I get it now...box curricula and next year's decision to make.

[Deb in NZ]

To simplify look at "how" you use them. A LCC-type daily timetable would simplify things. MUS is a great choice IMHO as it can be used more independently as needed. ILL is a gentle & varied English curriculum. If you like ILL, I would suggest you look at Lively Latin instead of LC. LL has the same variety of topics, is colorful, & some of the lessons could be done independently by a strong reader. How about:

 

Maths (MUS) daily ~30 minutes + occasional Living Math activities

Latin (LL) daily ~30 minutes

English (ILL) daily ~30 minutes

History (SOTW) M/W ~90 minutes (includes time for RAs)

Science (God's Design for the Physical World) T/TH ~90 minutes

 

I use or have used all of the above materials & the times are what it took us on average to complete a day's work. This would leave time on fridays for more CM stuff (artist / composer studies, nature walks, Shakespeare, folk songs / hymns) and leave afternoons for music practice, handicrafts & other independent choice activities.

 

JMHO,

[Lovedtodeath]

I will not comment further about ds4 attending ps K other than the fact, he needs it. He's grown so much going to Montesorri PreK and he needs a little more maturity time for me to be able to have him at home. It's just not a good time to add more to my plate just b/c I feel it's best. I will pull him out if I feel the need but we're in a great school system and he'll be tested in May by the Sp. Ed. specialist to see where he is developmentally. There are other factors I've considered as well that I don't wish to address here but this is the best decision for the situation at this time.

 

I need to pull out my SOTW 4 and really look at it. We could use Galloping the Globe for year too and add timelines for historical events for each country. Maybe a country a month with one longer read aloud each month?

 

I want an easily planned/executed approach: read Chapter 1 of X, Chapter 3 of Y and complete the exercises. As little fuss as possible, very little brain cells being used on my part...hee, hee. :p

 

History: Several people have commented that WP American Story has been the best program, the easiest to use (one had been homeschooling for 8 years and this was the best for her) and made mom and kids happy. Reading aloud is only 1/2 hour a day.

 

I think you have the right idea for science. You could also go entirely independent for the short term.

 

Curriculumservices.com is my back-up plan. It has all worktexts and is designed to be very independent and take less than 2 hours a day.

 

Kindergarten: I know several moms who put their kids in PS K in order to get a diagnosis and help. I totally understand. Also having the Kr around while schooling you DD would make her work take longer. It is not just about how long teaching K would take.

Edited January 14, 2009 by Lovedtodeath

[angela&4boys]

Please share your schedule and etc. How much of SOTW do you do? Do you get extra reading and projects in? How is Apologia working? What makes GWG easier than FLL? Do you follow a schedule and what do you do with the little one? I have a soon to be 2 year old and I need help!

 

I pm'd you. :)

[Karen in CO]

Does your state do free k12? have you looked at it at all? I have a friend here that does k12 and is a counselor for it. She enjoys it and her kids have done it for years are very well-rounded.

[Trivium Academy]

Thank you for the helpful responses, I have resources that I can pull from if I need to (Writing Aids and other LA) and I will preread SOTW4 as soon as I dig it out from its box :p If it's not appropriate, we may do a year of geography instead.

 

I'm not entirely ready to adopt a new curricula unless the options I currently have (we own ILL) do not work for us. Thank you again for your input!

[Rhondabee]

Jessica,

 

I have been using a syllabus from Mother of Divine Grace for Henle Latin. It has been wonderful because I don't have to worry about "planning", but I am free to tweak it (we aren't in an on-line class requiring certain assignments to be turned in at a particular time). They are fairly inexpensive (especially compared to an online class!), and really do provide that hand-holding I have needed. And (the best thing), I never worry about if the assignment is "too hard" or "too easy" - this perpetual worry is the bane of my homeschooling world.

 

I did check, and it looks like they also have syllabuses (syllabi???) for lower grades as well:

 

http://www.motherofdivinegrace.org/curriculum/syllabus.cfm?id=6

 

There may be other companies that offer something similar, as well.

 

(And, I could have never taught my oldest ds to read. We tried for 2 years, and I really think his 2nd grade ps teacher was a miracle worker! No guilt here.)

[...................]

Jessica,

 

I just want you to know that I've read your blog for a few years, and I think I see that something is going on in your life, and perhaps it is a difficult time for you, or there are unforeseen circumstances which we do not know about or understand.

 

Because of your blog, and the posting here, you probably are more "watched" than most...ie something like a celebrity...you don't realize that more people are interested in your life, than you think.

 

I pray the Lord gives you strength in this season and in the meantime, I would just look into using more textbooks and workbooks, even if they don't all come in one box.

