Addie Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 Hello, I am wondering if anyone has recently used the wayfarer's curriculum? I am thinking of using this curriculum next year when my son begins 1st grade. The idea of a blended classical and Charlotte mason curriculum appeals to me. However, upon searching the web and this forum, there are not many reviews of this curriculum. I would like to hear what other's experience with it was like -. What they liked about it and what they didn't. And if there are other curriculum they would recommend instead. I do like the idea of a 4 year history cycle beginning with the ancients and also the strong 'living books' aspect of it. Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelaR Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 I’m afraid I’m not going to be much help, but we’re also looking at Wayfarers for next year and I would love to see some recent reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 We used aspects of Barefoot Meandering's offerings (Quark Chronicles, R&S Through Literature, ELTL) and I have Wayfarers term 1/year 1. TBH, in first grade it was easier for me to structure my own program using books I had or were available to me. I took a 9 cube cubby, broke down the ancients year into different blocks: prehistory, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, review. Then I started adding books and activities to each cubby. Which activities did we want to do from SOTW? Which from Artistic Pursuits? What books did we want to read? What did I have to offer as picture books? Did we want a secondary focus and bringing in other subjects (like astronomy, health & anatomy, physical science..)? It was a low key, do the next thing set up, but we had a lot of flexibility and I didn't have to spend a ton. I just had to take the time to organize. We never actually used Wayfarers because it wasn't structured in a way that my kid would have enjoyed. By keeping first grade heavy on the activity, we were able to enjoy the books I chose during quieter hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 I really like Quark chronicles. I think they are brilliant. I would LOVE it if they came up with an audiobook. That would make it near perfect. I also really like their English Lessons through Literature. (We used the older versions.). The rest of Barefoot is just fine. Personally, we never used the complete curriculum because it felt overwhelming for me. I am not someone who is good at picking and choosing parts of a curriculum to use. It leaves me with feelings of guilt like I am not doing enough...or I try to cram too much in my day and end up stressed. That has more to do with my personality and less to do with the actual lesson plans though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 20 hours ago, TheAttachedMama said: I am not someone who is good at picking and choosing parts of a curriculum to use. It leaves me with feelings of guilt like I am not doing enough...or I try to cram too much in my day and end up stressed. That has more to do with my personality and less to do with the actual lesson plans though. Same! 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisdomandtreasures Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 Looks like a more CM-y version of BiblioPlan with language arts, math, and art chosen and scheduled for you. I want it. But my kids can't be combined for school (2 bicker like crazy and one drags feet on every task so the rest of us are left waiting all day) and the daily work load is a bit much for the grammar stage students, which are the majority of my children. Still... I waaaaaaannnniiiittttt! 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhwk21 Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 (edited) I have used English Lessons Through Literature for five years with all of my kids and it has been great. We plan to stick with it for the duration. We do skip a few of the assigned readings due to personal preference (we don't care for the Oz series) but that hasn't been an issue. Things I like about it: it's the perfect amount of work, it's scheduled for you, it's all in one place, I think the price is right, I like the gradual progression of instruction for all aspects, I like the majority of the reading selections, and I love that folktales, poetry, and art are included. It's scheduled in a very methodical, routine manner, which we thrive on. We use the optional workbooks through Level C, but then use regular composition books for D and up. The grammar can get a bit intense in the upper levels, but my kids have done well and enjoy it. Beyond that, I have tried to use the whole Wayfarers curriculum twice and ended up switching components out both times. It's mostly a me problem, as I want to assign all of the books, which is just too much for us to accomplish. I have used the history component for the past year and it's been great, only because I've learned to assign a more manageable number of books. I also use the science and geography reading lists for supplemental reading. Overall, I really like that everything is scheduled and have found it easy to use individual components. The whole curriculum was overwhelming for us, but that wouldn't be an issue if you were better at choosing books from the lists rather than trying to read them all. I don't care for Quark Chronicles, as narrative science doesn't work well for us. But if you want a CM/Classical lit-based curriculum, I think it would be a great choice. Edited April 7, 2023 by Jhwk21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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