Thursday, July 18, 2013

Homeschooling Curriculum Choice for 2013-14: the Kindergartener

I am pretty pumped to report that we have nailed down the core curriculum that we are going to be using for 2013-2014.  After considering dozens of different approaches, the curriculum programs that made it to the top 3 were Charlotte Mason, My Father's World, and Sonlight.  I knew I wanted something that was centered around excellent literature,  but I also hoped for something that would introduce a global/mission perspective from the very beginning.  However, with a 2 year old and a 1 year old in tow, I also needed something that didn't require a lot of additional prep work on my part.  Overall, Sonlight seemed to best fit our criteria, but the price tag of $789 was hard to swallow.

Enter Providence.  I subscribe to exactly 2 blogs -- not alot compared to most folks I know.  So imagine my surprise when one of the week's posts was titled "Where to Buy Used Homeschool Curriculum."  Jackpot!  I followed one of the links and within minutes found a listing for a gently used Sonlight core that was only $195 with free shipping.  It didn't include a handwriting or math component, but it had all the key pieces I wanted (history, science, art, literature, and worldview).  Our box arrived just a few days ago, and all the books were in "like new" condition. Owen Ray has been begging to take his "school books" with him to bed, so he can look through them.


In addition to this core, we'll be using the following:

Handwriting Without Tears  - K
Math-U-See Primer