I
have struggled for YEARS changing curriculums around knowing
it was my lot in life to alter each one in one way or another
and trying to find a fit. Impossible. Ta da!!!!!!!!!!! The
Checklist comes moseying along as a recommendation on our
homeschooling support yahoo board and after a good perusal
of your BRILLIANT idea to post not one page but one hundred
pages, a purchase ensued.
Cindy,
this is the ANSWER to what I have been going through all
these years. I often joke that I like the no-curriculum
curriculum but was always feeling uneasy about skipping around
and "missing" something. Somehow I missed being
exposed to any form of detailed scope and sequence. Seems
like a no brainer to me.
Something
to guide me without my having to teach with someone else's "stuff".
WOOHOO! Thank you, thank you for all your hard work on this product
and please know that you have eased yet one more homeschooling
Mom's mind and heart!
Stephanie Clunn (Florida)
I
received The Checklist the
other day, and I'm so pleased with it. I'm going to begin
our homeschooling journey this year with our pre-school
age daughter. The unit study
approach appeals to me, but I felt like I would have
to pull subjects out of thin air. This book is the most
thorough way I've found to make sure we cover all the basics
and so much more! I especially like the listing of people
that we can tie in to certain events or subjects. It is
truly amazing. Thank you.
Sandra
Wilkins, (Meeker, Oklahoma)
I
purchased your book "The
Checklist" and find your information very, very
helpful! Thank You!
Elizabeth Carnahan (California)
I
LOVE The Checklist and will recommend it to others in my
homeschool world here in Ohio.
Amy Zahniser (Columbus, Ohio)
I
just began home schooling two weeks ago, but was a classroom
teacher for 13 years. It's quite different doing things at
home, due to not having any scope and sequence. I was thrilled
to find your book! I admire the time and energy that you
have put into your children and writing this book. Thank
you!
Lisa Master (Oklahoma City,
OK)
Review
by The Old
Schoolhouse Magazine, click here.
I first heard about The
Checklist through The
Old Schoolhouse magazine (Summer 2006), and was
eager to get a copy. So far, I've been able to browse through
the first copy I ordered and have used it a little in planning
my oldest son's schoolyear (he's currently in second grade).
I loved it so much I just had to get an e-copy and another
print copy to pass along to a friend! I can't wait to really
use The Checklist; I haven't yet had a chance to utilize
it as much as I would like because I've been super busy with
my newborn (he arrived this summer! :) ). What a valuable
tool you've given the homeschooling community. I plan on
using it down the road for all of my children (my daughter
who's turning 4 in October, my 2 yr old son, and of course
my newest little guy!). I'll be telling my friends about
it for sure, too! God bless you for sowing into the lives
of homeschooling families!
Daisy B. (Pleasanton, California)
Thank you for creating The
Checklist.
I re-read the intro and pages preceding the actual list this
evening and was deeply inspired and encouraged.... as well
as challenged in my calling as a homeschool mother seeking
to raise my children up for the Lord. Thank you for sharing
the wisdom the Lord has imparted to you over the years with
other homeschool moms that have the same goals and convictions.
May the Lord bless all your dedication, research, and long
hours of work!!
Sheri S. (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Review
by Blogger "DandelionSeeds" http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DandelionSeeds/96566/
Minnesota
I am really enjoying The Checklist! Since I have 7 children
and use a combination of methods in homeschooling them,
I find it really helps pull it all together and be more
organized in my approach. It really helps to keep priorities
straight and to stay focused and to see what each child
has covered, is covering and needs to cover in pursuing
our Biblical studies/worldview and our academic responsibilities
at the same time. Thanks for a great resource! I am
so glad to have found it. Blessings,
Chris
R. (Ohatchee, Alabama)
I
ABSOLUTLEY LOVE The Checklist! We have home educated our
children for nine years and I really needed to finally
sit down and see if there were any "gaps" because
we are in highschool now. I REALLY did not want to do it
because there just was NOT a way to do it the way we educated.
NOT ANY MORE!!! The book was worth EVERY penny I spent.
Diane
Fristoe (Iron
City, Tennessee)
What
a wonderful resource this book is! It's almost my wish come
true for a person like me that loves a checklist or a to-do
list of what needs to be done. Around my home, the only way
I get anything accomplished is with my handy journal book that
I keep a near-daily record of what needs to be done. However,
with my educational plans, there are days that I feel we have
barely covered some of the topics, ideas and principles I had
originally wanted to touch on through
the year! What can a parent do?
Cindy
Downes has solved that problem! Her book, The Checklist is a wonderful resource, almost 200 pages of homeschooling
To-Do lists for your children's education! She best describes
the book on her website as: "It's a homeschool record
keeper, a homeschool curriculum planning guide, and a K-12
Scope and Sequence created specifically for Christian Home
Educators!
What
a neat resource for those of us who don't use packaged curriculum
and wander through the ecclectic world of home education!
And I think it would work well for all sorts of disciplines
as well as it helps you to organize your plans and education
choices.
One
warning! Even Cindy states... not everything in the Checklist
is needed for a full education! It is a guide to help you
refine your needs in home education that best suits your family!
Check it out!
Sherri
Chekal (http://www.theparentteacher.com/ParentTeacher-4-05.pdf)
The Parent Teacher Newsletter
(http://www.theparentteacher.com)
I
purchased your "Checklist" book. WOW was it packed
with helpful information! I am always concerned about learning
"gaps" for my children...this was exactly what
I have been looking for! In fact, I think I am thinking about
purchasing one for each of my children as a record keeper.
