on the academics, poorly written, or has horrible company ethics and standards (like Apologia). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insertcreativenamehere Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) We have a free trial this year of Mystery Science but it's been a huge hit. I'll gladly pay for it next year. All About Reading is pricey and I wouldn't be able to afford it without charter funds, but it's been fantastic for DD this year. IEW SWI-A was a splurge for us last year but it wasn't a good fit. I sold it. We've also tried some of the theme books, thinking the videos were the issue, but my DS just does not like how repetitive their programs are. Edited October 15, 2016 by poikar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Worth the $ and more for us: Logic of English Foundations B & C, Beethoven's Wig CDs, as well as many less expensive items like the Faber My First Piano series, the SOTW 1-4 books, Adventures with Atoms and Molecules, Times Tales, Callirobics, Pathway Readers. And for math, I've been pleased with Miquon (got everything secondhand except the workbooks), Singapore, and Beast Academy. Regrets: REAL Science Odyssey Earth & Space (This one bothers me the most although it wasn't the most expensive), La Clase Divertida, Spanish for Children, Sing a Song of Seasons, Handbook of Nature Study (good book but I don't make use of it); having Wheeler's Elementary Speller printed ($40!); a couple of MUS DVDs, though I got them cheaply--the Decimal Street clip is online, and we didn't need anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 If we had a flood or fire, I would replace in an instant: SWR, SOTW (all 4 books + AGs), math manipulatives (counters, clock, cuisinaire rods, etc.), Getting Started With [Latin, Spanish, French], Baltimore Catechisms, and two sets of Logic of English cards to play phonics games. (Some items I have in digital form, so hopefully would be able to reprint & use like Treasured Conversations.) My White Kingfisher, Usborne's World History book. Definitely some of the science spines we own. I can't think of anything else that I wouldn't have to first think about before replacing. There would be a lot of blank spots on my curriculum shelves. I'd definitely shell out for the new edition of TWTM. (Still hoping my kids will get it for me for Christmas since they didn't for my birthday.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Things I would purchase again. Math - Miquon, Saxon. History - SOTW, Human Odyssey, A History of US. Spelling - All About Spelling. Latin - Getting Started with Latin, Form Latin from Memoria Press. Language Arts - First Language Lessons, Writing With Ease, IEW TWSS - SWI, Analytical Grammar, Drawing Sentences. Literature - Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, Bob Books, every Newbery Award book, all Sonlight / Bookshark / Beautiful Feet / Mensa secular books. Spanish - Getting Started with Spanish. Not sure if I will ever find a science I love, still waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I'm used to sometimes just making do with all free public domain ebooks. But I do like having the following in hardcopy, when I can: Blumenfeld's phonics for Success Donald Potter's First Readers Anthology McGuffey's Revised Eclectic Spelling Book Beechick's The Three R's Marvin Terban's Checking Your Grammar NIrV Bible for copy work and Beechick style lessons. Merriam Webster Concise Large Print Dictionary Ray's Practical Arithmetic and key, or better yet, the whole set. And a 3G Paperwhite Kindle to download free public domain classics anywhere anytime with no monthly subscriptions or contracts. A 3G not a wifi-only. Yes, it is more expensive upfront, but for ME, and my messed up mucked up life, worth it in the long run. Roaches cannot lay eggs in it. Dead body smell doesn't permeate it. It is small enough to zip in the inner pocket of my windbreaker and take with me on whatever new adventures await me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) Just throwing in there that if an item is the ONE thing that finally clicks for my student and gets the student "over the hump", then it is worth every penny, even if it is more expensive than I feel is justified, is bulky and a "storage-hog', or even if we don't end up needing to use every page of the program. I mention that as MUS and some of the Keys to... workbooks were the one of the very few things of the MANY MANY MANY math programs and supplements that we went through, that finally helped solidify things for our math-struggling DS. We did not need every problem and every page, but BOY was it great for what our needs were at the time, as it presented the math topics from a variety of angles so that our math struggler finally "got it" seeing it from so many different ways. I would re-buy Keys to... in a heartbeat if I thought it was what would click for a struggling student. Just our experience. :) Edited October 15, 2016 by Lori D. