week 2 and second guessing already - help!

[ktgrok]

Ugh! I thought at this point in my "career" I'd be past this!

We are using a lot of Memoria Press this year, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Using First Start Reading/Core Skills Phonics as planned for K for DS, and it is SO slow so far. But I know it gets faster, so trying to tell myself to hold out - but he wants to read! We spent a whole week on the letter M, this week it will be the letter A. And I already see I'll need to supplement handwriting as the copybook it came with admits it has them copying phrases with letters they haven't taught them how to make yet. (pet peeve of mine!). I think I have another K handwriting book here already, thankfully. 

DD is doing Simply Classical 3 mostly, for special needs students. She has dyslexia. So far that is going okay, I do think it's not enough reading given her issues...we did WAY more reading each day last year using Abecedarian - but again I think that will pick up soon. I'm kind of okay with where we are right now in that. But we are doing their enrichment history, with lots of living history books, which I love the idea of but am not thriled with the first book so far. It was a Landmark History book about Columbus, and made him into a hero and talked about the Indians as if they were curiosities not humans, and made it sound like only once did he ever meet any that he didn't get along with, they attacked him, he was just an innocent bystander, etc. Blech. I'm hoping all the books they chose are not like this! I don't need all the nitty gritty dark stuff, but I did give SOME background to her about how not everyone is all good or all bad and that Columbus and his men didn't treat the Indians like humans made in the image of God, but more as animals, etc. 

Worse, I just got Faith and Life Grade 3 for her for religion, and ugh. I don't think it is going to work at all. Too wordy, and most of the exercises require being able to go back and quickly read the text to find the answer, which won't work orally or for a dyslexic reader. Thinking I may order Seton's religion book (cheap, basic, open and go) or ugh, pay the money for the Image of God series, which my K student is using and has some hands on activities but would be another $60 plus shipping. I think Seton's $17 workbook might win that battle, need to compare again. 

Part of me thinks I should have gone with Catholic Heritage Curriculum straight down the board, for both. We love Behold and See science from them, their reading program integrates with the handwriting, and the social studies for my DD would be learning about world countries which sounds fun.  And their art programs for each year look grea! But then I remind myself that they never cover any literature other than their own made up Catholic storybooks, never cover greek myths of folk tales, etc. And they use Faith and Life for 3rd grade, which we already have and don't like. 

But man, the lesson plans look SO nice, and so streamlines and simple. And with a 18 month old daredevil underfoot that is so appealing! Right now I'm juggling lesson plans all over the place, given that my DD is using bits and pieces of various Memoria Press levels/programs, plus science from Catholic Heritage Curricula, etc etc. 

Blech. 

Anyone else out there second guessing things?

[HomeAgain]

Sounds like me at the beginning of every year! ? 

We have a week to go before we start school.  I've already dropped one program at the last minute due to a cost benefit analysis.  I sat down yesterday to finish planning and realized that with everything else we have here, spending money on a program that will enhance his studies minimally should be cut - at least for now.  I may rethink things when we get to the Revolution. ?

FWIW, we found Pedro's Journal to be a good, simple book about Columbus.  DS read it after watching a few documentaries and shows, so he had a good idea of what was going on.

[....]

We're quite a ways into our school year...like over a third, because we worked over the summer....but I can commiserate.  My oldest two teens are right-brained, kinesthetic learners and it seemed like anything classical education or traditional education never was a good fit for them.  Even now with my high school junior, she can't retain information reading from a textbook.  She's using a textbook for one of her science classes and it basically feels like a wash.  Her brain just doesn't retain information by reading from a textbook.  

I doubt we would've been ok with Memoria Press.  I've looked at it several times and there would've been a mutiny in our house.  I honestly hope it works out for you, though.  I hate that feeling when you buy curriculum and it's not a good fit.  I had that experience with Abeka.  Our first year homeschooling, I bought a level of Abeka and the kid hated it so much that she cried at the sight of it. ?     

[ktgrok]

Honestly, the kids are doing okay, it's me that is struggling! Between the Columbus thing, and juggling multiple teacher guides, etc. Like, the writing book has a guide, the spelling book has a guide, the enrichment history has a guide (which also has the art stuff), then the handwriting has ZERO guide but sometimes confuses me and could use one, then there is an overall guide that lists what we should be doing out of each of those other guides, but not all of it lines up (probably why I'm confused on the handwriting...we are doing a grade level below in that because she hadn't started cursive yet...CHC starts it in 3rd grade), etc etc. 

