Just A Night Owl

Category Archives: Curriculum

Chocolate Walk.

Written on June 1, 2011 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum

As we are completing a unit study on Chocolate, I had devised a clever little plan to go on a chocolate walk. I was inspired by an idea I found while looking online for things to do revolving around chocolate. There is a website of gourmet walks in San Francisco that offer Chocolate tours. You pay $50 a person and walk and eat gourmet chocolate. O.k. so my white trash, kid friendly version of this is to walk all over and eat various non gourmet chocolates. Much cheaper.

We have been having insane weather for California. It is currently in the 50′s and threatening to unleash buckets of rain. School is out tomorrow and we have been putting off this chocolate walk, while waiting for a clear day, for quite awhile. So, this morning, I aborted the chocolate walk and turned it into a chocolate drive.

Three rules : NO QUESTIONS , NO COMPLAINING and ONE FACT ABOUT CHOCOLATE RECITED AT EACH STOP. It is amazing what children will do for candy. Taylor was very pleased that Greyson was partaking in our fun by drinking his GERBER GOOD START baby formula which was originally Nestle. Did you know that in 1867 Henri Nestle’s first big hit was infant formula, not chocolate?

Loaded up and ready to go.

First stop: STARBUCKS and kid’s hot chocolate all around. $3.19

Next stop: Sees candy. I bought 2 pieces and the lady gave us 8 pieces as samples. The kids each ate one piece. $1.26.

Next stop: Henry’s Market. They were allowed to pick 2 pieces from the barrel candy. Chocolate covered cherries, chocolate covered pretzels and pure chocolate were the winners. 53 cents.

Next stop: McDonald’s. A snack size Rolo McFlurry split 3 ways. As you can see…the sugar is starting to kick in. $1.47.

Final stop: Bel Air. Sample cookies. I split one chocolate chip cookie 3 ways. FREE.

$6.50 is not bad for this fun little field trip. We will finish up our study and complete our lap books in the morning. Then school is out for SUMMER. We all survived our SECOND YEAR of this strange little phenomenon known as home school.

I’ll Tell You Why. Curriculum Review Pt. 2.

Written on May 20, 2011 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum

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A while back, I began to review my curriculum choices for next year. My overall plan can be found here. I have almost everything in now and will begin organizing and working on overall lesson plans for next year. I REALLY wanted to have this completed before the end of this school year. I will continue to work towards that. However, sudden classroom and pantry makeovers, among other things have stolen my attention and I am definitely NOT on track to complete that goal.

First Grade items make me happy. I think I am a kid at heart. I love fantastic illustrations and the choices that I selected did not disappoint.

A Reason for Spelling ~ There is a lot of Bible throughout this curriculum. Each lesson focusses on one verse that is the same verse that is being used for practice in A Reason for Handwriting. It starts with a short phonics review and then begins with spelling word lists. Each list contains a variety of ways to practice the words and activities and stories to focus on the meaning of the verse for that week.

A Reason for Handwriting~ I chose this because each daily lesson is short and uses words from the verse of the week. These lessons are a “practice” for the big day at the end of the week where your child can select a background paper and then write out the entire verse for that week. It is suggested then to color in the paper and use these completed scripture sheets to send to a sick friend, turn into a placemat, or any other creative idea you can think of.

Apologia Science ~ After aborting A Beka science I was on the hunt for a new science curriculum. I couldn’t turn anywhere without running into Apologia. I read review after review and literally found almost no negative. This curriculum appears to have a ton of hands on learning. It is for multiple age levels and offers a note booking journal. I am really curious to see how this one will go over. I have just heard so many good things, I can’t help but think, “How can a curriculum be THAT good?” I will let you know. I will be ordering this as soon as I sell off some more of our curriculum that we are finished with from this year. This kit comes conveniently labeled for each science experiment throughout the year with all of the necessary supplies.

Write About Me/ Write About My World ~ These are great and inexpensive books for beginning writing practice.

My Calendar Book ~ Additional calendar practice and practice in charting and graphing daily weather patterns.

6th and 7th grade curriculum just does not provide the cute factor anymore! However,I am looking forward to getting into all of these books and planning it all out. This is completely one of my most very favorite parts of homeschooling.

