I did find schedules on Sonlight Secular Homeschool groups that eliminated that, though, for K. I am torn. When I think of Sonlight and bookshark, kinesthetic approach is not what pops out to me. Ok I know Ive written far too much. This makes it a bit more expensive if you want the out of print copies since they sell for a ridiculous price. BookShark is available for pre-kindergarten through tenth grade. The great debate is truly between Moving Beyond the Page, Five in a Row, and Bookshark. You also might want to add lab activity to some of the high school kits for college-bound students. Calvert Education. lit. . I do like how BS is age appropriate though, so less tweaking I imagine. Yes, it does use lots of living literature books. Downloadable Art History Video Series Shop now Nomadic Professor: US History 1 & 2 Shop now Award Winners Fischertechnik Advanced Universal 4 with Engineer $ 119.99 According to their website: BookShark Virtual is an online platform that enables students to access their reading schedules, view Story Maps, take assessments, and receive instant auto-grading results. I would be willing to make it work though . Levels I and J have "History and Literature" packages that are designed for independent study. Timberdoodle's award-winning curriculum kits are suitable for grades 0-12 and packed with hands-on/STEM components. : Doodle and Draw, Imagidice (storytelling cubes), Postman Observation Game,Famous Figures of Ancient Times, and Learning Wrap-Ups for addition and subtraction. Moving Beyondthe Page sounds really appealing in that it seems rigorous and thorough, but the grade levels cover about half the stuff shesalready learned, and piecing it together looks crazy expensive. I feel like theyre getting the best of what each of those companies do well. Timberdoodle lost because of the heavy writing component, making this curriculum almost useless for a few more years. Timberdoodle will help you put together a custom kit for any level if you prefer different resources. Timberdoodle also includes robust literature courses in 3rd-12th grade that contain the required reading in the text itself. We've reviewed a few here. You read your child 2 to 3 short stories from beautiful picture books. Bookshark's sister company Sonlight has been making these claims for many years now. Can't swallow that. Its ok. Were not fancy nancys or anything, but I really believe order has its place in the classroom as explained amazingly well in this inspiring read about Montessori handwriting. First of all, Timberdoodle has an online scheduler that Ive never seen the likes of before. PDF Jump Start Curriculum Choices - Anchorage School District It uses several living books in the curriculum packages that we have used and loved this past year with Truthquest history. ETA --- Okay, the "OH look NEW and SHINY" moment has worn off and I'm less likely to purchase it. But mostly wanted to comment on why Bookshark is getting some "new" excitement from someone like me. You might want to look at Timberdoodle. As I said at the beginning of this review, BookShark is essentially a secular version of Sonlight. Love looking at it over and over. The subject of history highlights some of the major differences. Any curriculum that just gives page numbers to read is almost worthless to me. What they are selling is pretty much what I bought anyway, lol. This platform should be very helpful, but it doesn't provide complete record keeping. 1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Bookshark vs timberdoodle for kindergarten curriculum? Oh, and another problem, I am-for some reason- very bad at following a schedule. But before I say what it is, heres what I found out about each one of these. Subject areas packages include the instructor's guide along with an assortment of resources that sometimes includes a traditional-style textbook. Its a great mix of learning and exploring our world and everything in it! Its a bit workbook heavy, but the curriculum has lots of hands on stuff, too. He needs to touch, to play, to build, to do things. Bookshark: "BookShark is a complete . As always, Id be delighted to help if you have any further questions. Your link has been automatically embedded. Pasted as rich text. I feel silly asking you this, because of course you are a Timberdoodle supporter :-). The only thing that keeps me from going all in is that their core areas use programs I don't feel like using (Math U See, Spelling You See, Mosdos lit, etc.) The Ultimate List of Homeschool Curriculums: A Guide - Learn in Color I don't know. So I am also a big confused by the 'new curriculum' excitement that is going on. I have some more in-de. Elementary Curriculum - TWINDLY BRIDGE CHARTER SCHOOL It incorporates STEM with things likeMorphun Blocks. While it is possible that Sonlight or Bookshark will improve SAT scores beyond the national average, the claim is not supported by the facts they reference. I don't see anything CM like at all. 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. For teens, you might add a foreign language. All reviews and articles on this site belong to Grove Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise identified. The discussions you have with your kids, the questions you ask them? Levels A through C rely heavily on different books from the Explode the Code series. However, only their Reading with History and Science programs use living books. The Top 5 Reasons Sonlight Didn't Work for Us. I'm more likely to use BS than SL. But even then I'm not sure. Paste as plain text instead, It incorporates other ideas like cooking to round out a fun week of learning. Yes, that would be a concern to me too, especially considering some of the ideas about American history that were in the Sonlight program. They only want one, so the cats begin eating each other until one remains. High-quality, age-appropriate literature that was beautiful and pleasant to read Academically thorough Easy to implement as a parent Culturally sensitive and inclusive Bonus points for use