[Tutor]

History- SOTW 4 (not sure about using the AG but we need mapwork)

 

 

Jessica-

 

If you are not thrilled with the SOTW AG for level 4 but still want map work for geography purposes, a good combo might be using the SOTW text for history (having the CD as well might be helpful, too, to make it more flexible) and have your dd read then narrate/outline a chapter a week; she could even create her own illustrations for each chapter and make her own summary version of the text. Then for geography, you might want to look at Trail Guide to World Geography and Trail Guide to US Geography. We just started using them and they are very "open and go" with very little advanced prep necessary but very thorough and enjoyable to use. You will need blank outline maps and a children's atlas along with the textbooks (which cost about $19 each), but the company now provides a CD-ROM containing the student text and the outline maps that you can just print up and stick in a binder, and you're ready to go. The nice thing is that the books include three study levels (elementary, middle, and high school) so you won't have to buy a new curriculum when the time comes.

 

Hope this is helpful and that you will find materials that you and Camille will find informative and simple to use. Blessings to you!

Edited January 16, 2009 by Tutor
typos

[keptwoman]

I'm not going to read back over the 6 pages. But incase someone else hadn't mentioned it I just wanted to suggest audiobooks for read alouds.

I struggle with read alouds. They are not my forte. I don't enjoy them. We use a lot of audiobooks and they are read by the narrators better than I could ever read.

I've let go of the guilt and embraced the audiobooks!

[Tammyla]

With your circumstance at home changing, I understand your need to make the most of your time each day.

 

Most programs are set up with the daily lesson(s) and then depending on the age of the student the independent work is assigned. Boxed curriculum will take the planning, gathering, and organizing side out of homeschooling, but not the actual teaching, grading, etc. Even with a DVD or satellite program, young students are going to need a large amount of your time. A program like K12 is set up a little differently, but a home teacher is still needed through out the day.

 

Different families have different needs, resources etc. but any program will work if used and made a priority. The day to day work, time and effort are what works. kwim?

Edited January 16, 2009 by Tammyla

[hmschooling]

For it's ease of use, pre-planned, convenient, time-saving, and flexible nature, I'd like to recommend Heart of Dakota to you. They have a couple different guides your 4th grader would fit into ( "Preparing..." and the new Ancients guide). Both of which will require little of your time and have it seperated into Independent, Semi-Independent, and Teacher Led. It's easy format is easy for kids and moms both to follow. I'm in "curriculum love" with this one like none before in our 4 years of homeschooling (and this is my 3rd curriculum this year! Now I'm hooked)

 

It's like a boxed curriculum only nothing boxed about it, if that makes sense! It's very classical/Charlotte Mason. We just add in Latin. I'm teaching 2 kids and have a two year old running around and it only takes about 1.5-2 hours per day if I take my time (and that includes read alouds!) You dont' have to worry about trips to the library and the cost is reasonable. You get everything you'll need. Their reading program is amazing as well and is one of Cathy Duffy's top picks. It's worth a look if you really need to make your days go easier without giving up the things you want to do!

Edited February 13, 2009 by hmschooling

[Oakblossoms]

It doesn't look like I responded yet. I did go to College and University for the last few years. So, I think I can help you out.

 

We got lax with our studies. I wish we didn't but honestly some things had to give. My boys weren't reading well, and my oldest was diagnosed with Aspergers. We even tried public school for him in hopes that it would elevate stress...it just caused more btw. So, don't be hard on yourself if things don't go the way you want. It was more important the children were at home with us than they were accomplishing a lot in the younger years. Your daughter is more prepared than ours were though. So, that makes a big difference.

 

Our olders both went to K and it made my life easier. By all means use those first few years of public schools to allow you to work with your daughter. Since, we were both in school we usually just traded our youngest and sometimes family watched him.

 

Your schoolwork is going to take up your time. You will think it's no problem in the beginning to balance her work and yours. But, it happened for me and a lot of moms I met that went back to school. You just get excited and start making new brain connections. Before you know it 6 months has passed and your child hasn't done any of the copywork you planned. I would suggest as much prepared work as possible for her. Go out to coffee houses and both take your work along. That's fun and gets you in a different place. Mine thought it was fun to go to the College/University library to study, too.

 

Make up a daily or weekly checklist for minimal work. That way everyone knows what is expected. We had a weekly schedule on our wall with hours for each day. It was colored coded so we knew who should be doing what. It included pick ups and who was doing it.

 

I'm not a boxed curriculum person either, but I would consider it whenever possible. If you are taking a History class, line it up with her studies. There is nothing worse than being caught up in your studies and hers is totally different.

 

Don't plan to read much to her at all. And, don't feel bad about it.

 

I went back to school out of necessity. I'm glad I did that instead of work. It was more fulfilling. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about myself. I plan to go back in the future and will continue to homeschool as well. My dh is the only one in school right now.

 

If you have any specific questions you can email or pm me. There were so many emotions I went through when I went to school. It was enlightening and sometimes heartbreaking. But, you can do what you need to do for your family.

[Becki in IN]

We are using BJU DVD's this year. It has been good for us and we will do it again next year.

[RenayofRohan]

Hi Jessica,

 

I just read through most of the comments, and I don't want to add to them now, except to say that you and your family are continually in my prayers. ;) :grouphug: