Another Curriculum Review

Today I'm doing Rod and Staff.

I don't remember exactly why, but I ordered their science for my son. After using it, and liking it, I decided to order the whole curriculum for all my kids.

I absolutely loved the fact that not only is it from a biblical perspective, EVERYTHING was referenced or related back to God. It wasn't just, God made the world...this is how this works. It was God made the world and this is how it works and this is what scripture says about it. Like the weather for instance. It was talking about how God made the wind, and how the wind works and affects nature, and then it quoted the scripture that talks about how the wind works. Ecc 1:6. I read it and was amazed! God made the wind to work the way it does! It wasn't just by chance that it blows the way it does! I hadn't realized it was in the Bible though.

All of the work was like that! All centered around God and building their character. For that aspect I thought it was wonderful! To have the Lord woven through all their work was awesome! No worries about immodest pictures. All KJV scriptures. No weird "magical" stories. I didn't find or have any doctrinal issues either. I only  used it for a year though.

I did think it was kind of silly that all the pictures of people were "Mennonite". It was funny seeing Abraham and Joseph, etc looking like Mennonite men, instead of Jews! But not a problem in any way. I did have to disagree with their interpretation of "1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;" I do not agree with their interpretation that it's saying you can't braid your hair, wear gold, pearls or costly array. I believe it was talking about not adorning yourself with those things instead of with modest apparel, shamefacedness and sobriety. I think Pro. 31:21-22 makes it clear that she was wearing costly array and that it was good. There are other things I could cite, but this isn't a post about the way you dress, it's about the curriculum. (it's fine if you disagree, but my opinion☺) So when my son read that in his health book, I simply told him that we disagreed. But we do agree that women should be modest, just have a different opinion on what modesty entails. Not a big deal at all.

The main reason I don't use Rod and Staff. It is very similar to Abeka and Bob Jones, in that, it's a LOT of work. The kids have the workbooks, quizzes, drills, activities and tests to do and to me that's just too much stuff to do. I want my kids to learn, but as homeschoolers, I don't think we need to be spending the 8 hours a day that public/private schools have to, doing school work. I'm sure if I took the time, I could figure out how to cut down on the work load. I guess I'm being lazy, but I don't want to. I'm not at a time in my life where that's feasible.

In addition to that. It still has a lot of teacher prep and teaching time necessary for them to understand what they are supposed to do. You HAVE to use the teachers guides for them to understand their work. Not something I have time for with 6 kids doing school. It already takes me quite a bit of time just answering questions, correcting work and helping the ones learning to read. I don't have time to "teach school" to 6 different grades. It wasn't just a matter of helping them to understand the concept either. You really had to use the guide to help them know what they were even supposed to do on the pages. Some pages didn't even have instructions on them. So for that I did not like it.

Blessings, ♥T