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I would repurchase: SOTW CAP writing maybe MCT Abeka math Beast Academy the Little House books Book of Virtues A Child's First Book of American History Artistic Pursuits Who is God series Leading Little Ones to God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 What curriculum (books, whatever) would you buy no matter the cost? What have you bought and been let down by? What do you see as a waste of money? Some things we use that I would replace in a heartbeat are AAS, AAR, TT and BJU math. They are programs we have gotten multiple uses out and I feel like they have been worth every penny. I recently bought Key to Fractions and am hoping it will prove to be worth the cost. It was $44 CAD + s&h and I was more than a little disappointed to get it and find out the books are super-duper thin and printed on cheap newsprint paper. I also find the pages super busy. I get more thrifty when it comes to our general-interest books. I prefer to take out books from the library as much as possible. I couldn't imagine purchasing every book my kids and I sign out to read. Plus, we wouldn't have the shelf space to keep them all! I also use the library as a screening process. If I am thinking of buying something, I will borrow it first and decide if I really want/need it. We hated Winston Grammar. Ha.ted.it. KONOS was a hit. Saxon (what we used of it) was a hit. Mathematics Made Meaningful was a hit (for me, lol). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 Art of Problem Solving is the only actual curriculum I'd spend money on again, even more if necessary. And some GC lectures - anything by Elizabeth Vandiver, for example. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queserasera Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Saddlemomma - how are you using Unseen Realms? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 (edited) nm Edited October 27, 2016 by 1' n'ye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 We hated Winston Grammar. Ha.ted.it. KONOS was a hit. Saxon (what we used of it) was a hit. Mathematics Made Meaningful was a hit (for me, lol). Oh, yes KONOS! I forgot that one! I would probably never be brave enough to use it myself, but ds5 is in a weekly group class that uses KONOS and he absolutely adores it and has already gotten so much out of it. That class has been completely worth the $$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Oh, yes KONOS! I forgot that one! I would probably never be brave enough to use it myself, but ds5 is in a weekly group class that uses KONOS and he absolutely adores it and has already gotten so much out of it. That class has been completely worth the $$$.This isn't directed to you, just mentioning the konos. Op, most of the things I wouldn't buy again weren't a waste a money. I would never buy konos again. But, I learned so much from it (and I never actually used it, just read it, looked at it, kwim?) It wasn't wasted money. It changed what I thought about school. It shifted my perspective and showed me another way was possible. There are very very few items I've bought that really were wasted and every single one (No exceptions) were impulse buys. The rest, even if I didn't use as written, or at all, I learned from. They made me a better teacher, or helped me learn what I wanted in a program. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 (edited) I'd buy again... Miquon Beast Academy Writer's Jungle and Partnership Writing from Brave Writer All About Spelling Dolciani Pre-Algebra Mathematics: A Human Endeavor MEP (though it was free...) Various odds and ends as well, like some things from Prufrock Press or Tin Man Press. I think it's very hard to know until you've put down the money on something that it will be worth it. And then it's hard to know in retrospect if you'd really do it again. So much is about the kid. If I was going again, it would be with new kids. There are very few things I wouldn't buy again in the moment... most of them were worth the money to try at the time. I mean, I know now they weren't a good fit or were okay but not good enough that they make the greatest hits list or that I'd automatically want to try them again. But I didn't know then and they were worth it. One exception is Explode the Code Online, which we bought very early on with a group buy after we'd one one of the first workbooks and thought it was okay. And it was awful. Truly bad. But it takes up to this year (so more than six years later, I think) to get to another bad from the get go buy that I'd 100% go back and stop if I could and that's Spanish for Children, which is the most bizarre foreign language presentation I've seen. Oh well. Can't win them all. Edited October 17, 2016 by Farrar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelylearned Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 If money was tight, I'd find a way to buy: Singapore Math, Writing and Rhetoric, Story of the World, and a selection of good literature. For everything else, I'd be comfortable with giving my library card a workout and using free online resources. