Let's revisit curriculum just one more time...

[Sara]

Hi, my name is Sara and I don't know how to make a decision. I am so thankful that I don't have to see you all groan or :doh when I revisit this issue for, oh, the thousandth time.

When we last left off, I think I had decided that I was going to use FIAR again next year (but even I have a hard time keeping track of me, so I certainly don't expect anyone else to). But having weighed all the options and gone through this big thing with deciding whether or not to HS, I'm really leaning toward using Sonlight again (even though I was really mad at them regarding their newsletter - lenswyf, I know you are probably laughing right now).

Here's my thought process on the whole thing. I was trying really hard to get back into FIAR, but it just isn't working for us. Sometimes we have awesome days, but often I dread doing school because I haven't done the necessary planning or because it just seems so overhwhelming to do all of the projects, go-alongs, etc.

I still want to do something that is literature-based, though, and Sonlight seems to fit that bill. The cost is pretty high, but after contemplating an almost $4000 tuition bill at the Christian school, $500-600 seems like a refreshingly small amount to spend. I'm not too concerned about cost and neither is dh.

But are there any other really great options for me to consider? Because, you know, I want to make this decision as difficult as possible for myself. ;) No, I just want to make sure that Sonlight is right for me and that I'm not overlooking another great curriculum that makes use of lots of books.

Thoughts!?

[lumpofclay]

Have you considered Ambleside Online / CM at all? I had totally blown that all off, until a few weeks ago. I think it might be a good fit for us now, so we're using it next year. I like that's it's definitely literature-based, and I can use the schedules to get a listing of what should be read each week. :)

If you're not considering AO at all, then I would lean towards Sonlight too. Their newsletter greatly annoyed me as well, but I guess I'm starting to realize that's just life. (unfortunately!)

[CelticJourney]

Well, FIAR and Sonlight are probably two extremes of the spectrum. You might want to consider maybe K12 or something else in the middle?

I use Saxon for Math, McGraw Hill Spectum for Reading and Spelling, we are starting Story of the World for history and What Your Sixth Grader (they have one for each grade) Needs to Know for a basis for Science, Art, Literature (kinda).

[Sara]

Jessica,

Where do you get the books for AO? I am really intrigued by AO, but I'm scared about pulling it together. Also, I've posted before that it is really hard for me to use the library. I think that is one reason SL appeals to me - I can click "Order" and have all these really great books delivered to our house. :) And that is probably a combination of laziness and a love of books. :O

[erinee]

Where do you get the books for AO?

What the library doesn't have I get from Amazon. I don't think there's a single book there that's not available from either Amazon or as an online text. I'm going to print out the ones that are available on line and put them in binders. Amazon has most of them used. There are a couple that have online texts available, but i still want to buy them because of the illustrations (like The Aesop for Children).

I am *so* glad I learned about AO here, because money is an issue for us. For us it wasn't comparing HS/private school tuition, but HS/public school (my goal was to keep it about what we would pay for school supplies, about $110 next year in addition to backpack, gym shoes, etc), so I really have to try and keep costs down as much as possible. With AO, you pretty much spend as much or as little as you want to. It's just such a good match for our literature and nature loving family. Plus I love that it's so very flexible and not exactly unschooling, but very relaxed. They're things we'd be doing anyway. :heart So I haven't had nearly the dilemma over curriculum that you've had. It must be so frustrating! :hug You'll get it figured out eventually!

[Sara]

elcollins, What do you mean by extreme ends of the spectrum?

I probably should have clarified that we are concerned about cost in that we aren't going to spend an unlimited amount of money on curriculum. I just meant that we were no longer concerned about spending $500-600 for a curriculum, provided it is largely reusable and of some value to us after dc are finished using it, either in terms of resale value or as an addition to our home library.

Hope that makes sense! :) Part of the draw to Sonlight is the fact that dh is concerned about academics. That was one of the big issues that we weighed and discussed when we made the decision to continue HSing. His choice would be for me to use SL. Not he would never tell me that I have to use SL, but that's his vote! :) I'm kidn of afraid of spending that much money, only to find out that we don't like it three days after the guarantee period is up.

