What method/curriculum do you recommend for a beginner mom with 3 kids?

Question

Children ages : 8. 6 and 5 .

I want to make sure that they will be at least at the same level like public school kids if not above . I need something that tells me what to do/when and makes it easier to teach them same things (Science , History) . I prefer a Christian program , very strong in academics but I am ok with secular as well (I supplement with Christian books&Bible) .I need something VERY affordable .

Their learning style seems to be the same: they love books and workbooks , computer, tv and they are at above average level in reading&math , except for the middle one who has a mild APD (Auditory Processing Disorder ) He is great in math but has a delay in expressing himself.

I would appreciate any input .

Answer 1

Sonlight might be a good fit for you.  Since they're so close together, and young, you could start them out (pretty much) at the same level in most things and just "tweak" a few things (i.e., expect more writing out of the 8yo than you to the 5 & 6yo's).

Sonlight is literature-based, so much of what the kids do is based on literature.  It comes with very specific lesson plans - you just flip open the teacher manual and do what it says - and is based on really great books and historical fiction/biographies.  It has a good, hands-on science program.  Apologia is also excellent for science, and goes very well with Sonlight.

For math, I would suggest Math U See.  It's DVD and manipulative based, so they get to watch the instructor on TV (he's funny, and the lessons are short & sweet) and work along with him on their manipulatives.  Because it's DVD based, you don't have to do as much.

All of the above are Christian based (except for MUS), and are really, really great programs.  Here are the links:

http://sonlight.com/

https://apologia.securesites.net/store/i...

http://mathusee.com/

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

If you need help with teaching your kids mathematics, TPC Math Tutors is an excellent in-home tutoring company, www.mathtutorsoncall.com

Answer 3

I will echo the above accolades for Sonlight.  May I also say that you can check their website and get them to mail you a catalogue.   I find it invaluable.  You do not have to buy their program; you can buy just whatever materials you want separately.

Please look up the "Robinson Curriculum" as well, just to read the inspirational story of the Robinson family if nothing else.

They sell a VERY cheap method of schooling; actually it follows a philosophy of learning.   You print all the books off computer discs.  (a refillable ink printer that prints both sides is necessary.)  It involves an hour of math, a page of writing and TONS of reading great literature every day.

Personally I piece together bits to make my curriculum.   Horizon math, Saxon Math, Math U SEE,  Easy Grammar, Easy Writing, Spectrum Phonics, Spectrum Writing, Mars Hill Latin.  We unschooled Science until the high school level and unschool history and social studies.

I found ACE and Alpha Omega to be very unsatisfactory.  Many people like Abeka, I have never seen it but I think it is a little pricey.

I think it would be great to just buy a "school in a box" but they don't always work out.

Answer 4

I have to echo what the first poster said about Sonlight. It's not exactly very affordable, but you can find deals on eBay and other used sources. You can also buy the instructor's guides and get the books from the library or inter-library loan if you plan ahead.

I immediately thought of Sonlight because it works well for kids in a span of ages (they recommend up to 3 years apart), it's Christian, and because it is based so heavily on literature, children of various ages can benefit from it at the same time.

Other than Sonlight, unit studies sound like they would be a good fit for your family. That basically means you pick a subject they are interested in (say, birds, for example) and study them from every angle. Read about them, do projects about them, etc., so you are bringing in all of the subjects at once.

Answer 5

Depending on what state you live in, K12.com is a great educational place to start. Most schools use k12 as the site for thier virtual schools. We have used WAVA for oever a year now and have been very happy. It is not religious, but it is one of the best homeschool/virtual schools out there. Both of my children are highly gifted children and the program works well with them and with any child as the progam moves at thier rate.

Answer 6

I was going to suggest Sonlight as well.  It IS expensive, but you can make it affordable.

You can buy the instructor's guide used (Sonlight has a used curriculum message board) and also get many of the books.  I found many of the books on Sonlight's list at Half Price Books, and you can also find them at your library or at Rainbow Resource:

http://www.rainbowresource.com

Here's some other places you can find discount books:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Here are some places to find used curriculum:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

If you don't think Sonlight will be a good fit for you, here are some other methods you can look at with recommendations for curriculum:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

SONLIGHT!! I have three kids ages 10,5, and 2. Your kids are close enough in age that you can use the same core to teach all of them! It looks expensive when you fist look at it but you only need to buy it once. It will cost about 900.00 to start but you use the cores for 2 years at a time. I thought of it as an investment and broke it down to how much it cost per a child and year. 900/3 kids is 300. 300/2 years is 150.00. So I spent 150.00/year/kid. Not to bad when you look at it like that.

The science is Apologia which teaches Creation and in the older grades starts the fundamentals of Evolution so that they will learn both. That is very important for the children. If they learn both sides then they can make the decision that is right for them.

It is literature based and you have to read A LOT! I recommend that you keep a drink nearby and have one at all times. I typically lose my voice if we don't work for a few weeks.

Core 1 and 2 is World History. My kids loved it. The reading books typically go along with what you are studying starting in Core 3+4 (what we are using for my oldest).

Sonlight also has a forum for us to use if there are any questions you need to ask about the curriculum.

For math they use Singapore,Saxon ,or Horizons. We use Math U See because my kids have to see what they are doing.

Any questions about Sonlight feel free to email me.

Math U See is Christian. You can buy a cd that teaches Skip counting and the songs are mostly Christian. Great songs and funny lyrics!

Answer 8

Sonlight is great but it is also expensive.

You might want to check into these

For history: The Mystery of History is great!

http://www.themysteryofhistory.com/index...

For math, I like Horizons (use a placement test first, it is advanced and many kids test lower than grade level, also, there is more practice than many kids need, if you use it feel free to skip a lot of problems.  One or two of each kind of problem in each lesson is plenty if your child is not struggling with a concept).  https://store.aop.com/aop/67.cat

For phonics I like "The Phonics Road" so far, to be fair though I've only started using it in the last month.  My son has some special needs, and reading is a real struggle for him.  This curriculum seems to be making a real difference so far.  It is pricy though, and not all kids *need* this intensity.  If your kids are already doing well, you might be fine with a less expensive program.  http://www.brightlybeaming.com has a free reading and phonics curriculum for Preschool through about 8 years old.

For science I like The Christian kids explore series:  http://www.brightideaspress.com/catalog....

A big plus of Mystery of History and The Christian kids explore is that you can use them with all your kids together; they are multi-age.  This saves time, money, and mom's sanity.

I like to make lapbooks with my kids using free resources, we mostly supplement with lapbooks.  For example, if our science book has a lesson on the solar system, we will search on-line and find other materials for free to expand the basic concept.  Sometimes one chapter in our science book turns into a 4 month unit study!

Here are some free lapbooks:

http://www.homeschoolshare.com

See my answer to this question for lots of other free resources: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...