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Along our home ed journey I have bought loads of curriculum. At this point as almost retired with the last dc outsourced I am going to look at this question as what would I replace in my home ed library. My WTM book, 1st edition Lower grades..... Manipulatives and Fantastic Frog workbooks Singapore Math A Beka Math Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading BOB Books SOTW with workbook FFL....I only had the first book but think all would be great Science, lots of Usbourne books and kits for experiments Magic School Bus Draw Write Now.....these are the first purchase I would make! Several books from Critical Thinking Press Upper elementary and beyond...... LoF.....starting with fractions Key to......not the geometry NEM (Singapore) A Beka through Algebra definitely WWE and WWS Shurley High School.... LoF Excellence in Literature Wheelocks Latin Pretty much everything else could be replaced with different. I have stacks of curriculum I am saving but if I had to pick what I wanted to save the most it would be these items. As a side note, I recently had to declare some of my elementary favourites lost because the effort to get them back from the person I loaned them to is not worth the aggravation. This led to dh placing an order to fill in the apparent holes in our LoF collection. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 What curriculum (books, whatever) would you buy no matter the cost? What have you bought and been let down by? What do you see as a waste of money? What would I buy no matter the cost? 1. Reference-type books - like atlases, thesaurus/dictionaries, graphic encyclopedias (like Kingfisher or the Smithsonian series) 2. All About Spelling - I know a lot of people don't like this curriculum, but my kids who used that program spell much better than my kids who didn't 3. Math manipulatives - cuisinaire rods, compass, protractors, etc 4. Writing with Ease/Writing with Skill series 5. Rod and Staff English - two of my kids really like these books What do I see as a waste of money (for me)? Most curricula. I don't really use curricula for much (high school math has been one of the exceptions). Two of my kids aren't even using math curricula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenaInTexas Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 I would not buy any Bravewriter products again; I think they are too expensive for what you get. This is not to say that I don't think they are worth reading; just overpriced. The Arrows are the biggest culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 We hated Winston Grammar. Ha.ted.it. KONOS was a hit. Saxon (what we used of it) was a hit. Mathematics Made Meaningful was a hit (for me, lol). I am enjoying this thread. It's interesting to see what others feel was worth its weight in gold. We used Saxon for K and it was ok. The repetition was too much though and we found it quite boring and dry. I have borrowed the 5/6 book and was totally turned off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 What I would skeedaddle to replace f they were lost: All the Peterson field guides and wilderness books (I say ll b/c I'm pretty sure we have most of the ones that have been published) Several books of poetry The View From the Oak How to Think Like a Scientist Liberty's Kids and Welcome to America, Charlie Brown DVDs The Way Things Work The Science Book The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Getting Started with Spanish The Hobbit History year by year Analogy Challenges how-to-draw books Barron's Anatomy Flashcards Strayer Upton 1 and 2 The little blue Usborne book of Greek Myths if I had anyone under 7 years old Copious paperbacks of whatever lit everyone wanted to read. Its **nice** to have a little library at home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 17, 2016 Author Share Posted October 17, 2016 I would not buy any Bravewriter products again; I think they are too expensive for what you get. This is not to say that I don't think they are worth reading; just overpriced. The Arrows are the biggest culprit. I forgot about Bravewriter! I loved TWJ. The way she approaches writing makes so much sense to me. I've taken the philosophy and made it work for us. However, because I've already got what I needed from the program, I wouldn't probably replace the BW elements we have. I was never really drawn to The Arrow. I also feel it's quite high priced. I don't think we got our use out of Jot it Down either. I think I would replace her conference DVD's however. We don't have anything like that near here and though pricey, it was much cheaper than trying to actually attend a conference with her. She's like a little burst of confidence hidden inside my tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 . But it takes up to this year (so more than six years later, I think) to get to another bad from the get go buy that I'd 100% go back and stop if I could and that's Spanish for Children, which is the most bizarre foreign language presentation I've seen. Oh well. Can't win them all. You know, Spanish for Children didn't work for us at all. It tries to cover a TON of material very quickly with very little practice. I felt it was like drinking from a fire hose where the tests wanted you to retain 100% of the water (grammar & vocab) it was shooting at you. As we got further in the book, I realized they really didn't want