It feels like a LOT of moving parts, but each part is very short. Not sure I like that. CHC looks like fewer moving parts, and generally there is one book with the instructiosn to the teacher right in the student book, and a removable answer key in the back, so streamlines nicely. 

I've always mixed and matched but that was when I had one student at a time...now with two plus a toddler I'm realizing that isn't going to work. But I've spent SO much money!!!!!! Not sure how much of this I can resell or return. Sigh. 

Oh, and to complicate things, the lower levels of CHC DO have some great literature - Aesops, Peter Cottontail, etc. Upper levels don't, but there would be plenty of time to supplement that given how streamlined the actual curriculum is. Hmm. 

[PeterPan]

If you're staying put, is there a way to organize to cut the chaos feeling? Cut up the manuals, scan as pdfs and put into One Note by week, something?

It sounds like even one or two changes to CHC might help. 

Edited August 27, 2018 by PeterPan

[ExcitedMama]

Don’t feel you have to follow it a certain way, feel free to change it up. I can only speak to FSR but we do it much faster. I have their recommended schedule, which might be old now as I bought it when I used with my oldest. I just brought it out to use with my youngest who just finished Book A. It’s a great schedule as far as planning since it jumps around in all the different books but you don’t have to stick with as written daily. I judge how much DD should do and try to stop before it becomes too much so she’s having fun but as written it wouldn’t be enough for her daily most of the time. The writing and letter introductions are easy so we keep going until she’s done enough for her. Sometimes their dictation daily is too much, they have two pages but one is enough for her now so we break it up. If you think your child needs a different schedule then feel free to change it and don’t feel like you have to follow a certain schedule. 

[ktgrok]

Thanks all! I went ahead and ordered new religion (Seton, thankfully she liked it best and it happens to be the cheaper one by far, lol). I filled out the return authorization and packaged up the Faith and Life (at least the second time I've bought and returned that program, lol) and DH can ship it from work for me tomorrow. Baby got some motrin for teething and is less of a screaming monster. Dog got hearburn medication and chicken and rice so actually ate and didn't cry, pace, whine, or vomit after eating which is huge. (did I not mention that the dog has stomach issues going on as well? Like, puke on the 6 yr old's bed or the new slip covers kind of issues?)

I may or may not also be returning DS's religion..it was expensive and I'm not sure it was worth it. Giving it another day or so to decide, or will at least look through it more and decide. The info is good but the workbook is silly. Mazes will not help cement anything, lol. I'd just read to him from the resources we have, and her too, but we are skipping faith formation at our parish this year so I want a paper trail of output to show in case I need it later. 

I'm also using a new software program for lesson planning, so that probably is adding to the frustration factor, AND my laptop is still being fixed so I'm on a borrowed chrome book that although cute, isn't connected to my printer, doesn't have my saved passwords/bookmarks/etc and is just adding to the chaos. I finally managed to save their assingment lists to google drive and them email them to myself and print them from my phone, but that ate up part of the day as well. 

Going to drink some coffee (iced Americano!) and regroup while the kids have a post lunch break and the baby naps. 

[MamaHill]

We are new to MP cores this year, and I'm using MP Core 1 with my 2nd grader. She was a slower reader, and really needed to go through 1st grade material.  But the pacing...it's waaaay too slow for her.  I called MP to help with how to speed her up, and they gave me great advice!  And they're incredibly kind.

Now I have a plan to get her through Core 1 at Christmas, and hopefully move to Core 2 for 2nd semester.

It may be worth a call to MP to hear an alternative schedule (ie: faster) for your K'er, particular to your situation.

But honestly, it sounds like you have many frustrations.  I'm sorry.  Yes, sit and drink an Americano (my fave!) in the peace and quiet.  And hugs.

ETA: I agree with the handwriting portion of the MP core.  I have many years of HWT under my belt which contains LOADS of instruction, and the MP manuscript and cursive have very little instruction. I'm giving the cursive for my 2nd grader a few more weeks before we head on back over to HWT. Maybe that type of writing works well for some kiddos, but I've found my children need constant reminders with letter formation, how to hold a pencil,etc. ?

Edited August 27, 2018 by MamaHill

[ktgrok]

Was starting to be more optimisitc, and then sat down with today's history read aloud. Um...it's two full chapters. 35 pages. The readings last week were much shorter and more manageable. I don't have time for 35 pages of history on top of the other read aloud we do each day, and which I'm not giving up. (we read a chapter of a novel each morning at breakfast.)

sigh. 

[alisoncooks]

35 pages!!!!! 

There's NO WAY mine could sit through that for history -- and they're 10 and 12!

