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.
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