How many of you have taken the easy way-with curriculum?

[happyWImom]

I hate to admit this, but many of the curriculums choices I am using now are being used because they are "easy". I have MFW, and I do love it, and the concept. I tend to be drawn to the Charlotte Mason stuff. However, I also purchased WWE & FLL. Now, I know the copywork & narration is CM, but still it is pretty Classical, right? And, if I was using MFW, I wouldn't be doing WWE or FLL. But.... MFW is down in our schoolroom, and involves more time. So, I tend to have dd do the WWE while I'm doing other things. Also, I have her do Draw, Write, Now because again, she can do that on her own. Then, she does ETC online-by herself. And for math, I am going to be starting CLE. We have Right Start, and last year I used Saxon, but both of those take a lot more time.

 

So-am I lazy, is it convenient, and am I the only one here?:confused:

 

Now I know that everything I am using is good curriculum, so I don't feel the dc are getting short changed, and I have spent a lot of time researching it. We read a lot, and I tend to let the dc direct what we do when it comes to art, nature stuff, and science.

 

I was just thinking about it all today when they were doing their work, and thought it was kind of interesting how I've sort of veered off course, and wondered if any of you all have too.:001_smile:

[3lilreds in NC]

I'm heading in that direction. :)

 

I've also used MFW - loved the K and 1st grade. I loved it, especially the K. I plan to use it again with Isaac. I have been drawn to Living Books Curriculum, and really wanted to see what I thought of pure CM," so that's what we tried this year.

 

I would love to find something that they could do more independently. I've chosen all pretty teacher-intensive stuff. AAS for spelling, FLL for grammar; FLL has thankfully short lessons, but I do have to be involved. And, of course, the CM stuff is all me reading and discussing with them.

 

We do use MUS, which they have done independently, but that hasn't gone so well, so I need to be more involved. I have one child who doesn't do very good work without direct supervision.

 

I don't mind being involved with them, but I would like something that offers me a bit more structure. I'm looking into K12 for next year, because I love that the planning is all done for me, and that the lessons adjust themselves online if we speed up or slow down. Record keeping is all done for me too. That sounds wonderful.

 

Then, though, I wonder if I really want to give up MUS, because I think it's a great curriculum. I also love AAS, and don't know if I want to drop that for what I'm sure is a more traditional spelling approach. I love FLL, too, and while I am sure the LA in K12 is fine... you get the idea. :D On the flip side, while we get FLL done quite regularly, WWE is not happening. All the necessary components would be there in K12 and I would be much more comfortable with homeschooling if I knew all the bases were covered and I didn't have to think so hard about it.

 

So, we shall see where next year takes us. I'm praying about it a lot. I am tired of thinking and wondering and my mind spinning about what we're doing so I'm asking Someone with a much better clue than I have. ;)

[Rebecca in GA]

I jumped in with both feet this year when we enrolled the children in a virtual academy. The curriculum was fine but the school itself consistently fell short of its obligations despite requiring more and more of us, so we withdrew after one semester. Obviously, that didn't meet our needs.

 

I bought full curricula from Rod & Staff a few years ago but found it uninspiring. Again, there were a few components I liked but more I very much disliked. I wouldn't say that it was easier to implement, either.

 

Sonlight is the only all-inclusive curriculum I have tried and found to take some of the pressure off me planning and implementation-wise. Though currently we are not using it full-time, it makes up the bulk of my eldest son's history, geography, literature, religious studies and writing courses.

 

In my humble experience, curriculum programs are a great jumping-off point but I've never found one in which every component suits us. Sounds like you're doing great regardless of what program you are using, or not using. :) And I'm to the point where the bulk of the children's schoolwork can be done independently, so I'm probably the wrong one to reply anyway.

[Julie in CA]

Been there, done that.

 

Even though the learning isn't taking place with your preferred method, may I just mention how important a skill it is, to learn to work independently, and to be "steering one's own ship" regarding education? That's a real advantage for your dc that I don't think you should discount. The side effect of that wonderful advantage is that you have to give up a little bit of your ideas about what "the best" learning situation would be. Small price to pay for the benefit of dc learning to learn for themselves a bit (at least, imo). :001_smile:

[KidsHappen]

Well, we use some easy and some hard. It really depends on both the subject and the child. For instance, youngest is using Rocket Phonics and Singapore which are pretty challenging programs but just activities and reading for science and history.

 

Middle dd is using Math - U - See because she learns better with the visual learning for math but used ANalytical Grammar which I think is very challenging. Probably medium level science, history and Latin.

 

Oldest dd is using TT for math just because she is above my level of teaching for this subject and can go farther with this than I could take her. She is using a medium level Latin right now but plans to go farther and then pretty rigorous science, history, grammar and literature. ANd some other subjects to boot.

 

I found that my children progressed from easier stuff when they were younger to more difficult stuff when they were older and more independent.

[datmama4]

I used to piecemeal everything when the kids were younger, but as they got older I felt as if I were shortchanging them because of not having enough time to put together what I wanted. I'd skimp on certain areas because it was too time-consuming to design what I really wanted to do.

