What curriculum do you use? Why?

Amber - posted on 07/10/2011

You'll have to buy a set for each child (or photo copy one) since they write in all of the books. I believe they will send you the whole year (but I'm not 100% certain, I get mine through my local ACE school as I need them). Hope this helped :-)

Terry - posted on 07/09/2011

We are currently using ACE and Landmark for Math and English. Science and History we do unit studies. By the way if anyone is interested, I have LANDMARK unused for sale http://aprudentwife.webs.com/boutique.ht...

Yari - posted on 10/21/2009

I use My Father's World first grade. I am almost done and I plan on using Sonlight for second grade and I think I will stay with Sonlight!

Karen - posted on 10/06/2009

Hi everyone. I am also an ACE user! This is our third year of homeschooling. My son is 7 in the second grade and does very well. We add things to our day because my son will breeze through his work in no time. I do art with him, of course when it is nice out we love to explore the outdoors. I have thought about switching but when we tested him he tested well above his grade level so why switch from what is working. I also grew up in an ACE school so this is one reason I chose to use it. I figured I would stick to what I knew and am really glad I did. I plan to use this all through school as long as it works for our family. It is very reasonably priced.

Christina - posted on 10/01/2009

I use Time 4 Learning, an online resource for my girls' basic curriculum. This is our first year homeschooling and my girls are in 2nd & 4th grade. My 7 y.o. loves using the computer so much and my 9 y.o. is less thrilled. I supplement both of them with 3rd grade bible lessons from Alpha Omega's Lifepac and I really like the layout. My oldest hates social studies, especially what T4L was doing. We borrowed a friend's Abeka and that went over like a lead brick. Now we have the Lifepac History & Geography lessons and I haven't heard any more complaining. She willingly does her work! I think we may try their science or some other "textbook" version for my oldest as well. It's obvious that what works for one child may totally flop for the other. Textbook reading doesn't work well for my 7 y.o. auditory/kinesthetic learner.

Edelyn - posted on 07/10/2009

I use the Alpha Omega Publications (LifePac Program). It has work books, quizes, and scripture teachings throughout. I homeschooled my daughter from K through 5th grade and she is now in a private Christian school because she wanted to come 6th grade, and it's been 2 years now and she has been an honor student (so the program works!!!) My son is now 5 and going into 1st grade with the same program. It's an awesome program and goes from K through High School!!!

Christie - posted on 07/10/2009

Quoting Amber:

I use ACE ~ Accelerated Christian Education. It is an AWESOME program going from Pre-K to 12th grade with college credits and it is pretty in expensive at under $300.00 a year. I can send anyone in the right direction on how/where to get it if you would like.

Hi Amber,  I am thinking about switching to ACE this year but I have a few questions.  Both of my children are going into 8th grade.  Will I need to purchase 2 kits or be able to use 1.  I have not seen the books only heard about them.  Also, when you buy the pace packs, do you get the whole year or do they send them to you as you go.  Thank you for your help!

Christie - posted on 07/10/2009

Quoting Amber:

I use ACE ~ Accelerated Christian Education. It is an AWESOME program going from Pre-K to 12th grade with college credits and it is pretty in expensive at under $300.00 a year. I can send anyone in the right direction on how/where to get it if you would like.

Hi Amber,  I am thinking about switching to ACE this year but I have a few questions.  Both of my children are going into 8th grade.  Will I need to purchase 2 kits or be able to use 1.  I have not seen the books only heard about them.  Also, when you buy the pace packs, do you get the whole year or do they send them to you as you go.  Thank you for your help!

Christie - posted on 07/10/2009

Quoting Amber:

I use ACE ~ Accelerated Christian Education. It is an AWESOME program going from Pre-K to 12th grade with college credits and it is pretty in expensive at under $300.00 a year. I can send anyone in the right direction on how/where to get it if you would like.

Hi Amber,  I am thinking about switching to ACE this year but I have a few questions.  Both of my children are going into 8th grade.  Will I need to purchase 2 kits or be able to use 1.  I have not seen the books only heard about them.  Also, when you buy the pace packs, do you get the whole year or do they send them to you as you go.  Thank you for your help!

