Schoolwork

Well, we have completed month 2 of our 2ND year of homeschooling. It's going pretty well. We've found a few kinks that need to be ironed out. Jacob is doing so well! I'm so proud of him. He gets in there and does the work, and does it mostly perfect (or nearly). Lane is improving. I'm so glad. It's been worrying me. I've been afraid that I just didn't know what I was doing. I finally decided to try doing more one on one with him. I read his assignments with him and guide him when he's looking for answers. I don't give him the answers by any means,but help him find the right spot to look for the answer. His grades began to improve immediately! I'm so proud of him!
I've been doing research in my spare time (an not so spare) trying to see if I could find a curriculum that better suited Lane's needs. I found one that I liked. It was almost perfect. It had ever thing I was looking for. The problem was it costs over $1000.00 for one year. Granted, I could rig it for both boys and then use it again in a few years, but it was just too much. Plus some things just confused me.

I then found another one that was what I was looking for, and it was free! The more I looked at it, the more I liked it. But, I was slowly seeing that it wasn't going to actually be free. Now, it was considerably cheaper that the other one, but it was still going to cost. There is a LOT of reading material in both curriculum. The first one sent it all to you, hence the $1000.00. The second , either showed you were to buy the books, or you could go to the library. But, a lot of them are older books, that are no longer copyrighted, so they had them online for free downloads. No problem. Til you add up the cost of printing (because you can't sit and read an entire book online, you'd hurt your eyes and get a headache!) and bonding (either with notebooks or actually binding them to keep them safe for the next son). It just seemed like a lot of trouble. Plus the site was based on an old way of teaching, which I like, I just am a little confused by the old language.

Enter in curriculum 3!!! I am in LOVE!!! This one is more expensive than option 2, but half the price of option 1. It is still based on the same teaching format as the other two ( Charlotte Mason), so I'm still confused about somethings, but they're site has been very helpful.I love the books for each grade level, and the research books, also! The only problem with it,is there is no Math. That can be easily fixed, though. I can either stick with what we're doing, or do some research on another one I've heard a lot about. Also, I may want to add some extra spelling.I'm not sure, yet. The good thing about this particular site, is they have a 12 month guarantee! This is good for us since I have to buy the next year's work in February, when the tax money comes in. There's the big reason for looking into it now, when school has just begun this year. lol I need to be totally read up on what ever I choose.

Barring any unforeseen reasons to not, I think I'm gonna do option 3. Now the question is, do I switch all of them over to this new one, or do I keep Jacob in what he's doing. Blake will also be starting school soon. If I switch just Lane, then I have to buy more work in the long run. If I switch Jacob and start Blake in the new one, then it won't cost as much down the road (just like the one we do now). But, Jacob is doing so well,with what we do now, I hate to change him. But, then again, both curriculum are the kind that I can pick and choose bits and pieces from both along with others. And I really like that option!

So, I think I will keep researching this last option and add some things to it. I also have the benefit of a Sister, who has been researching all these options for a couple of years, now. We need to find a day that both of us can sit down and she can explain a few things she's discovered. We might get that opportunity, if I have to have surgery. But THAT'S a whole different topic for a different time!

So sorry you had to read so much boring and useless info, but....

The reason I did not post the names of these three companies, I I did not want to give any a bad name. I really did like them all, just the first two ended up not being suitable for our boys (or me). If I decide to go with option 3, I'll tell you what it is then.
Goodnight all!

Random Verse

"More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." Psalm 19:10 Speaking of the 3verses before.