 

We ended up going with Sonlight, and we do love it. It's been a real relief to me to have things scheduled out, I really like their literature selections (we are a big book-reading family), and I can skip portions or supplement as necessary without everything falling apart.

 

At first I felt like a failure by not doing "my own thing" but came to realize I can do my own thing, only better, with help from a scheduled curriculum such as Sonlight.

 

Lynda

[TraceyS/FL]

Well, to some it might appear that i have taken the easy way..... i'm "there" every step of the way with them.

 

I chose to move the oldest to a fair amount of BJU HOmesat last summer, and then added the middle one to the mix. She is going thru Phonics 1 still, and so while Mrs Walker teaches that lesson for me (better than i was, i self taught 1/2 of what we have made it thru), i sit there, pause, clarify, reinforce, teach again and more. I just smile more while we repeat things over and over and over....

 

So on my end, there is actually now MORE for me to do by using HS, things are going a lot better too. I have some other stuff i'd like to get to (WP Animal Worlds for one) - but right now we are staying above water without adding more in. Maybe in a month or so the middles reading will be in a better spot and we can add things in.

 

Meanwhile, all three love their HS classes - so i have no guilt there!

[Hen]

raising my hand here- that would be me...

 

I have high ideals, but I am coming to realize, in our 9th year of homeschooling, that it is better to lower my ideals a bit in some areas, then to have a closet full of the "best of the best" curriculum-wise, but to barely make a dent in it all because I am planning and focused-challenged.

 

I am homeschooling 5 kids, and I cannot do it all, for me, in a concrete way, it means I have moved to MUS, instead of the montessori way of math I admire, and away from Abeka- it means we have started using Growing with Grammar, and I chose All about Spelling this year, instead of something more labor intense like the Reading road to spelling. I love the hunt and can spot the creme de la creme out there...but is it realistic to me? I am actually struggling with getting the AAS cards cut out and the magnetic tiles separated..ugh. helllp mee!! I knew it would be a close call with that one, it was on the edge of what I could manage, but still very good and thorough.

 

I caught myself looking longingly at Switched on Schoolhouse last week, because Timberdoodle was having a sale...

 

I am tempted, but I can't let go of everything, I still want my kids to have a rich experience with History and Literature, so I am hanging on to my TOG.

 

all that to say, I think many of us are in the same boat..;)

[coffeegal]

Better a good program worked on everyday, than an awesome program gathering dust on the shelf. :001_smile:

[chiguirre]

I definitely go the easy route. I (try to :glare:) only choose materials that click with my teaching style and dc's learning styles. For me, that means no scripting. You'd think it'd be easier, but it drives me nuts and, as a result, it doesn't get done. I prefer more traditional textbooks and workbooks for skill subjects and a fairly barebones checklist for history and science. I've found that when I stray from these "easy for me" preferences, we end up not getting stuff done. There are definitely "better" programs out there, but they're not "better" for us.

[wide eyes & laughter]

For now, I've let go of everything except our core curricula: RightStart Math (each of my 3 dc working at different levels) and SWR (again - different levels). I remind myself daily (for I truly believe this with *all* my heart!) that I am laying the foundation for them now and cannot compromise on that. Oh, also daily Bible/discussion/prayer time and Read Aloud book (both of these take about one hr per day).

 

My dh does science with them about once per week - short lessons which carry over during mealtime family discussions here and there.

 

History might get done 1-2x per week - on afternoons that we don't have co-op or field trips or fun outings planned, etc.

 

Ds9 does copywork and reads CHOW independently; dd7 does copywork independently.

 

So, science and history are my easy outs but only for now! We will enjoy history more as they work more independently - a couple years from now for my youngest, dd6, I imagine.

[happyWImom]

That is the one thing I'm kind of sad about, is the things I'm leaving out! I know I need to lay a strong foundation in reading and math, but my dc really do love science, and they don't get any experiments or anything like that on a consistent basis. We read a lot about animals (dd's fav) and watch a lot of Magic Schoolbus, Nat'l Geographic, etc... dvd's. Also, we read quite a few living books on weather, animals, etc... But, the art has gotten pretty inconsistant also, as has my music curriculum. I guess it's pretty easy for us hs mom's to beat up on ourselves, huh?

 

But, I am very glad to know that I'm not alone out here.:001_smile:

[littlebug42]

I have tried to pick and choose exactly what is perfect for each kid. I spend a lot of time in the choosing but then, not a lot of time in the doing because I get lost somewhere in the planning and what has happened in the past is that if I don't know what to do, then we do nothing. I am homeschooling 2 and I work nights (28 hours per week) until 1 AM so I am going with a more put together program, Winter Promise, for our next school year. Every aspect of it may not be perfect but I can have freedom to tweak as needed if I am not bogged down with planning the rest. I definitely feel they will still be getting a great education and we can all enjoy what we are doing more if I am less stressed out.

 

I am doing REAL Earth and Space science though as it will be a better fit for my science-minded kid and I prefer a more secular approach in this subject. Then for Math, we will be continuing with Horizons this year until then moving to Teaching Textbooks next year.