Tamara - posted on 06/04/2009

I have come across a curriculum that has worked wonders in our family. It is called the Robinson Curriculum. You can find all the information you'll need to make any decision regarding whether or not you want to use this curriculum at www.robinsoncurriculum.com Basically, you read like Sonlight, and Ambleside Online, but the price is a fraction of the Sonlight curriculum, and your cost for the entire curriculum is $195 for kindergarten through High school, excluding the math books, they recommend Saxon, but you can choose to use whatever you'd like, and the cost to print out the books that are on cd. You don't have to print them, if you already have access to them. It is self taught learning at its finest. My children have been doing this now for two weeks and let me tell you the dramatic difference that it has made in my house. Wow! I do flashcards with my preschooler 4yob, letters, numbers, shapes, & colors. In less than two weeks he has acquired almost all of them and soon we will be going on to phonics sounds of the letters to begin his reading thereafter. For my 6yod we are doing flashcards for math, reading for about an hour, she reads to me, and then we pick one sentence for her to write. If there are any words that she doesn't understand during her reading then we do vocabulary on those. For my 8yos, he does one saxon math lesson and continues to correct any wrong answers until he has mastered the lesson, up to two hours of math, reads the next book on the list or part of it, up to two hours of reading, then for his writing he chooses one paragraph to copy from his reading, and corrects it until it looks the same as the paragraph that he is to copy, If there are any words that he doesn't understand during his reading then he does vocabulary on those, which could take up to an hour. Thus far his reading level on testing is just about to the eighth grade. This is an amazing curriculum at a fraction of the price of other curriculums, and because the child is in charge of their learning it frees up more of the parents time for things that need to be done elsewhere. I hope this is helpful to some other parents.

Detria - posted on 06/03/2009

I'm new to homechooling and was thinking about using AO LifePac's did you not enjoy them this year? Would you mind sharing why you'll be switching?

Tamara - posted on 05/01/2009

I would love to use Sonlight as we all love to read in this household, but other than the books I have never had any access to what else is incuded in the outrageous price of almost $1000 a year. And since I have 7 children, and currently expecting another, with 1 out of school, 2 in high school at the other parents house and 4 here in the home schooling differing ages I am timid about spending that $ every year per child, I am currently using, the Landmark Freedom Baptist Curriculum, which costs approx $200 per year and I can reuse them so I am only spending that amount for my oldest schooling child and then, reuse it when the next child in line reaches that grade level. My husband and I would love to know more about the Sonlight curriculum, but as we live on a Public School Teacher's Salary, we don't have a lot of $ to dish out. The Sonlight website doesn't offer enough information on the work they provide just the names of their books involved in that grade level. Some of the other homeschoolers in my area purchase from Barnes and Nobles for $20, an entire curriculum for that prospective grade level.

Eileen - posted on 04/23/2009

I've been using A Beka this year and find it a fight to keep up with.. esp since i coudl only afford one set and have two kids using it!
Someone mentioned glossy page covers and markers? Could you explain further how you do that? Esp with the handwriting ?
My girlfriend has offerred us her Sonlight from this year to work with, so i only need to purchase the consumable materials, i will probably use a beka again for math though.
I was homsechooled for my gr 7 year, and used ACE.. but have since been told its consisdered outdated? Can anyone share more on that?
We are still looking for the right fit! I have one finishing gr 2 (again), and one in gr 1, jk, and one following behind at only 2 yrs in a couple weeks.. hopefully i'll have this figured out by time he starts!

Becky - posted on 04/22/2009

I homeschool all four of my kiddos I use ACE. I was actually raised with it so I naturally went to what i knew. But i do love ACE the best from all the different ones i have looked at

Angela - posted on 04/21/2009

I use Konos unit studies for everything except math & language arts. I love how Konos weaves all the academics and Bible lessons around a character trait so we teach to the heart. I also love that we use real books from the library, not textbooks. This way I can decide what is important about the subject. What I really love is the hands-on activities. My wiggly boys could not sit still through textbook/workbook style of curriculum. When we built a crawl through ear and they pretended to be sound waves as they discussed the parts of the ear, they really remembered it. I also love teaching all ages together.

We use Math U See because it really teaches the concepts well and has good review woven through it. We use Winston Grammar because it's fun (quote from my 9 yo) and explains the concepts. We use Spelling Power because it teaches them how to study only the words they don't know, and one book lasts forever for all kids.

