Okay, I've done a little research and I think I've decided on what I'm going to use for history and reading for my little chickie. What is your favorite curriculum to use for: Math Language Arts Science Bible I want to take a closer look at YOUR favorites. Keep in mind this will be for a 5/6 year old at a K/1st grade level. Thanks!!!
Math-- Horizon, Abeka would be a second choice there but Horizon math for K is colorful short sections and enviting to the student. I did not get to use it but for Lang arts I would try out the Horizon Phonics too it looks like the one we used but I don't even remember the name of it. And Phonics are important. I used Phonics as a child. It really helped me to break down the words the way they do. for his age for Science I would just do the walk around the neighborhood to check the weather paterns, changing seasons, and growing plants. You could get a curric but it would be easier to study the world around you. What does it take to grow a bean plant? draw a picture of the plant, etc. Baking cookies is science too at that age! Lets see we did the five sences too! Tasting things with a blind fold. having k gardener/first grader explain if it was sweet, sour, bitter that sort of thing. And then there are also Library videos! for history study your community. Map reading on a simple level at first. Finding your way home from familiar stores, businesses. Meeting the community workers , firefighers, police, store clerks, banks even will do feild trips for you if you ask them. Print pictures of what they wear, what they work with for tools etc.
Math - I like different ones for different reasons (apples & oranges comparison here!). I equally like/dislike Horizons, Abeka, Rod & Staff, and BJU. All are great, but IMO, all are geared toward a particular type of learner. Horizons is the most advanced of the 4, so I'd only use it at it's intended grade level with someone who's strong in math. Otherwise, I'd go back a grade level or try something else. Abeka is the next most advanced of the 4. I don't like the way it teaches addition/subtraction, but it's a personal preference. Great curriculum otherwise. We supplement with it. BJU is similar to Horizons, but slower. I'd use it for pretty much any student. Rod & Staff is what I'm currently using, and it's the slowest of the 4 listed. It's very old-school in it's illustrations, coloring, and manner of teaching. There is a lot of handwriting practice, fact practice, and speed practice. It's the way I was taught 25-ish years ago. It's exactly on par with state guidelines, while Horizons is 1-2 years advanced depending on subtopic. I don't know if you'll have to do standardized testing or anything like that, so if grade level matters to you, you'll have to choose accordingly. If not, it doesn't matter what you pick. Go with the one that works best for you. Language Arts - what do you mean exactly? Grammar? Rod & Staff. Phonics? Explode the Code. Vocabulary? WorldlyWise. Comprehension? Early Reading Comprehension in Varied Subject Matter, and to a lesser extent, Spectrum Reading. Science - Apologia Bible - I've got my own curriculum that is a mix of ABC (Amplified Bible Curriculum) and Rainbow Lessons (Jane Britnell). We'll finish it in December and then start http://www.bibleclassbooks.com/bible-curriculum.html for 4 years.
My favorite and my sons favorite at this point is McRuffy for math, LA, and science. I have yet to find my favorite history so I do my own from pulling from many.
At that age, here were my favorites: Math--Math-U-See Phonics--Explode the Code Reading--McGuffey Readers (oooooold, but wonderful!) Science--Nature, gardening, books...but my FAVORITE thing was helping my child figure out answers to a question by developing his own experiment. He never forgot what he learned that way. We incorporated a lot of science with Bible, too. Christian Liberty Press has science at this age. (Our Father's World, maybe?) We really liked how it taught the days of creation and then briefly expounded on the science relating to it. Bible/History--Bible, books and introducing them to a timeline. At that age, we focused a lot on the Bible beginning with creation. We also had Christian Liberty Press's History for Little Pilgims that focuses on Jesus being the center of our history, present and future.
I actually had her do the Horizons math placement test last night because I was looking at that curriculum and it placed her in Horizons 1. So, you're saying that's up a level? So if I went with that one, she'd actually be in kindergarten, but doing 2nd grade math? She breezed through the K level test for Horizons, so it means she would do fine then, right? She's really good at math and reading. Those are her two strong areas, so I can't go with K level for those or she will be bored.
Apologia-- I'm looking at their sample pages of the textbook. Doesn't it seem a little advanced for a 5-year-old? Have you ladies actually used Apologia at this age? Don't get me wrong, I love the way the books read and look. I'm just wondering if it would be a little more useful to us in a couple years. ?
