I don't think we found it to be light or superficial. Because we used Sonlight for three years and it took a lot of time to undo the damage that had absolutely nothing to do with Christian content. Lol. Timberdoodle lost because of the heavy writing component, making this curriculum almost useless for a few more years. Abeka Homeschool Curriculum. All reviews and articles on this site belong to Grove Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise identified. There are other businesses that have done done this I think.I have it in my head that Saxon started as a religious company? It is a secular/faith-neutral curriculum. Is that out of left field? I did find schedules on Sonlight Secular Homeschool groups that eliminated that, though, for K. I am torn. Reading with History packages include both read-aloud books and books for independent reading, along with timeline and map resources. Keep the ideascoming! We provide 36-week, 4-day schedules designed to save one day a week for sports, field trips or other extracurricular activities. This is my Homeschool Curriculum recap / review of our 2018-19 school year for 2nd / 3rd grade and how our choices worked out for us. All of your responses have been very enlightening. Any curriculum that just gives page numbers to read is almost worthless to me. My oldest son was this type of student, but I am not sure if it would work this way with my youngest. The BookShark curriculum goes beyond textbooks by utilizing hands-on . TIA This minimizes the switching time for me, and it works!". I dislike their politics and loathe their brand of religion. Timberdoodle also includes robust literature courses in 3rd-12th grade that contain the required reading in the text itself. If Sonlight works well for you and your family can afford it, why not stay with it? Its much less overwhelming in terms of reading. What didnt I like? Ah, so I was wrong about Sonlight. The bulk of each handbook consists of an explanation for how to use each item in your kit. At the K-2nd Grade level, the focus of our program is on developing and strengthening reading ability. They know it is Sonlight made secular-ish. Anyhoo, it's like I used to love Burts Bee products.then they sold to Colgate or some other major pharm company..Burt's Bee isn't who they used to be anymore. Powered by Invision Community, Well-Trained Press For each level, the program up through level H has four subject-area packages for history, language arts, science, and math. As I mentioned last fall, I had the privilege of teaching five of my grandkids two days a week this school year, along with my youngest four children who are still at home. They are essentially admitting that the same happy experience can be had with or without their unique (Christian) commentary. This left me with Bookshark Pre-k, Moving Beyond The Page 4-6, Build Your Library K, Timberdoodle grade 1 (customized), Five in a Row, and one I create myself from Rainbow Resource. I did side eye a bit when I saw RS4K in this "secular" set. My first and biggest reason for not using it is that it's way too expensive. I have always thought the advertising and marketing people over at SL were genius. She is a hands on kind of kid, so while reading good literature appeals to both of us, I know she is going to want time to craft and do projects as well. They didnt hate it. I bolded the part that stands out to me. Because Sonlight is EXPENSIVE. It has prompted some really amazing conversations about animals and habitat conservation. Calvert Education. They've done a great job picking books with a broad appeal, packaging it up just right and selling the idea that their particular schedule and commentary of said books is indispensible. Timberdoodle offers a complete package for each grade, baby-12th grade, with free and easy customization. Like I said, I could say exactly the same thing about others, but have never felt that way about John Holzmann. I want it all there for me. Definitely hands on. I know, I know. All of the art and math games were fun and were activities I would purchase to supplement our work. Yes, their catalog just arrived and we are literally drooling over it right this second. We're trying MFW this year so I guess I'm wondering how it compares to that. Yes. SL/BookShark isn't for her. However, he DID love the odds and endsthe art, the stem, the games, etc., and it was all academically beneficial, too. Peanut just isnt ready for the level 5-7 literature yet, or Id definitely use this one for our 2017-2018 year. The literature is amazing! Our curriculum is easy for parents to teach. Now wheres my wine, strawberries, and chocolate? I believe most know it isn't a new curriculum. You read your child 2 to 3 short stories from beautiful picture books. First of all, Timberdoodle has an online scheduler that Ive never seen the likes of before. I've been doing the new Jane Goodall unit study as an ease into the school year for my 7th grader. I personally love Sonlight. The Good and the Beautiful has been recommended to me by my sister in law, and I like how it's laid out for me and not super expensive. While parents are encouraged to be as involved as they wish (in our family, absolutely everything was discussed, mostly informally, and we expect no less of our customers! One thing that remains universal is there are varied ways to teach math, which is good because kids learn differently. Oh for the goodies! Taking a closer look at their book lists shows us that there are other differences. Timberdoodle is one of the oldest distributors for the homeschool market, and they have always filled a unique niche with their emphasis on experiential learning using hands-on activities and games. They are selling a secular alternative. LA not so much, but the history is top notch. The important thing is inspiring the love of the work itself the kids will want to master it in their own time. Pre-K Homeschool Curriculum, 2019-2020 They only want one, so the cats begin eating each other until one remains. Most items in each kit are self-contained and don't need any further instructions in the handbook, but additional instruction is included when the product isn't self-explanatory. But, maybe there were more secular people who were looking longingly at Sonlight than I ever realized? This is why we offer multiple Reader levels for the early grades. My kids, from now on, will continue to have increasingly different educational paths from one another AND from "the norm." :) too much reading, not enough engagement with the material. They do provide free review copies or online access to programs for review purposes. That sounds accurate. 