By Nicole
(United States)
KONOS Curriculum Visitor Review:
Grades Used: 1-5
Dates Used: 1990s and 2009
I am a homeschool graduate, and not only that I was the oldest child, making me the guinea pig of the family. I used Saxon, Character Sketches, Five in a Row, Sonlight, aBeka, Bob Jones, Christian Liberty, Pathway Readers, Easy Grammar, Oak Meadow… and many, many more.
Out of every curriculum I used, Konos was my favorite. It is a unit study system based on character traits, and it gives you thousands of ideas and book recommendations.
For example, you might choose Obedience (volume 1) to study. Under Obedience you would units on Properties of Light, or Kings and Queens or others. Each section has a guide to the projects so you know which are appropriate for which grade levels, since it covers from K-8. You will also find applicable Bible verses, suggested reading, and a weekly plan.
The wonderful thing about Konos is that you do not have to follow their plan, and honestly if you did you would be entirely overwhelmed since there’s just too much. You cannot possibly do all the projects, since they are all hands-on.
The books are at least 3-4 inches inches thick and cost a little over $100 each, and there are three volumes. However, since they cover at the minimum 2 1/2 years of work and every grade level, and every academic subject, this is a very reasonable price.
I am now using Konos Vol.1 with my first grader and preschooler. Because the books can be very overwhelming, I do not follow the schedule. I also find that in my classic version of the book, it can be difficult to cover every subject without a lot of planning.
The people who made it have come out with all kinds of planning tools, updated versions, and history timelines so you don’t have to do so much work, which would be valuable. I have decided to use it as a resource book for hands-on projects, which I have found to be unparalleled.
Most of the topics are under science or history, and finding things to do that don’t involve essays or simply reading can be tough.
Konos has done all that creative legwork for you.
So, all in all, I believe Konos is the best hands-on curriculum you can get, as long as you either use the extra tools or approach it from a more relaxed state of mind.