Comments on: Flexibility in Homeschool Curriculum

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:24:55 +0000

Thank you for this post. I have been planning for next year, while writing a series of posts on my blog about what works for us. Reading your post has been very helpful, along with reading your many squidoo pages. Thank you for all your help Jimmy!
Alex´s last [type] ..What works for us

By: Richele

Richele — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:25:43 +0000

Thank you for opening the window wide-open for a view of your home school and thank you for voicing it… “there will be gaps.” Did everyone breathe a huge sigh of relief/release onto their keyboard?

I could not do without prayer or prayerful goals – both so instrumental and sometimes surprising in the steering of our home school as well.

It’s always such a pleasure to “see” you and Sprite.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:34:28 +0000

Oh my goodness, thanks to your post and your readers’ comments…I am starting from scratch for next year. Well, at least re-examining all of my choices from a different perspective.

I think your comment about reverse engineering is quite wise. Part of my problem is that I can get severely distracted by interesting curriculum and subjects. Perhaps my first filter should be, “Does it help me accomplish my long term goals for my daughter’s education?”

Here I thought that I had next year figured out…but NO, not yet! Off I go to start over! Thank you all for helping me!!!
.-= Melanie´s last blog ..Step One: Biopsy =-.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:49:56 +0000

I am a horrible planner….I admit it. Since beginning homeschooling 10yrs or so ago, I have flown by the seat of my pants most years. I have a general idea of what I want to teach, and just go for it, finding resources online or at the library. Rarely have I been able to afford curriculum.

I am starting, as this year draws to a close, finding that I have a great urge to PLAN next year for both my boys. One will be doing 6th/7th grade work, the other 8th/9th grade work.

I am using some free resources “on grade level”, and others are just mix and match. But this time I am working out a schedule of things I want to cover, how long I want to spend on each (especially history and science), and then I will compile all the resources ahead of time. Then there is no last minute scramble to find what I need for a particular unit.

You have to adjust in homeschooling. What your child needs to learn, what they want to learn, and where you feel there are gaps will always be an ongoing cycle. That is half the fun of homeschooling!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Pantry …aka. trying to stock up =-.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:13:12 +0000

This is great. Even though I like what we’re using (Winter Promise), I know I’ve got to mix things up for next year, and I want to get planning on that ASAP! So as we’re finishing up what we have for the next 8 or so weeks, I’ll be doing lots of planning. It’s always exciting. And I love Marsha’s point that switching doesn’t mean we’ve wasted a year! As you said, children change! It’s been extra challenging figuring out what works best for Lindsey because we’re still getting to know what makes her tick, what sorts of things actually engage her curiosity, etc. This year hasn’t gone exactly as I’d hoped but it’s been such a learning experience, and I’m very optimistic about next school year!
.-= Jamie´s last blog ..Spring is springing! =-.

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:37:55 +0000

Thank you so much for this post. We have been struggling with DD7′s language arts this year, and what we are using is just not working. It has taken me almost 3 months to realize it, and I was starting to feel like I was just doing everything wrong. DH assured me to just drop the books that were causing trouble and get something else.

So now my question, Jimmie, is when do you know something is NOT working? It may seem like it’s obvious to some, but I don’t want to hop around, sometimes DD is just being stubborn, sometimes I may not like it but she gets it, etc. You know what I mean?

By: palmy

palmy — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:42:09 +0000

I’m Palmy of Mens Sana, I traslated your squedoo lenses about lapbooking and nature study… do you remenber? Now I discover your blog and I linked on Mens Sana… see you soon!

By: Natalie

Natalie — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 06:11:04 +0000

I have found that homeschoolers including myself tend to lean to either the content of education or the context of learning. Content being the thing that makes living books so wonderful. I could spend all day exploring history, God’s creation, and exotic places around the world. My nature is definately content based. I have come to realize though that in our homeschool we need to spend more time with our daughter on the context of learning – the 3r’s as you put it Jimmie. I feel we need a balance between content and context. Our daughter now needs more of the frameworks of language arts and mathematics to take her to new levels of learning and expression of her creativity, opinions and beliefs.
How are you planning on working on the 3r’s with your Sprite, especially in the area of language arts? I am trying to find resources that somehow honor both content and context and I am finding it a challenge. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
God Bless, Natalie

By: Marsha

Marsha — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:44:08 +0000

I too started out with Sonlight for a couple of years and then WinterPromise for 2 years. I took what I liked from both programs and tweaked them to my liking and to my boys’ learning styles. This past year we really enjoyed the mix of curriculum but are going back to Sonlight for Core 5 just because I am really fascinated by the topic and the missions focus.

The following year, we will go back to Mystery of History and our mix of things we love. One thing I like about not having a complete box curriculum is that we have more time to add in things that I see the need for (i.e. money management, cooking, map skills, Latin, etc).

It takes time to gain confidence and just because you switch from one year to the next, it does not mean that that year was wasted. I think it’s important to take away the ideas and resources that work for our family at that time and then tweak to fit the current year. These changes and ideas don’t happen overnight but are learned from trial/error and experience.
.-= Marsha´s last blog ..Sweet Shot: birthday boy =-.

By: Angela

Angela — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:03:36 +0000

I just love your blog Jimmie! Yours is one of two that I check daily (the other blog is my cousin’s). I look forward to each of your new posts! I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of years, but have never responded before.

Your homeschooling journey seems very similar to mine! I started out with Sonlight, switched to Winterpromise, switched back to Sonlight and am now using Beautiful Feet (with a touch of Truthquest history for some extra readers)! I found that I have became comfortable with scheduling according to the needs of my two children (ages 14 and 12) and trusting God’s leading in education. The common thread in all the programs we’ve used has been literature-based learning also. One reason that we switched from Sonlight is cost and needing more time for other (3R) subjects.

May God bless you and your family! Thanks for blogging and blessing others with your experiences!