Mother of Divine Grace with a side of Seton: a Curriculum Interview

Our curriculum interview today is with Brooke who uses Mother of Divine Grace (MODG) with some supplementation from Seton Home Education. Brooke and her husband have 4 children. Currently two of her children are being homeschooled, a 7 year old in 1st grade and a 4 year old in Preschool.

Brooke discusses her use of both MODG and Seton in our interview questions today. We hope this shows how flexible homeschooling can be.

What curriculum are you using? How long have you used it?

I’ve used Mother of Divine Grace (MODG) since the beginning (for 3 years and love it). I also supplement with Seton books.

What special features, if any, are offered by the curriculum you are using? Do you use these features if available? Why or why not?

I believe both of the curriculums (MODG & Seton) offer enrollment which includes support, grade tracking and transcripts. I do not use the services because I like the freedom of not having to submit certain assignments by a certain date - we have a very flexible schedule!

What attracted you to this curriculum?

I had several friends who recommended MODG based on its incorporation of the Catholic faith and classical design. I was attracted to Seton because of its academic rigor.

Is this curriculum flexible with substituting different course materials for a subject if you prefer one thing over their recommendation?

I have substituted and supplemented while using Mother of Divine Grace and found that it was quite simple to do so. Again, I am not enrolled so I am not sure if it is as easy if you are enrolled.

Is there a religion component as a part of this curriculum? If so, do you use it or prefer something else? Is it Catholic or non-Catholic Christian?

Both Mother of Divine Grace and Seton are Catholic curriculum, both containing a religious component. So far I have incorporated religion materials from both for our religion class. I do like them both but prefer MODG for the Preschool/Kindergarten age as it familiarizes the children with the Bible stories as well as the skill of narration.

What do you consider to be the strength of this particular curriculum?

Seton is very academic and does incorporate Catholicism throughout their books which I like. I would say the strength of MODG is its flexibility, it is a curriculum that focuses on helping the children love to learn rather than keeping them busy with worksheets.

What has been the most positive result for your family of using this curriculum?

With Seton the Art books have been a wonderful way to incorporate liturgically appropriate crafts throughout the school year. MODG has definitely helped me to see what is important while homeschooling and what does not necessarily need to be included. I have found that it gives the child freedom to explore their interests.

If there is something you could improve upon in this curriculum, what would it be?

I do wish that both of the curriculum would start with cursive instead of manuscript or at least have an option of cursive for the younger grades. I’m also not a fan of the math programs either curriculum uses.

If someone is interested in learning more about this curriculum, where should they go?

Here is a link to the MODG curriculum page: https://modg.org/curriculum.

Seton’s homeschool page can be found here:  https://www.setonhome.org.

Besides this curriculum, what other educational type activities are your children involved in?

We are involved in a co-op once a week at our church, Regina Pacis. In the Fall, the girls also took an Irish dance class.

While I am still figuring out the practical application of Paul Lockhart’s Mathematician's Lament and Math Recess by Sunil Singh, I have found the Tiny Polka Dot Game to be a wonderful way for my children to “play” with numbers.

Anything else you feel is important to share with someone looking into using this for their own homeschool?

Last year I found myself feeling as though the MODG curriculum was not enough school for my children and that they needed more. However, after this year of supplementing with Seton I discovered that I added too much busy work into our days and not enough actual learning. I love the flexibility of MODG but would encourage you to keep it simple. I would encourage supplementing in courses where you child is craving more (but nothing more)! For example, my 1st grader (7 years old) is an avid reader, she just LOVES to read. The MODG reading curriculum begins with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, which is what gave her the tools to read, however, she completed the lessons much sooner than the curriculum recommended. That’s when I started exploring what Seton had to offer and have bought many additional reading books for her from their bookstore. Lastly, I would say purchase the syllabus for each grade. They are not too expensive and give you a great idea of how to implement the coursework. 

Sonlight: A Curriculum Interview

Today we have another interview about a curriculum one of our St. Joseph Homeschool Association members uses with her girls.

Cassie G. and her husband have been married almost 10 years and have 4 girls ages 8, 6, 3, and 15 months. They have been homeschooling for about 5 years, since the oldest begged to learn to read at 3 years old. Cassie shares, "I never thought I would be homeschooling and give complete credit to a calling from God while discerning whether to continue my career as a bridge engineer or stay home with our kids. We love homeschooling very much, and it’s hard to imagine NOT homeschooling now."

Below is my interview with Cassie as she discusses using Sonlight in her homeschool.

What curriculum are you using? How long have you used it?

The curriculum we use is Sonlight. Currently, we are using History/Bible/Literature (HBL) C, which is Year 2 of World History. Towards the end of summer, we will start HBL D and brand new HBL K (both are American History). We have been using Sonlight for almost three years.

What special features, if any, are offered by the curriculum you are using? Do you use these features if available? Why or why not?

Sonlight is not accredited and that made me nervous at first, but now, it’s not a concern to me after doing some research. The main thing I love about Sonlight is their IG’s (Instructor Guides), which make it very open and go. There is very little prep work and planning for me. Also, they have amazing advisors that you can email or chat with, and of course call. I have called the advisors a few times and they are always super helpful.

What attracted you to this curriculum?

I love that they use books that I read when I was younger. I wanted to read books like Winnie the Pooh, Charlotte’s Web, etc. to our kids and those are the kinds of books they use. They also schedule books that I wouldn’t normally pick up and they have all been good. They have helped us try out various genres. I like that they schedule everything for me, yet the curriculum is flexible, and I could use it with all of my kids - they can do most subjects together (except skill subjects).