Teaching Textbooks ~ I just love it. The kids just love it. It is so easy for them to understand. It provides explanations for missed problems and real life examples to implement the learned material. I found out last year while although I can DO math. I am awful at teaching it and I do mean awful. Trying to explain math concepts is difficult. I did not do well. I completely embrace the online approach and will stick to it. We are all happier this way.

Apologia Science ~ Astronomy for my 6th grader and General Science for my 7th.

Positive Action ~ I love their Bible curriculum. I have used it for 2 years now. These Wise UP books are based on Proverbs and I was able to purchase for just a few dollars each because they have redone the cover for this year. Yay for me.

Reading ~ I have selected 4 titles and purchased the unit guides for each title. We will be spending a quarter on each title. These guides offer, quizzes, project ideas, prompts for discussions and a ton more. In addition, my kids will do at least 30 minutes of reading of their own approved selections.

Writing ~ Open the Deck. I have noticed that it seems that most of the curriculum that I have looked at for language arts seem really skimpy in writing. This may or may not be true, but regardless this writing program that I have found looks awesome. It has very high reviews and goes through what appears to be super creative and thorough teaching of writing styles and basics.

Not so boring grammar ~ basic grammar review of parts of speech and all that jazz. Complete with a bit of a flair when it comes to the exercises. They do really look “not so boring”.

Expedition Earth~ These are the supplemental materials suggested to purchase for our Expedition Earth Curriculum. I still need to do the printing and organizing to put the kids binders and passports together. I look forward to doing this with all three of my kids next year. My crew is not so good at working together with their siblings. Magically they seem to turn into respectable citizens when placed next to a friend or stranger. However, ask them to do a project with one of their own peeps and they need some work. I am hoping that engaging in this year long program will provide some growth in this area for us. This program is so cool. It gives a great overview of different countries, prays for the countries and incorporates listening to their music, cooking some of their foods, and doing some international art projects. It should be a lot of fun for all of us.

IF you are new~ish to homeschooling you may be asking yourself HOW DO I CHOOSE CURRICULUM? This is my theory…you may want to sit down for this, as it’s pretty deep.

I am going to go in with the assumption that while I am quite certain that some curriculums are “better” than others, each one provides an opportunity to learn. All I can do as a parent educator is to pray, trust the professionals who have created the curriculum, read reviews, and talk to others for opinions. Ultimately, you absolutely can get lost and overwhelmed in the infinite number of choices out there. It can make your head SPIN. Spend some time researching, pick, commit and move on with life. Despite the distracting fun of shopping, I am pretty sure that learning is supposed to be the most important part.

I’ll Tell You Why. Curriculum Review.

Written on April 26, 2011 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum

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First, let me say that I am completing my 2nd year of homeschool. I love my children. I have a brain. I have done lots of research, questioning, and prayer. However, by no means do I consider myself anywhere near of an expert on the subject of school curriculum….not one bit.

I have had multiple questions on why I chose what I chose and why I aborted A beka. If you are like me at all. I love to hear what other people use and why and then filter it into my world and how it fits into my gig. So, here goes. Random, unprofessional, thoughts on curriculum a la me….

First off, I tried SONLIGHT last year. We used it for weeks. The company has unmatched customer service and incredible return policies. This curriculum requires a ton of parental involvement and a ton of reading. My kids have had a strong classroom setting background for 5-6 years and they weren’t super comfortable with the switch in learning styles. Sonlight has little to no tests, quizzes, or worksheets. I think it is an awesome curriculum if you love literature and reading and plan to do a TON of both. It is a user friendly curriculum I think, as the lesson plans were super easy to understand and use. Another downside is because you are purchasing so many books, it is quite expensive.

A BEKA. From what I have gathered from people I have come in contact with, A beka seems to be viewed as a solid, traditional, kind of “old school” curriculum. It is worksheet driven. It is bright and colorful. It has incredibly detailed lesson plans. Down to…”say this, say that, etc.” I used A beka almost exclusively (Bible was with Positive Action) in year one. I used it almost exclusively this year for my kinder and parts for my 5th/6th grader. My Kinder is super tired of worksheets and I simply can’t seem to wrap my brain around the lesson plan/teacher guide books For some reason they are so tedious and confusing for my brain and we don’t play well together. This is one of my main dislikes about the curriculum. I have also heard that their science is super easy. I really can’t attest to that, other than to say it comes from people that I know and trust in the education field.

