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.