Trying new things: Homeschooling

 There are a few subject where we are ABSOLUTELY loyal to the amazing curriculum we found (Apologia Science, Horizons Math...). But there are a few (language arts-grammar-writing etc)  that we have not found a good fit. I decided this year was the time to buckle down and find what would work.

I had avoided The Well Trained Mind(click link to read part of it online) quite passionately all these years I have been home schooling, simply because "everyone else is doing  it"!  And the ones who tried hardest to sell  me on it added some of their own philosophy when describing it, and that turned me off even more. But I decided to read it after all. And it was surprisingly good. A lot of it is what I have been doing all along, only modified to our family.  I still haven’t read into the 5th grade and beyond chapters, but I was pleasantly surprised at the rest. The rigor demanded would not work for us, but it had some good ideas to mull over.

 Andrew was about to start 1st grade I decided to look into First Language Lessons at the library, and we really liked it, so I  ordered my own copy. The format comes so natural to us and I believe it is exactly what I have been looking for!

I am really excited to finally find an approach that I think will work for us!

We’ve also picked up Memoria Press Copybooks that we are starting as well, to see if I can undo the sloppy handwriting I have allowed Peter to develop, and see if I can head it off before it starts in Andrew!

2014 update:
I LOVE First Language Lessons. I have seen such beautiful fruit from my children memorizing poetry, and the way grammar is presented in this book. I am using it for the second time and absolutely love and recommend it!

I also still love the Memoria Press Copybooks. Abigail is also currently using them, and they are wonderful!