Why I’m eclectic ~

So, you can choose a curriculum company such as A beka, Sonlight, Monarch, Switched on Schoolhouse, or others. You can order an entire grade. With A beka for example you can order the student kit and teacher kit. Choose any additional supplements they offer and you will be set for the year. I would recommend this for the first year if you are unsure of what to do. There is so much to learn and figure out that using one publisher can really eliminate a lot of work by getting used to different styles and layouts of the various curriculum choices. I found it helpful.

The second year, I deviated a bit more as I become more comfortable with home school itself. This year I will became totally “eclectic”. I made a list of subjects and inserted the curriculum that I wanted to use to fulfill that subject. I have seen people who use exclusively one publisher, those who don’t ever use more than one subject from the same publisher and everything in between. I think there are pro’s and con’s to everything and every combination. I also think, especially for those of us who are new to this, that there is the possibility to get lost in the oceans of curriculum and all of the shiny options. Research is super important, but at some point you need to just make a decision. With that being said I also feel like if something is completely not working, go ahead and switch.

Personally, I have several teacher friends that I periodically check in with. I also plan to do the testing for my kids. I also continue to periodically check homeschool reviews etc. I also completely commit this to prayer as I really believe God will guide me to find what is right for my kids and this home.

I personally want a mix of learning options for my kids. It seems to fit us best. Some computer, some worksheets, some reading. Just well rounded with lots of variety. I want some tests and some quizzes. I want some independent work and some unit studies that will provide me teaching my kids together. I want everything with a pretty bow on top. I feel putting in a bit of extra work and going eclectic allows me my bow.

THIS YEAR….

I am using EXPLODE THE CODE. My six year old daughter is kind of “worksheeted out”. The downside to using all one curriculum is that everything starts to look the same. I love variety and I think its natural my kids will too. My daughter has done 2 solid years of A beka and I just think it is time to change it up. Explode the code offers an online deal for $65 a year that is a huge draw to me. It is the only part of school that I plan to have my first grader do online. I also have purchased the workbooks and she will do these as well. They are all black and white from what I can see, but have adorable little stick type figures that my daughter already finds “so funny”. The teacher books are written in a way that I completely understand which is huge. I need them. I will confess that I have a bit of anxiety knowing that I am really the one responsible for the foundational learning that she is doing. My other two were at a great school during the first few years of their education. When I brought them home, they had a wonderful foundation under their belt. Explode the Code has fantastic reviews and when you combine that with the ease of the teacher guides, the online options…I’m set and excited about the change.

I am switching to HORIZON from A beka for math primarily for two reasons. First, the lesson plan/teacher guide books again just make sense to me when I read Horizon. A beka does not. Second, there is a manipulatives kit that is used with this curriculum that I am looking forward to. I think this is going to be a great addition to my daughter’s learning. Again, she is kinda over the repetitive continuous worksheets. This will provide some variety for both of us.TEACHING TEXTBOOKS is a permanent fixture in our home for math. I love it. It begins in third grade, however. We will have to wait a bit longer for my soon to be first grader to start that.

WORDLY WISE is a program I found by looking on the Sonlight website. My kids have done A beka spelling for awhile, but I feel like they just memorize the vocabulary and don’t have a huge ability to use the words correctly. Soooo naturally I was drawn to a program that is primarily vocabulary. We will use the same vocabulary list for the spelling as well. This program begins in K. I will be using the first grade set for my youngest. I love it.

more tomorrow…….

2011-2012 Curriculum Plan

Written on April 26, 2011 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum, Homeschool Tips

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I purchased almost all of my curriculum through Rainbow Resource. After a lot of research, I found their prices to be the best….by far. I feel like this is pretty early to have done. HOWEVER, I really want my summer OFF with no thoughts of school. I have a lot of planning to do and I need time to get it DONE! SO, the tax refund arrived and the shopping began! I am sure there will be tweaks, as usual. I went completely eclectic this year. I researched a lot of different curriculums, asked a lot of questions, and read a lot of reviews. I spent time praying about it and this is the result.

First Grade

Phonics - Explode the Code

Reading – A beka readers. We were able to borrow tons of these for lots of daily reading.

