Homeschool complete curriculum

[gabbysmom04]

I am looking for a complete curriculum for my DD. I am thinking about sonlight or moving beyond the page. Does anyone have any other ideas? I am looking for something that will challange my DD. I also need something that is already planned out.

 

[Mom21]

Calvert is good, although a bit pricey. I used it for 3, 4, 5. Each day is laid out in a manual. Day 1, Day 2, etc. http://www.calvertschool.org/calvert-school

 

[adoptionmomma4]

I am looking into Sonlight this year for my kid’s grades 1, 3 & 4. I find just ordering Sonlight to be confusing, so I am nervous about the curriculum) It is very literature based so be prepared to read a lot. I am leaning towards Rod and Staff. It is a great curriculum; however it is very plain and simple. No fun, colorful pictures and such. But, Biblical and great academics. It has one of the best English curriculums available.

I have heard GREAT things about Calvert.

My kids used Abeka in private school and it is a good challenging curriculum. Our reading doctor actually says you can go a full grade below in Abeka and the kids will still be challenged. They also used some Bob Jones and Alpha and Omega all of which worked well for them.

There are so many curriculum choices, that I find it very overwhelming. I also need something laid out for me. I think any of the above choices are great. Do you have a home school conference close to you that you can attend? They usually have most of the different curriculums to look at. Also if you decide to use Sonlight look online for a used Core, they are easy to find especially if you will be using core C it is a very popular one.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[blessedby3]

My kids used ABeka and were very challenged by it. We used it in homeschooling and when they were in private Christian school. It is all well planned out.

 

[hddanis]

We're going into our 5th year using Calvert and have loved every bit of it. The lesson manual is the best thing about it! I've used every grade from Pre-K to 7th Grade (Starting 8th Grade in the fall) so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. We're currently doing K, 4th, and 7th.

I find it can be very challenging for my kids (but not HARD).

I also love the support from the school. If you have problems or questions, you can call the education counselors as often as needed..even 3 times in a day if need be (done that)

And they do have a payment plan option as well, so you don't have to fork over everything at once which is great for those with larger families.

 

[dis-happy]

Calvert mom here too! It's a wonderful classical curriculum, and I think the way it teaches writing/composition is the best around. My dd used it K-8 and now, 4 yrs. later, will start her Freshman year of college this fall (she got into her first choice, early decision school and I feel very good about the solid, educational foundation that was laid through Calvert). For my ds we used Sonlight in grades 2 and 3, then bumped back into Calvert. At the time (there weren't as many choices in Calvert then) I thought the curriculum would be a little too challenging for him, so that's why I switched. He'll be doing grade 8 this fall. Last year they added the on-line component where each lesson has a short (5 min) video for most subjects each day. I think this has been a great addition, available for the middle school years I believe.

I never cared for Calvert Math (although it has changed over the years and I haven't tried the new one), but instead substituted Saxon Math and the DIVE cd's. We also supplemented w/ Saxon Phonics for my middle child (but again, Calvert has totally redone their phonics since then, so the new one may be better for those who need more repitition).

The downsides: it's expensive, and for moms that have several children they are trying to homeschool close in age, very time consuming if not impossible to manage. That's when something like Sonlight is better, you can teach 2 or 3 kids the same material at the same time and have it work. With Calvert, as they get older they become more self-sufficient using the lesson manual and it becomes easier. My 3 children (soon to be 4) are spaced 5 years apart due to IF, so for me Calvert has been very do-able.

Good luck! Remember, homeschooling is a journey and there's not right or wrong way to do it, you just need to find what works for you and your family.

 

[carissanboys]

I love K12.com. It's a classical education online. It's pricey, but I really liked it.

 

[mamaloya]

I use My Father's World and love it. You can use it for more than one age at once. It is similar to Sonlight and they use the same books a lot. I prefer it because it is easier to follow and more simply laid out. You just have to add your math and spelling/grammar. It is very hands on and works well with all learning types, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Their website is www.mfwbooks.com .

 

[bcvprincesses]

I love K12.com. It's a classical education online. It's pricey, but I really liked it.

Count us in as a K12 family that loves it. It is so easy for my dd's to go online and see what they need to do for the day. It is very challenging for them but they seen to enjoy learning new things. I found out about K12 here on the boards last year and it seemed to be the best fit for our family.

 

[Mommy2Lots]

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[disneymom3]

I am in the process of having DD do the placement tests for K12 Language arts. She will be using Teaching Textbooks for math and I think that we will be doing K12 for LA. Getting easier and easier for me to homeschool her! Of course, the geography course I am designing myself is rather time consuming!