Just remember Horizons moves fast! So, keep an eye on here she might seem to breeze through one day then the next it will be a stand still. Now if she placed in 1 I would go with it. IMO horizons is a bit ahead. Like the first book of k is k, then the second is more 1st grade work. I know we did not make it though the whole last book and my son already knows a lot of what is covered in a few other 1st math programs we have looked at. What are you looking at for LA?
I loved using Miquon with my little ones. Playing with blocks is always fun! We tried a bunch of different language arts, but never finished anything. Basically I just read a LOT of books aloud to them. And when we went on field trips I'd get them to dictate their recollection of the trip to me after we got home. I made some cute books out of their stories. I used 100 EZ Lessons to teach reading, and Handwriting Without Tears to teach cursive. Sonlight science - I love that everything I needed came in a shoebox sized kit. Bible - Sonlight, also. And for everything else - Sonlight! When they were older, we also really enjoyed "The Story of the World".
she would! if she tested to horizon 1 now, she would be starting in 1 and by the second book be doing 2ndish work,it is like half a grade level ahead by the end of the year.
Math: We use and love A beka! The only thing I can compare it to is Saxon ( what he used in public school) and he complained every day about it when he came home with homework. Language Arts- We use Abeka...Language workbook, Phonics workbook and handbook for reading (this handbook is priceless!) Of course Abeka spelling goes with it too. Very simple approach...Teach the phonics and all the rest help inforce and practice the phonics. Just by going back to Abeka since November, he has made improvement by leaps and bounds in reading and spelling. I also have him write a journal for writing practice and for memories when he is older lol! Something I am sure I will love to show his wife and kids someday lol! Science- this has been a stumper for us. Abeka science is not cutting it for him. I am going to try Apologia this fall and see how well he likes that. I agree that it is a bit much for a 5 year old. Bible: we have been using 3rd grade life pacs and he is not liking the whole life pac booklet thing so we have no favorite yet. Can I ask what you have chosen for history and reading?
My personal favorite for reading, language arts and math at that age is Christian Light Education! I can't say I have a favorite for science and social studies, but what I've done a lot of for that age is little units I made up myself out of coloring books, library books, and various internet resources.
We started Apologia at age 3.5 with the intention of doing all the books twice (one per semester, two cycles). That way we can do an age-appropriate intro first and an in-depth study/reminder the second time around. If you use them in order (Astronomy, Botany, Zoology 1-2-3-, Anatomy), you'll find that they're written so that anyone K-6th can use them. Astronomy is the easiest, and anatomy is the hardest. A 4-6 grader is expected to read the text alone and do most of the experimental stuff with minimal help. A K-3 grader is expected to have a lot of parental or older sibling guidance. You can read it aloud together, or you can read it yourself, take notes, and teach only the highlights of each chapter. My son LOVES doing the activities/experiments, so don't shy away from those. We're not doing the journal exercises until the second time around, but we ARE keeping a list of the words he's learned, etc. and making a poster at the end of each book. He'll be able to glance at the poster over the next several semesters to unconsciously remember the books. That way he'll remember/learn more the second time through. He LOVES posters. If yours doesn't, you may want to make flash cards or leave projects sitting around (solar system model) or something like that.
I can't say for all the subjects, but for math-Teaching Textbooks. There is a few shortcomings, but overall very nice. The dislikes about it: very few word problems (a like for my son) and some strange topics covered too much. But, I sometimes have my son skip some problems. One STRONG like about this (pre-algebra): there are some review problems every day, so he has decimal and fraction problems every day. I think this helps his retention. Bible: I don't have a favorite, in fact--I am hoping to see some good ideas. Other than that--we have mostly been just reading and discussing the Bible. I do have a BJU Bible text that we may use to help our discussions. But, I probably won't have him do all the busy work in it. Science--Apologia, I think it is very easy to learn from and thorough in the explanations. Language arts-- BJU or Easy Grammar Plus (I like the thinking behind it, but it is a lot in one book, probably needs to be spread out.
We use different curricula for different subjects, so here's my list: Math: No real favorite here, but I will say that Bob Jones math saved my sanity with my visual-spatial learner; we just switched my son to Teaching Textbooks, and so I don't know what to think of it yet Language Arts: Abeka for grammar; Sequential Spelling for spelling; Worldy Wise for vocabulary; and Veritas Press for our literature Science: My favorite is Real Science 4 Kids, but we also use Apologia's elementary science series----- we divide between the two curricula by semesters Bible: Veritas Press