Spelling – A Reason for Spelling

Penmanship – A Reason for Handwriting

Vocabulary -Wordly Wise

Creative Writing- Just Write

Math -Horizons

Science-Apologia Astronomy

Geography/History- Expedition Earth

Bible & Art – Both are integrated through some of the above curriculums

Sixth Grade

Reading -Unit Studies, one book per quarter and daily reading of their choice.

Vocab/Spelling – Wordly Wise

Grammar -Not Boring Middle School Grammar

Creative Writing- Stack the Deck

Math – Teaching Textbooks

Science-Apologia Astronomy

Geography/History- Monarch, Expedition Earth

Art -Global Art

Bible- Positive Action WISE UP

Seventh Grade

Reading -Unit Studies, one book per quarter and daily reading of their choice.

Vocab/Spelling – Wordly Wise

Grammar -Not Boring Middle School Grammar

Creative Writing- Stack the Deck

Math – Teaching Textbooks

Science-Apologia General Science

Geography/History- Monarch, Expedition Earth

Art -Global Art

Bible- Positive Action WISE UP

Other cool things I found:

Track weather and continued calendar practice for my 1st grader with THIS.

My drawing loving 10 year old loves this find.

Clock learning. {apparently I am finding this is well known and common, but since I am new at all of this, this is new to me}

If you want prepackaged science experiment kits that correlate to popular science curriculum, enter your science curriculum in the search box here or here and you will find a box of all the goodies you need without having to gather them all up. This may seem ridiculous to spend money on some of these common household items. However, believe me with 4 kids and a dog running around…this money is well spent. Something as simple as 5 minutes to grab a few things may turn into 15 minutes and ultimately may keep us from doing the experiment after all. Ask me how I know that?

We are on the countdown to summer over here! 23 days of school left, curriculum boxes arriving for next year, the classroom getting a makeover to become more functional, we got real LOCKERS from my sis’s old craigslist find, and we will be done by June 2nd so we can spend the summer PLAYING…

Horse camp, robot camp, VBS, musical theatre, soccer, the lake, family get away, slip n slide, and a secret hope that I get to see the ocean this summer…

For now I am living each day with my antihistime Visine in hand, trying to get through spring and these ridiculous central valley allergies. Hurry up summer!

What’s Working…Curriculum.

Written on October 4, 2010 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum, Homeschool Tips

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Knowledge is power they say. I agree. I have heard so many people say that they learn more about themselves while homeschooling then potentially what the kids learn. I agree with that too. I have definitely figured out after just 18 months (yes, I’m a quick learner) that there is no one way to homeschool. However, I should have known because there is usually not one right way for a lot of things in life. In the beginning, I used to see an idea, read a blog, or a book, and immediately try to implement that glorious plan into my household only to find it was a disaster for me. All was not a total loss, however, because failure is definitely part of learning and growing. It should not be feared. Do not freeze up because you do not know which way to go. Curriculum can be returned (or sold on Ebay), systems can be changed, furniture can be re arranged, chore charts can be thrown out, and craft projects can be repurposed. You never know what kind of fabulous can be created until you try.

Over the next few days I am going to be posting on what is working and what isn’t. Not just in school land but in our house in general. I have been thinking about how things are going lately. A lot has changed since last school year when God allowed us the blessing of picking our lives up, shaking them all around, and flipping them upside down. I have had plenty of failures and successes. They are both equally important.

Curriculum…

I had an original curriculum plan. Some aspects worked some did not. Sonlight has by far the best guarantee and return options that I have seen and Ebay has helped me out too. I have taken advantage of them both. I have made changes and things are working great for us right now.

Emma~

Most subjects are A beka. I decided last minute, last spring, to go ahead and try Handwriting Without Tears through Sonlight. The program personally caused me tears. Too much for my taste. I returned the $80 program through Sonlight and went back to the $15 writing through A beka. There are no tears around here from either of us now. Yay, because that is that important.

Bible~ I do not personally find the Bible through A Beka to be something that fits for us. We chose to go with POSITIVE ACTION. The worksheets at this level go with Bible stories that I easily look up in her children’s Bible and read to her. We do one a week. I did not order the teacher’s guide for this. I didn’t find it necessary.

I love everything we are doing for Kindergarten right now. The bright colorful worksheets from A Beka make us both happy. I love the content. It works for us. I did not order most of the lesson plan books. I tried one, but sold it on Ebay because I waited too long to return it. At the Kindergarten level it is fairly basic to plan this stuff out and I saved a bunch of money this way. My organizing system this year ROCKS for me…more about that another day.