We had tears today over pre-algebra. I'm seriously reconsidering my choice, though it's an online course and already paid for. Eeesh.  

[nixpix5]

Here is a potential bright side to this...if our students were in school they would be stuck with whatever curriculum the school used. We are so fortunate to be able to recognize those not so good fits and change course. Better to see the pitfall 2 weeks in than 2 months in ? I was going to let one of mine do Bookshark LA for reading/writing. We are 2 weeks in and I am absolutely regretting it. The curriculum is a bit of a hot mess and I am going to jump ship back into what was working before. Not sure why I feel the need to try new things...must be the pull of fun and shiny. 

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, nixpix5 said:

Here is a potential bright side to this...if our students were in school they would be stuck with whatever curriculum the school used. We are so fortunate to be able to recognize those not so good fits and change course. Better to see the pitfall 2 weeks in than 2 months in ? I was going to let one of mine do Bookshark LA for reading/writing. We are 2 weeks in and I am absolutely regretting it. The curriculum is a bit of a hot mess and I am going to jump ship back into what was working before. Not sure why I feel the need to try new things...must be the pull of fun and shiny. 

LOL, I have two mostly unused levels of bookshark on my shelf, lol. AND a level of Build Your Library. I keep being drawn to literature based curriculum because that's how I would have learned best as a student. I need to remember my kids are NOT me!

[ktgrok]

So...Notgrass is something I've used before and found very simple. It's 3 days a week instead of 5. It comes with a CD of songs (including native people's songs!), poetry, etc as well as activities with games that were popular during certain time periods, folk dances, etc. And the workbook gives the option of writing a paragraph OR doing an illustration about the chapter - perfect for my artistic and dyslexic daughter. (we'd do some paragraphs, with me scribing, but she'd love the drawing part). And there are optional read aloud books that I can get used, and you get 3-5 weeks to read them rather than one a week. 

But, it's $89 bucks not including the optional literature. 

But.. it, would probably be perfect for our situation. 

And by the end of the year I'm pretty sure I'd be willing to have paid $90 for something that got done. 

Sooner or later I'll get it through my fat head that we are textbook people. 

I think I'll return the pricey religion program I got for my K student, to help justify the cost. He does not need a pricey program to learn K level religion. I have plenty of saints stories, a children's bible (okay...like half a dozen children's bibles), books about the faith, etc. We can read from one each day. Next year I'll worry about having output, or put him in the parish faith formation. Or I'll order the SEton book that is less than $20.

 

[Bay Lake Mom]

I have been forcing us to use literature based curriculum for the past few years. We have failed every year with this approach. I realized it was for me - I love the literature. They just want to get it done.  So, this year I bought Notgrass Uncle Sam & You for my 5th grader.  She LOVES it, and She’s learning!  

I am, however, using BF Around the World through Picture Books with my youngest. She has LD’s, and she is enjoying it. 

I’m learning that sometimes textbooks are the answer. I think most textbooks created for homeschool are better than what we had in PS. Ex. Apologia Science is a textbook, and they are IMO excellent.  We are more of a textbook family than I ever imagined. 

I felt guilty using textbooks for a while because I bought into the homeschool lie. I thought the only way to provide a quality education for my kids was to offer them a Charlotte Mason or Classical education. I tried to force us into these models. I had to accept that we don’t fit in that mold. It’s okay. #hugatextbook. ?

[ktgrok]

36 minutes ago, Bay Lake Mom said:

I have been forcing us to use literature based curriculum for the past few years. We have failed every year with this approach. I realized it was for me - I love the literature. They just want to get it done.  So, this year I bought Notgrass Uncle Sam & You for my 5th grader.  She LOVES it, and She’s learning!  

I am, however, using BF Around the World through Picture Books with my youngest. She has LD’s, and she is enjoying it. 

I’m learning that sometimes textbooks are the answer. I think most textbooks created for homeschool are better than what we had in PS. Ex. Apologia Science is a textbook, and they are IMO excellent.  We are more of a textbook family than I ever imagined. 

I felt guilty using textbooks for a while because I bought into the homeschool lie. I thought the only way to provide a quality education for my kids was to offer them a Charlotte Mason or Classical education. I tried to force us into these models. I had to accept that we don’t fit in that mold. It’s okay. #hugatextbook. ?

Same! And although Apologia is way more conservative Christian than I am (we are old earth, evolution believing Christians) it WORKS and gets done! (upper level books, I've never used the elementary series ). Even my agnostic teen agreed they were well done and liked them. He actually learned with them, same with Notgrass. 

I do think these kinds of textbooks, which are written by a single person rather than each chapter by a different author or even committee of authors designed to meet standards written by someone who may never have worked with children. 