of nature, great art and music, and hands-on activities Secular, or easily modified to fit our secular home Double bonus points if I'm able to include my toddler It is waaaay to SNL for my tastes. Im loving these suggestions. The rabbit trails you explore together, the things you research together? There are a few religious books (ie. We take so much effort to create order and inspire the kids to restore materials that scrunching something up felt kinda wrong. Any curriculum that just gives page numbers to read is almost worthless to me. The Good and the Beautiful has been recommended to me by my sister in law, and I like how it's laid out for me and not super expensive. I played around with it for a long time. But it does feel like this first wave of users will end up reviewing and picking through that and in a year or two it will be easier to know, assuming someone wants to seek it out, what might be questionable in the program for secular users. Display as a link instead, Timberdoodle is one of the oldest distributors for the homeschool market, and they have always filled a unique niche with their emphasis on experiential learning using hands-on activities and games. If I had to choose one among all boxed curricula, however, Bookshark would be at the top of the list. Timberdoodles charter school friendly kits are simply known as the non-religious editions and are available from 0-12th grade. There are 8 workbooks in their standard grade 1 secular curriculum. Wonderful literature is great, but I need a little help in what to do with it. Because Sonlight is EXPENSIVE. Timberdoodle recommends Fluenz Homeschool for foreign languages, but it isn't included in the kits. I've run into a *lot* of people with the same complaints as mine. I am not judgemental on whether someone is too Christian, or not enough Christiannone of my business. Peanut just isnt ready for the level 5-7 literature yet, or Id definitely use this one for our 2017-2018 year. To me, the value here would be the IGs.and then I read that thread I linked to earlier, and now I'm like..hmmm.Not So Much! #books #shopping I love that top photo! Copyright 2010-2021 Global Rank. Thank you BookShark! The catalog virtually shouts that ordering from them will transform said book list into a magically wonderful experience unique to their company. I don't think I've ever seen a post where people don't call it a secular version of Sonlight. BookShark Owned by the parent company, Sonlight, BookShark is a complete curriculum. Although I could be wrong. Here you will find practical articles, an online community, courses for you and your children, user-friendly textbooks, and much more. Remember that SL originally marketed to missionaries who needed a complete in-a-box curriculum that could be easily shipped overseas. I wouldn't be happy with anything I didn't design myself. I plan on using it again after weve spent more time studying history this Fall. Dylan Martin - Bookshark vs timberdoodle for kindergarten - Facebook They have both christian and secular options, and you can customize the packages to suit your needs. Considered a top-rated homeschool curriculum, college prep, with accredited options. This year (not including onlne class fees for my 7/8th grader), we spent only 400 on curriculum for two kids. Getting Started: Beginning the Home Education Adventure, Apps, Learning Games, and Online Enrichment Activities, Science Courses: Text/Online Support Packages, Resources (and Curricula) for Processing Difficulties, Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education, Sonlight, Bookshark, The Good and the Beautiful-8th grade. curriculum. I love Sonlight/BS's booklists, but, from what I've heard of it, the actual teaching model doesn't sound appealing. I looked into Bookshark but decided against it for several reasons. Types of Children- my dd in particular does not do well with SL's style of books. Here the basics are still reading, arithmetic, and thinking. Workbooks like Spelling You See are very well thought out programs, and there are many reasons to love them. I know it says classical but it is a big list of living literature. Bookshark is I guess best described as faith-neutral. Click on links where available to verify price accuracy. I dont know if its heresy to say well among the AMI-trained folks clearly it will be but I think Maria herself would have liked the Math Wrap Ups. Plus, she'd need third grade this year and we just finished a year of American History. Both are great programs but neither is perfect for everyone. They tend to offer very unique and hands-on materials. Additionally, Timberdoodle offers both secular and Christian curriculum kits. Is there something that didnt work out so well for your family? I won't do the full curriculum, just the history IG. . I don't know. SL/BookShark isn't for her. Read-Alouds also help build your children's congnitive development and gives them a passion to learn. That sounds accurate. I happened upon Bookshark, and thought, "Wow! The source of the data behind the claim suffers from significant selection bias and should not have been . Best Homeschool Curriculum: It's Vital for Your Kid Learning 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. Note: Publishers, authors, and service providers never pay to be reviewed. And next year im going to add TGATB with it, too! It's just too *much*. In the kits with religious content, a few resources are written from a general Christian perspective, and some are specifically Protestant. Getting Started: Beginning the Home Education Adventure, Apps, Learning Games, and Online Enrichment Activities, Science Courses: Text/Online Support Packages, Resources (and Curricula) for Processing Difficulties, Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education. Well, I've been interested, but here's why I am not caving: 2. we don't fit into their history schedule (we're either ahead or behind, too young or too old). Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. . They do provide free review copies or online access to programs for review purposes. Here is a smattering of contrasts and comparisons that may prove helpful. We use Moving Beyond The Page. They are heavily laden with hands-on and experiential learning resources. I much prefer self-correcting work that can be repeated over and over for mastery (a la Montessori materials). The advantages of Sonlights approach are that you dont have to think it through or remember to add them. Timberdoodle-popular program with everything included. Build your Library would win out for literature alone, but it falls down on hands-on activities. Since the NGSS stress evolution as a foundational concept, BookShark science is now likely to promote evolutionary viewpoints. BUT- I don't have time! The secular kits were created by removing or replacing religious materials in the standard or elite kits. BookShark's use of "real" books in this manner reflects the influence of Charlotte Mason'sapproach to education. I do this with mine. Go with the 4-Day version. So the fact that people are making all this hoopla over Bookshark.yet they wouldn't have looked at Sonlight twice.you do realize it is NOT a new curriculum, right? When I think of hands on learning though, I think of Konos. I mean who wouldnt? I do, however use Sonlight/Bookshark as a reading list. I would rather make sure they got the technique down and let them practice it and not worry that there was a miscalculation. * When you open a box of BookShark the first thing(s) you see are books. We consider it one of the most important subjects, and the curriculum choices reflect that. There are many who didn't look twice at Sonlight because of its religious nature, but they are now interested in Bookshark. I would have to order the Science K and also the K Language arts and readers. It's a changed curriculum. I like the idea of assigned reading and someone that has figured that all out for me. I have mixed feelings on the printed resources. Its not the same as what I'm using but its similar enough to work. Can anyone please give me some insight into the Moving Beyond the Page curriculum? 3. They don't teach any particular religion, but they also don't teach things like evolution, the age of the universe, etc. For years, Sonlight touted their Christianity as a major selling point. Consequently, when Timberdoodle decided to assemble grade-level programs for preschool through high school, they included puzzles and other hands-on learning resources. So in my quest, I eliminated any highly religious curricula (sorry My Fathers World, Sonlight, and Lifepac!). A Beka is also one of the nation's largest distributors of homeschool and Christian educational materials. All in one curriculum that covers all the required subjects, lots of hands on games, science experiments, art, and STEM. . Lastly I hated the scrunch map. :glare: All that to say, Bookshark DOES look appealing and I HAVE visited their site For the same reason I wouldn't use boxed SLit's too much/not enough. Best Homeschool Curriculum Reviews | Homeschool .com 2020 Back to Homeschool Curriculum Awards First I look at what our needs are. What's Different? Packing is a pain, hey lets just have fun. Jones, BookShark, The Good and the Beautiful Build Your Library, Moving Beyond the Page, Son light, My Fathers World, Bob Jones, Alpha Omega, While they do carry some traditional resources, such as math and grammar workbooks, they have tended toward fun resources more than others. Money. Theyre hands on, theyre self-correcting, theyre, well, not so beautiful, but for plastic keys, they really helped my kids want to work on math fact memorization. BUT, I find the world-view of the Sonlight curriculum has changed a bunch over the past few years, and not in a good way. BookShark or SL would be triple that. I am tempted to get the guide but will look around a little more at what is out there. Usually I just supplement our school days, road trips and many hospital visits with a selection or two of products. ; Day 2 (Explore) you will read the History Hop time travel component of the History Quest chapter, complete the History Travel Log page for the unit, and explore a historical site . They have things set up as a 5-day schedule:. I did stumble upon Rainbow Resourceand they offer some awesome literature packages. I can see myself saving up for the science book set. Of course I don't think I ever did any of it exactly as they wrote it. And my 'big box of books' looks and awful lot like my local library, lol. While I can pair certain children together, I simply can't do all of them in one Core program. And an option I probably would have gone with for simplicity sake. 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. 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. Bookshark does not mention creation or evolution but focuses on all the many other facets of science. I have to admit that other than the science, it does appeal to *me*. Make a selling point of being Christian then take the religion stuff out and sell under a different name. No read alouds. These activities incorporate critical thinking skills, fine motor and creativity all in one. Yes. Joy-Filled Journey Through Preschool. When we choose our products, we look for ones that are the best and most unique overall, so sometimes it is Christian-based curriculum, and sometimes it is not. Hope that helps. I taught it with every single discussion question exactly as they wrote it. Moving Beyond the Page Review - The Smarter Learning Guide For the amount of money wed spend, we would basically be buying a year of toys and games, and no real learning opportunities. The actual teaching should take up to half an hour, depending on whether you would like your student to independently read science and history or you prefer to read that aloud. A set curriculum would never work for me or my children - they are all over the place in ability. I don't see Chick-Fa-La opening a new restaurant with the same menu items, maybe one pickle instead of two, to avoid their controversy.