All right...help me out here.

[Mama Bird]

We've been using Christian Liberty Academy's materials for school this year. I like them, but TBH, I don't LOVE them. It seems fine for first grade, but the science is REALLY lacking. History touches briefly on each period. It is extremely textbook driven, which I don't really mind all that much. But DD is sick and tired of the repetition. She is tired of reading out of the same reading book daily. Tired of doing the same phonics pages daily. Tired of the same gig with spelling.

I'm really not up for unschooling per se. I don't have a ton of time to spend in planning, and our library is small, but we are part of a huge library system. We are very adamant that the curriculum be a Christian worldview...not just a regular curriculum with Bible thrown in. It is very important to me that she get a good, solid education. She is a very organized kind of child...she doesn't mind workbooks at all.

We had planned to enroll her in CLASS, as a satellite school of Christian Liberty Academy. That way, she would have a grade card, transcripts, could graduate with the other homeschoolers who are doing this, etc. We would spend $415 on this, so I can't spend more on anything else.

What do you suggest? Am I just burnt out? I'm afraid to try new things, since we tried so many before we found CLA materials. Help!

[blessedmomof4]

:hug

Well, everyone has their favorites. I like Story of the World for History but it may not be what you're looking for as far as a Christian worldview. The authors ARE Christians but they do talk about the gods, Buddah, etc. in SOTW. For now, I'm skipping over some of that. You can buy activity guides that have fun things to do with each chapter.

I would suggest Rod & Staff but you mentioned she's tired of the repetition....and R&S has a lot of that. It is an excellent curriculum tho. Many times if something is repeated for a few days (esp. w/ their Math) and my dd understands it, I just shorten the lessons for her.

Have you tried unit studies for Science? Do things that she is interested in. One fun idea for spring/summer is to raise butterflies. Or plant different seeds and journal the growth differences.

[2TMama]

MamaBee~

I'm no expert, that's for *sure*--- but I wanted to encourage you & maybe give you some food for thought.

Did you *love* your choice in curriculum at first?
What specifically drew you to that choice initially?
If you do not "do school" year-round-- could you experiment w/ something during your "off" time before you commit to what to use for the next grade?

I don't know for certain, but repetition w/ spelling might be the same w/ many curriculum choices; however, maybe another experienced mama has some ideas to mix things up a bit?!

As far as reading, seems like you could get some readers from the library for a change of pace.

You may want to talk to Tambourine Dancer about the Weaver Curriculum-- it might be a good fit as far as the Christian aspect not just being "thrown in" but interwoven instead, kwim?

I don't know about your state requirements, but do you *have* to have the grade cards, transripts, etc. etc.?

Custom-made education............isn't that one of the best parts about hs'ing? I'm sure w/ some research & lots of prayer you can find a nice mix of organization, texts, "living" books, adequate content, and some workbooks too! :tu

[ChristineG]

:heart I am partial to Charlotte Mason Education, so I highly recommend looking into her philosophy.

Last night, at our Charlotte Mason Study Group meeting, we had an excellent discussion about what it means to have a Christian Education. Charlotte Mason, a devoted woman of God, stated that they do not give merely a religious education because that would imply that another kind (secular) was possible. This is a little hard to understand at first, but once you get it, and the lightbulb comes on, it adds such richness to everything. The idea is that all truth points to God. All original ideas point to God and are holy spirit breathed, whether people recognize them or not. Sin never contains original ideas, only a twisting of God's design. This completely frees us from using contrived 'Christianed-up' curriculum to teach in our homeschool. (Now, don't get me wrong, here, as I have no idea what CLA materials are like, so I am not putting them down.) Take math as an example. Our children can be shown to see God in every little bit of their math. His majesty is so evident in the patterns, the order, the amazingness of mathematics. This is so much richer than simply making up math problems based on how many animals are on the ark. It teaches us and children to see God's design ALL around us, a true Christian worldview. We can use materials that are not specifically labelled 'Christian' because when we are teaching truth to our children, it is ALL Christian. God made it all and his character is evident in all of it. Anyway, it is a concept that takes a lot of thinking through.

We use Ambleside for our homeschooling and love it. www.amblesideonline.org if you are interested. I love, love, love Charlotte Mason philosophy because I believe that she truly helps parents to put children into direct contact and relationship with their creator and saviour as opposed to teaching them to be teacher-dependent for all truth and learning. I find her philosophy so rich and meaningful and I love it more each time I learn about it...and I've been learning about CM for 5 years! :) I can honestly say that I LOVE what we do in homeschool and only wish we had more time. If you don't LOVE what you do and feel completely passionate about your program and its philosophy, I encourage you to re-examine and keep looking until you find something that you can feel this way about. Hsing will still be hard and there will still be little things that you don't love, but when you love the underlying philosophy and methods, it brings so much meaning and beauty and excitement to what you are doing. :) :) :)

[Mama Bird]

bumpity bump. :)

We don't have to have transcripts, etc. My inlaws are the ones who "require" things like that. I'd prefer not to spend my homeschool dollars to pay someone else to grade my daughter's paper. I'd much rather spend that money on supplies, KWIM?

The problem is going to be convincing DH of that. He's got it all figured out that we are using CLASS, not matter what. What do you think of Alpha Omega?

[Quietspirit]

What about Sonlight? Or Oak Meadow? Or My Father's World?

oops ETA: Oak Meadow is not specifically Christian world view

[Mama Bird]

Tell me about Sonlight! What's Oak Meadow?

Keep in mind, ladies. I have a very busy toddler boy...so I don't have a ton of planning time...nor do I have much library time.

[Quietspirit]

You might really really like Sonlight. They have a great website sonlight.com (I think) that shows their program.

Basically, it is a literature based program that covers all subjects (you add on math and science...they have lots of options). They plan out everything for you (in a large binder) and you receive all the books, etc that you need. It is a bit pricey but not really when you consider how many books you are getting, etc. It has a definate Christian world view. You could look into either their K or 1 Core programs. They tend to be advanced so look at their little chart to help you figure out what Core (level) to purchase. They offer AO math, Singapore math, Saxon math, and one other to choose from. Science is very hands on.

[Quietspirit]

oops...forgot to mention Oak Meadow.

They also have a great website oakmeadow.com. It is a Montessori/Waldorf based curriculum (but without all the Waldorf odd spiritual stuff). It is a fully planned curriculum in a box type program. BUT is very hands-on with some workbook work. They are very much into keeping true to the child's developmental and social skill levels. They offer everything in terms of subjects (art and music included) and the price is great!

I am torn between using Oak Meadow and planning my own curriculum currently. :tu