Excited about CTC (Supply List)

[Chrissy]

I really think my newly 10yo is going to love CTC! As I've gone through to make a supply list, I've caught a bit of the vision of how delightful I'm expecting this upcoming year to be for him.

I have a Word document with supplies for all the history projects and science experiments. I did not include the first 14 units of science. We just did Zoo 3 this year, so I'll be substituting Zoo 2 for the first 14 units. Someone else might be willing to make a list of supplies for those science units.

Is there a way I can share that information so it can be of use to others?

Chrissy

[Heather4Him]

Chrissy, how wonderful!

We're starting CTC in August. (Our box just came today!!!) I'm SO excited, too!

If you DO find a way to share the supply list for History, I would LOVE it! You can PM me, and I could send you my email address there. Thanks for all your hard work!

[basesloaded]

Christy,

I would love to see the list, too .

Suzy

[my3sons]

Hi there! I'm so glad you're excited to use CTC. We used it last year, and you sure are in for a treat! In regard to supply lists, HOD chooses not to do supply lists nor have them on their website as so many substitutions can be made (and are often suggested in the daily plans) that a list becomes confusing. Here's a portion of past thread where we discussed this at length:

I am a list maker as well, but this is one list that would be confusing to make at best. The guides suggest many substitutions and, from the suggested substitutions, I can easily come up with even more substitutions based on the ideas given. For example, the guide said chocolate chips or raisins (which we usually have both on hand but didn't for some strange reason), so we used cocoa puffs. One time we didn't have a bean bag, so we used the rolled sock idea. If I'd been using a list, I'd have gone out and bought bean bags, etc., which I didn't really need anyway. So, long story short, it makes perfect sense not to have a list but instead to appreciate the activities being written in such a way that we do have the things on hand or we have the ability to logically make a substitution. Just try it, you'll see it works great.

Whenever unusual supplies are needed, they are noted in the "Introduction" of guides. For example, the CTC paint supplies are noted there. There is also a link where you can get them from Miller Pads and Paper in this post:
CTC Paint Supplies:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5608&p=41163#p41163

Have a good year with CTC - I think you'll enjoy it so much!

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

Chrissy,

I'm excited that you're going to be using CTC this upcoming year! We pray it will be a wonderful fit for your family. I'm not sure if you've ever used an HOD program before, but we purposefully don't include a supply list in our guides as it is not possible to truly make one to reflect the many options each guide offers in the way of supplies for any given lesson. For example, many of the science experiments will give multiple ideas of what could be used to complete each part of the experiment. This is done so that you can easily use what you have on hand without having to plan and ahead and get special items ahead of time. So, any supply list is confusing at best, which is why we don't include one within our guides or have them posted on our website. Our guides are truly meant to be open and go, and I think you'll find that to be true as you go along.

I used many other curriculums before writing our own and had many supply lists that I found incredibly daunting. We strive to provide moms with something different. So, if the listmaker in you feels better about making a list, feel free to list away. But, our stance is that it is well-worth trying out the guide before spending your time making the list. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Chrissy]

Thanks for the feedback & explanations about supplies. I understand your perspective & experience. This will be my first year with HOD and yes, I am a chronic list maker! I was very pleased that the recommended supplies were very basic items. I don't think there was anything I would specifically need to go out and purchase, other than food items. Of course, I've been collecting school supply-type stuff for a loooooooong time. Today I sorted through our science supplies (which are in a "tower" with drawers) and realized just how much science "equipment" we've accumulated--especially with kids going through high school.

My 10yob loves hands-on projects (I do not) and I am excited--for him, especially--that the CTC projects look very doable. I love seeing the biblical and historical focus coming to life through the projects. He is also going to thrive with science! It's so nice to realize that you have found a "fit" for a particular child.

We are also ending up stepping away from what we used previously for spelling, English, and writing and going with the CTC recommendations. The only things we are switching out from CTC are math (no need to rock that boat), reading (I already had something on hand we could use and enjoy), and the Land Animals book because we just covered it this year. Oh, and we do Awana so he'll use that for Scripture memory.

As I continue to review the CTC guide, I am thrilled with the simplicity of the plans--very "open and go." Yet I am also thrilled with the depth and connections that are made.

I fully expect at this time next year to be reporting how wonderful our year of CTC has been!
Chrissy

[Carrie]

Chrissy,

I'm so glad to hear it! It sounds like you are doing a great job of getting everything together! I can totally agree with you on the sheer volume of science apparatus that I have collected through the years for my oldest son's various science programs. I have a huge volume of "stuff". Some that I hate to admit never got used! It was honestly a relief for me to clear out and get rid of much of it, knowing that for my next kiddos we'd be able to use more "normal" supplies along with our HOD guide. I was honestly running out of space for my oldest guy's things alone, not to mention wondering where to store it all! Enjoy your organizing!

Blessings,
Carrie