MIch elle Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) I KNOW there is no perfect curriculum BUT what are you using that's perfect for YOUR family. Please put the grade/s in the title line with the subject/s. Of these resources, what are you most excited about using everyday? Thanks! :D Edited May 4, 2009 by MIch elle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Phonics--Spell To Write and Read and/or Rod and Staff Phonics and Readers Penmanship--Copywork starting with letters, then words of the child's choice then sentences. Mathematcs--VSL learner = Singapore Math, slower in this department add in Rod and Staff Math History--grammar stage Story of the World Grammar/Latin--3rd grade Lively Latin That's our list so far. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) These are the programs that are perfect for us: K-4 Writing With Ease First Language Lessons MUS TOG Your Story Hour CD's SOTW CD's MathShark 5 - 8 MUS Analytical Grammar Latina Christiana TOG Visual Link - Spanish Fallacy Detective and MindBenders 9-12 TOG- Lit, History, Govt., Fine Arts (not so much for writing) Diana Waring CD's Visual Link - Spanish Analytical Grammar Apologia Science VideoText Algebra Kaplan SAT Prep online MUS - Geometry followed by ALEKS Memoria Press Logic Obviously I have not listed everthing, because everything isn't a perfect fit. After much research, we are going to add the following programs next year: NOEO science (5 & 6th grade) The Lost Tools of Writing All About Spelling Chalkdust PreCalc Would you like a list of the things I have tried and sold over 15 years of homeschooling? ;) Edited May 4, 2009 by Leanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Perhaps not a curriculum, per se, but a philosophy: LCC provided both the "Aha!" and the "aaaaahhhh!" when I discovered it. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 Would you like a list of the things I have tried and sold over 15 years of homeschooling? ;) :tongue_smilie: What do you/dc use that you/dc are excited/enjoy about everyday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 Perhaps not a curriculum, per se, but a philosophy: LCC provided both the "Aha!" and the "aaaaahhhh!" when I discovered it. :001_smile: No, not really! I wish our library system carried it. :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 5 - 8 MUS Analytical Grammar Latina Christiana TOG Visual Link - Spanish Fallacy Detective and MindBenders 9-12 TOG- Lit, History, Govt., Fine Arts (not so much for writing) Diana Waring CD's Visual Link - SpanishAnalytical Grammar Apologia Science VideoText Algebra Kaplan SAT Prep online MUS - Geometry followed by ALEKS Memoria Press Logic How do you and your dc like Visual Link Spanish? How much does it cost? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) K-5: A Beka math was perfect for my ds through 3rd grade SOTW 1 was amazingly perfect for all 3 of mine. That will always remain our best history year ever! Lots of hands-on fun stuff we did. Great memories! Christian Liberty Academy--Their 2nd grade curriculum pulled my oldest ds out of a slump after a bad experience in a Christian School, expecially the story of Robinson Crusoe. AO Life Pac Math--My 2nd ds hit a math wall and was overwhelmed by any math book he saw. The Life Pacs were perfect--he could handle 10 shorter books, even though it was the same amount--it just looked like less. Each book finished gave him a big sense of accomplishment, and brought him back around to being okay with math again. TT Math--Both my younger ds and my dd had a bad year with Saxon. We switched to TT and it worked beautifully for them! Visual Link Spanish--DD has really enjoyed this! Apologia Elementary Astronomy--Didn't last the whole year (meaning the book isn't long enough to last the whole year, not that we didn't finish it), but dd had a blast with it! Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting--JUST what dd wanted! She loves it! 6-10: R&S English/Grammar--Another struggle for us. Didn't find this 'til 3 years ago, but it was perfect for helping us figure out that grammar and diagramming! (dd started it in 5th grade) Life of Fred Math--PERFECT, for both my youngers. They love doing math! They score high on the ITBS tests. I love this too! NOEO Chem II--DD loves this! Apologia Biology--DS15 has enjoyed this. He did all the dissections, which he considered fun. He will read us stuff from the book because he finds it so interesting! BJU English 10--My oldest worked hard to get through this, but says now that he is sooo glad he took it. It helped him a lot already and he is thankful (his words) it was a tough course and he got to do it! Edited May 5, 2009 by Brindee to add handwriting--forgot that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 How do you and your dc like Visual Link Spanish? How much does it cost? TIA That's funny she put Visual Link Spanish up too! :001_smile: Here's a link: http://www.spanishprograms.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Heart of Dakota has been a really good fit for our family this year (wish I had discovered it sooner) and we plan on continuing next year as well! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) Pre-reading/pre-writing: Montessori Read and Write I love, love, love how this book prepares little ones for reading, spelling, and writing. I haven't used the whole thing and I'm not sure if I will. Phonics/Spelling: All About Spelling From Montessori Read and Write we move on to AAS. We love the short, fun, interactive, hands-on lessons. Informal Spanish: Teach Your Child Spanish Through Play It gives the parent ideas to teach children Spanish though games and everyday activities. Edited May 4, 2009 by Lisa in the UP of MI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 3rd grader - Explode the Code. He began book 3 about half way through the second grade and he will finish book 8 in a few weeks. SOTW - he just loves it! Mavis Beacon Typing 5th Grader - Teaching Textbooks 5 - no complaints, good retention. Easy Grammar 5 - ditto I'll be making