Curriculum We Wish Existed

[anabelneri]

On 6/22/2018 at 6:20 AM, Michelle Conde said:

Kits with everything included and sorted by lesson to accompany BFSU.  Seriously, that is the best elementary science I have encountered, but it is so dang hard to implement.  Science goes so much more smoothly and happens so much more consistently when I have pre-made kits like that for myself, but it takes so long!  I wish I could just throw some charter school funds at it and be done.

 

 I’ve considered the idea of making and selling kits myself (because honestly, it wouldn’t take that much more time and effort to make twenty kits than it does one, since most of it is locating and acquiring the different items), but would there be a problem with selling a product based off of someone else’s product?

 

This. Definitely. And I'm loving the new abridged version of BFSU1 - I might actually get through the whole thing! 

I would talk to Dr. Nebel. I think it's ok to sell stuff based on someone else's product, but I also think he'd be open to someone doing it if they asked. Would you put it on ebay or etsy? I've thought of the same thing several times, but my ADHD makes it exactly the wrong kind of project for me to do.

[Lucy the Valiant]

Science like Veritas Press' Self-Paced History & Omnibus series. 

[almondbutterandjelly]

1 hour ago, anabelneri said:

 

I'm curious, did you try CSMP? I know it's crazy, but I've heard good things about it from VSL folks. I've only tried the K level with my Ker and he loves it, but I can't say they've done all that much yet.

No,  Just FYI, everyone who is being awesome and helpful, my dd is now in 12th grade and will be starting Mathusee PreCalculus in the next few weeks, so we're good.

However, if I had to go back again, I probably would have stuck with Singapore all the way through elementary.  But when we hit roadblocks, we hit major roadblocks for long stretches of time. 

I also really like the Key to series, so that might have been a good choice back then, at some point, as long as I color-highlighted every darn thing in the books (my dd requires color to learn).

Color, picture, stories, humor, and big picture thinking.  That's what we needed.  We muddled through.  It would just have been nice to not have to muddle.  But she's doing great now.  Solid.  I spent years making her solid.  And she naturally understands Algebra, always has, so high school math, although time-consuming, is not a big deal.

[shinyhappypeople]

I have another idea.  

I would like to see a condensed version of WWE 1-3 (or 4) designed for middle- and high-school students who either have gaps or struggle with writing (incl those actual LDs like my DD) and would benefit from the method.  

Yes, I could buy the separate volumes and pull out exercises myself but that would get expensive and, being totally honest here, organization is not a strength of mine.  I need open-and-go.

Please ❤️ 

[Seeking Squirrels]

A really good literature collection by grade/age starting in K or 1st that is completely secular but is not tied to larger curriculum. We are often all over the place with what year we are doing so the literature isn't always the closest fit. Like when I did Ancients with my 4th grader. BYL would have been the 1st grade book list. So we did HO and I came up with my own reading list. I considered just taking the 4th grade list but then it's a major mis-match for history content. I use several places to pull together our reading list but I fear I play favorites doing it that way and it would help me get out of my own box more if I had one list I took and ran with. It is also hard to judge how many books I should plan and sometimes I can't tell until the book is in front of me if it should be a read aloud or reader so I plan it in the wrong group (since we use the library as much as possible and I don't have time to check them all out in the summer to read myself!)

So ya, secular read alouds and readers scheduled by age independent of a history cycle or any other theme. 

[NewIma]

On 6/21/2018 at 6:16 PM, Another Lynn said:

US history spines, particularly for elementary, that aren't dry and boring, tedious, biased, busy, etc. etc.  

Another Lynn, have you checked out books by Sheinkin? He wrote King George:What Was His Problem? which is an AMAZING and funny and interesting quite thorough overview of the Revolutionary War. I HIGHLY recommend it. He also has books about the Civil War, Westward Expansion, World War 2. etc. I plan on using his books as spines whenever possible because we all loved the King George book so much! 

[Another Lynn]

9 hours ago, NewIma said:

Another Lynn, have you checked out books by Sheinkin? He wrote King George:What Was His Problem? which is an AMAZING and funny and interesting quite thorough overview of the Revolutionary War. I HIGHLY recommend it. He also has books about the Civil War, Westward Expansion, World War 2. etc. I plan on using his books as spines whenever possible because we all loved the King George book so much! 

I haven't.  Thanks for the recommendation!!

[lulalu]

Is there even a market for teach it yourself anymore? All I hear about now is computer based or dvd based or workbooks written to the student! 