Taylor and Cameron~

Spelling~ A Beka….traditional type lists and tests. One lesson a week. Inexpensive. LOVE!

Read and Thinks~ A Beka….The kids actually enjoy these. Timed stories with comprehension tests. One a week. Again Inexpensive. LOVE!

Bible~ I returned Sonlight and went with POSITIVE ACTION. Sonlight looked fine, but it was a devotional type book similar to what the kids have and do on their own before bed anyway. We love Positive Action.

Language Arts/History ~ Sonlight. I LOVE these products. I LOVE Sonlight’s customer service. I particularly the writing curriculum. There are very creative ideas that beautifully reinforce otherwise potentially boring writing concepts. I did supplement the grammar exercises with a work book that I found at Lakeshore for just $9.95. As for history, the kids have read a ton of books already this year and are completely enjoying this style of learning. The girls also completely enjoyed that the box the Sonlight products were shipped to us in because it was a craft project. A castle waiting for some crafty touches! I’m totally impressed with the little things.

Science~ I completed 6 weeks of Sonlight Science and it all went back to them last week, for a full refund of $250. While I thought it was o.k. I was not impressed. The biggest issue I had with it, is while although it was “God Based” it was by no means written in a way that ever mentioned God one time in the six weeks we used it. A Beka science is completely God integrated throughout the material and for science, in particular, that is a priority for me. Shiny new A Beka science curriculum is on its way to me as we speak. In the interim, I am doing a 7 week A Beka Health course that I never finished last year that actually is part of their science package. So, it all worked out great.

Math~ Teaching Textbooks. I absolutely could not love this more and even better my kids love it. They literally ask me to do math now. It is a complete online curriculum that even tracks the grades for you. It’s brilliant. It’s a bit pricey, but honestly worth every single penny.

Electives~ Cooking, art, park/library…we aim for one of these each, one time a week.

Extracurricular~ Currently Awana and Football. We LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Field Trips~ see our plan here.

More to come…

Field Trips.

Written on September 19, 2010 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum, Homeschool Tips

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There are so so many options for field trips that it kind of hurts my head. How often should we go? Do they HAVE to match what your studying? If so, I have three different curriculums, so which one should it match? You know, all those new home school mom questions. So, this year I decided to bag all the questions and just go on field trips. My goal was one a month. I spent quite a while researching websites and finding interesting places to go that hopefully wouldn’t break the bank. Once I compiled my overall list, I chose the ones that fit this year the best and committed. Last year, I had all the best of intentions and life just got too busy and they never seemed to happen. This year I have given the kids a list of where we are going and when and I have them all in my planner as well. This way we can all look forward to them.

I have noticed that most places have some kind of home school discount or free day…even Disneyland. Imagine that. I emailed some homeschool friends on some of them to get group discount rates and take advantage of tours and things. Not to mention, it’s just all more fun with friends along!

My overall budget for the whole year is $382. That is the cost for myself and the kids and on occasion my husband is joining us. Considering that includes an overnight trip and 10 additional field trips for 4-5 people…I am pretty pleased!

Sep. OLD SCHOOLHOUSE ($2)

Oct. MAGIC CIRCLE THEATRE/ CHARLOTTE’S WEB LIVE ON STAGE ($20)

HIGH HILL RANCH~ APPLE HILL ($20)

Nov. SKY HIGH JUMP ($15)

Jan. EXPLORIT SCIENCE MUSEUM (Free)

Feb FREE MUSEUM DAY (TBD~Sacramento has a city wide free museum day, so we will choose when it gets closer)

March CA RAILROAD MUSEUM (Free)

April CA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE IN SAN FRANCISCO ($75)

May 6TH GRADE OVERNIGHT TRIP ON THE U.S.S. HORNET FOR MY OLDEST SON AND HUSBAND ($200)

GIRLS SLUMBER PARTY FOR THE REST OF US! ($20)

May CROCKER ART MUSEUM (free)

June BOWLING/LUNCH FOR LAST DAY OF SCHOOL ($30)

I am sure it will vary slightly as the year goes along, but it is so nice to have a plan that is reasonable. If I had my way, everyday would be a “field trip” somewhere!

