Posted on 07/15/2005 4:37:18 PM PDT by a.c.t.32
My husband and I are planning to homeschool our two sons in the coming school year. They have attended a parochial school for the past two years, and while they are probably better off than if they were in a public school, we think we can do better. They're very bored, and because my husband's work schedule is not the standard Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., family time is scarce. We are nervous, though, that we might skip something they need to know and would like to start with a packaged curriculum. Does anyone have experience with what's out there?
We homeschooled once before, but that was only for a few months in K and 1st grade.
Thanks. I received a ton of good advice last time I posted on this topic, but it's been a few years and I can't find my copy. I don't know if the post would still be archived somewhere.
sure. It is in order, and goes through both OT and NT. Each lesson is 7 pages. I have found that my son doesn't sit still long enough for the whole lesson, so I condense it by taking two of the pages out. Also, in this way we can do potentially more than one lesson a week. It is not work intensive, but does get into some detail. This is perfect for younger kiddos to get the facts down. There are no open ended questions, so an older child might want a devotional Bible study instead. After we finish this series, I want to try the Bible Study Guide for all ages.
http://www.calvarychapel.com/children/site/curriculum.htm
http://www.biblestudyguide.com/enter.htm
You might check out KONOS at www.konos.com for a very action-oriented, all-inclusive curriculum. The units are topical, and there are sure to be units of interest to your kids. I love that their focus is on character traits -- orderliness, obedience, patience, just to name a few. The units teach that trait using Bible stories and verses and then show how it is applied in numerous sub-units, such as animal/plant/rock classification, birds, kings and queens, the five senses, ships, etc. The curriculum covers every subject area and you need to only add math curriculum for a well-rounded education.
Just my 2 cents here, if you want a comprehensive curriculum that sort of "holds your hand" on being sure you have everything foundational covered, I would recommend Alpha Omega. they have what's called "Lifepac" sets or what we use - a set of software called "Switched on Schoolhouse" which is all done on the PC (except for writing assignments built into the lessons).
A complete set for a year runs roughly $300 - less depending on where you buy it, and the beauty of it is, if you use the soft ware, after the first year you only have to buy one set because your second child can use the same one your oldest used last year.
Then, once you are comfortable with the routine, you can supplement it as you want to in order to follow your child's specific interests.
Another good thing about it is that it is ideal for a difficult schedule because the child can be an independent learner on most of this work.
It works great for us (my oldest has done fifth and sixth grade on SOS).
Thanks, PG!
I have not worked with curricula for any grade level above 3rd grade (yet.) I have heard great things about ACE and KONOS.
Best of luck.
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