Bek - posted on 04/10/2009

ACE is the best we have come across yet.... the set up is very easy, there is minimum effort with the curriculum, and our kids learn as they go...my nearly 7 yo is at a grade 3 reading level and her Math, English, Social Studies and Science are the same...

ACE cover the core subjects : math, English, Social Studies, Science, and Word Building, and also have a great choice of Elective Subjects, too...

it is fun and keep the kids attention spans a little more than the other curriculum we were using...

i wouldn't go back.... hope any of this info can help u.....

Jennifer - posted on 04/03/2009

I use A Beka for all four of my kids. Grades 1st, 3rd, 5th & 7th. This was the curriculum I used when I was homeschooled and I love it!

Ann - posted on 03/19/2009

Thanks so much Audra! I'm excited about both books! I use Sonlight's curriculum, so they have the basics all outlined for me, but I'm often at a loss as to how to really personalize it all for my girls. It's easy with my middle child who thinks like I do, but not so much with my oldest. Thanks for sharing!

Audra - posted on 03/15/2009

Hey Ann:)

Hi, the book is called Kids Learn America! I bought it on CBD.com....it was quite reasonable. This book is for kids ages 7-12 so it has a wide range, which I like:) I hate having to buy a ton of books! This book is part of the Williamson Kids Can! series. They offer books on all kinds of subjects from art to science! I love the hands on approach! I also just purchased a book called Easy Homeschooling Techniques  By Lorraine Curry..She is a wonderful and down to earth writer and she has been doing this a very long time, so it is very much a book of lessons from life experience:) which I find refreshing and uplifting...I get in that place sometimes where I feel I've hit a wall and don't know if what I am doing is right....do you know what I mean?  This book was very helpful for me in that it helped me to get a firm grasp on what I was doing and why...which has turned out to be strengthening in my relationship with God:) I highly recommend the read:) If there is anything you want to know don't hesitate to ask:) Have a blessed week Ann:)

Ann - posted on 03/15/2009

Quoting Audra:

I found a book that combines Geography and History which is wonderful as well, very colorful and includes cooking and baking recipes form each region, hands on projects for building

Hey Audra!  What is the name of this book?  My oldest daughter is very hands-on and artistic, and I'm not.  So, I struggle with finding things that help her apply history.  Cooking and building projects would be so perfect!  So, I'd love to check out this book!  Thanks in advance...

Audra - posted on 03/14/2009

Hi:) I homeschooled myself through highschool using ABeka, which I did not really care for. I found it difficult in a home setting. My son does his homeschooling this year at our church with ABeka and it is great in a formal classroom setting. He wants to come home and school next year though.  For my other two, 6 & 4, I use an array of different curriculum. For Science and Math I use TOPS, which is a hands on curriculum. The kids absolutely love it!!! I found a book that combines Geography and History which is wonderful as well, very colorful and includes cooking and baking recipes form each region, hands on projects for building and I also found a soft globe from Hugg-a-Planet that is great for teaching young children about God's world:) I found a Spencerian penmanship series on Christianbook.com which is beautiful while still being simple, the Spencerian method breaks down handwriting into 7 basic stokes. The books are only $2.49! I downloaded and printed the Blended Phonics workbooks and use it to teach reading, I use interesting literature and we read everyday and practice handwriting most every day. No matter what you do, they will still be attaining an outstanding education over public school even on your "off days"!!!!!!  :)  Everything is learning in the home! I have my kids bake and cook with me, clean and organize, help with meal plans and money saving ideas! We have the kids help with most everything around the house and they love the feeling of teamwork and it brings our family close together:) God bless you for the decision to school your children:) 

Heidi - posted on 02/24/2009

Amber: do they do diagnostic tests at the beginning so your child is placed at the appropriate level for each subject? I am looking for something that can be flexible with, b/c my kindergartener reads between a 3-5 grade level, but everything else she does at a kg level, and I want her to learn where she will be challenged where she needs it, while math and other subjects not being too dificult.

Cherie - posted on 02/23/2009

Thanks for the suggestion! I will do that.

Linda - posted on 02/23/2009

Cherie,

For science look at Apologia, Considering God's creation, and the Critical Thinking Company.