I would love something like 5 in a row just better. With phonics, spelling, grammar, copywork all included. And unit studies around the books. Everything seems to be written so lightly and not into depth with literature unit studies. And I want picture books and chapter books to choose from for the early years. 

I have wondered about making my own and selling. But then I really wonder how many out there want to teach like me. It just seems everyone now wants to not be involved. 

[ereks mom]

On 6/21/2018 at 4:44 PM, shinyhappypeople said:

...I wish for materials for older, struggling learners that are designed for use in a homeschool not a classroom.  Lots of bonus points for materials from a Christian worldview.   

...Ex: remove references to grade levels...

 

I've been saying this for YEARS. My at-risk high schoolers really need to be using 6th grade textbooks, but they are mortified if there's a big ol' 6 on the front of the book.

[scoutingmom]

Canadian History that isn't by the main Canadian History publisher.....  interesting, appropriate, inexpensive.... another unicorn.

[shinyhappypeople]

11 hours ago, ereks mom said:

 

I've been saying this for YEARS. My at-risk high schoolers really need to be using 6th grade textbooks, but they are mortified if there's a big ol' 6 on the front of the book.

RIGHT?!

Why is it necessary to have "for ages 9 to 12" or whatever on the cover.  You've just made it less usable for a lot of people.  That seems foolish from a marketing standpoint.  Think about how people normally purchase homeschool curriculum.  It's almost all online.  There's the flexibility of including information about intended age/grade ranges in the product description without incorporating it into the cover art.  

This is an area in which Math-U-See excels. 

 

[readinmom]

On 7/1/2018 at 11:25 PM, Targhee said:

Adulting 101

We bought this for middle ds...

Adulting Book

 

[Ausmumof3]

A good quality well written (sotw style) Australian History text that provides more on the pre colonisation history etc.

[Rosie_0801]

On 6/22/2018 at 7:37 AM, perkybunch said:

Oh man, a math curriculum starting in K and going all the way through high school that is suitable for my big picture thinker, right brain learner.  That would have been amazing.  

 

I'd have liked to see what CSMP looked like if it went all the way through.

[Rosie_0801]

22 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

A good quality well written (sotw style) Australian History text that provides more on the pre colonisation history etc.

 

Buy Bruce Pascoe's book and get to work!

[Ausmumof3]

8 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

 

Buy Bruce Pascoe's book and get to work!

 

Reading it in Libby at the moment and customising!  Impressed with the kids books and info we are finding but would love to have something pre made!

[Rosie_0801]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

 

Reading it in Libby at the moment and customising!  Impressed with the kids books and info we are finding but would love to have something pre made!

 

Which books are those?

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Rosie_0801 said:

 

Which books are those?

Sorry that probably sounded like it was along the lines of Bruce Pascoes books - just more general culture, story and mythology books.  We are trying to learn about central Australia and have a few picture books - Maralinga - the anangu story, growing up at Uluru Australia, Albert (about Albert Namatjira).  There are also a few about bush tucker, healing, toys etc that aren't kids books but are pretty accessible for kids.  Not sure if that was what you had in mind.  What I'd love to find is something that gives a broader overview I think.   But I think I will have to research.  It's one of those areas where self education has to come first!

[Raeof5]

I wish there was a

- health curriculum that had an emphasis on things like alternative medicine, modified accurate food pyramid, food as medicine and how we get sick, mental health and its connection to diet, essential oils, etc.

- fun project based life skills curriculum that covered everything you should know to make great decisions when you get out on your own.

- fun unit study/literature based history for high school that doesnt leave out minorities but has us as more than just slaves or fighting for civil rights but yet isn't strictly about us. I'd like it to run together. Maybe SOTW like.

- great IT curriculum with interactive practice labs/simulations included

 

 

[goldenecho]

A curriculum that, without passing judgment on which was right, laid out the arguments for and against creationism and evolution.   That alone would be amazing.   It would be great if it also covered the various theological views on this (because there isn't just one...Genisis is interpreted in various ways).  And if this was followed up by general science books that took this view of discussing the issues and showing both viewpoints...oh that would be even more amazing. 

 

 

[goldenecho]

Another resource that would be awesome is a collection of printable books (living books...like regular picture books), where you could plug in the phonics rules your child had been exposed to (like, maybe they know all the basic sounds, beginning blends, and silent e, but hadn't done ow, r controlled voweled, etc.    And it would color code the text in the books so that all the words your child didn't know the rules for yet would be in one color, and all the words your child could read would be in another color, and you could read with your child.    (OR, if could be on an iPad or something and allow the child to click on the words they didn't know to read them, but wouldn't make that available for words they did know.)