a lot of changes next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Lots of Galore Park and a few others: 3rd Grade: Junior English 2, So You Really Want to Learn French 1, SOTW 3 6th Grade: So You Really Want to Learn English 3, So You Really Want to Learn French 1, Latin Prep 3, Life of Fred Fractions, Classical Civilisation for GCSE - online with college-on-the-net Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 The things that worked really really well: Dancing Bears reading Handwriting with out Tears writing Educational Fontware (It is a set of fonts to do write your own copywork pages) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicMom Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 We have had a lot of luck with MOH 1&2, I'm sure #3 is just as good. We also really like MFW. We've used: Cultures, CTG, RTR, and planning on using 1st and 10th this year. Also, Maggie Hogan's MOH Illuminations was great this year as an all-in-one Literature/Language Arts program. Math-U-See has saved my dd from math disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Both of my kids are using CLE math, Bible, and Language Arts. It has been a Godsend in all areas! We are also beginning HOD with Beyond for my younger and Bigger for my older (to get in some Am Hist) and so far, it is just wonderful! WONDERFUL. It is amazing how hard I was making curriculum choices when they did not have to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline4kids Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Heart of Dakota has been a really good fit for our family this year (wish I had discovered it sooner) and we plan on continuing next year as well! :D :iagree: Me too. HOD has been a breath of fresh air and has made my four kids all happy, happy.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calandalsmom Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Sonlight is perfect for us, though in individual cores there are occassionally things which do not work. Overall it is a dream come true. TT is perfect for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 Both of my kids are using CLE math, Bible, and Language Arts. It has been a Godsend in all areas! CLE reading and math is perfect in my opinion, but don't ask my ds about it because he'll tell you different. :tongue_smilie: But then again he doesn't like anything we use that's called SCHOOL. :lol::lol: SOTW series continues to work well for us. We're enjoying SOTW 2 with Our Island Story and C.Columbus & Sons IEW HBWL - excellent AO literature selections Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Webster's Speller, Singapore math, the little cards in the back of the book "I Can Read and Speak in Spanish." The cards have pictures for both nouns and verbs on one side and the word on the other, my daughter had fun making up "stories" (sentences) with the cards on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I have a love/hate relationship with SWR at the moment. I love it b/c it works and hate it b/c it IS work.:tongue_smilie: I have found math perfection with Singapore as our spine and Miquon and Rightstart along for the ride. It's varied enough that math is never boring, and all the components compliment each other well. My dd4 can join in with ds6 for the hands-on stuff and RS games and glean w/o the pressure of writing the correct answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Perfect for both... Right Start Math My made up or tweeked science studies Perfect for Ker... OPGTR (after trying SSRW) ETC Perfect for 2nd... Phonetic Zoo IEW (just been doing the keyword outlines and rewriting) WWE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanaTron Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Lower elementary: Explode the Code Story of the World Writing With Ease Singapore math (except my elder dd) Upper elementary/middle school: Megawords Latin For Children then Latin Prep Growing With Grammar Hake Grammar Story of the World Learnables French WWE (remedial for my middle schoolers) Life of Fred (only tried this w/ one so far) Singapore math Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Still looking in so many areas, but here are the ones which have been perfect for my particular kids: PK/K/early grammar- Explode the Code RightStart math (this will extend through the entire grammar stage, all 3 of my younger kids use this). Sonlight readers grammar stage- RightStart Math WWE FLL AAS (this may extend beyond the grammar stage depending on how long it takes us to go through all of the levels) Sonlight readers Logic stage- Sonlight history was perfect for my oldest son in the last few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Finishing 4th and 1st grades Our perfect curriculum: Story of the World. All four years My oldest (9) is finishing up his fourth year. We have now gone from the nomads to the Vietnam War (Vietnam was today's lesson) and he and his younger brother consistantly say that history is their favorite subject. The first grader is finishing up Ancients. How cool that we were reading about Julius Caesar going to Egypt after Pompey at the same time we were learing about the Anwar High Dam nd the Suez crisis. Singapore Math Not for everyone, but my two boys are thriving with it. My Pals are Here Science: Again, not for everyone, but we love it. It provides enough structure for us to actually make it happen and is challenging for my nine-year-old science lover. OPGTR... Love this book. Love it. Love it. Love it. LOVE. IT. First Form Latin This is working particularly well for my highly auditory ds9. He gets Latin verbally first with the audio track, then moving to written is a peice of cake. We are in the beta group for this and I am very impressed so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3byzaz Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Oh, I love this thread! After 7 years of homeschooling, I finally have some wonderful things that are working great for us. At the top of the list is CLE Math and LA! The reading is good too...but don't ask my