Day 131. Curriculum Plan for 2010/2011.

Written on May 6, 2010 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2009., Curriculum

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I can’t tell you how good it feels to have the basics for my curriculum, picked out for nest year! I started WAY too late last year and with baby #4 arriving in time for turkey dinner this fall…this mama better have my act together. Not too mention, I have things to do this summer, you know important things like going to the beach and sleeping in. I do not want to be working on school.

I wondered before I homeschooled how much it actually cost, so I’m gonna tell you. I have three orders written out ready to go and they look a little somethin’ like this.

Abeka $156.60

Sonlight $875.77

Teaching Textbooks $242.90

for a grand total of 1275.27 to fill in the core curriculum for the 3 kids for next year…(this does not include electives)

EMMA~ KINDERGARTEN

All core subjects~Abeka

Bible ~ Sonlight

TAYLOR (5TH GRADE)/ CAMERON (6TH GRADE)

Spelling~Abeka

Read & Thinks (reading comprehension quizzes)~ Abeka

Bible~ Sonlight (Almost went with Positive Action curriculum)

Language Arts~Sonlight

Science~Sonlight (Almost went with Abeka)

History~Sonlight

Math~Teaching Textbooks

ELECTIVES FOR ALL THREE KIDS~

Cooking (1x per week) ~ William Sonoma COOKING TOGETHER. Purchased at Borders for 40% off. I have seen lots of kids cookbooks, but this one is fantastic. Very basic ingredients and lots of pictures. We will be doing one recipe a week throughout the year.

Art (1x per week) ~ I am putting together my own gig for this. I wanted actual art projects, not art history etc. I will be sharing this with you when it is complete! I am excited about this one…love love art! Love getting messy and creating things! All three kids will be doing the same thing.

So, after much research, prayer, and thought….this is where it’s at! Of course this plan is always subject to change until the books are in my hands, but I am 99% sure this is where we are headed! Email me with any questions!!!!

Now there are just 39 school days left until summer.

Day 130. Curriculum Review, My Top Three.

Written on May 5, 2010 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2009., Curriculum

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It alone, was worth the price of admission to the convention, to have the ability to look at all these curriculum choices in person. I am quite visual and find that I really need to look through and touch these textbooks to figure it all out. If that wasn’t enough, we got to talk to reps too. Our basic line was walk up to a booth and say, “Go! Tell me everything wonderful about your curriculum”. Apparently by the look of shock, that wasn’t the usual question. Ha ha. We got TONS of information. A little overload on the brain, but worth it.

What is the best way to teach phonics and why was the Bob Jones rep dissin’ the Abeka Way to teach it? I have no clue. So, I walk into that exhibit hall expecting that all the “ways” to teach lead to the end result of learning. Are some better than others? I am sure they are, but as an upcoming second year homeschool mom with a background in event planning and nannying, I can not make an educated decision on this subject any more than I can decide the best course of treatment for someone who is ill. I literally didn’t even understand his words while he was explaining it. When it comes to textbook driven, literature driven, etc…THAT I can pick to the best of my knowledge for my child, but the rest I am leaving up to the experts. I am choosing to stick with well known, established, and well reviewed companies and trust that they have the “how to learn part” figured out for me.

After all the research, time, and conversations these three companies were my favorite…

I heart Abeka…

~I LOVE the way Abeka’s text books are laid out. They are beautifully illustrated and easy to follow and understand. I really like their younger grade curriculum. It is engaging and adorable.

~I find their prices to be very competitive. They are a lot lower than at least what I have seen out there for traditional style learning.

~It is God integrated, truly. There are Bible verses everywhere and God is found in everything from word problems to science discoveries.

I do not heart Abeka’s…

~Bible program. It seems quite old fashioned to me, pretty pricey, and is not very interactive.

~Lesson plan books. Although they are all done for you and laid out day by day. My brain and their organizational method are not friends. They verge on enemy status and it’s pretty frustrating.

I heart Sonlight…

~This company exists for the homeschooling family. You are not using a curriculum designed for the classroom yet adapted for home. It is designed for a home learning environment. It does make a difference.

~Curriculum is designed to teach multiple grade levels at a time. It is laid out by age range and grade range. So if you kids are within a three years or so of each other. ONE CURRICULUM LEVEL, not two!

