Reading, writing, & ‘rithmetic for 6 kids (2012 curriculum fair)

by on April 18, 2012
in curriculum · 49 Comments

Written by contributor Jessica Fisher of Life as Mom

Ages of my children: 14, 11, 9, 7, 5, and 3
Educational Philosophies I Pull From: Classical, Charlotte Mason, Literature-Based

Back in January, I realized that we were in the doldrums as far as school was concerned. I really wanted to put some wind back in our sails, so I spent some extended time researching different options and analyzing how our days were spent. I rediscovered a love for how we used to do things ”back in the good old days.”

That is to say, I ditched what wasn’t working and started a reread of The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. This was the foundational book for me over a dozen years ago when my firstborn was just a toddler. I read it from cover to cover several times, and my original edition is literally falling apart at the seams. Since then it’s been revised a few times, so I picked up a new copy and allowed it to realign my vision for our school.

Since I have SIX kids, it’s a lot of curriculum to plan for. Rather than tell you about every single resource we’re using, here’s a peek at our reading, writing and arithmetic:
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Welcome to the 2012 curriculum fair!

by on April 16, 2012
in curriculum · 26 Comments

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and Steady Mom

This week we kick off our 2nd annual curriculum fair here at Simple Homeschool. Over the next month each of our contributors will share which homeschooling resources work really well for our families, and also touch on those we’ve tried that haven’t worked so well.

Personally, I prefer exploring curricula virtually than at an overwhelming exhibition hall full of rows and rows of booths. I hope our posts this month give you a sense of a few companies you’d like to explore, and save you both time and stress.
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Exploring Online Learning in our Homeschool

by on April 4, 2012
in curriculum · 26 Comments

Written by Heather Bruggeman of beauty that moves

I’m not sure I would have been a very good homeschooler fifteen years ago. You see, the internet is such a valuable, expansive place for us. I’m amazed nearly every day by the endless variety of resources available, both free and paid.

We love our home-based and in town libraries, but there came a point in my daughter’s development where she craved something more formal. She wanted accountability beyond mom and dad. Lacking the right fit (so far) with a good homeschool co-op, we started looking around online for classes.

At fourteen years old, she is naturally ready for more.

This year we’ve had the opportunity to explore three different online learning tools/courses, each with varying degrees of formality and expense – I’d love to tell you about them today.
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Giveaway: Curriculum Package from Oak Meadow

by on August 3, 2011
in curriculum ·

This giveaway has ended. The winner will be announced on the weekend!

Welcome to Back to School week here at Simple Homeschool! This week I’m bringing you reviews and awesome chances to win–perfect for back to school planning time.

I’m glad you’re visiting again today because I’m sharing one of my favorite homeschooling resources. I’m giving away a curriculum package from Oak Meadow.

I first discovered Oak Meadow about a year ago, and I’ve had the chance to write about their kindergarten and 1st grade programs before. They offer complete curriculum packages from PreK through 12th Grade, which you can purchase and use at home with your children.

They also offer an enrollment option in their accredited distance learning school. This allows students to receive full academic credit and transcripts for their work at home–as well as the support of an experienced teacher.

Find out more about Oak Meadow and how you can win.
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Giveaway: Foreign Language Program from Rosetta Stone

by on August 1, 2011
in curriculum ·

This giveaway has ended. The winner will be announced on the weekend!

Welcome to Back to School Week here at Simple Homeschool! This week I’ll bring you reviews and awesome chances to win–perfect for back to school planning time.

Today I’m giving away a foreign language program from Rosetta Stone.

Rosetta Stone is widely known and recognized as one of the most effective language programs out there, so I was excited to try it for myself. They sent me Italian Level 1, which I chose because my husband and I are planning to go to Italy next year for our 14th anniversary.

Rosetta Stone call their approach to language learning Dynamic Immersion. This means they recreate the method used when learning our native language to help learn a new one.

Using sights and sounds presented on the screen the learner naturally–without translation–begins to pick up words, phrases, and sentences. From the very first lesson the student begins to build a foundation, guided by the pictures, written words, and language pronounced by a native speaker. The program allows you to proceed at your own pace, repeating sections as many times as necessary.
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Q&A Friday: What curricula will you be using next year? (2011 Curriculum Fair)

by on June 3, 2011
in curriculum · 92 Comments

Written by Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and founder of Steady Mom

Over the past month we’ve heard from all of our contributors, each sharing the resources they’ve found helpful (or not), along with their homeschool plans for the upcoming year.

I hope this information has been helpful to you as you contemplate your planning for the fall. I know I’ve jotted down a few notes here and there of recommendations for future years, as well as browsing through materials I’d never heard of before. And all from the comfort of my laptop!
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