[lumpofclay]

Sara,

I too dislike going to my local library. :( :mad We don't even have decent ILL options. (The librarians act like it's a big deal when we request ILL books. Plus, they frequently tell DH they "can't" ILL something, and then, lo and behold, they actually can! :/) Anyway, when I first looked at the AO booklist, I was a little concerned. DH has been laid off since January, so price is a concern for us this year. :( (Otherwise, I would expect to spend $300-400 this year.) However, many of the books are available online. I don't like to read from the computer, but I don't mind printing it off. I bought heavyweight paper and printed on both sides. I put the books (or selections) in tabbed binders, for each "subject." This may seem like a lot of work, and like I said, if DH were working, I'd be more likely to just buy the books. You can buy many of them (most? all?) from Amazon. I'd also check out half.com, overstock.com, and buy.com. (Aren't those the three good websites?) I can understand getting everything from one spot, though.

I'm very excited about the books we'll be reading though. I read the first page of Pilgrim's Progress to C the other night (we're doing Year 2 next year) just to gauge her interest, and she wanted to start it right away. We're holding off, but I was encouraged by her desire to read (or listen!) to it. :) You could definitely start Year 1 with your DD, from what I understand about her age, etc. (Isn't she 6 and going into first grade?) Read the FAQ at the AO website. (http://www.amblesideonline.org) Here's the link to Year 1 books: http://www.amblesideonline.org/01bks.shtml and the 36-week schedule: http://www.amblesideonline.org/01sch.shtml. There's a support group at Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmblesideOnline/. The files section for that group has some useful files. There's one that has Year 1 broken down again into a 36-week schedule that is easier for me to look at and use. I'd send you fhe file, but I'm not sure that's okay (since you have to be a member to access); I'm just not sure of my freedom to share the files. I can ask, though, and see about forwarding it to you.

[SueQ]

I, too, really like Ambleside Online. I have found the books at yard sales, thrift stores, book closeout sales, etc. I always have a list of books that I am looking for on me and am on the lookout for those books. You can also buy them through online venders like:
http://www.queenhomeschool.com/
http://www.lulu.com/ and there are others out there as welll.

Also there are two yahoo groups that post a WTB post on and may get used books that way:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AOandHEOcurricula/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CMcurricula/

I have also posted WTB posts at TWTM and Vegsource used curriculum boards and got the books from there.

HTH

[lenswyf]

Hi, Sara,

I'm so glad my comment on the PI board made you laugh. :D That was my intention -- we're all in this together!

Quite honestly, I always follow your posts on this topic because I know that I would be having the same experience if we were not using Sonlight. My biggest issue is that I'm not strong on the planning front, at least as it pertains to daily life. I tend to be spontaneous and easily distracted. (I like those words better than "undisciplined." :lol) So, Sonlight is perfect. I can and will do the work of teaching -- that only takes an hour and a half of my day, and it's doing stuff that I love (reading to ds, talking, experiments, etc.). But the planning wouldn't get done as I would agonize over it, second guessing myself at every turn, which would make it take hours and hours, which would make me dread doing it, which would mean everyone would be unhappy and my child would be illiterate, which would mean the state would (no doubt) take him away and put him in public schools..... :violin Sad story!

Sonlight serves us very well and is worth every penny that we spend on it. (We purchase everything except the books that are available from our local library, which cuts our cost in half.) I like it, but I know it's not the perfect solution for everyone. It's one of many, many excellent options, and I like the looks of Ambleside. That said, if your husband is comfortable with Sonlight and willing to spend the money on it, perhaps you should go ahead and try Sonlight. I think you would know pretty quickly whether you (and your dd) like it or not, and using a curriculum that you know your husband is in favor of would, I think, help you have peace of mind. I also think that getting the books into your home is a big consideration, given previous discussions about it, and should be taken seriously. And after the warranty is up, Sonlight really does sell well on Ebay -- especially at this time of year. (I've tried to buy some used books, but they ended up selling for about the same price as buying new from Sonlight!)

