tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168117042097262020.post8353866939762025965..comments2010-07-22T13:10:08.116-06:00Comments on Kr.An.Ke Mommy: Developing a Homeschool CurriculumKristihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12154863835190185988noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168117042097262020.post-12358791335152686382009-01-15T07:27:00.000-07:002009-01-15T07:27:00.000-07:00A boxed curriculum is anything that is mostly or a...A boxed curriculum is anything that is mostly or all inclusive. It would contain all of your bsic subjects. And you're right Sonlight can easily get you in a rut. One of the things I like about them is they have a 4 day a week option. So we take Wednesdays off. It really helps to break up a long week. On two occasions, my daughter found the book she was reading just too dull, so we substituted, or skipped it altogether.<BR/>Do you know of any homeschool groups in your area? That would be a wealth of information for you. Maybe get in contact with others who are suing the books you are interested in, and look through them. Alos, a homeschool book fair usually sells new and used homeschool books, that's a great way to get some hands on time with the books you are interested in.<BR/><BR/>I maed your chili last night and it was a hit. The flavor was more authentic than my usual prepackaged seasoning mix, no suprise there! I made a few changes to go with what I had on hand. It was terrific!Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09126295528634269135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168117042097262020.post-40021154548031928872009-01-14T21:30:00.000-07:002009-01-14T21:30:00.000-07:00Mary,I am confused about what "boxed curriculum" m...Mary,<BR/><BR/>I am confused about what "boxed curriculum" means. Is that what Sonlight is or is it any book/curriculum besides playing? I wanted to try the different curricula out because I did think that I would not know exactly how my daughter learns. I could easily sell the Saxon K program if we needed to find something else and the other stuff is all usable or cheap enough to throw out if it doesn't work out.<BR/><BR/>The biggest fear I have with Sonlight is getting stuck in a rut- that I won't have as much flexibility if I purchase from Sonlight. Somehow I feel like they have different standards than I do and perhaps those standards will change over the years, but I do still plan on teaching my children a classical Christian education. Sonlight isn't really classical, but it is literature, which is good. All in all, I am satisfied with taking it easy with the things I am planning on purchasing. Time will tell how they work out!Kristihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12154863835190185988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7168117042097262020.post-56568829177614488422009-01-14T07:00:00.000-07:002009-01-14T07:00:00.000-07:00I vote for Sonlight!! This is our first year usin...I vote for Sonlight!! This is our first year using Sonlight, (7th grade) and we love it. It is more time-consuming than what the catalog says though, at least for us. I did not care for their Language Arts material, though. Boring with a capital B! My only issue is the cost!! We would have used it sooner, but it was just too expensive. I did get the book list and we read the books that our library had, but for curriculum we just learned through play. I never even bought curriculum till third grade.<BR/>I know this is way out of your daughter's grade level, but here's what we use now... Sonlight Core 6,<BR/>Saxon Mat 8/7, Bob Jones Language Arts 7 (very through!), Apologia Science, Bob Jones Bible Studies, La Clase Divertida (spanish) Level 2, art from the internet, and other fun stuff as we come across it. School takes us about 6-7 hours a day. <BR/><BR/>For kindergarten, homeschooling for the first year, I would shy away from boxed curriculum. Only because you just don't know what you and your daughter are going to do best with yet. I cannot tell you how many times I switched curriculum in mid-term, because I was sure I found something better. I did not discover until the 5th grae that my daughter learns best with literature. Even at 13 years old, she loves being read to, and reading to me. <BR/>If you go with a boxed curriculum, try to be sure it is something you can stick with for the full year, and take good care of the books, so you can resell them if you don't want to use them again!<BR/><BR/>Most of all HAVE FUN!Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09126295528634269135noreply@blogger.com