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If you use a secular curriculum


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Our first grade curriculum:

 

Language Arts:

First Language Lessons

Writing With Ease

Explode the Code

All About Spelling (is on the way)

Handwriting Without Tears

 

Math:

Singapore

RightStart level B

 

History:

History Odyssey from Pandia Press

Story of the World

 

Science:

R.E.A.L. Life science

Start Up Science (by Singapore)

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We use (or have used)

Story of the World

Singapore Math (Earlybird-US edition, Primary Mathematics--US and Standards edition)

Handwriting without tears

Explode the Code

K12 literature --3rd grade

Story of the US (Educational Publishing Services)

Growing with Grammar (3 and 4)

First Language Lessons (Growing with Grammar didn't have a 1/2 at the time)

R.E.A.L. Science Life

Mammoth Math Clock

Spelling Power

Vocabulary vine

 

and probably other things I don't remember at the moment (we are doing 3rd/4th grade work at the moment)

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PreK, in the autumn: Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, Handwriting Without Tears, and RightStart. Explode the Code maybe, because he keeps asking for workbooks.

 

Dd's currently in third, and using

All About Spelling

Growing With Grammar

Writing Tales (the author references a Christian co-op in the beginning of the book, but so far [Lesson 16] there's nothing in the student text or the lesson plans)

Life of Fred (the dedication page has a quote about glorifying God, but there's nothing in the curriculum, nor on the site)

Key to ... books

SOTW 3, with lots of extra (secular) books

The Elements

Hands-On Equations

 

Next year, she'll be using the following, plus continuing some of the above

Editor in Chief

Junior Analytical Grammar (which IIRC from a hs convention, the authors are Christian, but the curriculum has no references to religion)

SOTW 4, with lots of extra (secular) books

Physics that I'm putting together from various experiment kits and spines... I haven't hammered it out yet, hopefully my amazon order that I placed Friday will help. :D

Mind Benders

 

I've actually not found it too difficult to find secular materials for these ages, aside from science curriculum. I'm dreading figuring out logic, though!

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Calvert Pre-K & Discoveries in Music

Kumon workbooks

Five in a Row

Handwriting Without Tears

Beatrix Potter Copywork for Beginners

Moving Beyond the Page

Right Start Math

Math Mammoth

Time4Learning

Kinderbach

Writing With Ease

Story of the World

All About Spelling

ABeCeDarian Reading

R.E.A.L. Science

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My boys are in 3rd and 4th this year. Here is what we use.

 

Writing with Ease

G.U.M

Spelling Workout

Galore Park English

 

Das Neue Deutschmobil

Rosetta Stone German

 

Right Start Math

 

Story of the World - Modern Times

 

Physics - a variety of resources

 

Art at a Monart School

 

Recorder lessons

Piano lessons

 

PE - a variety

 

Susie

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My boys are in 3rd and 4th this year. Here is what we use.

 

Writing with Ease

G.U.M

Spelling Workout

Galore Park English

 

Das Neue Deutschmobil

Rosetta Stone German

 

Right Start Math

 

Story of the World - Modern Times

 

Physics - a variety of resources

 

Art at a Monart School

 

Recorder lessons

Piano lessons

 

PE - a variety

 

Susie

 

 

What is GUM?

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We use a mix, but our secular component, which in grades k-4 is nearly everything for us, is (and it's all mixed up as I think of it):

 

Singapore Math (supplemented with MUS & CWP)

 

FLL followed by Easy Grammar

 

Spelling--still searching for the perfect one, but I hated Spelling Workout, and so far find AVKO the best for ds, but not perfect

 

Phonics Pathways with Bob Books/Dick and Jane, plus library easy readers at first

 

SOTW

 

Draw, Write, Now until we found Masterpiece Art Instruction's Phonics of Drawing

 

Explode the Code

 

Real Science 4 Kids (no interpretation whatsoever, but so far we've used only the Chemistry) We have tried various science programs, but this is our favourite based on the Chemistry so far.