Thanks for a wonderful resource!
Teresa P (Canton, OHIO)
I
am so impressed with The Checklist and the wealth
of information you've included. What a resource! I wish I
had seen this 7 years ago...our transition into homeschooling
would have been SO much easier. I would have felt MUCH
more comfortable and capable and the kids could have used
it for a more independent, in depth, understanding of their
subjects. Thank you!
Ellen
L. (Edmond, OK)
I
received The Checklist and just want to say thank
you so much for creating this checklist and making it available
to other families. We are just starting out. Our children
are 6 and 4. This is going to help me so much. We are using
the living books style of homeschooling and the checklist
fits so well with it. I belong to a couple of homeschool groups
in Edmond, and I'll be sure to spread the word about your
Checklist! Thanks again!
Jermaine
(Edmond, OK)
I
stumbled on your website when I was researching information
on Ancient Rome for our Homeschool
group's Ancient History Co Op. I found your unit study on
this topic extremely useful! While I was on your site
I also looked into "The Checklist" and purchased
it. I was so impressed I took it to show some of the
mom's in our group. It sounds like a few might order
it! We are really impressed with how thorough it is
and love that it is Biblically based. I just want to
thank you for all your hard work and making this available
to homeschoolers. I have been homeschooling my two girls
for five years now (since kindergarten) using primarily unit
studies for social studies, language arts, and science.
I'm looking forward to having such a useful resource at my
fingertips!
Pamela
H. Bayside Homeschool Network (Granite Bay, California)
Although
I just ordered this (The Checklist)
today, I have already received my ebook version and am printing
it out as we speak. I am so excited to have this valuable
tool to plan my years to come. I was beginning to get very
nervous about my daughter who is nearly 13...I had no clear
plan of what I should be covering, but knew I wanted to do
unit studies with my children. I also love the advice you
give in the front of the book concerning teaching different
children at the same time. Of six children, I am currently
homeschooling three. With them all being different types of
learners, each with their own unique qualities, this book
is a blessing to me. I can already feel that next year will
be wonderful! Thank you so much for creating this wonderful
resource for our children, and to help with the sanity of
homeschool moms everywhere!
I
have already passed the word to all my local homeschool friends
via email about this book, and will be taking it to my next
homeschool meeting to show it around. The names and dates
are one of the features that drew me to this book. You saved
me hours of research! I tend to be disorganized, and the kids
get disorganized as a result. This will keep us on the straight
and narrow.
Thanks
again for a wonderful product. By the way, thought you might
like to know, I found you through a website about unit studies..provided
links to your free units. Those
impress me as well, and we will definitely be using them.
Stephanie
(Gonic, New Hampshire)
I
just wanted to send a quick note of thanks. This wonderful
"Checklist" is just the ticket I needed to get
on the right track to proper homeschooling. I am so happy
and can't thank you enough for all the time and effort you
put into this project.
Jacqui
(North Carolina)
I
have been homeschooling for ten years, and have tried many
ways to keep track of what each child has studied in the
various subjects. As we have gradually switched from a "textbook"
approach to more of a Charlotte Mason/literature/unit study
type approach, it has been increasingly difficult to determine
what we have actually covered. So much occurs during literature
discussions, or just driving around with the kids in the
car as questions arise and opportunities are enjoyed.
For
a little over 2 years, I have been using The Checklist by Cindy Downes. It has proven to be the tool I needed
to provide freedom and accountability with very little
time spent on record keeping. Cindy has taken the verse
Luke 2:52 "And
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and
man.", using it as the outline to account for everything
we would ever need to teach our children, from preschool
through adulthood. Cindy's checklist is so versatile, it
will work with any teaching approach, whether you are using
standard textbooks, the Principle Approach, Charlotte Mason,
Sonlight, Robinson, unit studies of any kind, or even unschooling.
She has comprehensive listings in all subjects, including
concepts, events, inventions, people, and principles to be
understood.
There
are two columns to mark off - one for the elementary years,
and one for the junior/senior high years (and beyond).
I have copied the checklist pages from my master notebook
and made individual books for each of my children. These
have become their "lifetime learning" books. Several times each
year, I sit down with each of the children and go through
sections of the checklist, determining what they have or have
not covered (and retained) during our studies. I have often
been surprised at the things my children know....things I
don't remember "teaching" them! Somehow, my youngest
son has a very thorough grasp of world geography....and I
never would have realized it without Cindy's checklist. This
has saved me almost a semester's worth of pointless "busywork"
I would have spent last year "teaching" Phillip
something he already know! I was able to determine in only
a few minutes what areas of science we still needed to cover
for his 6th grade year, and was delighted to find that we
can do the three remaining topics almost painlessly, with
lots of time for "hands-on" experiments, rather
than work through yet another textbook.
The
Checklist has freed me to enjoy homeschooling. It has liberated
me from the confines of the textbooks and others' expectations,
and has allowed me to follow the interests and opportunities
that arise in our family throughout the year, since I know
that I can quickly note coverage of an idea without having
to go through a stack of texts to find the "right chapter".
I am truly grateful to Cindy for her wisdom and insight,
and for the excellent tool she has created.
Sue
S. (Tulsa, OK)
More
testimonials here.
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