Cherie - posted on 02/23/2009

I am homeschooling my 5 yr. old, and we chose Sonlight. I love the literature, although I have decided to save a few of the books for elementary school. I did not like the Sonlight reading/phonics materials AT ALL. On the advice of a seasoned teacher friend, I actually tried Hooked on Phonics, and my daughter really loves it. Her reading skills have progressed quite well.

I was also not thrilled by some of the history lessons ... dry, not age appropriate ... so I've opted to do more "event-based" history lessons with her this year, and next year we're going to try The Story of the World materials.

We use Horizons for math, mostly because we started with it in preschool. I like the program, but am considering switching to Saxon for grade school since I've heard a lot of really good things about it from other home schoolers.

As a former science teacher, I am not very satisfied with the Sonlight science program either. I'm still searching for a good alternative, and I'm considering LifePac. My jury is still out though, and I may just decide to "wing it" and pull out my dusty old science teacher skills.

I really do like the read-aloud program that Sonlight offers, and I think it can be used as a integral part of the home schooling program ... that's how we use it. I also feel more "at home" with a bit of a more traditional approach, so for me, I like to pull in other curricular resources. I started out following their "Instructors Guides" to the letter, but soon discovered that to be far too tedious and impractical. In the end, I really wasted a lot of money on resources that we've hardly touched.

While Sonlight can be very expensive, you can save a pile of cash by looking on eBay for used packages, or, better yet, just go to the library and borrow the books that you need when you need them.

Linda - posted on 02/14/2009

We used mainly Abeka in elementary school for phonics/reading and math. I think they do a great job. I use Sonlight for history and Bible as well as a similar unit study, LearningAdventures. I love these programs because they use real books. My kids favorite part of school is listening to the story! In junior high, I switch to Saxon for math (Abeka does not offer the higher math levels my family needs--we're math geeks :) ). I LOVE Apologia for science for junior high and high school, and they even have some good elementary science books now. Spelling Power is the best I have found for spelling. The kids work on words they don't know until they have mastered them. For high school english, Smarr publishers puts out a great Christian classical curriculum.

Bridget - posted on 01/19/2009

It's great to see so many Sonlighters here!

Fran - posted on 01/17/2009

I use ACE for my eight year old daughter. She has some mild learning disabilities and this program is perfect for her. We can work at a pace that suits her, there is a certain amount of repetition in the curriculum but that has only been positive with her disability. The way the christian aspect is tied into the curriculum is easy for her to understand. I add unit studies with the help of the internet.

Sarah - posted on 01/16/2009

Oops, I just put Sonlight but didn't say why.  I use it because it revolves around great books, and I love reading and instilling a love of reading in my children.

Sarah - posted on 01/16/2009

Sonlight!  

Kristin - posted on 01/16/2009

My husband's mother is still homeschooling her last 4 children and they all use A Beka DVD's. It's basically like a Netflix subscription (pardon for the lack of better description) where they send you a certain number of DVD's and when you're finished with them, you send them back and they send you new ones. I'm definitely going to look into this for my children.

Amy - posted on 01/15/2009

I have 4 kids the oldest 2 being in grade 3 and 1. We use Singapore Math for math and it is amazing. It is inexpensive and effective in teaching both my struggling 8 year old and her clever 6 year old brother. We've tried others and we have finally found a "fit". For writing we use the "Just Write" series which is great. We also do novel studies and daily reading. As for Science and Socials I use a combination of resource books and library materials. We do unit studies together which is fun. I also use The Story of the World a few times a month as  a whole day event. We dont do other schooling on those days. Oh and A Reason For Handwriting my kids enjoy and my 8 year old sloppy printer has beautiful cursive writing. We also use Spelling Workout at appropriate levels. It's varied but it works for us !

Christie - posted on 01/11/2009

We are poor poor poor :) But that has forced me to be very creative. I design all of our curriculum and use some misc work books for math I pick up at yard sales and other cheap places. The reading programed i designed f for my kids as well as the outlines i use for science and history unit studies are on my website www.parentled.com. All free of course since I am sure I am not the only poor HSing mom :) If someone else is reading this and is strapped financially I want you to know the you can HS your kids and not spend a dollar!!! Good Luck and blessings to all!!