 

We've tried other things, but not all as successful for my dc's learning styles or my teaching style.

Handwriting Without Tears

We supplement some of this with music (math facts, grammar songs, etc)

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Net year for 3rd and 4th, we will be using:

growing with grammar 3 & 4 (used 3 this year)

Math U See Beta and Delta (used this all the way through)

IEW for writing (Just started this month with it)

REAL science Chemistry by Pandia Press (Used Life this year)

History Odyssey Modern Level 1 (first year using)

assorted chapter books for reading/literature

Handwriting without Tears Cursive 3 and 4 (used before)

Natural Speller and ABC's and All Their Tricks for spelling

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For my 6yos:

Singapore

Miquon

MUS (We don't use them, but I've heard the music CDs are very Christian)

 

SOTW 1

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

Usborne World History Encyclopedia

 

Biology- made up by me, library books, experiments, and notebooking

 

First Language Lessons

Growing With Grammar

Explode the Code

Spelling Workout

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting

Lots of reading!

 

Discovering Great Artists

Suzuki Piano Level 1

Edited by littlewigglebutts
forgot the miquon
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I've used Kumon, Plaid Phonics, pre- and regular ETC, SWR, Singapore starting with EB with some Miquon sprinkled in, Z-B handwriting, R.E.A.L. science, STOW and History Odyssey, Phonics Pathways, Vox Music Masters and Berstein's Orchestra for Children shows from the 60's, every David Attenborough vid I could find, Walking with Dinosaurs, Sister Wendy, Artistic Pursuits, and so many read alouds, I can't count.

 

I'm planning on GWG, Minimus, and then either CW or Writing STrands starting next year.

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This is what we used this year.

 

Math U See Primer

Story of the World Vol. 1 w/History Pockets (Evan Moor)

McRuffy Language Arts K

HWT

 

We tried Moving Beyond the Page. Good curriculum, bad fit for us. Same for FIAR.

Edited by rowan25
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We've used, are using or plan to use:

Learn and Grow Preschool http://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/learnandgrowpreschoolcurriculum.html

 

A to Z Early Childhood Curriculum

Peak With Books

Bizzly Bee and Friends

Complete Book of poems and Rhymes

Moving with math

Leap Frog

Jolly Phonics

Kumon workbooks

Big Skills Workbooks

Bilingual baby Hebrew

Lauri Toys,

Mighty Minds

Play and Learn Spanish

Springboard to Spanish

Sarah and David Hebrew

Teach me Hebrew

All About Spelling.

McRuffy Phonics

Writeshop Primary

Pentime Handwriting

Harmony Fine Arts

Barb's Outdoor challenges

Living Learning books Life Science

Our Los Banos free online science curriculum

Horizons math

Singapore math

Math u see

Miquon

Nurture minds teaching math with the abacus

livingmath.net's lesson plans

First Language Lessons

Handwriting Help for Kids

History Odyssey

Real Science odyssey

Trisms

A Trip Around the world

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We use, will use, or have used:

 

HOP

Leap Frog

WWE (next year)

FLL

Spelling Workout

All About Spelling

Singapore math

Saxon math

Right Start math

Miquon (we have math problems) :glare:

Explode the Code

Handwriting Without Tears

StartWrite (New American Cursive)

History Odyssey

SOTW

Living Learning Life Science

R.E.A.L. Science Earth/Space (next year)

Minimus (next year)

Bolchazy-Carducci Latin Readers

Song School Latin - there are Christian references in the Christmas units, but you can skip those or edit very easily.