you to retain all that info - but just get soaked so that you could absorb more later. It could be a much better program. I wouldn't rebuy it, but I'm grateful to know why it didn't work for us. If you could really grasp all the material it throws at you, I think it covers more than the first year of high school Spanish in SfC A & B. We simply couldn't grasp it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Saddlemomma - how are you using Unseen Realms? Before I go into how we study this book, let me explain that many who read this material will have never encountered this type of information about the Bible before. Therefore let me preface this with the fact that Dr. Michael Heiser has stated, both in person and in his book, that he is a committed Christian and believes that the Bible is the Word of God. However, he is also an academic scholar who has a Ph.D. in ancient Near East languages and a MA in ANE history. He can read and speak just about any ancient language you can think of and understands the GRAMMAR of those languages. (Many of our church fathers, such as Augustine, could not read or understand these languages.) In addition, Dr. Heiser is the resident scholar for Logos Bible Software and helped to write their interlinear Bible software. I don't think they would employ a heretic to do this type of work. I say all this because many evangelicals decry Dr. Heiser as a heretic and such because he dares to challenge their modern worldview of the Bible and try to dissuade others from learning from him. Dr. Heiser believes we need to interpret the Bible in it's original context, understanding it as the original ancient Near East writers understood it -- in the actual time and place it was written. This greatly challenges our long-held beliefs about what certain passages mean and turns them on their head. For me, this is what I've been looking for, as I've always believed we've had a flawed view of how the ancient Israelites thought. They didn't have a 19th, 20th, or 21st. century worldview. My DD feels like she's getting the truth for the first time. So, if you have an open mind and are ready to challenge the way you think about what the Bible means, then here you go.... We read a short portion of each chapter, each day of school. We take it slowly because there is so much meat to digest with each chapter. As we read, we will look up passages in a couple different versions of the Bible. We do this to see the differences in the interpretations, as illustrated by Dr. Heiser. I have a journaling ESV Bible in which I take notes from this class. If you have a high school student, this would be a good exercise for them. After reading, I direct DD to supplemental material as available. This could be in the form of a podcast, additional readings, or videos. There is a 5-pt Unseen Realm Seminar series available on YouTube. This has been fantastic to review what we’ve read in the book. The last seminar is a complete question and answer episode. This was invaluable. I drew my supplementary resources from the following: More Unseen Realm (website by Dr. Heiser of supplemental articles, statements, & extended bibliography for the book) Dr. Heiser's YouTube Channel Dr. Heiser's website The following are very helpful as introductory videos: Ancient Israelite Cosmology Divine Council 101 Cosmic Geography (Divine Council Pt. 2) Gods of the Bible (great explanation of Divine Council for youth) Gods of the Bible, Pt. 2 God vs. Sea Monsters Next year we will be studying Ancients again in history. Therefore, our literature & Bible studies will also be directed toward ancient sources. We will be reading many ancient poems, epics, and stories from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Babylon, etc., but in Bible, we will also be reading the Books of Enoch, Jubilees, & other books of the Pseudepigrapha & Apocrypha to further enhance our study of the OT. It is also interesting to note that everything that Dr. Heiser teaches is the prevailing view of ALL ANE and Biblical scholars. This is nothing new to them. It's only non-academic lay people who do not know this information. In addition, most of the pastors in our churches are unaware of this information because they do not get this depth and detailed information education in seminary. This info is taught in graduate school after seminary if you pursue a Ph.D. I hope I answered your question, and I apologize if anyone feels I hijacked the thread -- not my intention. