What curriculum works well for combining children of several ages?

[Melissa B]

I have looked at TOG and Biblioplan. Are there any other curriculum options that combine children of multiple ages? Any science programs that do?

[Josie]

Sonlight (for the older two) and My Father's World.

[Sue G in PA]

and would work well for you age group. TOG would also work but I don't have any experience w/ it yet to talk intelligently about it! I'm soooo drawn to it though!

[GVA]

My two are the same as your oldest two, and we've used the same level of Sonlight and BJUP science for several years now. At times I need to help the younger one a bit more, but she's done fine that way.

[Jenny in Atl]

SL is very easy to use with multi ages in the lower cores. My dd7 has learned a bunch listening to dd12's lessons over the years. For 8th grade, dd12, will be doing Core 100, and I will be doing Core 3/4 with younger dd7 (dd12 already completed cores 3/4 a few years ago), but I bet I will be using some of the each with both kids.
:iagree:

[Donna T.]

I have no experience with TOG. It looks great as far as how it's set up. We are Christians but not reformed Christians. That's the main reason I haven't looked further into it.

I have used MFW and SL. I like both.

I'm now using Biblioplan. It is exactly what I needed and wanted. The approach to history is very much like MFW but it's just history. There are so many good books and it schedules readers, read-alouds, timeline work, mapping, writing assignments, and tons of wonderful history books. I am very, very pleased with it. It's a very simple program to implement and I can easily add in as many SL books as I want to. We do love our SL books and love the "feel" of SL, but Biblioplan is so similiar. The main draw for me (well, there are several, but the main one) is that it makes it very simple to combine your children. My boys are three years apart in age and as hard as I have tried (and believe me, I've spent many a hour - even years - trying to figure it out) I could not figure out how to combine them with SL. It certainly is possible and many moms use SL successfully that way, but it was just too much trouble and too mind-numbing for me to figure it out.

I love that the schedule includes reading from both SOTW and MOH. Between the SOTW AG and the extras in MOH, I have plenty of activities and discussion questions to draw from. I downloaded the Ancients e-book and got started that same day! Biblioplan also has a Reformed Christian flavor but not as much so as TOG from what I can tell. I love that we are reading the actual Bible for our history lessons (like MFW) and I can still include all the fun things from SOTW and incorporate as much or little of SL as I want.

This is really a good fit for us. I highly recommend it for combining children of various ages. On the guide, it is real clear what you should do with your grammar age child and your older children. There are ALOT of books (I read there are over 500 scheduled over the four year course) and it's easy to pick ones from the various groupings to meet the needs of your different children.

[dragons in the flower bed]

WinterPromise and Stratton House science programs work well with multiple ages.

[Melissa B]

Thank you for all of the replies! I have been looking through all of the curriculum mentioned. I think my main problem is that they take up more time than I want to spend on history. I was considering taking TRISM's History Makers and using it over three years. I am going to post a question about it now.

Thanks for all of your help, and any additional suggestions will be carefully considered!

[SnowWhite]

I second the WinterPromise recommendation. They have great history and science themes.

[TracyR]

We've always enjoyed Sonlight's science program . With their science DVDs.
Sonlight and Winter Promise are two that I can think of that I enjoy using multiple grade levels with .

[mommaduck]

My Father's World, Weaver, Tapestry of Grace...I prefer MFW.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Christian Kids Explore series can combine several levels at once as well as Apologia Elementary. We've used both with different ages.

[Lisawa]

I have looked at TOG and Biblioplan. Are there any other curriculum options that combine children of multiple ages? Any science programs that do?


Unit studies? Spend 4-6 weeks on something and move on. You can use a notebook approach... just keep any work they do in a notebook with a 1 inch ring size, or a folder. At the end of the year you can make a book of all the work.

Jennifer Steward (http://unitstudies.com/default.aspx)has some great, simple ones. You can add anything to them, or use them as is.

We use TOG and use it to fit where we are at. We go as slow and as fast as we want. Right now we are in a slow mode. *Ü*

[Lisawa]

Any science programs that do?


I forgot. We are enjoying Apologia elementary science this year. Finishing Astronomy and moving into zoology 1. *Ü*

[Mallory]

http://www.easyclassical.com/index.html
I haven't tried it yet, but I just ordered thier chemistry schedule for next year for my kids. They have combined schedules for thier science and history schedules.

[Lorna]

We have found the Well Trained Mind's approach to science has worked well with our daughter age twelve and son aged ten. Both are being pushed but our son is never lost.
We usually use the 'How ... Works' series and then take things from there. For chemistry we are using Ellen McHenry's 'The Elements' (http://ellenjmchenry.com/id98.html). to teach the memorization suggested in 'The Well Trained Mind' and adding in experiments with a chemistry set and Janice Van Cleave books.
You can see how is looks on this post on our blog (http://socksandbooks.blogspot.com/2008/03/elements.html).

[Cadam]

We enjoy My Father's World. It covers everything but Maths and LA. Apologia is a multi-age science program.

[Pam H]

Here's another science option:

Life Science with Real Books

http://www.booknestguides.com/science/life/life.html

We enjoyed the Stratton House Science kits too.

I have succumbed to the history, though. As great as TOG is, it is all consuming. Science just happens at our house, but I find that I have to teach history.

[Melissa B]

Thanks for all of the replies!

I decided I really want to begin an American History study this year that combines both girls.

I think I am going to go with:

Building a New System: Colonial America 1607-1763
and
The World Turned Upside Down: The American Revolution

put out by the College of William and Mary


They are written as a school curriculum for grades 4-5. Each is supposed to be one semester. I like the look of them although I don't know anyone who has tried them. Their website says only the small group work has to be modified for homeschool use. As I will have two children, as well as myself and the two little ones, I think we can do quite a bit of the small group work and discussion with a bit of modification.


For science, I may just keep the girls separate. I like the curriculum I have but my younger daughter is not anywhere near the level necessary to join her sister.

[Isa]

God's Design for Science Series can be used with different age groups. It also follows the 4 year schedule of life science, physical science, chemistry, and physics.