We've been trying The Robinson Curriculum for a few months now. It emphasizes the basics- Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic and claims to have everything you need for 12 years (and more) of education on 22 CDs.
We haven't bought The Robinson Curriculum CDs, even though they really are a bargain. Since most of the books needed are older and are no longer copyrighted you can print them from Project Gutenberg or find them used very inexpensively. We're printing the books from Rosegate Harbour and using vocab sheets from Walker Family Life. We're also enjoying the audio versions listed on Rosegate Harbour, mostly for Mom and Dad. We did invest in a good duplex printer and a comb binder, but they cost less than one year's curriculum usually does.
We're starting to follow The Robinson Curriculum, but I'm just looking at it as a goal. Right now Missy is reading 1 hour a day and we're adding 15 min. more each week. Saxon math isn't a choice for us, because Missy had her heart set on Teaching Textbooks before we started using Robinson. We're also continuing several other programs we had already (Writing Strands, Simply Grammar, Spelling Power). We haven't made all of the lifestyle changes Dr. Robinson suggests, we still have our TV and eat sugar. I could make the children stop doing this, but I can't make Daddy!
Though we are not following the program exactly, we are seeing great results. Missy is willing to do her work without arguing (too much). The books are very interesting, even to me. They are of good quality and we don't have to be concerned about objectionable content, like we do with many modern books. I think this is our new favorite home school curriculum!
So, what's your favorite home school curriculum?