Evan-Moor Beginning Geography

Harmony Fine Arts Grade 1

 

I may have left something out, this looks pretty complete though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We've used, or are using either now or in September:

 

Peak with Books

Modern Curriculum Press Mathematics Levels K and A

Miquon Orange Book

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding K-2

SOTW 1

Getty Dubay Italic Handwriting Book A

Mind Benders Critical Thinking Skills

My World and Globe

KidSpeak 6 in 1 (Spanish and five other languages - great price)

Alfred's Piano Course

Spectrum Phonics

Tanglewood's Really Reading Program

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Some of the things we used for those ages/grades:

 

SOTW

Explode the Code

Noeo science

Spelling Power

Saxon math (although I didnt like this one)

Ignite Your Writing

Editor in Chief

Mind Benders

Winston Grammar (4th would be earliest I would do this one)

Minimus

Rosetta Stone for languages

Visualize World Geographay

SWR (for some reason, I think this has some scripture references)

MUS

SSRW

GWG

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  • 3 weeks later...

Great thread and discussion!

 

We're just starting, but we're doing:

 

  • Five in a Row
  • SoTW/Usborne Internet-Linked Wold History (you can see our history curriculum on my blog)
  • Math-U-See
  • Handwriting Without Tears

Looking forward to checking other stuff out as well as we get towards the kindergarten/grade 1 age.

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For K, we used Galloping the Globe (not secular, but the religious suggestions were easily avoided by just not getting them from the library!) for a general country/culture/geography study that was really fun. We also used Five in a Row (also not entirely secular but easily made so, since you're the one using the guide book and leading the discussions. You just don't cover the Bible reference part of each unit. And we used Right Start A for math and Handwriting Without Tears for handwriting. We didn't need anything for language arts because DD was already reading fluently at that point.

 

This year, for first, we're using learning with the next level of Handwriting Without Tears, REAL Science Project Life, Right Start Math Level B, Spelling Workout Level A, Story of the World Ancients, and Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus for literature study (discussion and comprehension).

 

For pre-K, I'm not really doing anything in particular yet, but you might look at the resources at the Letter of the Week site. They're free and fun. Theirs load of good pre-K stuff out there. My little one just won't sit for any kind of "school" yet, even though she's expressing interest in learning how to write etc. Her sister was the same way *shrug*

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I can't agree with that, LOL.....I have never seen a definition that said secular was 'not overtly religious'.....

1. of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.

2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to sacred ): secular music.

3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.

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I can't agree with that, LOL.....I have never seen a definition that said secular was 'not overtly religious'.....

1. of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.

2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to sacred ): secular music.

3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.

 

It's from M-W:

 

http://mw1.m-w.com/dictionary/secular

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Things I've used that are secular include:

 

Spelling Workout and McGraw Hill's Spectrum Spelling.

Also, I've used some of the Spectrum series writing books.

 

Writing Strands; WordSmith Apprentice; Write Source: Writer's Express, all are secular.

 

Getty Dubay Italic handwriting programming.

 

Singapore Math; Key to series; Math-U-See; VideoText; McGraw Hill's Complete Book of Time and Money....

 

Again, McGraw Hill's Spectrum series for geography. McGraw Hill's Complete Book of Maps and Geography.

 

McGraw Hill's Learning Spanish with Children. McGraw Hill's Complete Book of Spanish.

 

Minimus and Minimus Secundus for Latin studies.

 

For the elementary grades, I mostly used WTM's recs of living books and encyclopedic type "spines" for history and science, literature and reading. Using such an approach, one can elect to choose books that include religious references, or one can elect not to include such books.

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I can't agree with that, LOL.....I have never seen a definition that said secular was 'not overtly religious'.....

1. of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.

2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to sacred ): secular music.

3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.

 

that's ok --you don't have to agree with it.

It simply is what it is.

Or isn't ;)

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We use

 

Explode the Code

WWE

RS4K

Handwriting without tears

History Odyssey

Spelling Power

Singapore Math

memory work from The Harp and Larel Wreath

Growing With Grammar

Art Adventures at Home

Themes to Remember

Latin for Children

 

These aren't all at once, but inlcusive of k-3.

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