1. The thought of two different cores makes me bug eyed. But homeschooling is truly what you make it and in keeping with the premise of Homeschool Your Way todays podcast covers homeschooling, community, and of course a helpful hack or two. Math, science, and language arts are weak. All of the planning and preparation is done so you can enjoy learning together. All About Reading BookShark Virtual is an online platform that enables students to access their reading schedules, view Story Maps, take assessments, and receive instant auto-grading results. Our goal is that the child learns how to learn, which is why our curriculum has such a focus on thinking skills. Build Your Library K: This curriculum is excellent and very literature rich! Eric's Curriculum Ideas - TWINDLY BRIDGE CHARTER SCHOOL Four days is the perfect amount of science for us. Thank you BookShark! Maybe try TGATB for LA since thats what theyre kind of known for, and its comprehensive. I have mixed feelings on the printed resources. If you have used Sonlight in the past, my first question would be simply to ask why you are thinking about changing. Some of the science isn't truly secular (RS4K is written by intelligent design proponents). Perhaps something like Moving Beyond the Page would be what you are looking for? That's in their advertisements? When we choose our products, we look for ones that are the best and most unique overall, so sometimes it is Christian-based curriculum, and sometimes it is not. I've heard of one called http://www.biblioplan.net/p/welcome-to-biblioplan.html. I taught it with every single discussion question exactly as they wrote it. All areas of language arts are covered in BookShark's language arts packages that are available up through level H. For example, level A (in which some items are labeled for kindergarten) teaches beginning phonics, spelling, pre-writing, and copywork. Considered a top-rated homeschool curriculum, college prep, with accredited options. I don't see Chick-Fa-La opening a new restaurant with the same menu items, maybe one pickle instead of two, to avoid their controversy. Box day would be fun. It is easy to implement since you choose one social studies, language arts, art, math, and science a day. Timberdoodle lost because of the heavy writing component, making this curriculum almost useless for a few more years. So even though I only have 2 students right now (and being a year apart they would be theoretically easy to combine) I want to keep in mind the ability to have the whole bunch together for as many subjects as possible. Levels A through C rely heavily on different books from the Explode the Code series. Due to everything that happened, he has chosen to market to the secular homeschool community. I'd have no idea "where" to put them. I like the fact that I can add my own Biblical materials to my homeschool rather than be forced to use someone else's slant. So what to do? Make a selling point of being Christian then take the religion stuff out and sell under a different name. You can post now and register later. It also works best with a child who is able to develop a deep empathy with fictional characters and connect this empathy with what he/ she is studying in history. I wouldn't be happy with anything I didn't design myself. Over 30 classics and modern well loved books. My 8th grade curriculum review was also a mixed bag, but I love Timberdoodles variety and the way they showcase so many fun ways for kids to learn! BookShark's use of "real" books in this manner reflects the influence of Charlotte Mason'sapproach to education. Copyright 2023 - Grove Publishing, Inc. Bible & Religion Parent & Family Resources, Catholic Programs, Publishers, and Web Links, Ungraded, Multi-level Resources - Comprehensive, Ungraded, Multi-level Resources - Grammar, Ungraded, Multi-level Resources - Composition, Publishers Offering Courses for Many Languages, Reading and Phonics Parent Resources and Other Helps, Reading, Phonics, and Literature Web Links and Supplements, Standardized and Special Needs Testing Products, Weblinks for Standardized Testing Services, Online Schools with Complete Programs and Courses: Religious, Online Schools with Complete Programs and Courses: Secular, US1 and US2 courses from the Nomadic Professor. Other people love it. But for my hands on learner, TBTG has been great. We provide 36-week. By creating a secular version they are able to be used by charter schools, hence growing their business. We use cookies for performance, analytics and marketing. Timberdoodle's award-winning curriculum kits are suitable for grades 0-12 and packed with hands-on/STEM components. is a proud supporter of, Privacy Policy | Cookies | Terms & Conditions | Security. But, it also incorporates other methods. I can't even follow a recipe. Moving Beyond the Page Review - The Smarter Learning Guide The quest for the perfect boxed curriculum, or at least an entire curriculum from one place that comes in one box. They do not honor discounted pricing on Heartland orders* John Holzmann discussed a lot of this on his blog as well as his thoughts on an old earth. Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!, Visit Us on Instagram: @Cosmic_Montessori. Well, there is a great option for Kinesthetic learners. The secular kits were created by removing or replacing religious materials in the standard or elite kits. The catalog virtually shouts that ordering from them will transform said book list into a magically wonderful experience unique to their company. In all levels, much of the instruction in language arts is presented from the instructor's guide. They have so many great ideas on how to encourage handwriting without even using a pencil! I have to add a heads up for those opposed to same-sex marriage since the DK book Children Like Me (in the BookShark level B history package) presents a family with a same-sex marriage. I used SL Core D and part of E. By time we started E, I was so sick of historical fiction. The History and Literature packages use an assortment of biographies, historical novels, and other books along with at least one spine booka launching point for their studiesin this case, a book that presents historical information in chronological order(e.g., The Landmark History of the American People and A History of US). Your previous content has been restored. I don't even mind if a company recognizes and respects the needs of different families and makes both a religious and secular version of their curriculum. Oh, and another problem, I am-for some reason- very bad at following a schedule. Convenient, comprehensive and open and go unit-based curricula Uses high-quality and high-interest books that will excite and engage kids Scripted and easy to use, but still flexible enough for parents to teach naturally Challenging, in-depth and thought-provoking common core aligned curricula High quality learning for gifted and advanced students Lastly I hated the scrunch map. I love Sonlight and think it would be great for junior high age. Even if some of the secular may not be completely secular, it is still easier to customize - edit/add - than SL would be. Its not like they come to your home and do it for you. -So yes, money is an issue. You cannot paste images directly. I love Sonlight/BS's booklists, but, from what I've heard of it, the actual teaching model doesn't sound appealing. I assume Bookshark will be the same. Grading worksheets is a deal breaker. Pasted as rich text. Subjective, I know. Timberdoodle offers curriculum from 0-12th grade. I don't care what your beliefs are, stand by your beliefs.