Curriculum Struggles

Finding curriculum has been hard for me. We are no longer using Sonlight, even though I really liked it. Katie ended up dreading it and fighting it every day. She said it was too boring. I never tried it with my Ashlee because she was in public school at the time, but I am sure it would work with her now. However, it is out of my budget right now

So here is what Katie has been doing this year so far (she is in Kindergarten):

  • Singapore Math
  • Hooked on Phonics
  • Brain Quest Workbook
  • Bible study
  • Cooking, chores, and errands (she is counting, measuring, trying to read, etc)
  • Lots of nature walks, hiking, biking, outdoor play, indoor play
  • Singing songs, acting out plays, making music, doing art and being a silly kid
  • Trips to Mobius (Children’s science museum)
  • Being read to by us and Ashlee (at least 2 hours on most days) – all types of books
  • Learning lots through living life

This is what Ashlee is doing for the rest of the year (she is in third grade):

  • Bible study
  • Reading at least 2 hours a day (out loud and alone), all types of books and reading levels
  • Copy Work
  • Weekly spelling tests
  • Weekly math tests
  • Math worksheets and math on the chalkboard as well as flashcards
  • American girl unit studies (math, reading, history, social studies, and more)
  • Science kits and experiments
  • Brain quest workbooks
  • US states memorization
  • Photography, playing the violin, doing art, recording movies, acting out plays, singing, having fun
  • Bike riding, hiking, nature walks, PE at home, Wii fit, yoga cards
  • Cooking, chores, errands, and helping out with business (learning through life)
  • Plenty of trips to Mobius

So, that is what is currently doing, but I want something different for next year. I prefer something a little more organized so I don’t have to find and create the entire curriculum. Next year they will be in 1st and 4th grade. I need a Christian curriculum (preferably conservative) and it may be separate or boxed. I prefer something that is very educational but fun and good for someone with a short attention span (Katie). It needs to be affordable ($700 or less for 2 kids). I also need something that is teacher friendly and is more student directed then parent directed. I was looking at My Fathers World or maybe Apologia science with Saxon math and something for history, social studies, and Bible? I am not sure yet but I want to choose soon so I can be prepared for next year. I am really drawn to the Charlotte Mason methods as well. I think that would work for both girls.

Any suggestions? What is your favorite curriculum?

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3 comments:

Sasha said...

I am unsure of what your views on Creation Science are... but if you are interested Answers in Genesis has a science program that is great for younger kids, the animal one in particular has a lot of fun activities to go with it.
I have a blog entry about my math favorites, so if you are interested you could check that out.
For young kids I L-O-V-E Story of the World for history.
I found an amazing program for spelling that falls in the category of I wish I had known about this when I first started! It is All About Spelling and it is wonderful.
For English I am a big fan of the Pathway Reader books, it is supposed to only be a reading program but it is a little of everything and I also really like Winston Grammar. I have also really liked using Writing Strands with the kids.
For bible study persecution.com (voice of the martyrs website) has some amazing lesson plans that correspond to different countries or beliefs around the world.
Everything I just listed is pretty cheap, I am defently a fan of the affordable. : )

Green Family said...

Thank you so much Sasha! This was exactly what I was looking for. I am going to check it all out now and go to your blog. I believe in creationism so I want to have a creationism based science curriculum (I'm Baptist). I looked at that science program and it looks great! I will read more about it and read about the other curriculum's you recommended. It is really nice reading recommendations from someone who is as experienced at homeschooling as you are. :-)

Thanks again, Sasha, you are great!

Sasha said...

thank you and glad I could help.
If you have any questions about any of them I have used them all for years with exception of Winston grammar and all about spelling those two I have only used for this past year. So let me know and I would love to be able to help you in anyway that you need. : )
Good luck, shopping and hunting around for the next years curriculum has always been one of my favorite parts of homeschooling, well at least from the administrative end of things.lol

Oh! and I very nearly forgot a book I have used with each of my older kids is Leading Little Ones to God it is AMAZING! We are baptist as well so I know it lines up perfectly with what we teach. Also for girls the devotionals God and Me are really nice and they have separate ones for each age category with age appropriate activities.

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