Clear editor. I have a kid that can't read with comprehension, but does 2nd grade math. We truly do love yall. Today's podcast is for all your questions about books in the levels, how it differs from other levels, why you should consider BookSharks High School curriculum and more. There is a huge emphasis on books and they are great books. He is barely starting to read, about the equivalent of a public school kindergarten child in their 3rd month of school. His was very clear that at one point he was suicidal. The book selection is awesome! "Bookshark literature-based homeschool curriculum provides parents with engaging full-grade learning programs that offer unrivaled educational outcomes" Source: Bookshark is Literature-Based Homeschool Curriculum | BookShark I was a bit bummed this past weekend. We watched the DVDs from Math U See and did some work pages though it was review for all my kids. The only reason I looked at this one at all is because it's secular and I have never considered a packaged curriculum based solely on that. I wouldn't expect just using any curriculum exactly as written to somehow result in my kids knowing how to think deeply, that comes from me teaching and modeling that, using the material as a jumping off point. The discussions you have with your kids, the questions you ask them? Any additional questions please reach out (especially on Instagram because I dont tend to get messages here or on Youtube always). Bookshark is free of religious and faith-based references. I dislike their politics and loathe their brand of religion. Bookshark does not mention creation or evolution but focuses on all the many other facets of science. Most of the resources Timberdoodle has selected are easy to use and make it simple for inexperienced homeschoolers to jump into the lessons without having to do hardly any advance planning or preparation. The only thing I worry about is the amount of workbooks in this curriculum. I don't have an 8th grader yet, but here are my thoughts. Bookshark's sister company Sonlight has been making these claims for many years now. Likewise, the MiniLuk materials are very engaging, self-correcting and fun. I chose BookShark mainly because it has a 4-day schedule that is detailed and easy to implement, even for a busy mom. Plus, each kit is easy-to-teach and designed to build independent learning skills! You can post now and register later. Read-Alouds also help build your children's congnitive development and gives them a passion to learn. It looks to be a great program though! Wordly Wise 3000books are introduced in level C for vocabulary. Despite differences in the content of Sonlight and BookShark, the educational approach and learning methods are the same in both. Its here, it's actually here!! I loved how some of the materials fit in so beautifully on our shelves. I really like to follow the child and while scheduling lesson plans, especially in elementary is very important, the idea of a schedule of lessons that looks out past a few weeks gives me anxiety. We have so many other things to spend money on. They dont vibe with our philosophies quite as nicely as some of the other offerings. Grades 1-3 - Timberdoodle But before I say what it is, heres what I found out about each one of these. I am not judgemental on whether someone is too Christian, or not enough Christiannone of my business. I can't remember exactly what turned me off though. Parents and teachers can track and review student work, customize assessments, and message students directly from a computer or mobile app. This is the most obvious difference and has a huge impact on the price of each package. The last frontier, no it's not space but it may feel as vast, is the state of Alaska! To me, that matters. I've run into a *lot* of people with the same complaints as mine. Bookshark is I guess best described as faith-neutral. . I feel like crunch time is here and I need to decide on something. I like the way he thinks. There are other businesses that have done done this I think.I have it in my head that Saxon started as a religious company? I'm picky with books. She's just very innocent and sensitive. The runner up is Bookshark (going to first place if Peanut can write by June), and third place is Build Your Library tied with Five in a Row. I long ago rejected Sonlight, not because it religious, although that would be a major consideration. Sonlight vs BookShark Level C Homeschool Curriculum Comparison I personally love Sonlight. There are so many options out there for homeschool curriculum. Timberdoodle's award-winning curriculum kits are suitable for grades 0-12 and packed with hands-on/STEM components. As I said at the beginning of this review, BookShark is essentially a secular version of Sonlight. Timberdoodle can not ship to a PO Box. These activities incorporate critical thinking skills, fine motor and creativity all in one. Sonlight emphasizes a broader exposure to different cultures, times and concepts through reading. Ewww. History Quest Early Times - Curriculum Overview - Forgetful Momma To the uninitiated, Timberdoodle is a small family business that offers curated curriculum choices both secular and religious. For that, I could buy a curriculum and add in science and art where I want. I guess if that's how you do it. Join Janna and her guest Carol Simpson, an IDEA representative, as they discuss homeschooling options in Alaska and ways to make homeschooling, if not easy may be easier for you. Two versions of activities one for children that can write, and one for those who cant. I have 