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Things I would definitely re-buy: Elementary: Math in Focus textbooks Math Minutes Primary Arts of Language reading & writing Science: A Closer Look textbooks Moving Beyond the Page LA units Story of the World audiobooks Adventures in America Hoffman Academy Home Art Studio Bill Nye videos Middle school: Holt Science & Technology middle school series Holt 2007 middle school math & high school math Moving Beyond the Page LA units History of US textbooks K12 Human Odyssey series Hakim History of Science books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth 2 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 (edited) Definite rebuy: Math Mammoth (the only thing consistently completed, oddly enough) Science in the Beginning (he ties in scripture to sound science studies, but they aren't a stretch nor is it preachy.) WWE and FLL 3. This was a huge surprise. I didn't expect DS to like them, but he really does, which means they get done. SWI-A: The lack of writing in his PS third grade class was a huge reason we started HS. La was a huge fight during the next year. Now, DS is writing willingly, well, and it gets done. Wouldn't bother: Artist/Musician studies and letter of the week program from a particular blog. Nice thought and price, too superficial for even my LLATL. I can see it working for one of my sons. He quite liked it, but I wanted something different. I'm not sure how to describe it. Lol. Edited because of slipping fingers today. Edited October 17, 2016 by Elizabeth 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama2 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Yes: Horizons Math K, 1, 2, 3 CLE Math 3, 4, 5, 6 (a great fit for us when we needed to move on from Horizons Math) The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (way back when) BOB books Story Time Treasures (used in 1st grade, twice, LOVE IT) More Story Time Treasures (used in 1st grade, twice, LOVE IT) Book Club Bookshelf (our own collection of books that we read aloud as a group) Shakespeare, Poetry, Children's Classics (our collection that we rotate through as a group) Wordly Wise 3000, Level 1 (used with a 1st grader & twin pre-K'ers) Wordly Wise 3000, Levels 3, 4, 5, 6 (levels we have used so far) English from the Roots Up, Volumes 1 & 2 (cards only) First Language Lessons 1 (used in Kindergarten) First Language Lessons 2 (used in 1st grade) First Language Lessons 3 (spread out through 2nd & 3rd grades, grammar only) CLE Language Arts 5, 6 (a great fit for us when we needed to move on from First Language Lessons) Writing with Ease 1 (used in 1st grade) Writing with Ease 2 (started in 2nd grade, finished in 3rd grade) Writing with Ease 3 (started in 3rd grade, finished up the tail end in 4th grade) Writing with Skill 1 (started in 5th grade, will finish in 6th grade) All About Spelling, Levels 1, 2, 3 (we fizzled out with Level 4, twice) Phonetic Zoo Spelling, Levels A, B, C (approximately A in 4th, B in 5th, C in 6th) God's Design for Science, full set (3rd edition, didn't use all of these, but we're keeping them) Apologia's Elementary Science series, full set (the girls use these for assigned independent reading) Science Center Bookshelf (our own large collection of living books on science & nature) Native American History Pockets (LOVED it) American Girl historical book sets (the original sets of 6 books each, with the "Looking Back" sections), all 12 girls History Bookshelf (our own enormous collection of living books on history & biography) Story of the World, Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 (hardbacks) Story of the World, Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 (audio CDs) Story of the World, Volume 1 (activity guide) Veritas Press History Cards (all of them) Mystery of History, Volume 1 (I am a bit ambivalent about this, but the girls love it) Jim Weiss CDs (nearly all of them) Your Story Hour CDs (so many, it's ridiculous) Egermeier's Bible Story Book CLE Bible 4 (Life of Jesus) Personal Bibles for each of us Personal hymnbooks for each of us No: Singapore Math (gave it away) Saxon Intermediate 3 (gave it away) Horizons Math 4 (gave it away) MP Literature Guides for 2nd grade (these have since changed, but we thought they were busywork) MP Literture Guides for 3rd grade (these have since changed; they were better than 2nd grade, but unnecessary) Growing with Grammar (threw it away) First Language Lessons 4 (we just needed to move away from grammar being so teacher-driven) Writing with Ease 4 (brand new, never used it, but I'm still keeping it for now) Winning with Writing (threw it away) Writing & Rhetoric Fable & Narrative (threw or gave it away, I don't remember) All About Spelling, Levels 4, 5, 6 (my kids just needed to be independent for spelling & this was so teacher-directed) Prima Latina Latina Christiana I What's That Bird? (study guide only; we enjoyed the actual books, just not the boring, dry study guide) Lyrical Life Science Lyrical Earth Science Science in the Beginning (brand new, never used it, but I'm still keeping it for now) Legends & Leagues Notgrass America the Beautiful (dry writing style, lots of lists, pages warped & binding cracked over time, blurry black & white photographs; OTOH, the book set is good to have on hand, so it's a toss-up) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queserasera Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Thank you Saddlemomma. I don't know how to quote :). It looked very interesting so I look forward to looking more in to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queserasera Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Thank you Saddlemomma. I don't know how to quote :). It looked very interesting so I look forward to looking more in to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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