Is this curriculum flexible with substituting different course materials for a subject if you prefer one thing over their recommendation?

They are flexible - they offer various options for math, spelling, handwriting, etc.

Is there a religion component as a part of this curriculum? If so, do you use it or prefer something else? Is it Catholic or non-Catholic Christian?

Sonlight is non-Catholic Christian. We use their Bible curriculum, but we add in our own Catholic catechism, which varies year to year. We have used Brother Francis DVDs, Faith and Life, and saint stories. Next fall, we will be using the Friendly Defender cards and the Youcat for Kids, along with American saint stories. I like that they schedule Bible readings every day. We have had some amazing discussions from reading it, and it helps my kids become familiar with it.

What do you consider to be the strength of this particular curriculum?

The curriculum makes learning history and science fun with their amazing books. You also get all the books you are going to need, which makes it nice when you didn’t make it to the library (or like now if the library is closed). Also, the science has experiments scheduled for it and they even send you a kit with most of the items you will need. If you don’t have time to do the experiments, they are on DVD for you to watch!  

What has been the most positive result for your family of using this curriculum?

Our kids love reading and enjoy the read alouds we do together. The kids enjoy doing school together, they are all learning the same history, Bible, catechism, and science.

If there is something you could improve upon in this curriculum, what would it be?

Hmm…. I don’t think I could! Unless it would be to make it a Catholic curriculum.

If someone is interested in learning more about this curriculum, where should they go?

https://www.sonlight.com/

There is also a FB group for Catholic Sonlighters that is useful and the Sonlight Connections FB group is also helpful.

Besides this curriculum, what other educational type activities are your children involved in?

Our kids play soccer, do ballet, and also go fishing/hunting with their dad. They are involved in American Heritage Girls and love our parish’s Vacation Bible School and Totus Tuus program.

Anything else you feel is important to share with someone looking into using this for their own homeschool?

I was leery of using Sonlight at first since they are not Catholic. But, when we started using it, I was amazed that they would define Catholic terms used in stories or would schedule stories that were Catholic. So, if you are looking for a good curriculum that uses amazing books, then try it out!

Kolbe Academy: A Curriculum Interview

A couple of weeks ago we published a post on Crisis Schooling and promised that we would have some future posts coming on various curricula that our members use. I am finally getting to the first of these interviews. I have at least two more in the wings and hope to have plenty more in the future.

Our first interviewee is Erin P. This is actually her first year homeschooling. She has 3 kiddos, the oldest in Kindergarten this year and the second will begin Pre-K next school year. The youngest is a year and a half, and "generally wreaks havoc." Homeschooling with a little one around is always interesting, a topic maybe for a future post. Erin's oldest started homeschooling this past fall with Kolbe Academy. 

Erin answered 11 questions for me about her choice of curriculum. 

What curriculum are you using? How long have you used it?

For my oldest I use Kolbe Academy, I will be using Seton for my second starting in the fall.

What special features, if any, are offered by the curriculum you are using? Do you use these features if available? Why or why not?

I like that Kolbe is a classical curriculum with Latin and Greek starting in later elementary school. All of the curricula can be found online and can be recorded online as well, I personally use paper lesson plans and grade sheets because it’s easier for my mind to focus on something tangible. A new feature for Kolbe is an elementary online program with multiple options, this would be great for parents who are intimidated by homeschooling and want a lot of instructor involvement. I have not signed up for the program myself because it is quite costly. The program is accredited and you can always contact an advisor for any questions that may pop up.

What attracted you to this curriculum?

I loved the depth of information with Kolbe, I was so impressed when I looked at sample lesson plans, especially for high school, at the high expectations that students were held to. I was also attracted to the classical curriculum and the fact that it was flexible enough to modify and really individualize curriculum for each child.

Is this curriculum flexible with substituting different course materials for a subject if you prefer one thing over their recommendation?

Yes, the curriculum is very open to substitutions and parents’ autonomy is encouraged at the primary educator of their children.

Is there a religion component as a part of this curriculum? If so, do you use it or prefer something else? Is it Catholic or non-Catholic Christian?

There is a Catholic religion class included in the curriculum and it is the one that I use. 

What do you consider to be the strength of this particular curriculum?

I think the biggest strength of this curriculum is that it’s easy to implement, but still challenging learning for students. 

What has been the most positive result for your family of using this curriculum?

For us, it has been great to really adapt the curriculum for our son’s needs. He is young and wouldn’t be able to go to public or private school yet, but we have been able to begin his education when he was really mature enough and interested in beginning. Also, we found that the kindergarten curriculum for math and English wasn’t challenging enough and were able to move ahead to the first grade curricula for those classes while keeping him in a kindergarten classification.

If there is something you could improve upon in this curriculum, what would it be?

I would like to see the cost of the online program decrease, particularly as we move toward middle and high school levels. But, I do believe the price tag is even still worth it. 

If someone is interested in learning more about this curriculum, where should they go?

Kolbe.org is the official website. I don’t have a Facebook account, but I know that there are parent groups for Kolbe on there.

Besides this curriculum, what other educational type activities are your children involved in?

We have participated in sports leagues for the past 3 years for soccer and basketball. We will start Cloverbuds through 4H in the fall with my oldest. We also love the story times at the library and the crafts that they offer. 

Anything else you feel is important to share with someone looking into using this for their own homeschool?

There are other box programs for homeschooling available, but I like the flexibility and depth of learning that I have found with Kolbe Academy, while maintaining a deep Catholic identity.