Leslie - posted on 12/31/2008

I use Sonlight as well. We love the literature-based approach. (Their online forums are also a benefit to me!)

Elizabeth - posted on 12/13/2008

We follow most of the recommendations in the book "The Well Trained Mind" and order our books from the Rainbow Resource catalog.

Angela - posted on 12/09/2008

Isn't Curriculum addictive??!! LOL!! I am always on the look-out for the very best things!! My favorites so far are...



Noeo Science - ( www.noeoscience.com ) comes with all different books that the lessons are based on. We will read, take notes, sketch & narrate a subject for a few days, then do experiments on it! This is a mixture of Charlotte Mason & Classical style that I try to stick with... My 2 girls have learned soooo much & you can spread it over a couple of grades, so that helps..



Sonlight - I don't use their whole program. I love their reading program, though. They put together wonderful books for the kids!! And their online community is awesome.



Story of the World History - Again, the Classical style. We really love this & get alot out of it.



Horizons Math - put out by Alpha Omega. Really love this math, a little bit ahead of Saxon, we backed up a year so we wouldn't miss anything. The colorful pages keep them interested.



First Language Lessons - for Grammer/"english" , this is the first year I've used this, but I really like it... Will start the Level 3 for my 4th grader after the holidays...



I think that's it!... I am curious what Bible lessons everyone is using.... I am going at it "freehand" right now...but I do better if it is "scheduled" into my day...

Ann - posted on 12/09/2008

Since there's no comment for Sonlight, I'll put in my two cents worth. I was homeschooled, and my mom tried LifePacs and a couple of programs that are now defunct before settling on A Beka starting in my third grade year, I think. I did that through eighth grade and then used University of Nebraska's Independent Study High School. About the time I started high school my mom discovered Sonlight for my youngest siblings, and I was SO jealous. I'd really hated A Beka as a student (although I think I would have liked KG and 1st grade if we'd been using it then), and Sonlight seemed so interesting! So, when we started researching for our own children, Sonlight was automatically one I really looked into. And, we ended up making that our choice.

Sonlight is a literature-based program, which fits with our family. My hubby and I love to read, and we've worked to instill that in our children. My girls never get tired of school, and there's always some new and fascinating book to fall in love with. I do tend to add a few "tests" here and there because, unlike A Beka and some of the others mentioned, Sonlight does not do a lot of tests and quizzes. I mainly want to make sure my kids know what it means to be tested since they will have to start standardized tests with the state next year...with Sonlight's organization, I rarely need testing to discover their retention because they seem to automatically retain the information. The best thing about it is that is easily arranged for multiple kids - my girls are two years apart, and their little brother is three more years behind them. Sonlight has moms like me in mind in their organization - they do a Core curriculum that can be taught over multiple ages, and then let you select reading, math, and writing programs that are age-appropriate. (I second any mentioned of Handwriting Without Tears, by the way. It's one of the programs Sonlight uses, and it's great!)

One note - I do think that A Beka has one of the best phonics kits out there! I have actually never used Sonlight for KG. Instead, I use the Reader's Handbook and phonics flashcards from A Beka and focus on reading to just see where each child's reading level is going to be for 1st grade. Then I use workbooks from any ole store to teach basic skills (math, mainly) and otherwise we enjoy reading together - read-alouds are great for early learning! That is sufficient preparation for first grade, in my experience.

Sorry so long, but that's my input!

Amanda - posted on 12/07/2008

We did Abeka in pre-k and weren't crazy about it. Then for K we used McRuffy for most all of it and we LOVED it. Super easy to use, comes with pre-cut flash cards, you can buy all of the manipulatives/games in one inexpensive package, and it is loosely scripted. It comes with lots of games. We had so much fun! This year we are in the process of an international adoption so we sent him to a private Christian school for 1st grade that uses Abeka and he is WAY ahead. It is December and he still hasn't learned anything in math yet. I can't wait to get back to homeschooling next year. I will definitely be using McRuffy for all of it (except bible and social studies because they do not offer it). Also, check out Handwriting Without Tears...it is great!!!!

Juli - posted on 11/12/2008

I did not choose curriculums for my children to use independently, without a teacher(me). I know some home schoolers do. I chose curriculum that offered the richest learning experience across the learning styles, and that used a logical progression throughout the year.