[CelticJourney]

elcollins, What do you mean by extreme ends of the spectrum?

From what I remember about FIAR, they give you ideas, but you put everything together from materials to schedule. Sonlight gives you everything along with a daily schedule from start to finish. Some people appreciate that, but I'm just enough of a rebel that I kinda balk at that much 'stucture'. Most people I know have said they had to pare down Sonlight to get though the curriculum.

K12 gives the materials and the basic structure, but it doesn't fit my personality or budget, so I haven't used it. A friend of mine does and loves it. It is highly rated for academics, as I think Sonlight is as well.

[Sara]

Thanks, Elizabeth! :) I wasn't sure if you meant that it was opposite ends in regards to structure or price or what and that clarifies it for me. I agree that they are very different in terms of structure, but I guess both of them give me this warm, fuzzy picture of cuddling on the couch together reading great books. That is probably why I am drawn to both. :)

[Singingmom]

Just wanted to say no matter what curriculum you choose, make it your servant, not your master. Don't feel like you have to follow Sunlight's detailed lesson plans to the letter. You will have the best feel for what your dd needs, and no curriculum police will show up at your door if you skip a lesson. :grin

I also want to recommend Karen Andreola's A Charlotte Mason Companion. This book changed my whole philosophy of homeschooling and helped me become a happy homeschooling mom instead of a stressed out one. Even if you don't choose a CM approach, I believe this book will be a blessing to you. :tu

[quiverful_mama]

Sara and others,

My sister uses Sonlight and really likes it. I've considered using Before FIAR with my sons.

Have any of you considered using or actually used the Charlotte Mason approach? Just wondering. I have a cousin who dfid this with her children last year but I don't know a lot about it.

[Sara]

Before FIAR is fun. I am reading through some of the books now with my 2yo.

I know that Leslie knows a lot about Charlotte Mason. And I know there are others, too. Perhaps if you start a new thread you might get more responses that specifically answer your questions about Charlotte Mason! :)


Sara and others,

My sister uses Sonlight and really likes it. I've considered using Before FIAR with my sons.

Have any of you considered using or actually used the Charlotte Mason approach? Just wondering. I have a cousin who dfid this with her children last year but I don't know a lot about it.

[allisonintx]

If Sonlight appeals to you, but is overwhelming, you might check out My Father's World. Although I am not a big library go-er, I can half.com myself into all the books in the suggested reading for 2-8, buy the Deluxe sets from MFW and still come out way ahead of what I would have spent on Sonlight for the same number of years.

[erinee]

Have any of you considered using or actually used the Charlotte Mason approach? Just wondering. I have a cousin who dfid this with her children last year but I don't know a lot about it.

Several of us mentioned http://www.amblesideonline.org in this thread. It's a curriculum based on the Charlotte Mason approach, and you can learn everything you need to know about Charlotte Mason there. They have a link on the first page that you can click on to all of Charlotte Mason's original homeschooling series online (or do as I did an print it out so you can read it from the comfort of your couch). They're even working on rewriting it in modern English to make it easier to read. They have booklists for each year as well as nature study, composer, and artist study rotations. All you need to add to it are math, phonics, and a foreign language. As I mentioned above, a lot of the books are available at the library, at amazon.com and other online bookstores, or as online texts.

(Did I do an okay job of explaining that?)

[hearttender4]

Another idea to consider is that if you don't buy a whole packaged curricula at all, then you won't have this detailed program that you paid a lot of money for hanging over your head telling you what to do. You can buy programs for the main basics like reading and math, then just have fun with literature, art, history, science--and study whatever aspect is intriguing and relevant to you and dd each week.

[heartofjoy]

Have you read Sonlight's articles? They have one full of reasons NOT to buy Sonlight, and one of reasons people love it. I think the articles make the decision easier.

I love Sonlight because it is highly planned out and everything I need is at my fingertips. Yet it is so adaptable if I want to go on a tangent or do notebooking, narration, etc. I want to cuddle on my couch reading good books. I like to plan, but I don't have time for it. If I am feeling the planning urge, I can organize something around my Sonlight to supplement/enhance.

:nak :tol