5 little ones and am a teacher by trade, so sure I can come up with those deep analytical questions to squeeze all I can from the books. They serve different populations. This platform should be very helpful, but it doesn't provide complete record keeping. It uses several living books in the curriculum packages that we have used and loved this past year with Truthquest history. They do not honor discounted pricing on Heartland orders* I don't know. But not so Montessori-like were the number of text and workbooks in the curriculum, which I initially balked at; so did we learn to love them? (And yes, I was a member there for a while after having bought a few things from Sonlightnot their curriculum, but other items). Timberdoodle also includes robust literature courses in 3rd-12th grade that contain the required reading in the text itself. Moving Beyond the Page 4-6: Wow! And next year im going to add TGATB with it, too! If you do Core F or its Bookshark equivalent, there are lots of hands-on options: a China kit that includes calligraphy, an origami book, and regular choose-your-own adventure activities like cooking ethnic foods. We take so much effort to create order and inspire the kids to restore materials that scrunching something up felt kinda wrong. Their curriculum kits also include STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) resources, critical thinking books and activities, and a number of items that have been among my Top Picks. Thank you BookShark! What makes sense to one child may seem like learning quantum physics to another, but a different way of explaining or seeing how to work a problem or understand a concept can make all the difference! Welcome to the largest home education subreddit! My kids read a zillion books on their own time, but "doing" SL or bookShark is VERY time consuming! All Rights Reserved. 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. Crafts! I've learned quite a bit about both company's that I didn't know before (as in, they're from the same people! ) Copyright 2023 Timberdoodle Co. All Rights Reserved. I want it all there for me. It's just too *much*. However, only their Reading with History and Science programs use living books. There are a few religious books (ie. Mainly: Way too light and doesn't teach deep thinking no matter what they claim. Christian PK to 12 I love the open and go factor. Short lessons four days per week. Maria Montessori. Can't swallow that. Bookshark. I can see myself saving up for the science book set. Time. Id have to order the literature from Rainbow Resource, but they would be one shipment. 2. 2. That business model does not work for them any more. Sonlight appealed to me before but the religious bent always took them off the list from the start. I can only imagine that these were hard individual decisions, difficult decisions for their company, and had to involve thoughtful discussions in their relationship with each other. 3. I can't think of a single Christian company, homeschool related or not, that has done that. But I agree with you - I feel like this is different, since they've been so outspoken in the past about being uncompromisingly Christian. Four days is the perfect amount of science for us. This means a weekly or bi-weekly trip to the library, hoping they have a decent selection. I do like how BS is age appropriate though, so less tweaking I imagine. I do not care what anyone says (and I am not one to be afraid of mess), but this stuff got everywhere. Timberdoodle will help you put together a custom kit for any level if you prefer different resources. Also enjoyed were builder options like Robotis Pets. "BookShark made it easy for me to buy everything from one website. BUT, I will say in their defense, that having it all there and in the schedule could really make for a fun year. This minimizes the switching time for me, and it works!". Sonlight comes with extensive documentation in the form of an Instructors Guide that tells you what to read and do each day, gives you extra notes to help you talk about any difficult subjects, suggests discussion questions to spur great conversations with your kids and helps you get the most from your books and timeline. They also have a 3-week sample available online. Id have to supplement with Mathematical Reasoning, Math Mammoth, or even Math U See Primer. I'm going through Idea in Alaska and looking for pros and cons with each!! This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Love looking at it over and over. Yes, their catalog just arrived and we are literally drooling over it right this second. Haha. BookShark is a complete, literature-based homeschool curriculum developed for students from pre-k through high school. Here the basics are still reading, arithmetic, and thinking. Ok, so why NOT Bookshark? - The Well-Trained Mind Community Ok. From what I have seen of it online, I thought it could be, even as a unit study curriculum. By So maybe it is an expensive booklist but it also has the questions and vocabulary, etc pulled out. Ah, so I was wrong about Sonlight. Powered by Invision Community, Well-Trained Press -My kids are everyone on the ability level. This is why we offer multiple Reader levels for the early grades. Janna and her guest Amy R., BookSharks Curriculum Editor and Designer, discuss the ins and outs of BookSharks High School Curricula. I liked there being something pre-printed and ready to go while I made dinner. While the beginning grades are always teacher intense until the child can manage their own reading, Timberdoodle emphasizes independent learning as soon as it is possible. 