We used a number of different curriculums for different subjects, these are my favorites:



Saxon Math- includes auditory, visual and kinisthetic learning styles, has tests every 5th day, and daily work(limited to 30 problems) includes problems from throughout the book so that they never 'forget' how to do something, even at the end of the year.

We did this from grade 2 - Algebra 2. Easy to teach! Higher Math comes with real (Christian!)Math professor on CD-Rom.

http://saxonhomeschool.harcourtachieve.c...





Shurley English- includes auditory, visual and kinisthetic learning styles ("see it, hear it, say it, and do it"). Learn parts of speech using jingles & songs("A sentence, sentence sentence is complete, complete, complete when 5 simple rules it meets, meets, meets..."), my third grader was classifying sentences and parts of speech and loving it. Vocabulary and writing programs are integrated, not separate. Did this from grade 3 - grade 8. Easy to teach!!!

http://www.shurley.com/hs/index.jsp





at times LifePac History, among others...



Lyrical Life Science (http://www.lyricallearning.com/vol1.html )

stands out because kids remember lyrics of songs. And it was God-friendly, not pro-evolution. The Scientific Method to the tune of "Dixie"



Oh, what do you think a scientist does

To solve a problem found because

Many scientists are scientists

'Cause they're great problem solvers



There is a systematic way

They go about 'most every day

It's methodical and it's logical

The scientific method



Chorus:

A way to solve a problem, a way, a way

The scientific method is a way to solve a problem

A way, a way, a way to solve a problem

A way, a way, a way to solve a problem



It may not seem important to you

But the first thing that they always do

Is state the problem or ask a question

So, they know just what they're after



Then they review everything involved

that might help get the problem solved

By reading, researching

And gathering information...



A way to solve a problem, a way, a way

The scientific method is a way to solve a problem

A way, a way, a way to solve a problem

A way, a way, a way to solve a problem





Author: Doug Eldon

Alicia - posted on 11/10/2008

I use Ambleside Online for my 7 and 9 year old boys. This is our first year of homeschooling and the boys really needed to break away from the workbook/worksheet type of schooling that left them zoned out and bored. We've loved our AO curriculum so far.

Jess - posted on 11/03/2008

We bought most of our stuff, and then found Old Fashioned Education and Ambleside Online (both online, free Christian curriculums). We'll be using those pretty much exclusively next year.

We are using Lifepac for science, but that was it, and like you, we are not using it next year.

We also are using Art Adventures at Home for art, and loving it... 3 years of teaching in one book is working out splendidly for us! Emilee loves it and so do hubby and I. :)

Katrina - posted on 11/01/2008

I also have a 3rd and a 5th grader. We are using Abeka. The color keeps them interested. We tried using Math u see last year, which many of my friends like. I feel like my girls lost a year of math, so we're back to A beka. My younger one has always done science, history and health with the older one.

Erin - posted on 11/01/2008

Costco also has some work books that has reading, phonics, math, comprehension, and grammar categories. I found up to grades 4. I graduated through Christian Liberty Academy Satellite Schools (CLASS), which is a correspondence shcool

Erin - posted on 11/01/2008

I haven't done any curriculum yet, but I use a lot of what my mom used for us. Can you believe she saved some of that stuff?

Jenn - posted on 10/31/2008

We use Horizons (which is A Beka) for my grade K son who's 5. He loves it and does great with it!! We bought most of it used on e-bay but you could tell it was used because the previous owner used page those glossy savers and the kids used dry erase markers. We do the same thing... that way I can re-use them for my daughter. I bought the math and phonics for a total of $100.

Amber - posted on 10/31/2008

I have one child in 3rd grade and one in kindergarten. I started out using Christian Liberty but then switched to A Beka last year and loved it. My kids also enjoy it a lot better. It's colorful and has activities for them to do. And as none of the curriculums are cheap, this one isn't too bad.

Amber - posted on 10/31/2008

I use ACE ~ Accelerated Christian Education. It is an AWESOME program going from Pre-K to 12th grade with college credits and it is pretty in expensive at under $300.00 a year. I can send anyone in the right direction on how/where to get it if you would like.