 

[graygables]

K12 is an excellent curriculum, but very advanced. I also felt that some of the elements of 'classical' education were a bit outdated. I used to be an English teacher and some of the grammar was just overkill. We are trying Switched On Schoolhouse this year. I simply no longer have the time necessary to work through Calvert or Abeka, so I need something that is self-directing for my 11 & 8yo DDs.

 

[carissanboys]

K12 is an excellent curriculum, but very advanced. I also felt that some of the elements of 'classical' education were a bit outdated. I used to be an English teacher and some of the grammar was just overkill. We are trying Switched On Schoolhouse this year. I simply no longer have the time necessary to work through Calvert or Abeka, so I need something that is self-directing for my 11 & 8yo DDs.

I'm glad to hear you say that actually! We're putting both of our sons in public school this year and I'm worried about my oldest being behind (he'll be going into 2nd grade).

 

[Denine]

We use Calvert. We have only used PK so far but I am awaiting the new full day K program to be delivered. (it takes 3 hours instead of 1-1/2 hours).

We are going to use Horizons for math and that is already in the classroom waiting.

 

[crl]

We are using Winter Promise (www.winterpromise.com) It's kind of like Sonlight, but has more activities and hands on stuff also internet links to info, games and such. That's why we went with it. We just finished week 6 of Animals and Their Worlds and my dd is enjoying a lot more than Sonlight's Pre-K which we used last year. So at least for K Winter Promise is our curriculum of choice.

 

[Harmoniebreeze]

I just got the grade 1 Calvert on ebay. I got a GREAT Deal from a mom who was selling it used. There were only two sheest that had markings on them and the rest were perfect! We have not used it yet because I feel DD5needs a break since she is already a year ahead, but everyday she wants to know if we are ready to move on! I was planning on taking an entire month break, but she isn't going to let me...so maybe I'll start next week.

I am thinking of going with Saxon math because I like the traditional aspects of it...still thinking that one over so any suggestions would be super!

 

[Mrsduck101]

We use Winter Promise, also. Right now American Story 2 which starts around the Civil War. We completed American Story 1 last year and really enjoyed the great literature.

We also use www.time4learning.com. It is a per month/per child cost, but to us the cost it 100% worth it. It is LA, Math, and some Social Studies and Science.

My kids love science so we bought a kit from Science in a Nutshell that came with tons of experiments. We went with earth science and my kids are chomping at the bit to get into it.

We start back on July 16th

 

[laceemouse]

We are bookworms and LOVE Sonlight! I love the way it is all planned out for us, and I am even learning a lot from it !

 

[laceemouse]

I just got the grade 1 Calvert on ebay. I got a GREAT Deal from a mom who was selling it used. There were only two sheest that had markings on them and the rest were perfect! We have not used it yet because I feel DD5needs a break since she is already a year ahead, but everyday she wants to know if we are ready to move on! I was planning on taking an entire month break, but she isn't going to let me...so maybe I'll start next week.

I am thinking of going with Saxon math because I like the traditional aspects of it...still thinking that one over so any suggestions would be super!

We have tried almost every math program out there. Oldest dd still does Saxon, she doesn't like it but she is almost done (Saxon advanced next year!) The second two I have switched to Teaching Textbooks...... ! My youngest has been super hard to fit, we are working through Math-U-See slowly and it seems to be working. Good luck, math has been the hardest thing for us to settle on.

 

[disneymom3]

We use Winter Promise, also. Right now American Story 2 which starts around the Civil War. We completed American Story 1 last year and really enjoyed the great literature.

We also use www.time4learning.com. It is a per month/per child cost, but to us the cost it 100% worth it. It is LA, Math, and some Social Studies and Science.

My kids love science so we bought a kit from Science in a Nutshell that came with tons of experiments. We went with earth science and my kids are chomping at the bit to get into it.

We start back on July 16th

How do you feel about the WP projects? We started WP Amer Story 1 last year and I was very disappointed with the "hands on" projects. Making paper based things all the time was not what my kids wanted to be doing at all. Especially my boys! The only thing they talk about from WP was the reenacting a Mayflower meal. We then switched back to SOTW and there are a LOT of activities they remember from that. Not as US based as I wanted though so that was what I had to let go of. They did like the WP books a lot.

As for Saxon Math--I tried it one year and DD would literally put her head down on the table and cry. We both found it really repetetive and really boring. We have used Singapore which both of my boys will continue with and DD as I stated will be going into Teaching Textbooks--thanks to recommendations from other DISers.