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. So Sonlight, which for years has advertised as Christians, and for years, said they would not back down from that POV.opens a spin-off company, acts like it's "this whole new thing that isnt' really related to us", and sells secular curriculumthat is just foul. Sonlight and Timberdoodle both use the renowned Math-U-See program. N/A. There are 8 workbooks in their standard grade 1 secular curriculum. So what did I choose? The complete kits add more, including resources for science and history, and the elite kits have all that you need plus extras such as additional hands-on resources, art courses, or the audio version of one ofThe Story of the World books. I've looked at all of them, repeatedly. Bookshark Building Blocks Moving Beyond the Page Story of the World History Pockets History of U.S. History Detective Oh Freedom Get OREGONized. Sonlights preference of having it included makes it easy to include this most important subject, while our choice to leave it out means that families can move this topic from school to family devotions, and pick the approach that is best for their family. I rejected it long ago because it is not the right program for my kids. For instance, the level E history package for both programs usesThe Landmark History of the American People: Volume II. I don't know that John will ever be secular enough for some secular homeschoolers or that Sarita will ever be Christian enough for Ken Ham. History for level Pre-K is a study of world cultures and geography (with a number of read-aloud books). Perhaps something like Moving Beyond the Page would be what you are looking for? Curricula / Curricula - Raven Homeschool I have another that still struggles to count to 20, but he's reading. Oh for the goodies! That sounds accurate. Our organization does not engage in any solicitation activities in California specifically targeting potential customers residing in California (including distributing flyers, newsletters and other promotional materials, sending emails, initiating telephone calls or making referrals in person) that refer potential customers to the retailers with whom we have links. But for my hands on learner, TBTG has been great. Much closer to what I want in a literature type curriculum and the owners are fantasticenough good stuff cannot be said about their customer service. Email Subscribe here for all the new posts! I thought the above was odd too. The kit came with a number of other awesome things I loved. What other secular curriculums are out there besides bookshark, torchlight, build your library, timberdoodle, . Well, my little peanut appears to be a kinesthetic learner. Its much less overwhelming in terms of reading. It has prompted some really amazing conversations about animals and habitat conservation. Torchlight Home | Torchlight Curriculum Read-Alouds Reading aloud to your children builds their vocabulary, listening skills and imagination. It turned out that BookShark was a spin-off from Sonlight, operating as a separate company to offer a secular option that is similar to Sonlight's Christian curriculum. You cannot paste images directly. I have to admit that other than the science, it does appeal to *me*. No read alouds. SL/BookShark isn't for her. Rank in 1 month. Plus its secularso no Christian infighting occurs. I don't care what your beliefs are, stand by your beliefs. High School Curriculum! My first and biggest reason for not using it is that it's way too expensive. Hope that helps. I do not recommend the Mad Mattr. Science, definitely. Im loving these suggestions. Bookshark does bother me because it is a secularised version of a Christian curriculum, however I would probably not let that influence my decision to buy it or not since I have pulled curriculum from all over the place based entirely on what will work with my children and what will help me to educate them. Yes. legal effect of customary law marriage in nigeria. Jones, BookShark, The Good and the Beautiful Build Your Library, Moving Beyond the Page, Son light, My Fathers World, Bob Jones, Alpha Omega, One thing that remains universal is there are varied ways to teach math, which is good because kids learn differently. I need to know what we are doing next, open and go. Meadowlark, July 29, 2014 in K-8 Curriculum Board. At least it is for the lower levels. I don't think I've ever seen a post where people don't call it a secular version of Sonlight. Reading a couple pages here and there everyday would drive me crazyI'm a one book at a time type of girl. Mixed by Me Thinking Putty You don't have to use a whole year package - you can pick just the language arts or just the social studies or just science.. One of the nice things about the programs you mentioned is that they're all pulled together, but one of the drawbacks is that they're not well known for having cohesive, continuous language arts. Examples of some of the other resources included in various levels of the Timberdoodle kits are the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind series, theCritical and Creative Series (thinking skills), America the Beautiful, Uncle Sam and You, The Mystery of History: Volume 1, and Medical Investigation 101. They didnt hate it. I saw a review on YouTube as well. For example, while DD is a great little reader now, she is also a picky reader and a bit behind in math. Timberdoodle's Curriculum Handbooksinclude reproducible record-keeping charts listing resources and reading lists for that level.
