Decisions

I've been feeling under the weather for almost 3 weeks now, so hopefully I'll start getting some energy back soon.

The past couple of weeks we've spent a lot of time with family--several of DH's siblings have been able to visit this summer, and it's been nice to spend time with them, his parents, and other family members. Tonight the Musical Overseas Family (one of DH's sisters, her husband and their 7 kids) is coming over for dinner. I also have Graceful Lady's daughter for 2 days (today and tomorrow) while GL runs in a marathon, so we'll have 10 extra people for dinner tonight.

Right now I just finished getting the 4, 5 and 6-year-olds down for naps/quiet time and Baby E is falling asleep in my arms while nursing.

I've been spending every spare moment researching various options for homeschooling this year.

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We had throught we'd decided on Sonlight, but now we're thinking it probably wouldn't be the best fit for our family. I like the idea of a literature-based curriculum, but I think we also need hands-on activities and some good systematic grammar training. I prefer a more classical, intentional and systematic approach to grammar rather than the more Charlotte-Mason "learn by observing good literature and pick it up largely by osmosis" approach.

Also, I think reading bits and pieces of 6 or 7 different novels every day would drive us crazy. Some of the literature selections in SL seem a bit heavy in theme or dry, or we've already read them. Some of the other curricula I'm considering are more topic-based rather than based on specific books, so it's easier to substitute a different book on the same basic topic without having to completely rewrite the schedule. Most of the curricula I like have the option to be scheduled by the week instead of by the day so that you can read the books one at a time, all at once or somewhere in between. I like that.

So far the ones that look most promising are primarily literature-based with something of a classical approach. I'm discovering that the Christian Classical approach or a classical/literature/Charlotte Mason/eclectic blend seems a better approach for my philosophy of education and our needs than a pure Charlotte Mason style. I do think some subjects, like grammar and math, need a more systematic approach, some drilling, and need to be taught concretely rather than just expecting kids to pick it up through exposure without much formal training. I'm not against textbooks as a "core" or base for the curriculum, but I do think kids learn better from stories and real books along with the textbooks. Especially my kids, who love to read (and retain things well that way). My kids also love hands-on activities, so it's important to me to include those too.

A few of the options we're researching include Winter Promise, My Father's World and Tapestry of Grace.

Tapestry of Grace looks the most interesting to me, but I'm not sure I can handle the amount of prep work this year. I'm wondering if it would be better to start it later when the kids are a bit older.

I may end up just putting together my own curriculum using the textbooks we have but adding fiction and nonfiction literature to fit with the topics we study in science and history. We plan to continue with Singapore Math, supplementing with extra drills and review, no matter what curriculum we use. We'll do some sort of formal or semi-formal grammar and writing/spelling practice. For other subjects like science and history, I like the idea of taking a somewhat systematic approach with a rough framework that moves through various topics, but mostly using "real" books rather than textbooks to learn about each topic.

I have a couple of first-grade science books I like and would probably use some chapters from each. But I don't really have a history text that covers what I'd like to have AJ study this year. We did US history last year, and I'd like to take a more worldwide or multi-culture approach this year. I know I don't want to take an approach to schooling that spends 90% of the time on US history and our own culture--we want our kids to have a big-picture view of time and a pretty good grasp of history with a worldwide perspective.

I need to look into some of the options like Biblioplan, Mystery of History and Story of the World. I just haven't had the time to study every curriculum in-depth. At some point very soon I'm just going to have to accept that I can't spend hours researching every single curriculum available, and just pick one. :)

My Father's World (although it's a bit too CM in its approach to grammar for my taste) utilizes a great idea that we'll probably use no matter what curriculum we choose. It's a "book basket" filled with books of all types that connect to the topics currently being studied. The kids can browse through them at their own pace and pick what they'd like to read at their leisure. You change the selections in the book basket every week or two, and that way the kids are reading lots of different books that connect to what they are learning in school. My kids would thrive with that sort of approach, I think.

We'd better hurry and decide if we want to order whatever curriculum we decide on and have it here in time to do planning and start by the Monday after Labor Day, as we're currently planning.

But first, I think I'll take a break and try to get a bit of a nap myself.