boys! Also... Meaningful Composition - excellent Explode the Code Life of Fred Fractions and Decimals & Percents and, we have used Weaver for 5 years--been soooo excellent, but it's time to move on and try something new. So, we are excited to go to MOH with BP and God's Design for Science. BJU Science for my oldest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland_Mom Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 First - Second Grade: FLL 1/2 Horizons Math Five in a Row God's Design Science Third - Fourth Grade: FLL 3 & 4 Horizons Math Latin for Children God's Design Science Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 HOD - 4th grader - Preparing Hearts for His Glory 1st grader - Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory K-er - Little Hearts for His Glory HOD is a great fit for us right now too. I just started it ~3 months ago and have gradually added a program at a time until today - I have 3 going! My oldest is getting pencil to paper more. We no longer pass on science/poetry/art every.single.day. We still have time in our day if I want to add something else in - I can without killing myself or them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staci in MO Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I'm a little scared to post this. It seems like as soon as I start saying I've found the perfect fit, I see something I like better. Math: Horizons. I wish I had found it sooner TOG. I think this does the best job covering history, literature, geography, and worldview in a way that works for me. Something else might be better at each of those individual subjects, but integrating them all works great for me. English: Rod and Staff. Love it. I use FLL for 1st and 2nd grade and am very happy. Phonics: Explode the Code. Used it for all three, with no regrets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveBaby Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) Perhaps not a curriculum, per se, but a philosophy: LCC provided both the "Aha!" and the "aaaaahhhh!" when I discovered it. :001_smile: :iagree: I'm planning out next fall using LCC as a framework and Ambleside Online for booklists. It's going to be such a great year! Edited May 4, 2009 by LoveBaby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Spelling: All About Spelling Math: Singapore Math for the youngers; jury's still out for my older kids TOG: I just can't say enough. I know it's not perfect for everyone - but it's perfect for us. Science: I got sold on TOPS science back when I used Sonlight. It is by far the best, hands-on, brain-fuel science around. We especially love Corn & Beans, Radishes, Electricity, and Analysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 BFSU (Buildling Foundations of Scientific Understanding K-2): I get excited about this one, and ds is learning a bunch without knowing he's learning. So am I! MCP Math: We finished K and are now on Level A, which is even better IMO. I love the Teacher's Manual. It works well for ds and is simple for me to teach. Italic Handwriting: Getty-Dubay's program is so simple, so effective. Ds looks forward to his Penmanship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Phonics: Phonics Pathways: It is all I have ever used, and I have 4 great readers. History: SOTW for the youngers. We are about to finish our second go around with this and I still love it! The Teaching Company DVD's have been wonderful for my oldest history-obsessed son. He has done Early Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages and really excelled with both and retained a lot. Latin: Latin for Children Writing: Classical Writing: We have completed Aesop and Homer A, as well as Intro. to Poetry and my kids have learned a lot. I love how thorough and rigorous it is. It has, at times however, caused a bit od stress in my life :-) Memory Work: IEW's Poetry Memorization and the Charlotte Mason Scripture Memory system Math: Singapore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Things that have worked really well for us: HWT Singapore Math* Jacobs Algebra K12 Science* K12 Language Arts* Hake Grammar SOTW Getting Started with Latin Growing with Grammar *Most excited about using these. The others worked well for various reasons, but I wouldn't call them particularly exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwka Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 So far: Tapestry of Grace (History, Literature, Church history, Worldview, Government, Art, Writing & Composition, Geography) Singapore Math ( I am from Europe and that's how I learned) Italic Handwriting (Getty Dubay) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashkraw Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 This is what has worked for us this year 6th Write Shop 1 Chalk Dust Basic Math and Pre Algebra Apologia Science (General Science) Abeka Language - changing next year to Analytical Grammar My Fathers World History/Bible Sonlight readers Rosetta Stone Spanish Word Roots - Critical Thinking Co Spelling Power 4th Write Shop 1 Apologia Science Abeka Math Abeka Language - changing next year to AG My Fathers World History/ Bible Sonlight Readers Rosetta Stone Spanish Word Roots Spelling Power Our favorite item in our curriculum is MFW, we love it. I do not feel there is a perfect curriculum, it is what works best for your family and children. I have tried different languages and maths. I have found the best Math for My oldest and that is Chalk Dust. SHe has never cared for math but loves Chalk Dust. We are still on the quest for a language program that is a good fit. Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Sonlight- for history and literature/read-alouds IEW - writing Fix-It-Grammar Reading Reflex (to teach the little ones to read) Atelier Art (these have been great art lessons on dvd rather than paying for individual art lessons for my kids) My Pals are Here (Singapore) Science We also like: Singapore math Miquon math Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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