The Weaver

I have always longed to use the Unit Study style of learning in our home.  However, I can be easily overwhelmed.  I have looked at so many available, even looked at how make my own.  And I always come up gasping for air at the thought.

I also always want God's Word to be central in our focus through the day.  No matter what we study.  I posted about our foundation of homeschooling a few weeks ago.  So many unit studies have God's Word in their study somewhere.  And this is good.

Then I started looking at The Weaver Curriculum.  I don't know why I had never looked at it before!  It starts with God's Word and weaves academics into the study.  It is a unit study, so we'll be following rabbit trails.  But it has a schedule you can choose to use as well.  Since I tend to swing like a pendulum from wanting my freedom to follow rabbit trails, to needing structure, this may work very well! 

I started to pray about using this curriculum, possibly next year.  My son loves our spelling and math, and thankfully those things can stay.  Weaver doesn't have a program for those things.  And it doesn't do phonics, either.  No worries, I like our phonics, too!  So it can stay!  Not to say we haven't like what we're using.  We like our history and our science.  And I have plenty of bible studies.  But I wanted to have everything work together on a common thread.  And sometimes no matter what I like, God has other ideas...

And what should happen?  A new, wonderful friend shows up in my life, from across the country.  She offers to mail me Volume 1 and 2!  And the planners for each!  And it just so happens that years ago I bought the language arts and the teaching tips books at a thrift store for next to nothing.  This completes the program!  Is God saying something?  Possibly.  Oh, and Media Mail got the package to me in 4 days' time!  Hmmmm....

We won't be staring Weaver next year.  We're starting now!  This morning!  I spent much of the weekend reading and preparing.  And today, we started!  I was amazed at how everything flowed so nicely.  Our wonderful neighbor (who also homeschools, and uses the KONOS unit study method) sent me home with a stack of books and DVDs covering topics that we may go through this week or next (rabbit trails!)  We went to the local library and collected a few more books.  And today I ordered yet more for future units of study.  I'm aware that many times the first day is full of fun for something new on the table.  So I'm not going to judge that it is our final resting place for curriculum just yet.  However, I am very excited and can't wait to see where things go. 

It seems that we sometimes have things planned the way we think they ought to go.  And then God comes along and asks us to change.  Even in mid stream.  Like, say, switching the major core of your curriculum in the midst of the holidays...  I don't recommend it, unless God is making it clear to do so.  Before I get lost down my own rabbit trail~ may we be obedient to follow His lead, no matter what or when!  Be in His Word and in prayer, ready to listen and answer when He speaks.