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If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. ~ Adlai Stevenson

Monday, May 30, 2011

It's that time of year...

ETA: Okay, if nothing else pure sticker shock will make me keep my original plans! No Oak Meadow for us... plus as someone reminded me on a message board, I did this last year too-- bought OM, and ended up selling it within a few weeks. I realize that a lot of people don't think of Oak Meadow as expensive, but for me it is, with two kids - the syllabi for everything alone (well, and a couple of the books they print, like Folk Tales for third grade) add up to almost $600. I didn't consider the packages because I already own so many of the books they use! Then add on Teaching Textbooks, which we really want to use, and we're looking at $900 or so, plus main lesson books, general supplies, etc., so $1000+?!? We generally homeschool for around $300 a year, total, for both kids.

Every year I promise myself I won't look, and then I do... Oak Meadow has their annual sale in May, and inevitably, I find myself browsing lesson samples on their website and drooling.

While Cyrus is only going into 5th grade, it is not the 5th grade syllabus I am drooling over... no, it's the 6th grade one (take a look at sample lessons here) I could easily see stretching OM 6th and 7th over the next 3 to 4 years. And OM3 looks fantastic for Cassia. I love the project ideas, the subject matter, the overall approach. I wouldn't use the math for either, just the social studies/history, science, and English.

I do this every year though, make all my plans and then start second guessing myself, fantasizing about what could be if I just used whatever. Reading blogs like this one don't help me stay away from OM in my mind either!

Oh well, I'll probably get over it. Probably.Link

6 comments:

  1. Well, we changed our mind again! We are finishing up OM 1 and going to do OM 2 and K in the fall. It's so hard to decide! Good luck, G!

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  2. It is so hard to decide. If you read blogs like the ones you posted or Cindie's or closeacademy's then OM sounds so amazing. Then if you spend any time on WTM board 50 million other things start to sound just as good. I'm in the middle of boxing up everything that is on my shelves that will distract me from using OM next fall and will stick with it!!! (I hope!)

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  3. Oh, Jesse! The WTM had my head spinning. I had to leave or I would have gone even more crazy with regards to homeschooling. I can't just pop in; I get sucked in.

    I was wondering, G, how the Time Travelers worked out, speaking of curricula! ;o)

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  4. Time Travelers was pretty good, but neither kid got very excited about American history. The quality of the printouts and projects is fantastic, and I may try to use it again in the future with them.

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  5. Thanks for the review. I have always been curious about it.

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  6. By the way, G, not to make you look again, but have you tried OM Seconds? I call the office, ask for Seconds and they have new quality materials for half price. Ask for Crystal. :-)

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What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Emerson

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