has any one used this program? i want to start this summer , but can not figure out what grade to start with. is the ats program worth the money?

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), April 27, 2000

Answers

Hi, Renee, Calvert is academically a good program, one of the better ones. Do you prefer the neutral curriculums, or would you use one from a Christian publisher? And how old are your children (I know you've mentioned their ages in one of the other postings -- sorry)? If you would like to use a Christian curriculum, I would recommend A- Beka, which is sound and well-laid out, and very helpful to homeschoolers.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 27, 2000.

Hey Renee, I have a friend who used Calvert and she liked it ok but, she thought it was to time consuming and not laid out really well. What are the ages of your children? My friend said it took around 41/2 hours a day to get school done and she was even skipping some stuff.

-- Sarah (CBE@Dellnet.com), April 27, 2000.

sorry should have given more info. 4kids a 4yr. old 21/2 yr.old and 8 mon. old twins. my 4 yr. old is the one i want to start this summer and the 21/2 this fall. the 4 yr. old. [sadie] can write letters ,spell simple words,+ - 1-10.she now goes to a church ran school 3 days a week for 3 hrs. the main problem is she was moved up a year so the kids in her class now 5 yrs. old will be going to kindergarden ,she just turned 4 last month,and the school wants me to hold her back a year so she wont be to younge. she i guess they think they know her better then i do ,and she should sit around for a year. i had her take the 1st. grade test and she passed,but that was the public school test which i found out is not what most homeschooling cirr. go by. so i,m not sure where to start her.

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), April 30, 2000.

You are right not to go by the public school test for your daughter, Renee, as their standards are very low. Speaking as someone who was put up a grade (when we lived on the homestead in Alaska, we were four miles from the nearest bus stop, so Mom homeschooled me through the first grade -- using Calvert, which was the curriculum supplied by the state of Alaska at that time -- we ended up living in twon that winter, and when I started school I got bumped up to second grade), it is usually a mistake to allow it if the child is in a classroom situation. I re-read this, and need to clarify -- I don't believe that it is good for a child to be in the social situation of a classroom with children who are a year older. At least not at that age. If you are homeschooling, which is the best thing you can do for your children, then it isn't going to matter what grade you are using, as long as you don't try to push the child faster than they are really ready for. Have you looked into other homeschool curriculums besides Calvert? There are a lot out there now, way more than when I started homeschooling eighteen years ago (maybe too many - - it creates confusion!!). Have you looked at the homeschooling web sites? Because I know some of the curriculums will give you diagnostic tests that will help you determine where to start your child -- though at four, any complete kindergarten program should be fine. They don't really seem to mind repeating things a little bit. The kindergarten class I taught for four years at our church school here has K-4 and K-5 in one room -- we usually just did K-4 one year, and K-5 the next year, and there was quite a bit of repitition, but the children didn't mind (I remember one little girl who had an attitude problem and did mind, but you could understand where she got it when you met her parents.) Think about how often they ask for the same bedtime story! Also, at four, "school" shouldn't take more than half an hour to an hour each day -- even when mine were in Jr. High and High School they never spent more than four or five hours a day on school work, and seldom that much. They both got pretty high SAT scores, so I don't think the short hours were hurting anything! What you might consider doing, rather than buying an expensive curriculum, is find out what skills are normally taught to kindergarteners and teach those skills, without actually having school. This business of four and five year olds going to school is fairly recent, designed more to facilitate mothers back into the workforce than for the well- being of the child. You may be able to get all the info. you need from the library, but if not, take a look at those big workbooks that are sold in the department stores as being a full years curriculum. They don't cost too much, and should at least serve to help you keep track and not skip anything essential. Though I do think that the exercises that teach matching and patterns are pre-sight-reading work, which you definitely don't want to follow through with. You want a good strong phonics program. Again, get into the homeschooling web sites and see what they recommend. Well, I've gotten up on my soapbox a little, time to get off, hope there is something helpful here!!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 30, 2000.

We used Calvert our first year of homeschooling our five kids. That was ten years ago, so the curriculum might have changed a little since then, but probably not much. I think it's a great way to break into homeschooling. The lesson guides tell you step by step what to do, even reminding when to study for up-coming tests. This curriculum really helped me to get a handle on how to set up my schooling days, and what I could expect of myself and my kids. The style and content are traditional. Not exactly Christian, but not as liberal (PC) as public education. The art books (a child's history of art, architecture, and sculpture) are invaluable; hold on to them if you ever get them. All that said, I'd really recommend not using any curriculum for the first year. Work on reading skills with home made papers and the same for basic math. Little workbooks from the grocery or K-mart can give you variety without the pressure and expense of a real "curriculum". The "what your 1st (2nd, 3rd,etc.) grader should know" series is a good guide. Read Ruth Beechik's books about homeschooling. We also have switched to A Beka books, which are challenging and definitely Christian, except we use only Saxon Math for 4th grade and up. Good luck to you.

-- glynnis in KY (gabbycab@aol.com), May 01, 2000.

We used Calvert for the first eight grades, loved it and yes it is expensive but I felt worth it. After eigth grade we enrolled them into ABeka Video. My oldest starts college at Oklahoma State in August and or other daughter will start the following year. Calvert was wonderful, we lived overseas during those years and it is a classical way of teaching. Abeka Video was great for the older grades that I felt I couldn't teach. By the way they (both girls) were never tested by the school system until they took their ACT. The oldest has a free ride to college. So... it can be done at home.

-- Debbie Wolcott (bwolcott@cwis.net), May 01, 2000.

Some of our customers are ex-calvert users. They liked parts of it, but thought it was too expensive, because they had to send the books back. I don't know much else about it. Paenitet me.

-- Abigail F. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), May 02, 2000.

My experience agrees with Glynnis. Calvert is highly reccomended, but in today's market there are several curricula as good, if not better. Several of the larger companies offer placement tests so that you may know what level to order from them. Saxon is one of those. We use a variety, picking and choosing amongst the strengths of each. Also, don't overlook learning about the various homeschooling approaches (classical, unschooling, unit study etc...) and the learning styles children have (auditory, kinesthetic, verbal,etc..). This has been essential for us in knowing the difference b/w curriculums and which ones to not waste our time and money with since they don't present the material in a manner most efficiently absorbed by our children. Every child is different too, so don't necessarily assume that the cost of an expensive curriculum will be offset by getting to use it with your other children when they are ready. I really second the suggestion to do some research either on the net, at the library or in some books on the subject. You've got to do your homework too! Good luck!

-- Sonya R. (msmenagerie@yahoo.com), May 03, 2000.