After my last post about quitting the online charter school I got quite a few questions about what I use, have used, and intend to use in the future. I hope I didn't scare anyone away from homeschooling because in conjunction with learning about our Faith (for real learning not what I thought I knew from the History Channel or CNN), leaving up to God the size of our family, and eating mostly organic and real foods, homeschooling has been one of my favorite things about this life of ours so far. I have used a large variety of curriculum's. I will throw out a bunch of names and curriculum's and then link them all at the end of the post.
When we originally pulled Brandon out of school I really wasn't sure what was in store for us. I didn't have an official plan but lucky for me he liked to read. So mostly we spent his early home school years reading and doing simple math, playing lots of board games, and taking lots of field trips. Around 6th or 7th grade (and when I started to have more children and more of them were of schooling age) I started using Seton Materials almost exclusively. I didn't sign up with the school but I loved the look of their books and we could work through them while still having the better part of our day left for hobbies, reading, or field trips. I went to every homeschool conference in our area and read alot. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can tailor to your child's needs. Brandon was a much different learner than Hannah so I listened to experts, read alot, and tried alot of things that didn't work out (and still reside in our basement....). I don't really do kindergarten or even 1st grade so much. My philosophy is that they don't really need any formal schooling until age 7 (or sometimes age 8 depending on the child). What they DO need is to be read to and have access to lots of good books, puzzles, games, outdoor play, and to be allowed to make a mess (this was hard for me - shocking but true). We do some online phonics programs too starting around age 4 or 5. We have used Headsprout in the past and we are currently using Reading Eggs. I haven't found an online math program that I'm in love with yet but I'm still looking. At Lots of Kids.com they have worksheet generators (and great meal planning templates too). We use the handwriting worksheet generators. The kids love the customized words that I come up with just for them. Here's a breakdown of what I've used in the past. There hasn't really been anything that I didn't like at all. I just use what works for each individual child at any given time. Also you should know I'm not hyper focused on my kids being the smartest kid out there. My goal has always been "Heaven not Harvard" so most of our subjects at least include some kind of religious studies. Also as our family has grown our bank account has not so expensive classes and/or tutors aren't in our reach for the most part. I have enrolled with Mother of Divine Grace and Seton in the past. I loved Mother of Divine Grace and would do it again in a heartbeat if we had the funds. Seton wasn't a good fit for our family in general (for being enrolled but I do love their books for k-8).
For math we have used Math U See, Teaching Textbooks, Saxon, and MCP.
For Phonics we really just use real books mostly. I like Dick and Jane, the Seton readers, and the online programs I talked about. One word about reading - I love reading. I read alot of books for me and have a lot of books in the house. But not all of my kids learned to read in 1st grade. Some didn't learn fluently until age 10. I'm OK with that. They didn't have any obvious learning disabilities and we just kept at it. As it turns out they went from reading Dick and Jane to reading 500 page books in a matter of months once they took off.
For English and Grammar we use the Seton workbooks, mostly. I have used a few other things but I wasn't crazy about them. The Seton books get the job done (in the early years). As they got to be in late elementary and middle school I used Wordly Wise and whatever the Mother of Divine Grace (MODG) syllabus suggested.
For spelling in the younger grades we mostly use Catholic Heritage. I love their stuff for the elementary grades and add in at least a few of their things each year. They are very creative, fun, and Faith filled.
Science is tough for me. It's not my *thing* at all. For the younger grades I use just random DK books mostly. For the bigger kids we outsource to our homeschool co op and they use Apologia which I love.
We do Latin with our kids. There are great CD's and DVDs available and right now we are blessed to have an affordable and wonderful Latin tutor. I know nothing about Latin so am no help to the kids but they are doing fine. MODG has many phone courses and some of my kids have done those in the past.
History and Literature are mostly done in real books here. I also use some books that are recommended in the MODG syllabi. I am cautious with mainstream history as many of them paint Christians (and especially Catholics) in a bad light. I need good, solid recommendations when it comes to important subjects like this.
Religion is encompassed in most of the above but we also do a combination of the Baltimore Catechism, Faith and Life, and in high school we use what MODG recommends. We also do the religious education at our church and my younger ones attend the Catechises of the Good Shepherd. Not all parish religious education programs are equal so be sure to check yours out thoroughly before enrolling. Many parishes don't make homeschoolers enroll (they are treated like Catholic School students) so keep that in mind as well.
I think that about sums it up. When you have all small children I recommend just enjoying them. Play, read, paint, visit museums. They will grow soon enough. If you know local homeschoolers then join a group and ask around. Other moms are always such an inspiration to me!
Now for the links:
Mother of Divine Grace (my favorite lesson plans in general)
Seton
CHC (Catholic Heritage)
Lots of Kids (worksheet and menu planning generators)
Headsprout
Reading Eggs
The math programs listed above can be found on the websites I listed. I don't really have a favorite. I vary what I use depending on the child and how they learn best.
PS - I am by no means an expert in this area AT ALL. I am constantly asking around, searching books and the internet. I have been beyond blessed with so many friends that freely give me lots of advice (I harass them alot).
1 comment:
Thanks!
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