[Ausmumof3]

Lol we are past mid year here and I’m still changing things up.  We have wayfarers and I am way less than half way through and realising we won’t complete it this year.  Box checker self wouldn’t let practical self move forward in schedule without completing all parts.

Anyway this is why WTM is so good.  It helps figure out what to do with each subject without having to be at a set point each day.  I’ve just now decided that next year we are going back to my WTM style homeschool that worked last year.

also yay for textbooks.  I’m finding mine would rather have a defined amount of work that gets done and they know it’s done than the worlds best literature based curriculum that seems to go forever.  

I love the principles of CM but my kids don’t honestly want the feast.  They want to know what nutritious requirements have to be met and then go forage their own feast in their own free time!

also I may finally be switch math.  After years of love hate for Singapore I think I’m going to do something else with dd next year because I’m tired of math being the consistently most hated subject ever.

[ktgrok]

So, we've made changes!

Switched to Notgrass for history, and the books came today and DD is THRILLED! Was oohing and ahing over the textbook and loves the idea of songs and games. Oh, and was mesmerized by the cool timeline book (has full color pictures already in it, no cutting and pasting!)

Dropped the Faith and Life religion, Seton is on it's way. Working o memorizing prayers in the meantime. 

And today I switched out Memoria Press K phonics for Abecedarian, which I already had. That plus a handwriting book is much simpler than MP, which had me using THREE different phonics workbooks, sometimes all in one day, plus a copybook workbook, plus extra handwriting on regular paper, etc. Plus, I was disillusioned when the first word they learn to read was "am", which to me has a weird sound to the short a compared to say, "cat". DS thought so too. In abecedarian they start out reading "mop" "top" and "pat". 

I am finding the 3rd grade Simply Classical phonics/writing plans a bit easier to use, and there is good review in it for words she can read but not maybe as well as she should. But I'm not ruling out going back to Abecedarian. Or working it in. I'd keep the MP spelling though, I like that it really reinforces phonics rules. And the handwriting is okay, I just keep finding pages that reference artwork but with no explanation of what they are supposed to be drawing, lol. DD has great handwriting though, so whatever. 

Writing instruction with their simply classical writing is a bit of pulling teeth. I'm considering using the writing prompts from Notgrass lessons and just using that as our writing. I have a sneaking suspicion she won't view it as "writing" that way. And I've done enough writing instruction from books to know how to do it. So...yeah, that would simplify for us as well. 

Oh, and art! Our discussion of this week's art poster (which isn't the right one because I never got over to Staples to pick up the one I was having laminated) turned into why they thought the girl in the picture was creepy. A very in depth discussion of how creepy she was, and what made her that way. Not quite the discussion I'd imagined, but hey, they were being observant at least? (we decided it was because her mouth was smiling but her eyes were not)

Edited August 30, 2018 by Ktgrok

[PeterPan]

20 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

Switched to Notgrass for history, and the books came today and DD is THRILLED! Was oohing and ahing over the textbook and loves the idea of songs and games.

What did you buy? We might like songs and games! 

I don't know anything about ABCDerian but if at some point you're looking for something different but doable and idiot-proof, you could check out Spelfabet. I'm using it with ds right now and it's surprisingly brilliant. Very low key, and idiot-proof enough for me, lol.

Edited August 31, 2018 by PeterPan

[ktgrok]

Ugh. 

So, I've dropped First Start Reading for my Kindy and he's now doing Abecedarian Level A and a Kindergarten handwriting book. I MIGHT keep doing Core Phonics K with him, but in normal order instead of jumping around. 

Thinking I'm going to keep DD in First Start Reading E (last level) as it is only 8 weeks and a good review of phonics rules. We've dropped Core Phonics 3 as she HATES IT with a passion I've never seen with her and schoolwork. HATES it. Feels it is babyish even when it isn't easy. Will probably go back to Abecedarian for her when we finish FSR E. I did a placement test with her and despite finishing levels B1 and B2 she still doesn't place into level C. So I'll see if that is still the case in 8 weeks when done with FSR. If so, we may get Short Version of B, and do it as a review, or just do the review pages off the website (will talk to the owner of the program first). And add in more reading in actual books/readers which we've not been doing. 

We will keep Traditional Spelling, she doesn't mind it and it really reinforces phonics so that's good. 

Dropping Simply Classical Writing and just going to write across the curriculum, using history and science. 

And just ordered a new handwriting program as this one has NO instruction and it has been forever since I did cursive. 

Edited September 4, 2018 by Ktgrok