~It’s very easy to understand and put together. You can buy a newcomer kit or customize your own.

~They offer several math programs and handwriting programs, so you can choose what’s best for you!

~Tons of gorgeous books and more books. No textbooks.

~Incredible customer service. That’s huge to me.

~ Lesson plans and I are already BFF. They are not bound, laid out by week, and each week is on it’s own page.

Sonlight kinda scares me…

~ Literature based learning. No textbooks. No quizzes. No tests.

I say…WHAT? “They” say it works. I’m more than willing to step out of the box and try it.

Check out their website. It’s great. It will explain everything far better than I. Make sure and check out 27 reasons why families love Sonlight and 27 reasons why NOT to buy Sonlight. These two articles seem to do a pretty thorough job of explaining Sonlight.

I HEART TEACHING TEXTBOOKS.

The end. Admittedly, I have not used it yet, but check out their website and tell me what is not to love. This is a math curriculum only. I am just a little excited about it.

My curriculum plan for 2010-2011 school year will be found in the next post. I have decided and it’s May, YAY ME!

Now there is just 40 school days left until summer.

Homeschool Curriculum Help?

Written on April 19, 2010 by just a night owl in Curriculum

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O.k. hoping for lots of input from all you homeschool veterans out there.

I use primarily ABeka and am pretty happy with most of it. However, I really want to switch next year and use Math for sure and possibly language either in a dvd or computer format for my older two kids. They will be in 5th and 6th grade next year. I feel like I am not doing “enough” with those two subjects. The constant drilling and discipline are hard for me. I would feel better with them having a teacher explain it to them first!

A Beka offers a video option. The program is the same curriculum as what I am using, the only difference is that you get a classroom setting with a teacher presenting the daily lesson. Sounds good to me but the problem is there is two “bundles” you can purchase it in. So, I have to buy science, math, and history, OR language spelling reading and all of that. I don’t want to pay the additional cost for all the subjects to be taught on video. I just want math and possibly language.

Anyone know of any other curriculums out there that offer a video or computer type option available to purchase by single subjects?

THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME!!!!!

Day 114. The Great Curriculum Hunt.

Written on April 9, 2010 by just a night owl in 170 School Days. 2009., Curriculum

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Curriculum catalogs are daily arriving in the mail. Registration forms for endless amounts of homeschool conventions are joining them. I hear the excitement in blog world about curriculum ordering time! It’s landing upon us. There are coupons, ads, and free shipping deals everywhere.

There are SO many choices. They all kind of scare me, honestly. There is a trap out there of endless planning and purchasing curriculum. I have seen it and don’t want it to become the focus of school for us. I love party planning and event planning. Believe me, sitting in that trap, would be quite comfortable for me. Looking through catalogs and living online for hours is not out of the question. Choosing from all the bright new shiny books, fun educational helps, charts, planners…and what about all the extras involved with electives, field trips and art? I’m hyperventilating just thinking about it.

The bottom line is this. The end result hopefully will be the same with whatever method or curriculum company you choose. Learning. So, how much does it REALLY matter? I have no answer for this, unfortunately.

I have read that if a curriculum isn’t working. Stop using it and try something new. I have to say, I am not sure I agree with that 100% of the time. Especially when you are new to homeschooling. Simply because it could usher you right into this trap of never really getting to the learning aspect. Maybe down the line if I had more years of experience behind me, I could see this being the case.

A big lesson I have learned after my extensive 113 days of homeschooling behind me is: Don’t forget to TEACH. After all this is homeSCHOOL. Don’t get caught up too much in the how, where, when, and why. If you do you may never actually get to looking at the “what” of it. Homeschooling is not simply about the curriculum. Learning how to balance both teacher and mom, how to integrate school into our home, help my children through the adjustment of being at home, and deal with the new found relationship dynamics in my home. These are at the top of my priority list, for now. The way I figure it, there are EXPERTS who are writing and producing all of these fab books and programs. They have sometimes hundreds of years behind them. I’m pretty sure they are all gonna work, right?

Curriculum is important, do not get me wrong. It just needs to be in the correct place on the priority list. It’s too easy to become consumed. Being overwhelmed will make me lose sight of all of the valuable things.

School days march on. Vacation is staring at me. I can hear it calling…

Now there is just 56 school days left until summer.