We are in our final week of Freedom Decided, our current unit of Paths of Settlement.
This is still our curriculum “soul mate”. After all of the searching we did, after all of the disappointments, I am again and again thankful that we found Trail Guide To Learning.
I get emails weekly from readers, as well as numerous messages on Facebook requesting information. I even recently held a community meeting about homeschooling, and of course I brought our curriculum, which took up a lot of the discussion.
In Freedom Decided, I have learned more about the birth of our country than I ever did before. The puzzle pieces are all fitting together!
We have also added in lapbooks, which the children really enjoy. I prefer the ease of storage that goes along with the regular printables, but it isn’t about me, is it?
We end up doing some of both, using the printables for things the lapbooks don’t cover.
The sixth week of each unit always comes with mixed emotions. We want to find out how the story ends, and move on to our next adventure. At the same time, it is sad to say good-bye to the characters we have read about. We’re ready for a great week!
Have you found your curriculum match?
© 2013, Sam. All rights reserved.
Hi,
I looked at the POE and it says it begins with 3,4,5 grades…So, is it even doable with a Kindergartener? My daughter will be 3rd and my son will be in K. Thanks for the info and your blog. God bless!
Mandy
I just emailed you back. :)
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..TouchMath
Hi, just found your blog..Love all of your reviews and info. I am interested in the paths of settlement curriculum. I will be homeschooling our 3rd grade daughter and K son in the Fall. Can you explain to me how this would work with this curriculum. It is so hard to believe that it covers everything but Math. Just wanted to know if there were lesson plans laid out for the teacher to follow and how do you teach children K and 3rd grade with the same kit? Is it workbook /textbook style or is it like unit studies (which I know nothing about) Anyway, just wanted a little more info on all of this. Thank you! Love your blog! I think I saw where your husband is a pastor…My husband is a youth pastor :)
My husband is a minister, you saw that right. :) I would not do POS with that age range. We use it for 1-7, but our first grader mostly listens, and does hands on stuff. I recommend starting with POE, which is targeted for a bit lower grade level. The book lays everything out for you. It is the easiest curriculum to use ever. You can see a sample week here: http://www.home-school-curriculum.com/files/samples/POE_web_sample.pdf
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Not a Frugal Flop
What a delicious stack of books!
Bethany latest thoughts..Is Homeschooling Better than Public School?
I think so!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Frugal Beans
We are doing unit studies right now and they have been that perfect match for us. My guys are still younger so our units are much more simple still but I love history and one of our best units so far was a westward expansion unit. The children still talk about it!!
Amanda Sikes latest thoughts..Baked French Toast
That is the beauty of a unit study! It sticks with them!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Frugal Beans
I’ve been using MFW curriculum as it’s multi-aged but after seeing this I may give it a try! It costs roughly the same as MFW and my kids like lapbooking. I’ll have to look into it a bit more and discuss with my husband on it. Thanks for the review!
Lisa Mather latest thoughts..February’s Lovely Year of Finishes…
There are a lot of former MFW users who use TGTL. Just remember that the lapbooks are separate. The kids enjoy them so much. Today ends our six weeks in this unit, and we are taking a break next week!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Frugal Beans
Funny how one family can thrive with one curriculum and another family be completely happy with another choice. Same thing with lapbooks. I got all excited about them, but my kids just didn’t like them. We do notebooking instead. Very happy with that.
For our core curriculum, we’ve stuck with Story of the World as our spine, but changed the curriculum guide we use along with it in order to make it work for our family. I love your posts about Trail Guide, but we’re so sold on the classical timeline for our history–it just works for our family. For next year, I think I’m actually going to use the lessons from schoolhouseteachers.com because they tie in all the content we want to cover: art and music history, a harmonized biblical and world history curriculum, as well as hands-on activities/video suggestions/picture and chapter book suggestions. It’s been really well thought-out.
Carey Jane Clark latest thoughts..Busy Hands
Funny, we found SOTW very dry. We have a few hardcovers, but they are collecting dust.
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Khan Academy
Sam, do you use anything for world history?
Our oldest uses Mystery of History. Geography Matters is currently in the works with one though!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
I was just thinking about your need to binder your kids work. Remember how I use folders for lapbooks. If you use the pre-hole punched folders, you could then simply add them to your kids binders. :)
Renee @ Great Peace latest thoughts..This Week… Needing To Be Held
Wouldn’t the holes then be in the wrong spot? There are pre-punched files?!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
Trapper Keeper Folders: http://www.soap.com/p/mead-trapper-2-pocket-paper-folder-534931?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_S&utm_term=WPX-051&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1428944110&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla
Renee @ Great Peace latest thoughts..This Week… Needing To Be Held
I need to look at your again!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
I’ll send you some photo’s I like that folder give us more options than file folders.
Renee @ Great Peace latest thoughts..This Week… Needing To Be Held
Thanks!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
You may have posted this in the past, but I was wondering, besides Math, what or how are you using Trail Guide? Are you using it to cover all your subjects—–literature, history, grammar, spelling, science? Or are you using other stuff to supplement it.
Thanks!
We use it as our main curriculum, everything but math. That is how it was designed to be used. We do use other things here and there that I review, like we are reviewing a science curriculum, but I don’t feel supplements are needed.
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
Good to know. I would love to know how you are liking Illuminations for your oldest. I have a son who is in 8th grade and I was thinking about doing it next year. I was surprised to find out you can use it with all grades.
I have POS. I bought back in April. We did 2 weeks in May, then life got crazy and it was put to the side. We tried to start it again in September and did week 3 and the start of 4 but life (again) got crazy and it was let go and the kids have been doing Math, Easy Grammar (sometimes) and co-op classes. I need to get back on track. I know it is a great curriculum but I just don’t know how to jump back in at this point. I was thinking of starting all over again with week 1. I am such an all or nothing person it is my downfall. Any suggestions?
I wouldn’t start all over, you all may get annoyed at that. Jump back where you left off.
Illuminations didn’t work at all. I need to get that updated! I will list today what we are using. If you need more info, I would be glad to chat about it in email.
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
We did the same thing starting in Freedom Decided.My kids are really enjoying the lapbooks as well. I am so thankful forthis curriculum.
I am too. It has been a huge blessing!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
I really, really love this curriculum. I saw it at the last homeschool convention in Cincinnati where I met you. I wanted to buy it so bad, but my hubby thought it was best for us to use A Beka for the primary grades. I will have a third grader and first grader next school year, so I may check more into it when we go to the convention in April! Thank you so much, I enjoy your blog so much!
Hopefully he will let you get it. I will be in Cincy, so I hope to see you around!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided
That’s how we feel when we get to the end of a unit, too! I’m excited about the new unit and then the kids and I are sad the stories are over! I totally LOVE POE/Trail Guide to Learning and am so excited my kids are doing pretty good with it as well. We like Daniel Boone so far! I’m so thankful I found out about Trail Guide to Learning through you and another friend!! It has been such a blessing!
Emily latest thoughts..Pedicure
We all cried at the end of Daniel Boone. We were really invested in him!
Sam Kelley latest thoughts..Freedom Decided